Have You Been to an Artists Gathering?

I attended AGP’s Artist Gathering at Sanchez Art Center Wednesday night.  It was the second of what I hope will be a continuing series, and its theme was “Creativity Happens”.  About 15 people were in attendance seated round-table style in the Main Gallery and surrounded by the wonderful art and original furniture of artisan Gary Knox Bennett, which is currently on exhibit.  AGP Treasurer Daniele Derenzi led the group in her animated and personable fashion. She was well prepared and kept conversation rolling along.  Some attendees seemed shy and reserved at first, but by the time we were a half hour into it, everyone was participating.

I had a wonderful time not only because it was a social gathering full of people that love art like I do, but because of how willing attendees were to share their feelings and experiences. Conversation included how to stay creative when it’s a challenge.  I was interested in what was referred to as “showing up” to your art, as Denny Holland put it, and how carving creative time out of a busy day is an integral part of fanning the creative spark.  Studio Artist Charlotte Seekamp expressed that no matter what she’s doing, her Wednesday evenings are devoted to art or art related activities.

Conversation wandered into other areas such as discovering a sense of art community on social networking sites like Facebook.  The group touched upon how comfortable a person might or might not be with receiving unsolicited feedback on Facebook, for example, or even from family members. I was impressed with how folks readily discussed confidence, as well, which can be a very personal topic.

The gathering was still in gear when I left at 8:30 p.m. At home, I felt very inspired and made considerable progress on the painting I’m working on. It was proof enough to me that “showing up” really is important in more ways than one!

The next AGP Artist Gathering occurs in late July, and members are encouraged to suggest topics for discussion.  I hope more members take advantage of this opportunity, which is completely FREE, by the way, and not tainted by grand-standing, popularity contests or conversation hogs.  It’s quite the opposite, and finds its groove at fun, interactive, and cozy.

I hope to see you at the next gathering.

By Donna L. Faber

AGP Board Secretary

donnalouisefaber.com

Disclaimer: My computer and printer are not speaking to one another right now, so I was unable to pull a copy of this post for editing, which I most prefer to do.  Therefore, any typos should be forgiven. Eventually, I will track them all down.

AGP Member Spotlight: Charles McDevitt

The Art Guild of Pacifica is a dynamic collection of people that are rich in capabilities, artistic experience, teamwork, and most of all talent.  There is so much talent I wish I could blog about every single AGP member all at once.  I’ll have to settle for one member at a time, this time focusing on studio artist Charles McDevitt.

Charles at Oceana Gallery 

Charles McDevitt is a San Francisco native, born and raised.   He felt his talent was always acknowledged and encouraged growing up.   Charles was a city kid who attended City College and used it as a spring board to the California College of Artist & Crafts.  He did all kinds of art in his under-grad years and then graduated with a degree.  Two days later, on Christmas Eve, he was drafted into the Vietnam War.

Charles was fortunate enough to go to Officer Candidate School and become an instructor. As the draft was expanded, instructors were badly needed.  So, Charles remained safely stateside.

The next life adventure brought Charles into 1973 where he was part of the very first paramedic class in San Francisco. He subsequently spent almost 25 years in San Francisco’s Health Department.   Then, in the early 90’s, the paramedics became part of the Fire Department.  At that time, Charles was a Paramedic Captain, and he continued instructing, which he really loved.  He appreciated that students in his classes wanted to be there.

People dig his work!

Upon retirement, Charles expanded his artistic efforts to focus on relearning various mediums such as acrylic and oil. At that time, a large studio in San Francisco gave him the space he needed to paint full time.

Charles is a self-described motor head who loves cars. He began painting them to challenge himself. Then, as time went on, his painting got proficient and the depiction of certain materials got better. His favorite paintings take about three months to complete, and the casual observer will see that he paints what he loves, including fire trucks, cars, and other scenes that have personal meaning.

