Fur In The Paint

So I never realized how much I like to illustrate my blog post until now that I can’t. Sigh.

So I decided to pull out a post that I had been saving for the art fair season. But since I just published a lens with very much the same information to be used as a resource and checklist for packing for the upcoming art fair season I’ll go ahead and post this now. If you want to check out my new lens Art Fair Equipment essentials click here.

Indoor Events
1. Lights This has to do with the “S Rule” (Shiny Stuff Sells) The more light the better.
2. Extension cords
3. Tables with cloths and covers
4. A rug for the floor is a really nice touch.

Outdoor events
1.Weights and stakes
2 Tie downs
3.Tarps
4. Ice and something cold to drink
5. Snacks
6. Hats
7. Clip on umbrellas
8. Sunscreen

For Either
1 Calculators (at least 2 preferably 3) Heat and cold will fry them.
2. Change this includes bills. I usually take around $400 worth of 1, 5’s and 10’s.
3. Totes (for storage)
4. Pens, receipt books and bags.
5. Comfortable chairs
6. Guest book to collect names for mailing list.
7. Breath mints
8. Comfortable Shoes
9. Display Units, baskets etc.
10. Shop Towels
11. Plenty of Inventory. Nothing torks me off more than running out of something.

A Few Things That Are Nice To Have But Are Not Essential
1.Small broom for sweeping outdoor booth space
2. Blankets
3. Extra tarps
4.Tool Kit complete with zip ties
5. Shims for uneven or not level surfaces

Okay so some of you may remember my post regarding copyright issue and the Orphan Works Act. If not here’s a refresher.

The bill (in a nutshell) was created so those who found stuff (like art, music, writing or your family photos) online, could use them for their own purposes (whatever that may be) as long as they put reasonable effort in finding the original owner to get permission for use. The Act will take away the automatic copyright currently granted and force artists (writers, musicians and maybe even your personal online photo album) to register everything for a fee. (Um Hum . . . thats right) And most importantly if the searcher doesn’t find you in the registry or you don’t reply in time, they can use the image (again, for whatever purpose) and you have absolutely no recourse. (scary huh?)

So I was looking through some squidoo lenses today and I came upon this lens from a fellow equestrian artist on copyright and Orphan Works. But here’s the best part . . . She has a link where you can sign up to Say NO!

And then cast your minds back to my post called
Horns of a dilemma: I would really love to get that George Stubbs original painting for sale on ebay . . . but it just feels so wrong. (a rant)

And looky here . . . d-artist also talks about a free-to-join group called the Equine Arts Protection League which was created to help artists protect themselves from copyright theft in places like Ebay.

Yes I’m signing up.

Do You Do Squidoo?
Early in 09 I worked like 35 hours to create seven squidoo lens. (See sidebar blogroll right) And then promptly ignored them and moved on with my life.

Fast forward a year (i.e. now) and I’m looking at my business goals going “oh yeah, squidoo.” I really should do a few more of those. So I pop over and low and behold there is actual coinage in my account. $3.33 to be exact. (I’m like whoohoo!) So that equals out to less than 10 cents per hour worked on the project.

So what was my very first thought?

I need to build more lenses. (Yeah I know right? like isn’t that the reaction everybody would have? ) And so I promptly did. I’ve nearly doubled my lenses, though 1 is still in the building stage.

Okay I’m kinda mocking squidoo or more correctly my feeble attempts at income earning through my lenses. But I know (or have heard tell at any rate) that really good money can be made from squidoo lenses. They just need to be networked a little bit more than “create and leave.” Plus if you become a big squid (make at least 50 lenses that rank well) your earning potential goes up.

Part of the problem (besides my lack of computer talents) is that I focus really hard on providing content (which is the original intention of creating them) and not at all on monetization. (i.e. including advertising links like amazon) So that too is on my To-Do list.

I think 43 new lenses to become a big squid (or is it giant squid?) is out of my grasp for this year. So let’s see . . . if I do an additional 7 lenses this year . . . oh heck lets shoot for 13 new lenses to bring me to the nice even number of 20, maybe I’ll earn $10 by the end of 2010.

Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she.

UPDATED:If anyone looks at my Squidoo lenses and finds them useful, I would really appreciate you ranking the lens. This helps with my overall ranking and listing placement as well as payout. You do not have to be a squidoo member to rank a lens.

Updated Again: SO it turns out that $3.33 was only for the month of October. From what I can tell that was the first month that generated any income at all. For some reason the lenses just sort of spontaneously started earning cash. Huh?

Recently Angela Finney was asking about goal setting on her blog (and has since posted her goals for the upcoming year.) And from that post sprung some deeper thinking (I tend to keep to the shallow end of the pool when thinking) about how I feel about goal setting. Here’s a few thoughts of mine from the comments section I left on Angela’s blog.

