Fur In The Paint

I am a voracious reader. In my downtime months I can work a 40 hour week and still easily plow through up to 3 books. That being said I rarely pick up a book that wasn’t recommended by someone, where I know nothing about the story or the author.

I went to the Rolfe Library to get the Dewey book (see below) and the book, How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They Are Still on This Earth) by Henry Alford was sitting out on the counter. The only reason it caught my eye was because it had a wrinkly Shar Pei dog on the cover. However the title made me smile. I flipped it over and read the back which was all glowing praises. Apparently this was a book written from many different interviews of people over the age of 80. Some famous, some not so much. And so intrigued, I checked it out, without so much as cracking open the book to read the inside cover.

I must say I was rather disappointed in this book. It just didn’t deliver. There were more words about his personal life (a gay man in his 40’s) than about the actual interviews. I mean seriously, he interviewed Phyllis Diller. Surely she warranted more than a few paragraphs. I guess I might have liked the book, had I not expected it to be something different that what it turned out to be. It was kinda like going out, expecting fine dining, only to be taken to a burger place.

Maybe I’ll read the inside cover next time.

What Budda’s Reading Now

We also just finished Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron. Not withstanding my great love of critters I don’t often read stories about animals. Not sure why. Probably they lean a little on the smaltzy side.

So why did I pick up this book you ask. Well mostly because I have been asked repeatedly if I’d read it yet. But also because I met Dewey and the small town in question is about an hour away from where I live.

In general I enjoyed the book. It gave quite a bit of Spencer’s history which I would think would be interesting to anyone from the area. (Perhaps not so much if you live anywhere else though.) Also, it talked allot about how Dewey brought comfort to many library patrons, including the elderly and disabled. Also she talked openly about her fight with cancer and how Dewey made life bearable through such a difficult time. (I’m a sucker for a book about critters helping people on an emotional or spiritual level.)

Budda liked that it was about a cat (for once.) He gives it a resounding 3 Paws up.

This past winter Budda and I have started a new daily tradition of reading for an hour or so on the couch in the front room. It’s warm and cushy and we snuggle down in a sunny spot. This gave me an idea. I occasionally do the book review thing with art/business related books. Budda could do one for the lighter reading sort of thing.

Today we just finished off Hannah’s Dream written by Diane Hammond. It’s a novel about a zoo elephant named Hannah, and the people who love her. I won’t spoil the story but I was surprised at how well written it was. You got a real feel for the characters and the hurts and difficulties each faced privately. The book is scattered with damaged characters who do great and wonderful things.

“They’d learned that not everything broken could be fixed, and that not everything ruined could be thrown away. Sometimes the damaged things were all you had to work with.” - Hannah’s Dream

Also there’s a great villain who strides around in a pith helmet while sporting a riding crop. This book is very positively written and is a feel good kind of read. (Mine and Budda’s favorite kind.)

Budda gives it 3 1/2 paws enthusiastically up. (Of course it’s a four paw system) It might have ranked 4 but there were far to few words devoted to cats. He really liked that the animals were portrayed as the emotional and intelligent animals that they are, without going over into the anthropromorphizing side of things.

As Budda often says “Critters don’t want to be human. We are perfect enough as we are.”

Now I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not anthropromorphizing here. He really does say that.

It is time to reveal secret #2 about me (for #1 you’ll need to read back through the blog, here’s a hint. . . it involves swearing.) I am kind of a new age-y sort of gal. (is that anything like being kinda pregnant?) Okay, so it wasn’t very juicy and probably not much of a secret to most of my local friends. But I haven’t really mentioned it on the blog yet. Now I don’t study the stars or collect crystals . . . but I also do not mock those who do. I am open to new ways of thinking and enjoy reading about spiritual matters. So I thought this book would be right up my alley.

I purchased this book thinking it was going to be horse stories told by a therapeutic riding instructor, (who by the way has over 20 years experience working with horses and children with special needs, as well as a 12 year series of horse camps for children and adults.) She would then apply myth to those anecdotes and sort of dissect it with psychology. (Yes, that really did sound like a good read to me.) Turns out it was not quite like that.

