Art Biz Blog

Remember to road trip this summer

It's unofficially summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere and it's time to get in the car and head out on the open road. Search for cities within a single day’s drive and find out what you might be missing at art venues.

I grew up and used to live in Oklahoma City, which was close to numerous art venues in Tulsa, Fort Worth, Dallas, Wichita, Kansas City, and points beyond. (For those of you on the East Coast and abroad who can't imagine a three-hour-or-longer road trip, you're missing out.)

Image ©Rick Spooner, 1955 Ford Thunderbird

There were a number of times I hopped in the car after deciding an exhibit or event just couldn't be missed. Among them:

►My first opportunity to write for Fiberarts magazine. My mother and I loaded up the car and road tripped to Arrowmont in eastern Tennessee. We spent Thanksgiving there--next to Dollywood and all of the outlet stores--and took in a wonderful exhibit of contemporary quilts.

►The touring production of Still/Here by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company when it made it to Lawrence, KS. This was one of the best experiences of my life.

►The Magritte retrospective at the Menil Collection in Houston, TX. WOW! And another chance to see the nearby Rothko Chapel (one of my favorite places on earth).

►The Richard Diebenkorn and Sean Scully retrospectives at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. In 2004 I returned to see their newly opened building and was bowled over by the Philip Guston show and the wonderful space. I went again last year during my book tour.

►A road trip to evaluate informal family learning at museums and discovery centers in Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. I came upon--quite accidentally--the City Museum in St. Louis, which was so cool. They had an exhibit with a shoe theme that had a shoe theater (instead of puppet theater). I'll never forget it!

►The day I drove from Lake Eufaula in eastern Oklahoma to see the ancient site of Spiro Mounds.

Go out of your way to see more art. You never know when you'll come upon a life-altering or art-altering experience. Gas is half the price it was last year, so take advantage of it while you can!

Do you have a favorite art-related road trip? Share it in the comments.

Podcast: Ignite the fire in your belly

Ignite the fire in your belly! You need to be a self-starter and find the enthusiasm that will energize you to succeed in making a living from your art. Here are six ideas to keep the flame burning brightly!

[4:57]

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More on This Topic

Art Marketing Action newsletter (a written version of this podcast)

You're a Hot Ticket!

Return to Your Art

NEW! Best of the Art Marketing Action Podcast on CD: Motivation

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Podcast: Return to your art

The disciplined practice of making art is mandatory. Everything else is optional--even (gasp!) marketing.

[3:06]

Catch me in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this week for a keynote address to the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council.

Visit the beautiful Rocky Mountains AND ramp up your online marketing--May 2-3, 2009!

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Making up for that lost hour

Tonight most of us in the US are moving our clocks forward in preparation for spring and Daylight Saving Time. Good for those of us who like an extra hour of light at the end of the day. Bad for our ambitions. How can we afford to lose an hour?!

Here’s a list of activities you could easily forgo to get your interior clock back to normal.

• Watching TV (C’mon! Just an hour!)
• Cooking a meal (get takeout!)
• Vacuuming (can’t it wait?)
• Cleaning anything (Again, can’t it wait?)
• Sleep (Who needs it, anyway?)
• Surfing the Web, Facebook, Twitter
• Whining, complaining

Things you shouldn’t give up just because you’re losing an hour on the clock:

• Studio time
• Marketing time
• Looking at art
• Reading about art
• Journaling
• Networking
• Family time
• Self-care time
• Laughing, smiling, loving

Got anything to add?

You're a hot ticket!

You’re a hot ticket. Honestly! People think it’s cool to know you just because you’re an artist.

And, if you haven’t figured this out, people like to help out artists. People like to show up for you at your openings, buy your art when they can, help you with your hangings and events, introduce you to others who might by your work, and share business leads with you.

Don’t ever forget this.

Don’t be afraid to ask. Ask for what you want. Ask for what you need. Ask for participation. Ask for help.

Don’t be afraid to share. Share your art. Share your dreams. Share your secrets. Share your friends. Share your world.

Don’t be afraid to add to your mailing list--as long as you do it ethically, legally, and refuse to send boring stuff.

Blast Off students share affirmations and visions

The Blast Off class just finished and some of the participants have posted one (or more) of their assignments online for me to share with you. Enjoy these!

