about a number of things. First of all, I read in a link to one of Katherine Tyrrell's blog posts that the title of your own blog post is very important in order to attract attention through search engines. . . anyway, that's what I thought I read. Actually, a lot of what I read could well have been written in Chinese. I'm just not that up to speed on the technology. Anyway, under the self-imposed constraint of a three-word title, it's really hard to come up with a title that will alert Google, et al. that your blog content is wonderful, not to be missed. I spent a lot (way too much) time on the computer yesterday (that's another trick, use italics, quotes). I was desperately searching for a way to attract those art patrons out in cyberspace . . . I made no art.
I did, however, purchase "Watercolor Artist" mainly for the article "Hunting and Gathering", featuring six collage artists, including Donna Watson and Laura Lein-Svencner (see sidebar). As an extra treat, the magazine also included "The Seven Contrasts of Color", an article by Nita Leland taken from her book Confident Color. So I guess these hours that I considered pretty much wasted on the computer, in the bookstore, and on my couch, really do probably count toward the 10,000 hours required for mastery of my art. (And don't you just love this paragraph? It has all the elements that search engines love: links, titles, italics, quotes . . .)
Yesterday, I posted a link to a wonderful collage set on flickr. Dailypoetics, who is really Kariann Burleson, has a blog, and she wrote this in response to my email to her:
I just answered that "16 things" after being tagged - that might tell you more about me ... its on the front page of my flickr stream still ...otherwise if you want to know more, just ask ...my blog, that i also mention in the 16 things, is dailypoetics.com i don't write, i just quote the source and share images with links to the source ...i don't exactly sell my work anywhere right now ... i did have a gallery show - my first and only last summer ... i am doing custom collages through www.somersaultslifearchives.com - though i have only done a few so far - i can show you which ones if you want to know ... i am thinking more about selling my work or experimenting with prints because they are so very personal and kind of hard to part with ...
I really like her blog and her art and check out the somersaultslifearchives site, too.
Rambling right along here, just one more thing: really, I don't know if you all realized it, but I was about to give up this art thing and, oh, I don't know, clean houses for a living. Seriously, it was this close. . . and then, last night, 7:00 p.m., when anyone who actually has a life is probably out and about living it, I got a call from my art rep. He must have ESP or some extra-sensory instinct that transmits to him that I'm desperate, because he always calls just when I'm about at the end of my rope. He has sold, sold, sold. . . has actual money for me. . . needs more paintings. . . and will take all the collages that I want to give him, but really wants big paintings mostly. Oh, I live to make art another day. And since I don't even clean my own house very much, I'm pretty sure that making art is my highest and best use.
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10 comments:
Mary,
Very good job of applied learning in your post. Spending time reading is never a waste and learning always seems to enrich our lives in diverse ways.
Your titles are always totally intriguing so that's working. It's what I loved about your blog before I ever read a post. I looked at blog the first time because of the name of your blog and kept coming back because of what I found there. I look forward to your daily posts, they always give me a lift. They are interesting,just the right length and inviting for the reader. To me your blog is everything I could want; I don't know that much about Google and other ways people might link to blogs but yours is working. Keep making art and keep writing about it.
I love how your blog starts with What if I... leaving things open to so many possibilities. And I love how how you descibe your thought process, it is very interesting and I always learn something new.
Congratulations on selling lots of art!
OMG You so get rewarded for your perseverance! You are a fantastic artist, with a great story to tell. I am thrilled for you!
Margaret, what I nice comment. Thank you so much. Reading, to me, is learning, and there is no such thing as too much learning.
Wildeve, I'm glad you learn something from my stumblings and experiments. Thanks for your comment.
Leslie, my friend, thank you for that bit of cyberspace applause.
Congratulations on the sales! I love your stuff. Don't ever stop to clean houses. They don't need you, the art world does.
I can't remember how I found you but I LOVE the things you do...you are one of my favorites!
Bailey, I'm so glad you found my blog, however it happened. Your comment was certainly a needed boost today. Thank you.
Mary, I'm so glad you got that call. I, too, absolutely love your work and am grateful it is in the world as a force for creativity and good! Please, if you ever feel that way again, email me, or any of the other artists who have commented on your blog, and we'll offer encouragement!
By the way . . . I think the technology world uses scare tactics just like the political world. I believe that intuition is a FAR more potent and reliable guide than all the "MUST DO Mumbo Jumbo" which, as you say, can get you so flummoxed that you don't make art!
Carol: Thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate all my blog friends so much. You all get it, when so many people around me just nod and say, "uh huh" or "really?" And by the way, your collage is sitting here waiting to be sent, postage already attached and whatever that form is for sending stuff to Canada already filled out. When I went to the post office to mail the other collages, I discovered that I had not addressed your envelope. How dumb. Anyway, it will be in the mail on Monday.
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