Riding Into Your Mythic Life by Patricia Broersma is about the symbolism of the horse in myth and using that mythology to discover more about ourselves and what she calls “the hero’s journey. It is chocked full of exercises designed to help you gain more awareness and enhance communication between you and your horse. It is part philosophy, part self-help and part horse training guide.

I tend to already communicate with Chicory on a deeper level, none the less, I think I will give a couple of the exercises a go when I have a spare moment. (and for those of you wondering how I got a book read this past month . . . lets just say, I have been spending a lot of time riding to and from artfairs.)

In terms of marketing your art successfully you do need all of the traits listed in the previous post 6 Traits to be Successful in the Art Market. If you add “lack of” to any of the 6 traits you will struggle to acheive success. Lack of Confidence. . . Lack of Drive . . . Lacking the ability to be alone. (Ummm you get the idea.) Of all of these things though, fear is the most dibilitating issue that artists face. It can be immobolizing and cause stagnation. I could have added Fearlessness as triat #7 but it is such a major player, I thought it deserved it’s own post.

Everyone has fear issues.
Fear of acceptance like will I get accepted into that show, or will the buyers be interested in what I do.

Fear of failure is when you are waiting for things to be perfect. Your skill level to increase, the right timing. Fear of failure causes you not to act at all. And the only way you will become successful at art is through action. Whether it be creating it or selling it.

Fear of the unknown, like how will my life change if I decide to go professional. Will I still have time to do the things I love.

But in order to be successful in the art market (as well as in anything else) you must push past it. Many starving artists become starving artists because they are allowing fear to hinder their progress.

In truth I don’t have the answer to handling your fear issues. (I think that is probably in the realm of a shrink) But I do know what worked for me was just doing it.

Sometimes I play the Whats the Worst That Can Happen game. What’s the worst that can happen if I screw up this painting, Hmmm. Well . . I toss it and have lost a few hours of my life. If I posted it on my blog, then the world has seen that I don’t always create wonderful art. Hmmm. Not such a travesty. I mean it’s not like I’ll come down with malaria and die or something. So I move forward. Always keep moving forward. Stagnation will kill a career.

I’ve included the Art & Fear book in this post because I do actually have it in my library. My art group was reading it a few years back and most of them found it very helpful. I found it interesting, but at this stage of the game I have worked through a great many of my fear issues. (I did this by doing by the way) I still have some fears, don’t misunderstand me. But the more I work the art thing the fewer and more infrequent they become.

Okay. this is the last of this kind of post. I promise (I think.) I mean really, what has this to do with art anyway? Here’s the thing. I find behavior fascinating. Whether it be human or animal. So these simple techniques to change the fundamental way a person thinks about himself is very intriguing to me. A person can alter physiology just by changing the thought patterns. Cool!

And confidence and motivational techniques can be applied to other aspects to ones life. Say for instance, getting into the studio to paint, or tackling that really challenging painting that has been calling to you.

Week 4 Super Charge Your Metabolism
This episode dealt with using the visualization techniques to create happy feelings with motivation. Any exercise is good, so park farther away and walk, take the stairs instead of elevator. That sort of thing.

The visualization is the same as last weeks. Picture a happy moment while squeezing your right hand thumb and middle finger together. Picture a time when you felt motivated, you took a leap of faith and followed through successfully. Use many memories. Try to envision it as fully as possible. “See what you saw, feel what you felt, hear what you heard.” Then whenever you need a little motivational pick me up, just squeeze your thumb and middle finger together.

Week 5 Your Perfect Body
Again deals with the visualizations. This time, to improve your self confidence. Simple changes in the way you think can have dramatic changes in the way you fell.

A couple of different techniques to try.
*Think of a physically perfect person. Someone who is the icon of beauty. Now picture yourself stepping into them. Being them. Feeling what it is like to be them.
*Picture someone who loves you. Feel the love they have for you. Step into them and see yourself through their eyes.
*Extend one arm and picture holding a ball. Now think of all the negative things you think about yourself. Whatever parts of you you dislike. Let them flow down your arm and into the ball. Then just brush the ball away like it was dust.
*When you hear that inner monologue saying nasty things in your head. Try picturing the voice speaking in a silly voice. It is hard to take whatever it says too seriously when it sounds like Daffy Duck.
*Look into the mirror and say “I accept myself”

See my previous post on Paul McKenna’s I Can Make You Thin

Well, Okay. I can’t make you thin, but Paul McKenna claims he can. It is all about reprogramming the way you think about food, through simple techniques. I must admit, I find the whole concept fascinating. And while I have been experimenting with week one’s plan, which is to eat consciously, I have not followed all the rules for it.