Charles has enjoyed a studio at the Sanchez Art Center for the last five years.  He enjoys being there because he appreciates the feedback of other artists.  His artistic goals currently revolve around the painting of man made objects and how they interact with their surroundings, including light and heat or coolness.  He loves to see how heat plays on things.

Most recently, Charles exhibited in the 2012 Left Coat Annual, a juried exhibition, and the 2011 Statewide Painting Competition and Exhibition for the Triton Museum, also juried.  His full list of artistic accomplishments is found on his website here.  Be encouraged to view his site, as well, right here.  

Or, if you’re in the area, stop by Charles’ studio in the East Wing at Sanchez Art Center.  I had the opportunity during recent “open studios” to spend a moment on his comfortable couch enjoying the artistic atmosphere.  It was simply wonderful.

Visit http://www.mcdevittarts.com/ to see Charles' wonderful work!

By Donna L. Faber
Board Secretary
Art Guild of Pacifica
donnalouisefaber.com

AGP's "Galleria" Coming Soon!

The Art Guild of Pacifica rings in the holiday season each year with an open studio and open wall exhibition.  Art Guild members can hang as much of their work as they desire in any combination on a seven foot section of gallery wall at Sanchez Art Center, and studio artists there are provided an opportunity to share their unique work environment and their art.  Overall, this exhibition has been a wonderful community offering. 

This year, the Art Guild of Pacifica elaborates on its success with an exhibition aptly entitled “Galleria”.  Indeed, there will be open walls and open studios, but “Galleria” also offers Art Guild members the opportunity to exhibit work, any work, in a varied salon style exhibition.  This exhibition has no theme, but rather encourages artists to include many pieces of art in all shapes and sizes, which adds to the riot of visual stimuli created by salon style hanging.  If that isn’t enough, participation is offered at extremely reasonable fees, and the exhibition extends three full weekends (although artists need to be present for only one). 

A seven foot section of gallery wall at Sanchez Art Center, the open wall portion of the show, is available to AGP members for $50.  Pre-registration using the call for entry form on line (here) is necessary.  As a bonus, however, artists can enter one piece of artwork in the salon style group show at no charge.  For only $15, an artist’s small works (i.e., cards, postcards, small books, and small jewelry) can be added to the Gallery Store, and therefore be one of the first things attendees see.  Interested artists should bring the work (remember, art of all shapes and sizes is part of the salon’s charm) to Receiving on Sunday, November 25, 2012 between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.  Payments based on art size will be taken at that time and on a tiered basis, as follows: 

·         Pieces of art up to 12 inches wide cost only $2.00 each to enter.

·         Pieces of art up to 25 inches wide cost only $5.00 each to enter.

·         Individual pieces of art over 25 inches in width are $10.00 each to enter.

There is no gallery commission charged for sold items during this show, and art enthusiasts who purchase art can leave with their purchase that day (as opposed to waiting until the show’s end).   Artists entering their work must be Art Guild of Pacifica members (individual membership is only $25 – learn more about membership here). 

AGP’s “Galleria” will be open for three consecutive weekends, but artists with open walls are required to be on the premises to represent their work only during the first weekend, which is November 30 – December 2, 2012.  Thereafter, gallery attendants will be on site to handle sales the weekends of December 8-9 and December 15-16, and during Pacifica Performance intermissions in that time period.  Please see the Call for Entry for open wall installation information and more details. 

We hope to see many Art Guild of Pacifica members involved in this wonderful exhibition and bringing their art to the public.  Remember, one doesn’t have to pay for wall space to be included in the salon group show.  For as low as $2.00, any artist can include a small piece of work and be a part of AGP’s glorious “Galleria”!  It’s a wonderful way to ring in the 2012 holiday season!

Get the call for artists here!

By Donna L. Faber

October 19, 2012

AGP Member's Spotlight: Linda Dever

The Art Guild of Pacifica is a dynamic collection of people that are rich in capabilities, artistic experience, teamwork, and most of all talent.  There is so much talent that I wish I could blog about every single AGP member all at once.  I’ll have to settle for one member at a time, this time focusing on artist Linda Dever.