I work very hard. I set goals to accomplish things above and beyond my current standing. However, life and relationships (including that with one’s art) are ebb and flow. They move, change and evolve.

My goals in my younger days were become a vet tech and work in a zoo, which when accomplished turned out to not be what I wanted. When we moved to Iowa I got a lung infection . . . When just barely recovered my husband got severely burned. Our plans to be organic farmers while not ended, were definitely changed by our financial issues over [farming] start-up costs and paying off the hospitals.

It was a wild card that I started a gallery and pursued my art. It was never a plan or a goal. It was more like what can I do out here in the boonies to help make some money. . .

I’m a survivor type. So for me, not punishing myself for failed ambitions (which is what I’d do if I took my goals too seriously) is how I cope with change.

I set goals and work toward them. But mostly it is my intentions sent out to the universe (or God if you prefer) saying this is what I want. But I’ll roll with whatever you give me.

So with all that in mind, Here’s my goals for 2010

This is one of those posts which is of little interest to others but is a valuable tool for myself. I believe in the importance of not only setting goals but also being accountable for them at the end of the year. If I don’t review them, it’s hard to tell where I need to progress and when I can say “job well done” when I’ve earned it.

So these were my goals for 2009.

• Increase gross sales by at least 10% Of course the year isn’t over but we managed this by a healthy margin. Considering we did fewer art events and those that we did do, most were average to poor. This was a surprising outcome.
• Write an article for every Apples ‘N Oats issue. Nope, once again was 3 out of 4.
• Also again this year, try to do at least 2 new events be it horse or art.No again. A few months after I wrote this I decided the economy was in a downturn and decided to actually cut back on events. So no “new” ones though we did a few that we hadn’t done in years.
• Update my mailing list. Done. Yay me!
• Stretch my comfort zone. Teach a class, Give talk at an art group, Take on more commission work. All things I get asked for multiple times a year.) We did the talk in October to the Siouxland Artists Group.
• Create 20 new paintings. I created 14 new pieces (worthy of selling that is) this year. Which is more than ever before but still short of 20.
• 4 blog posts a week. Yes, though not every week. I actually did the math and I created over 200 posts for 2009 so the actual number is 3.846 per week. And yes I’m rounding up.
• Learn more about Twittering and Squidoo lens. I created several squidoo lenses but did absolutely nothing about twitter. (and probably won’t)
• Business Expansion. Look into getting (though not necessarily get) some new framing equipment. 2006 I bought the new business van, 2007 I bought my gallery building, 2008 I rested (if you could call it that.) For 2009 perhaps an Under Pinner (costs about the same as a cheap used car) or computerized matcutter. (Costs about the same as a new, rather nice car.) I did look into it but made no purchases.
• Remember to take “me” time. “Me” time can be hard to quantify. But I think yes, I have done that much more this year than in the past. Though could certainly do more.

Upcoming Posts
In the near future I will post my 2010 goals sometime before 2010 actually occurs. (I’m sure you’re all waiting with bated breath.)

Also I will finally start the new horse painting Preliminary Line Drawing (for real this time) and I have begun a post titled: How To Paint A Dead Horse in 5 Easy Steps. (Ummm . . . yeah, I may change the title.)

Recently I was talking with Louise Shimon about my post regarding taking days off from work. And it got me to thinking about a blog post of Ulla Hennig’s a few weeks back about defining what work is. I am very fuzzy on what qualifies as work since what I do for fun is also my business.

I consider a day off as not coming into the gallery and just doing what I want at home. This is extremely rare for much of the year. Technically, I often have Sundays off (unless I’m working an event) but I still go into the gallery pretty much as any other day. (which makes it feel like it’s any other day.) My Sundays are usually reserved for artwork only but often I will blog as well. So is the act of creating art, work?

Or for that matter is blogging considered work? I mean I started this blog with the intention of helping direct traffic to my website. Well that and hoping all this daily writing would improve my word-smithing abilities when writing for my Apples ‘n Oats column. Though, I think if anything my conversational style of writing has influenced my professional writing. Not the other way around.

So when I force myself to sit down and “work” on a painting that I am not “feeling” at that moment, would that then be considered work?

But then, is it “not work” when I sit down to do something that I’m all inspired and excited to do.

When I apply the parameters of “Would I still do this activity regardless of whether my financial stability was attached to it?” It helps me to get closer to defining work vs. play. I mean I have always drawn and created (for fun) long before the thought of selling entered into it. And if I became a millionaire tomorrow I would still create. But truthfully, I would spend far less time doing it. And I would spend more time doing things that I consider play, like riding horse and traveling.