Week 2 Emotional Eating
The premise is that most overweight people eat to satisfy some emotional need, whether it be boredom, loneliness, or sadness. (I tend to over eat when really happy. Go figure.)

So the next time you have a craving for food, that is not hunger based, you can try this technique. It involves tapping pressure points on the body, while doing left brain and right brain activity. It rewires the brain, so to speak, to alleviate the desire to eat.

Tap under the eye several times, followed by the collar bone, then under the eye again. Tap inside, side of wrist, then back of wrist.

While tapping back of wrist, close your eyes, then open them. Look down and to the right, followed by down and to the left. Roll eyes 360 degrees to the right, and then to the left. Keep tapping. Hum a tune. Count to 5 then hum a tune again. Tap under the eye and back to the collar bone.

Assess you desire for food. The number of taps isn’t crucial, nor is the order of things correct. It is the activity itself which works.

Week 3 Busting Your Cravings
If you have a weakness for some favorite unhealthy food, this visualization technique might help. The premise for this is, the body doesn’t differentiate between a vivid fabricated image and a real experience.

So picture in your head your most disliked food. The thing that starts a gag reflex at the thought of it. (for me its peas, When I was a child I actually vomited during lunch when my mom forced me to eat peas. It was the last time she did it, though.)

Close your eyes and visualize eating them. Do the action of sticking your fork into the plate lifting it to your mouth, then chew. At the same time squeeze your left thumb and index finger together. Continue squeezing your fingers together until the exercise ends. Now add to this, whatever manner of revolting stuff you wish. He suggested hair clippings from a barbershop, spittoon juice or worms. Continue to put your fork in and eat. Then add your desired food, say chocolate for instance. When you are completely grossed out, you may stop. Asses your craving. The next time you have a craving for this food, simply press together your left hand thumb and index finger. Your visualized experience will remind the body of the disgusted feelings you experienced during the exercise.

The good thing about this, is you can do the same thing for energy or happiness. Visualize a wonderful experience you had, remember and feel the feelings. Draw upon many memories if you wish. While doing this, squeeze your right hand thumb and index finger together. Next time you need a boost or an emotional pick me up just squeeze those same fingers together. Cool!
For more information on Paul Mckenna or his program visit http://tlc.com/thin

See my post on weeks 4 and 5 of I Can Make You Thin

And speaking of magazines . . .

Notice anything familiar about the latest issue of Apples ‘n Oats spring 2008 issue?

Here’s a tiny hint . . . the horse painting

Yup! you guessed it. Carol Eilers the editor/publisher, has once again generously put one of my paintings on the cover of A&O. Thank you Carol. It looks great. I am especially lovin’ the red.

The Definition of Irony
So I went and got the mail, as I do every day. And to my surprise, (and delight) a hefty envelope had been sent to me by an artist friend. Inside was a large magazine called Artful Blogging, Visually inspiring online journals by Somerset Studio. I had been talking with my art group about blogging, as it is still a relatively new experience for me, and one of them had sent it to me. (I got the best friends, especially since the cover price was $14.95.)

It doesn’t really strike me as a how-to kinda mag (though it does have a couple articles in the back about blogging etiquette and how to get started.) It is more like a glimpse into hundreds of creative blogs, that I might never had discovered on my own. It is a quarterly mag that is chocked full of gorgeous imagery (Ooh. . .eye candy) that is accompanied by nice little tid-bits of writing. Rather inspiring to see so much creativity out there.

Kinda strange though. I mean really, how weird is it to have a magazine about blogs? But then, I guess I am blogging about a magazine, so the circle of life is complete.

The First Step Is Admitting You Have A Problem
As I previously mentioned, I just recently submitted my article for the newest issue of Apples ‘N Oats magazine. After each submission, Carol Eilers the editor/publisher sends me a note saying that she added a few more commas or a semicolon. (Note: This last time she didn’t comment on my punctuation. But I think that has more to do with her just going ahead and making the necessary changes, as opposed to my writing abilities.) Now I don’t think it is her job to proof read everything I write to make sure it is grammatically correct. (Oh, wait … maybe it is?) But as a responsible artist/writer I have decided to seek help and improve my writing skills.