Close your eyes.  Close them tight.  Think about an alternative world, a different world.  It is one that is awash in green and blue aquatic hues and dotted with trees.  This is a world where cats frolic side by side with fish and birds and other denizens of the sky and sea.  They cavort in friendship before the blissfully blue waters of the vast ocean.  Lo and behold, you've stumbled into a fantasy painting by San Bruno artist, Linda Dever.

When Linda paints, she plunges into limitless stores of creativity to invoke images of peaceful coexistence a midst imaginary worlds.   She lays down color first in acrylics, with special attention to shape and texture.  Her initial efforts seem abstract, but soon the common theme of water insinuates itself into her work.  It’s as if the water itself demands attention, leading Linda into an adventure of layering and collage, one that requires extra dry-time before the rest of the imaginary world is willing to reveal itself.  Frequently, Linda adds stickers or other embellishments which serve to coax unexpected elements of realism into what would otherwise be exclusively fantastical pieces. We don’t see much red, the angry color, or even hues of orange or yellow. No. It is ever the calming effects of blissful blue that dominate her art.  

Early on, Linda knew that to be happy she would have to find a way to combine her art and creativity with making an income. So, she achieved a BS in Art Education from Penn State University and an MA in Educational Technology and a certificate for English as a Second Language from San Francisco State.  This combined art with teaching, which brought her great happiness throughout her career.  Linda taught Art and First Grade in New York and New Jersey before relocating to San Francisco.  After a period of teaching elementary grades here, she began to work with disabled adults and senior citizens, most recently working with the Older Adults Program of CCSF, where she taught Art, World Culture, Art History, Crafts and Health & Exercise.  At this time, Linda offers a free class at the YMCA entitled “World Cultures in Art” in which current exhibits, countries, and art are the topic.  She and her husband, Steve, enjoy travelling to different parts of the world, and so she brings art & architecture from those lands to her classroom, where they are shared along with the travels of her students.

Linda is a passionate artist, and a very giving person.  I can attest to this personally. She is an individualist who has no desire to be like other people, but rather strives to be her own unique self.   She believes in the gift of giving and so, emulating her mother who believed in “help thy neighbor” as a personal attribute, she strives to capture moments in time where she can make a difference in the lives of others.  I asked her to describe her work in one word, and it was a challenge.  First, we thought words like “surreal”, “unique” and “colorful” might fit the bill, but ultimately Linda settled on joyful.  

The things that bring Linda the most joy such as cats, the sea, nature, birds, and fish, appear the most in her art … thus, Linda's art brings her joy just like teaching does.

View more of Linda’s work on-line at Linda Dever Fantasy Art and Books.  She is an exhibiting artist and member of ArtWork of San Francisco.  She’s exhibited at Bayshore Production Studios, Green Street Digital Arts and done solo shows at Caffe Bianco, Martha & Brothers Coffee, and the Art Center in San Bruno.  Linda’s art won an award at the San Mateo County Fair.  Her full body of work includes books best suited for children that describe the adventures of precocious cats and other topics close to her heart.  Read about them here.  She also does unique pet portraits that you can read about here. Her free class on “World Cultures & Art” happens at the Stonestown YMCA in San Francisco, across from the mall at 3150 – 20^th Avenue on Tuesdays.  January’s classes will be about Asia and India.  Linda will be participating with an open wall at the Art Guild of Pacifica’s upcoming “Galleria” exhibition at the Sanchez Art Center.

Written and blogged by Donna L. Faber, AGP Board Secretary.

Visit Donna at www.donnalouisefaber.com .

Artists & the Internet Part 3: E-mail Marketing, On-Line Purchasing & Mobile Payments

I’d like to share some of my experiences and thoughts on the internet and how it’s affected my creativity and art.  I’ll cover blogs, domains, websites, social networking, electronic newsletters, on-line sales and taking electronic payments.   There may be something you, the reader, are interested in, shared, or experienced yourself; but also I hope to dissolve some of the intimidating mystery and perhaps make it feel more accessible to the Pacifican artist.