I would have to say that I probably would never have started a blog if not for my art business. But for the most part blogging doesn’t feel that much like work, despite being surprisingly time consuming.

Oddly enough taking reference photos, though done exclusively for my art business, has never (not once that I can think of) felt like it was work. Totally fun.

It’s confusing for me because I have bundled my way of earning a living with my fun pastime (my art) suddenly everything can be classified as work even when at times it’s play. And the flip side of that is, that something I used to do exclusively for enjoyment alone, has now become my job.

Anyone got any opinions they’d like to share about how they define work in regards to their art versus play, please comment. Actually I would love to hear from anyone who is doing something they enjoy as part of their financial support.

Here’s Part 1 on the collaborative economy post “Real Life Is Not A Competition.” Yes Part 2 has been a longtime coming, but here it is. (finally)

The response both on and off the blog was a resounding
yes to collaboration and
no to other’s artistic success as having any bearing to one’s own success.

It has taken me awhile to get back to this subject because the topic of competition can so easily turn negative. I had several paragraphs pondering the why behind linking success for one means failure the the other. And I promptly deleted them because I wanted to have a positive conversation. So the focus of this post will be ways in which a person can participate in a collaborative economy. If we all do this the “why” is irrelevant.

To begin I will list a few of the things that I have participated in to create and support a collaborative economy in the arts. Also I will continue to Update the post as new ideas come in.

Be a part of the process. . . If you have any ideas on to help support other artists, please leave a comment.

And Lastly . . .

UPDATED:
11-20-09

11-22-09 (suggested by Undaunted)

Art Fair Insider has once again honored me by re-posting one of my Art Fair related posts on their blog. (thank you) It’s an interesting site with loads of features. Anyone working the circuit or thinking about it, should give the site a looky-see.

Speaking of Art Fairs
So the past 7 weeks have blown by and I am knee deep in inventory and packing for an event this weekend in Waterloo, Iowa. You know from the other side, 7 weeks seems like an eternity to do inventory and replenish stock. And so I wait to do it. And do something more fun like . . . start a new painting. But now I’m on this side of those 7 weeks and kicking myself. (sigh)

As per my usual after a long break, I am looking forward to the money but not so much to all of the hauling and toting involved. But I’m sure, as is also my usual, once there I will be having a great time.

Plus, since we are going to a larger city (by real world standards it is probably considered a really small city, but when you live in a town of 700 . . . .) I should be able to find an art shop to restock some WC Pencils and find some frisket film. Hobby Lobby came up bupkiss. I came home with some re-positionable book covering material but is so low tack it’s pretty well useless.

Once again the gallery has been busy (Yay!) but this also means not much new work has been done on Spanish Gold- Andalusian Stallion. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be far enough along to be worthy of posting a WIP.

Recently, at the art talk one of the members surprised me. I should preface this by saying I may have annoyed her because she opened the conversation with, My name is . . . and I was the one who asked you to come here and talk several years ago and you said “No it was too far.” Ummm . . .yeah. She wanted me to come and talk about my artwork. At that time I always believed my art should speak for itself. This time I was coming to talk about my business . . . and that’s totally different. (This was of course pre-blog. Now all I do is talk about my art.)

I burst out laughing because I’m easily amused and I tend to laugh inappropriately, but mostly because I was surprised she would think that I should feel bad about myself because some other artist was achieving some success.

Anywho, she mentioned she first saw me at an event where this other local wildlife artist was also showing. She then began telling me all about how much press this other woman was getting. I know this artist, though not as well as I know her sister, who is also an excellent wildlife artist. I listened intently as she went on about all of this artist’s honors and write-ups in newspapers and magazines. I nodded and smiled and said I was glad for her (and i was.)

And then she reached out and patted my arm and said with a you-poor-dear look on her face “But you’ve done well for yourself too.”

I burst out laughing because I’m easily amused and I tend to laugh inappropriately, but mostly because I was surprised she would think that I should feel bad about myself because some other artist was achieving some success.

I said “I know I have . . . (looking her in the eye and holding a pause) but thank you.”

The incident got me to thinking. Why is the mindset that if someone else succeeds then you lose, so prevalent? Especially in the arts? Sports I can see. You progress by being better than everyone else. As an artist though, you progress by doing continually better work and getting people to connect with it. Whether they connect with your neighbor’s work is irrelevant to your success.

Why is the mindset that if someone else succeeds then you lose, so prevalent?

Collaborative Economy
So I just agreed to a joint venture with a photographer friend who is opening a studio in a neighboring town. She wanted to offer framing but wants no part in the actual doing of it. So I’ll set her up with some samples, she works with the clients, I place the order and frame them, she delivers. It’s win win. She offers a convenient service for her customers, I get extra framing work. Plus I give her a kick-back. (um . . . I bet it’s called a commission.) At any rate I already have this sort of situation with two other locations. One is an artist and one is an interior decorator.

