Sacred art? <-Deep Thought Thursday

by Alyson Stanfield on March 18, 2010

Is art sacred?

Is all art sacred or just some art?

What’s the criteria? What makes some art sacred and not other art?

There are many directions to go with today’s Deep Thought. Go where your heart and head lead you.

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How to get your universal avatar

by Alyson Stanfield on March 17, 2010

Have you noticed in the Art Biz Blog comments that some people have their pictures next to their comments? I recently added this feature when I realized how much I was enjoying seeing people’s faces on other blogs.

Here’s how you can get your universal avatar.

Sign up for an account at Gravatar.

That’s it! Whenever you post a comment using the email address that you registered with Gravatar, your picture appears. I think it took about 10 minutes.

There might be other ways, but this was my solution.

This would be good for you to do if you plan on commenting on this or other blogs that have this feature. It’s nice to connect a face with a comment and, yes, I prefer seeing your face to seeing your art. Avatars with your art are fine, but . . . Remember that blogging is a form of social networking. It’s about connecting with other people. People have faces and we want to see yours.

Note that the blogs you comment on must be configured to allow the gravatar to show up. Many WordPress blogs use the same plug-in as I do, but other blogs might require a special configuration. If you have a blog, this page gives you instructions for adding Gravatars to your blogging platform.

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Strategic e-marketing: Everything should be connected

March 16, 2010

Are you driving people from your website to your blog and from your newsletter to your blog and website? And is your social media presence closely linked with the rest of your online persona? Be sure you’re thinking of your e-marketing in total. Each element isn’t separate, but is part of your network of strategic e-marketing.

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Give to Get on Your Blog

March 15, 2010

One reason that blogs are so powerful is that they can establish you as an expert. Give information freely on your artist blog! Just because you give away free information doesn’t mean that people won’t pay for the same information in a different format

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Art Marketing Action Podcast: Give to Get on Your Blog

March 15, 2010

The weekly Art Marketing Action podcast is an audio version of the newsletter of the same title.
Read the newsletter here.
listen to the podcast
Make sure you don’t miss an episode: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

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What’s to love about the guerrilla knitters

March 12, 2010

Someone is going out of his or her way to make sure tree trunks and sign stakes are kept warm and stylish this winter. Some graffiti artist is plastering trees and public spaces in West Cape May, New Jersey with . . . . knitting! Here are three lessons to learn from the guerrilla knitters.

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Artist Travel <- Deep Thought Thursday

March 11, 2010

I have learned a number of travel tips throughout my years on the road, but I want to hear yours. More importantly, I want you to share yours with my readers.

How do you prepare for your travel? I’m interested in any travel tips, but especially your art- and business-related travel tips. How do you keep your career going while you’re on the road?

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Art Marketing Action + Podcast: Get the Word Out Early and Often

March 8, 2010

You can’t send one announcement for your art event and expect it to be effective. People typically have to see the same information multiple times—in multiple ways—before they will act on it. Mix up your delivery methods as described in this post, and you’ll be much more effective with your promotions.

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@abstanfield Tweekly

March 7, 2010

Been listening in on Art Heroes Radio? Wonder what to do with disruptive personalities as you’re teaching? Ever run into a situation in which your prices have been undercut by another artist? I point you to help with all of these in this week’s Tweekly.

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Answering the same question over and over again (gracefully) in a face-to-face conversation

March 5, 2010

Different factors must be considered when you are confronted with questions in a face-to-face conversation rather than receiving them in an email. It’s a lot harder to duck out of a dialogue in your artist booth or at an opening! And you probably don’t want to.

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