Read Part I: Blogs & Domains here.

Read Part 2: Websites & Social Networking here.

E-Mail Marketing

Before we get into on-line purchasing and payment information for the artist, let’s talk about e-mail marketing or e-newsletters. In the second part of this three part series here, I went over the benefits of marketing art using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  A natural progression in marketing strategy for the artist, a small business person, and a way to reach the many people interested in your work quickly is through the use of electronic newsletters. When you receive colorful, newsletter style information from Art Guild of Pacifica, you are receiving it from Michael Risenhoover using an e-newsletter platform called Mail Chimp.  Mail Chimp is only one of the many different services available, yet it is quite user friendly, and it is free.  Some services are best to target a small audience and some are more suited for large mass mailings, but they all include the ability to manipulate statistics and reveal how many of your recipients look at your message.

In my opinion, the most important part of using an e-newsletter is building a list of recipients. You need email addresses to do this.  Start with addresses you have at your disposal, people interested in what you do, and then build upward by asking people to sign. The service you choose will no doubt have html language (the mysterious language of the internet) to plug into your site.  Once all email addresses are saved in the program, you send your message only once to reach all recipients simultaneously.  Herein lies the grand benefit of the e-newsletter -- using technology to provide information to your clients quickly and efficiently.  E-newsletters serve the artist well to announce shows, exhibitions, monthly updates on your art, or any other information however often you wish to send it.  

IMPORTANT: Federal law regulating unsolicited email states that anyone sending a mass e-newsletter must include their name and address visibly (there are other rules, too, so be encouraged to read up on it). Artists wishing to keep their home address private might consider renting a P.O. Box just for their art business.

Mobile Payments

An artist’s greatest pleasure can also be her/his greatest challenge.   Fairs and events like Fogfest potentially bring your clients to a full, store like representation of your work, but in the absence of cash or personal checks, how do you take payment?  The ability to take a credit card is important to the artist, but in the past meant using a manual credit card imprinter, paying huge fees to companies like Visa or Master Card, or worse, running the risk of payment denial once slips are batched and submitted.  Those fees can be prohibitive, threatening to eat a huge chunk of an artist’s profits.  Our work is too personal, too wonderful, and too much effort to throw its benefit away on needless and expensive fees.

The advent of technology like the smart phone offers new reliable ways to take payments in the field.  There are a number of these tools available now (PayPal’s Mobile Credit Card Reader, Intuit GoPayment), but I can only speak to my experience with Google Square.  Square is an application that allows your iPhone or iPad (or any variation thereof) to process Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover payments over the internet ... and to do so right on the spot!  

A thing of the past!

Visit squareup.com to sign up and when you do, Square will send you a card reader or what is fondly referred to as a “dongle”.  Do the same by uploading the app directly to your phone.  The card reader plugs directly into your smart phone.  Mine took less than a week to arrive, a benefit of living so close to Silicon Valley.  Upon receiving your card reader, downloading the app, and signing up you are able to take payments immediately.  Square takes a small fee from each transaction and will download money directly into your bank account nightly if you want it to.

IMPORTANT: Like your cellphone or smart pad, Square is available through your carrier’s mobile network.  If you are exhibiting at Sanchez Art Center, for example, note that certain parts of the gallery have limited cell reception. This can happen anywhere.  If you don’t have a strong signal for your phone, Square won’t be accessible either.  You must be on-line to process payments.

On-Line Purchasing

When the internet prompted business on-line (the sale of goods and services, or what is referred to as e-commerce), it opened the door for internet identity theft and fraud. Early on, the only way to make a credit card payment to a small business person on-line was to use an insecure internet connection, one that allowed crawlers and bots to pick up your credit card number and publish it in search engines, or worse, sending your credit card number through email.  That was eons ago.  Now, e-commerce has become secure and easy.  PayPal makes e-commerce safe and available to the artist.