Oddly enough, we had this book, When Good People Write Bad Sentences; 12 steps to Better Writing Habits, by Robert W. Harris, in one of our bookshelves. (View the Table of Contents.) I am not sure where it came from or why it appeared (some form of karmic intervention perhaps?) but I immediately sat down and began to read. It has been a long time since I had grammar in school and I have gotten sloppy over the years.

It is written in a tongue-in-cheek style of a addiction intervention. By offering a 12 step program for self improvement by breaking “The Habit” of bad writing. At first I found this a clever way to make the mind numbing subject of diction, grammar, and style, actually a little entertaining. About half way through though, the amusement factor got a little stale.

Denial
It appears that I resemble one of his examples of a bad writing addict, by thinking that adhering too closely to the standard rules of writing, were going to interfere with my creativity, self expression and ability to communicate in my own voice.

Idealistically, I have always thought, as an artist that I am a visual person. I shouldn’t have to write about my work, because my work should speak for itself. This my friends is denial. Truth is, not only is it important to write clearly for my Apples ‘N Oats articles and this blog. But also for all of the artistic submissions and business dealings that I do every day. Often I think, “eh, artists are supposed to be quirky. I can get away with it.” I have finally decided that I need to improve my writing skills, if I really want to compete with the big dogs. (Sometimes, it’s hard being a grown-up.)

The Judgment
The most beneficial idea I got from this book was more applicable to marketing than writing. It deals with the importance of promoting benefits over features. The book explained that while listing features is good, it is the benefits that people respond to.

For example:
A feature might be inexpensive
while a benefit might be affordable

A feature, answers the question “what is it?” A benefit answers the question “What does it mean to me?” This seems to me to be a powerful tidbit of information that will be useful in my marketing efforts.

The book was an easy read. Though, I feel that far to much time and wordage was spent on the addiction angle. While I still don’t have a good grasp of dangling participles or splitting infinitives. In the end, I got the information on the areas I most needed help in. How to use of commas, semicolons, and dashes properly. That is, I think I now have a grasp on how to use them properly. I wrote most of this post before finishing the book. We’ll have to see just how much has soaked in and gets utilized in my future writings.

It was worth the read. I learned some important things. Other things didn’t really stick. Maybe I should read it again. Or maybe, I really do need to crack open a grade school grammar book that spells it all out for me, in a simple to understand format, as if I am a slow-witted child. “Hmm … Nah! I am an artist I can get away with it.” (As they say: D’nile, ain’t just a river.)

I just finished reading How To Profit from the Art Print Market; Creating Cash Flow From Original Art; Practical Advice for Visual Artists, by Barney Davey. (A bit of a mouthful really.) View the Table of Contents.

Mr. Davey was a salesman for Decor magazine and its trade show Decor Expo for 15 years. Much of what he says is geared toward using those avenues of promotion. He suggests that to launch yourself in this way would require an investment of at least $100,000. I would think that for the average artist, (myself included) this is an unrealistic plan of action. However, once you get past that, the book is pretty good.

I gleaned more than one good idea from it. Like, when at an art show and you have someone who is really on the fence about purchasing, and they say those three little words made classic by Arney, “I’ll be back.” You discreetly slip them a postcard that offers something special upon their return (i.e. A free box of greeting cards, a free mini print or a 10% discount.) Since I am not the hard sell type, this strikes me as a great alternative to being more aggressive or appearing desperate (Like … by falling to my knees, clutching their pant legs and begging.)

Also, I particularly enjoyed reading about the strategies used by some of the current top selling print artists like Moss, Wyland, Doolittle and Kinkade. For instance for over 15 years, P. Buckley Moss made no less than 100 appearances for one-woman shows at her dealer galleries, per year. Wow, now thats commitment.

Though, I can’t say that this is a must read for every artist. I do think this book could be a valuable resource. It is crammed with website urls on nearly every aspect of the art business. This book is a great starting point to explore the various avenues for furthering your artistic business goals.