I have long been in the practice to offer my friends up for services I don’t provide. I take on very few portraits (and then only horses) For everything else including people who don’t want to wait or pay my prices I hand them over to someone who does the job well and in a timely manner. One of my dearest friends is an equestrian artist (Barb McGee) locally that I have sent people out my gallery door off to hers. I also have a couple of other artists who I hand their cards out, in addition to Barb’s. One of whom is Angela Finney.

I know all the frame shop owners in the area by name and have sent work to them when I couldn’t do what was needed. (mostly over-size work.)

As an artist you progress by doing continually better work and getting people to connect with it. Whether they connect with your neighbor’s work is irrelevant to your success.

Could I possibly lose these people I send on, as a customer? (Client, Patron take your pick) Yes. But to me it is more important for them to can get what they need done, than to hold onto them out of selfishness, greed or insecurity.

Okay so here’s the thing. Many of the artists (including Barb) and shops in the area, send people to me as well. And that my dears, is my definition of a collaborative economy and how because of it, we better all our chances for achieving success.

What is success anyway?
It’s completely different for everyone. Personally, success is paying my bills while doing something I really enjoy. AND (here’s the part I need to get too) having enough free time to explore my other loves like my horse and the outdoors.

If Barb becomes an unbelievably wealthy equine artist, it will have very little effect on whether I achieve my personal success goals.

I would love to hear from any of you who wants to share your personal idea of what success means to you or any incidents regarding success, competition or how you participate in a collaborative economy, Please comment.

I apologize for the length of this post but when I chopped it in two, it just didn’t make as much sense.

First and Foremost there is more art coming, (hopefully next post) Just not today. For today we have a rant.

So it figures as soon as I commit to recommending it on my blog, things go a little sideways. “It” being that lodging Card (which in this post shall remain nameless and be hereafter referred to as the CARD)

A few weeks back we got an email from CARD saying (paraphrasing here) “Hey we renegotiated new lower rates. blah blah blah.” I’m thinking “Sweet!” and then thought nothing else about it.

So when checking out of the hotel the other day, they refused to give us a receipt because of the new CARD policy.

I’m like “what the . . .”

What’s that saying . . . Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.”

So I called the number on the card and the CARD lady is all “Of course they can give you a print out, (in a way that suggested the hotel staff are just a little slow and should be dealt with like children.) just let me talk to her.”

Feeling smugly victorious I hand my cell over to the very nice hotel woman (I’m not being snarky here, she really was.) They talk and she begins to make a copy while saying “Oh, but we got an email saying. . . ” .

I loose interest at this point and my mind wanders, since clearly I am getting what I wanted. I don’t feel the need to listen in on all the superfluous details. It is enough for me to know that I was right and she was wrong. Phone gets hung up and I get handed a receipt.

I go from smug to annoyed as soon as I look at my hard won receipt. Not only does it not have my name on it, all the pertinent information (like the amount) has be blacked out. Hotel lady looks at me going “Sorry.” I realize I have just been played.

Mike is getting tired of all this and barks at me to just check the website when we get home. (No brownie points for him on that one.) But I let it go. Since I am tenacious he often gets annoyed at me about making a fuss. Unless it saves us money and then he’s all “Awesome!”

What’s the deal?
When home, I look through the CARD website to see if I can figure this out. They have a non-disclosure policy which is so top secret that they can’t really talk about it with their members because that would be violating it. (I’m getting the distinct feeling they are telling the hotel people that us members are a little slow and must be dealt with like small children.)

Seriously? Does this scream hidden fees or what?

So here’s the skinny according to a phone call with the CARD. They renegotiated rates and so (those sad, left-in-the-dark) hotels don’t know the rate they are charging (um . . . wha?) and therefore may well be giving us faulty information.

You can still check the CARD website to see the rate before taxes and then CARD adds their fees on top. But the hotel is forbidden to give out any rate information to us.

This is purely speculation on my part.
Perhaps had I not been getting real receipts from hotels for years (and somehow they managed to know what to charge me then) this new policy wouldn’t bother me so much. It’s not the money. Because the rate was still good. (not nearly as good . . . but good) But it smacks of deviousness. I feel like perhaps I can no longer trust them when they have to be so secretive.

Bottom line, we were charged more than the last time we stayed at that hotel a few months back. Since we stay at the same hotels in every city, I plan on watching things closely and seeing just how many ” new lower rates” we have in the hotels we stay at. And I’ll keep you posted because maybe . . . just maybe I’m all wrong on this.