“PayPal is a global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders … PayPal is an acquirer, performing payment processing for online vendors, auction sites, and other commercial users, for which it charges a fee. It may also charge a fee for receiving money, proportional to the amount received. The fees depend on the currency used, the payment option used, the country of the sender, the country of the recipient, the amount sent and the recipient's account type.” <source>

If you can use the design features on your blog or website, you can use one of Paypal’s serveral purchase buttons.  They plug right into your site and link up directly to PayPal in an expedient and secure manner.  It has numerous safety measures, as well, and when used properly, they protect your transactions from fraud or threat.  But don’t take my word for it.  Be encouraged to research PayPal as a viable option for your small business.  

Donna L. Faber

This concludes my series on artists and the internet.  I hope it's dissolved some of the mystery around using the internet to pursue your small business and convinced you it can be a powerful tool for marketing and selling.  With the right teacher, all of these things (blogs, domains, social networking, etc.), can be mastered by any artist who has drive and determination in their arsenal of talents.  

I wish you the best of luck as you pursue the internet and all it has to offer!

Read Part I: Blogs & Domains here.

Read Part 2: Websites & Social Networking here.

Blogged by Donna L. Faber, Board Secretary of the Art Guild of Pacifica.  Please do not reprint any part of this information without prior permission.  Visit me at www.donnalouisefaber.com and see what's happening!

AGP Members Spotlight: Denny Holland

The Art Guild of Pacifica is a dynamic collection of people that are rich in capabilities, artistic experience, teamwork, and most of all talent.  There is so much talent that I wish I could blog about every single AGP member all at once.  I’ll have to settle for one member at a time, this time focusing on artist Denny Holland.

Denny Holland is one of four artists featured in this year’s Art Guild of Pacifica Member Show at Sanchez Art Center.  He considers being featured an unexpected honor, but we like him for so much more than just that!

Waterline, 16" x 20", oil on panel

In the AGP Members Show, Denny presents a series of ocean paintings focused on waves.  His style is primarily realistic and in oils, but with this series, he became fascinated by the wave’s abstract patterns. This show gave him the opportunity to deeply explore the line between realism and abstraction.

Denny is an artist living and working in the Bay Area, and he’s been painting for 30 years.  He attended the San Francisco Art Institute, and in 1983 graduated with a BFA in painting. Then, as a newly married man starting a family, he discovered how difficult it was to get work around that skill specifically.  So, Denny started a house painting business, and for the next 25 years it gave him flexibility to paint.

Denny's Trailer from "Travelogue"

Over the last two years, Denny has been teaching interior design at Canadá College and doing design work himself.  Of course, creativity and personal interest meet at the intersection of art. So, he explored three dimensional arts, such as the small trailer that was in Oceana Gallery’s show, “Travelogue”.  While 3D art is reminiscent of building models as a child, it also keeps his creativity fresh and new. From time to time, Denny needs a different creative outlet, but in the end it always comes back to oil painting.

Remember this from AGP's "Buddy Show"?

The creative elements Denny learns eventually blend together in a personal exploration of art that is largely inspired by living on the Coast and his various Coastline travels.   Many artists I speak with feel this way.  As Denny states, “we’re living in a gold mine of inspiration, really.”   I agree with him wholeheartedly. When you view his work and experience it’s soothing, calming and even atmospheric effects, you will understand Denny’s personal inspiration, and come to appreciate his work as much as I do.

Denny's Studio

You can see more of Denny’s work at www.dennyholland.com and on his blog at http://dennyhollandstudio.blogspot.com/.  He is highly focused on the AGP Members Show at this time, but immediately after will set painting aside for a time to do more three dimensional art. 

The Art Guild of Pacifica’s 54^th Annual Members Exhibit will be at Sanchez Art Center,1220 Linda Mar Boulevard, Pacifica, California  94044.  The show opens with a lovely reception on Friday evening, October 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.   Thereafter, the exhibit continues through November 18, 2012.