Marilyn Grad’s affirmations

Dora Ficher's affirmation cards

Debbi L. Homola's affirmation cards

Janice McDonald’s abstract collage that she had made into coasters that would always be in front of her

Robin Neudorfer's affirmation cards

Jodi Flood’s affirming jewelry

Rosemary Gara-Hill's affirmation cards

Lisa Flowers Ross's affirmation cards (that's one of Lisa's cards pictured at right)

Manon Doyle’s vision board

Quick shout out to those who share my birthday today

Maren Bargreen, owner, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT

Joanie San Chirico, artist, Toms River, NJ

Kelsey Karper, marketing & PR, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, Oklahoma City, OK

Norman Rockwell (yeah, that one)

Happy birthday to us! (Boy, you should see the greetings on my Facebook wall. It's amazing! And so humbling.)

Dealing with rejection

Every artist who struggles with rejection should read Joanne Mattera's post on Rejection. She starts off:

There’s no easy way to deal with it except to experience it, get over it and move on. Rejection is never pleasant, but until you get over it, you can never move on. Fortunately, you do develop a callus over the soft spot.

Get out and gain inspiration

Get out of there. Really. GET OUT! Get out of your home, your studio, your comfort zone.

I’ve been a hermit. I’ve been working overtime trying to get the audio, video, and content ready for the smARTist Telesummit and Blast Off class. And I’ve been making all kinds of excuses (I know!) for staying in my home office.

It’s not healthy. It’s not healthy to see only the same three cats and husband day in and day out--no matter how cute the four of them are. And it’s rotten for mental and creative stimulation. (Incidentally, that's cute kitty #3, our newest addition that we adopted last month: Dharma. Dharma doesn't realize that the basket is too small for her. Or maybe she's just drunk on catnip.)

This morning I had a long-planned breakfast with tactile artist Ann Cunningham. It was great! Not only do I love Ann’s company, but during our brief time together, I came up with three newsletter or blog topics. I also have an idea for a contest that I’m going to be posting very soon.

These ideas never would have come to me at home or by being glued to this computer screen.

New intention

I know all of the above already. In fact, I teach it in my classes and mention it in my book. But I haven’t been practicing it. Or I’ve  been practicing it only when the timing is perfect. The truth is, timing is never perfect. You just have to do it.

My new intention for getting out, as I create my vision for 2009 with the Blast Off class, is to schedule (schedule is the key word) at least one appointment out of the office per week.

A related intention is to have a dinner party once a month. Just four guests, but people we don’t see all of the time--people who can enrich our lives with their ideas and from whom we can be inspired. This will also allow me to be a hostess and cook, which are two things I truly enjoy.

Embrace the good signs

I had a fantastic dream last night. It didn't start off on a good foot, but--as it turned out in the dream--I inherited $1million! The money didn't come from my family, but from a former docent at one of the museums where I worked. I was told that I was named in her will because she always liked and appreciated my work.

How about that? See, it pays off to be nice to people! (Even imaginary people.)

I think it's a sign. A sign of unexpected income. A sign of a really good year. Whatever. I don't have dreams like that very often, so I'm holding it close.

Happy New Year to you and those you love

I've been sending out New Year's cards, but since I can't send out cards to everyone I'd like to, I'll share it here with you and wish you a prosperous 2009 filled with feel-good dreams that come true.

On getting into galleries and being an artist

Nice interview with Edward Winkleman, New York gallerist. One of the things he said really struck home. it's something I often feel when I talk with a potential client.

He said that you should only be an artist if you HAVE to be an artist--that the "real" artist has no choice. The "real" artist goes out and gets six jobs if that's what it takes to support herself and her art. It's a hard life and you have to have that passion. You have to feel like you have no other options.

I struggle with the term "real artist," but it comes up all of the time since there are (1) so many people taking up art later in life and (2) artists without art degrees who lack confidence. Either they don't feel like they've paid their dues enough to call themselves artists or they have little patience with hobbyists. (Don't get mad at me. I'm just the messenger relating what I hear on the streets, in my workshops, in emails, and on blogs.)

I think Winkleman is talking about the artists who aren't playing around and testing the market for their art. Instead, they have made a decision. They have decided that they're artists and that there is no turning back.

I hear this from success gurus, too: That you won't find the success you seek until you have decided and until you leave yourself with no other options.

Have you decided to be an artist?