Blogged by Donna L. Faber

AGP Secretary

donnalouisefaber.com

AGP Members at Fogfest 2012

What AGP Members will present at Fogfest this weekend?

A sample of Barbara's work

AGP Member Barbara Aygun marks her fourth year with FogFest, and can be found at the north end of the show right in front of Ingrid B. Lacy school. Barbara will be offering original jewelry designs under her store's banner "Mystical Moon Designs". 

A sample of Daniele's work

AGP Member Daniele Derenzi marks her eighth year with Fogfest.  Look for her in booth #67, near the corner of San Jose Avenue, right across from the Sea Horse Saloon.  She'll have offerings around her photography, as well as a few surprises!

A sample of Debra's work

AGP Member Debra Abarca will be in booth #205 presenting an assortment of functional and sculptural ceramic items. You might remember Debra's fantastical sculptures in the last two shows at Oceana Gallery.  They were really cool!




Do you know any other AGP Members who are exhibiting at Fogfest this year?

A Peak at the Opening Night of "Travelogue"

Artists and the Internet Part 2: Websites & Social Networking

I’d like to share some of my experiences and thoughts on the internet and how it’s affected my creativity and art.  I’ll cover blogs, domains, websites, social networking, electronic newsletters, on-line sales and taking electronic payments.   There may be something you, the reader, are interested in, shared, or experienced yourself; but also I hope to dissolve some of the intimidating mystery and perhaps make it feel more accessible. 

Read Part 1: Blogs & Domains here. 

Websites

A website is different than a blog (discussed previously) and serves a different purpose.  Any business, organization, or establishment that wants to be seen by the public will have a website.  It’s like a storefront, really, in what can frequently seem like a parallel universe.  The good news is that now websites are easy to do yourself, whereas in the recent past you had to be able to use html, which is the programming language.  If you are interested in something fancy, you might have better luck paying a designer, but the initial design work and the upkeep can turn into a sizable expense.  Now, there are site packages that are as easy to use as blog sites.  My art site donnalouisefaber.com resides on Squarespace.  For $14.00 per month, I get everything I need to “create an exceptional website”, such as (in their words): 

• Beautiful and appropriate templates that could be indicative of the look and design of your work.
• Pages, galleries, and blogs all in one platform.
• Cutting edge creative tools that enhance the look of your site.
• Auto-publishing to social networking sites, if you want it.
• All kinds of buttons that connect you easily to the rest of the internet.
• Mobiles sites that are built in (no special effort required).

 I like the galleries I have available on Squarespace, and because I frequently blog about my work, the blog options are perfect for me.

There are free website builders out there, like Weebly, which has outstanding options.  Ask your fellow artists what they use or recommend before committing to any one site builder.  To an artist, a website means visibility, and unless you do art only for personal satisfaction, visibility is most important.

Social Networking

It would be a gross personal mishap to under-estimate the power of social networking. Any media tool that can break not only the global time barrier, but the global culture divide has got to be the most powerful communication tool in current history.  If the internet is a parallel reality, then social networking is its mental telepathy.  It can be a powerful marketing tool for the artist. 

I first noticed social networking when MySpace emerged.  But as MySpace turned into a meat market (gross), Facebook grew in refinement and in sheer number of users.   

But what is Facebook?  Think of Facebook as a great hall of seminars.  No, not a hall, a world of seminars. And they’re all happening at once.  Everyone on Facebook has their own seminar (aka their account), and if you want to let someone into your seminar, you must “friend” them.  Once you’ve friended someone and they’ve accepted, you can share a conversation. The more people you “friend”, the more people hear what you might have to say.  Remember, unless you tell it otherwise, your Facebook account (your seminar) has no security measures and is open for anyone to see. If you would rather have your conversations seen only by your “friends” (not a bad idea these days), be sure to change your security parameters, which is easy to do.  My “friends” on Facebook aren’t all complete strangers, although many are.  I’ve got cousins, aunts and uncles, old high school friends, Art Guild members, and more.  I’ve friended many other artists from all over the country, commercially success artists, who are willing to share, too, so I learn a lot.

One of Facebook’s coolest and handiest options for the artist is called a “Page”.  A “Page” is used for “business” purposes and is different than an account, although you must have an account in order to create a Page.  People can subscribe to your page to see what you’re offering, and more people viewing your page means greater exposure.  You might promote your page on your account, post links to your website, or post a link to a specific piece you just finished and put on your website.

When using Facebook to draw people to what you do, the possibilities are endless.  I post a lot of my art on Facebook, along with some jewelry and other crafty things.  Out of everything I create, I have the most fun making custom greeting cards.  I use stickers and paper, and it’s all very quick, easy, fun and happy – like a trip to the bar for a cocktail.   To me, it’s a lot different than doing a full scale piece of art, which is like a marriage, requiring lots of hard work and compromise over an enduring time period.  I’ve sold most of my custom cards over Facebook!  I process the money primarily using PayPal (which we’ll get into in the next article).  I’ve also sold jewelry, prints, and received commissions, as well, but people look for my cards on Facebook. 

While Facebook can be a powerful and free marketing tool for the artist, it can lots of fun, as well.  There’s nothing quite like receiving 50+ happy birthday wishes on your birthday. You probably don’t know most of the people doing so, and it’s not like they’re sending money in the mail, but still – it sure feels good!

Twitter is another on-line social networking site that is equally as powerful as Facebook, but in a different way. When you sign up on Twitter, you get one line at a time and 40 characters to make your post or “tweet”.  Characters are strokes on a keyboard, such as a letter, a space, and any punctuation.  All tweets are published in real time (i.e., if you’re following a relative in Paris, it doesn’t matter when they tweet because you can see it the moment they do).

Twitter’s greatest advantage is the use of hashtags.  Hashtags are the letters at the end of a post, and they begin with a pound sign.  For example, if you’re tweeting about the show “X-Factor” and you write something like “Britney is an awesome judge! #xfactor”, that hashtag at the end makes your tweet sortable and therefore countable! Twitter’s power lies in the ability to measure the public’s opinion about most anything (including the Presidential election).  Like Facebook, your Twitter account can be public or private, and you must “follow” someone or something in order to see their tweets in your timeline.

I spent about two years tweeting before I got bored with Twitter, but I know people who love it and prefer it over Facebook.  While I believe it might not be the best marketing tool for some of us, it is a very powerful tool, powerful enough to affect profound change on the global cultural landscape.

Shortly after I became comfortable with Facebook and Twitter, I noticed Google+ and Pinterest (and this isn’t a historical timeline).  Google+ (aka google plus) was Google’s response to Facebook’s success.  It’s a little neater looking, but essentially the same.  When it was launched there was a lot of talk about it on line, and some hardcore Facebook users got on board, but out of the 300 plus friends I have on Facebook, only one person I know of migrated to it completely.  I don’t use Google+, but potentially it could have the same marketing power Facebook has.  Pinterest is an on-line bulletin board where you can post pictures and folks can comment.  It seems to be gaining popularity, but has nowhere near the 955 million users currently on Facebook.  I’ve thought about posting some of my art on Pinterest, but I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

Last cool points: Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest can be connected. You can do a post on Twitter and it’s automatically posted to Facebook. When you “like” a picture on Pinterest, your activity will post to Facebook.  So, a user isn’t doomed to posting the same thing two and three times.

If Facebook seems intimidating to you, keep in mind that you can learn at your own pace and gain confidence gradually.  If you can handle email, you can handle Facebook and all of these social networking sites.  You get out of it what you put into it, and over time, you’ll reap its rewards.  I’ve experienced  the marketing power of Facebook firsthand, and I recommend it heartily for any artist who’d like to see his or her work take a bigger step out into creation.

In the next and last post of this series on “Artists and the Internet” we’ll cover electronic newsletters, making sales on line, and taking electronic payments.  You can read the first article in this series here.

By  AGP Board Secretary, Donna L. Faber at donnalouisefaber.com .

Artists & The Internet -- Part 1: Blogs & Domains

There is no denying it, the technological age is upon us! The internet has not only changed the cultural landscape, but it has changed the way people are seen and how they do business. 

I’d like to share some of my experiences and thoughts on the internet and how it’s affected my creativity and art.  So, this is Part One of a three part article on artists and the internet. I’ll cover blogs, domains, websites, social networking, electronic newsletters, on-line sales and taking electronic payments.   There may be something you, the reader, are interested in, shared, or experienced yourself; but also I hope to dissolve some of the intimidating mystery and perhaps make it feel more accessible. If you're an experienced user, be encouraged to share your experience by leaving a comment so beginners can benefit from your knowledge.

The publishing industry has been changed radically by the internet as electronic readers like the Kindle™ and Nook™ put bookstores on the endangered species list. The music industry underwent dramatic change as LP’s became tapes, tapes became discs, and then discs became .mp files loaded on a tiny ipod.  Even the real estate industry has been affected as people looking for new homes can conduct so much of their search alone on line, and many important contacts, which are critical to the business, are established through social networking.

The world has become much smaller, made so by social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and now Google+, making it possible to correspond regularly with people on the other side of the world.  Entire families are hooked up on Facebook sharing pictures, plans and information, and the potential to find long lost family members or to end estrangements is immense.  There is also incredible pressure to jump on board the social networking train, yet doing so can be time consuming and intimidating to the new user. While each of these websites and programs have their pros and cons, what does all this mean to the artist?

Blogs

I started blogging in 2008, and the more I did, the more comfortable I felt.  There are a number of excellent blog programs out there that are free and easy to use.  The ones that come to mind immediately are Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, Tumbler, and Weebly.  My personal blog is on Blogger. Blogger, Typepad and Wordpress have been available for a long time, while Tumbler and Weebly are more recent.  Each of them have super easy point and click methods to make your blog look the way you want it to, including templates for the overall graphic look.  

Your blog’s publishing ability is only as smart as you are, so if you’re a beginner, it will stay at your pace, and it won’t do anything unexpected.  Point to remember: Your blog is public and visible to everyone unless you set security parameters.  But in my opinion, what’s the point of blogging if you don’t have an audience? 

A blog is not mandatory for an artist, but I know artists who blog rather than use a website and its works very nicely.  The artist can introduce new work, advertise upcoming shows, and even share their creative process or thoughts on a blog.  The possibilities are endless.

Domains

A domain is a private name or an address on the internet that you must purchase to own.  These are not free, but you can find one reasonably priced at approximately $15.00 per year.  This is how it works.

My website is called www.donnalouisefaber.com, and I had to pay for that name (domain) so I could use it for my art site. No one else can use that name. Most free blog sites do not require the user to purchase a domain.  However, they will plug their name into your blog’s address.  My blog is on blogger, for example, and the name of my blog is www.dancingdonna.blogspot.com (by the way, that’s not my real site).  If you want a simpler or more personal name, like www.dancingdonna.com, what do you have to do?  You have to purchase a domain.  Then, your blog site will have instructions on using it.

An artist who wants a website for their work (not a blog, but a website) absolutely must purchase a domain.  Your domain name will make your site searchable on engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.  If you want to be findable, and the point of all this is to increase your visibility, avoid using an obscure or kooky name.  That kooky name might mean something to you, but to the interested buyer who only knows your real name, searching a kooky name on line can be confusing or off putting.  Keep it simple.  Ask your peers about their domain and where they purchased it from. Some internet service providers are better than others.

The next installment in this series will cover websites and social networking.  View it right here.

By  AGP Board Secretary, Donna L. Faber at donnalouisefaber.com .