Monday, December 1, was Worlds AIDS Day and I wrote quite a long post about my 15 years as an HIV/AIDS activist. This odd little image is sometimes what it was like to be so engrossed in the world of HIV/AIDS - all encompassing and disorienting. I told you I wanted to share one more part about the organizing we did during those years … So I will.
I am very tired because we just prepared everything for the fair on Saturday and Sunday …. but I promised you I would tell you about this piece … so I am going to dive in … we’ll see how far we get today.
We called our group the AIDS Community Group of Franklin County (Mass). This shows the focus we had on empowering the community - both people with HIV/AIDS, those affected by HIV/AIDS, and the rest of the community too. We felt (and still do) that it is in everyone’s best interest that all people get treated with respect and also have their needs met. We wanted to live in a community where everyone was seen as having something to contribute … and gaining from being part of a larger community.
We had no idea that this was a novel or unusual way of thinking about things … it just seemed the correct way to go about approaching solutions to this issue. We ran into some issues with social service agencies that thought we were naive and ignorant. Now there is a fairly large industry around HIV/AIDS … and that it a very different orientation.
One day several of us were at a meeting and someone gave a keynote speech about the difference between social service models and empowerment models. (I can’t remember the name that the speaker used for the model that was different from social services). Those of us there picked up our ears … ah, there was a name for what we were doing and other people were thinking about it too.
Often a social service model treats people like the problem .. thus something to be fixed … the people are the problem. The solutions are also seen to lie outside the individuals involved - the system treated or fixed or served them. (Sort of like the old model of medicine where the doctor was God and the patient was not part of the equation or team).
In the community empowerment model the people and the community are seen as integral to the solutions … they are not the problem, but rather the answer. Ah, yes, I am remembering a little more as I am writing. It is the difference between seeing the assets of people rather than their deficits. The social service model tends to see the problems and the lack, and the community organizing model tends to see the assets of community and individuals - what they have to offer, not just what they need.
We were intuitively organizing this way … it sure made sense to me!! (And actually I was the creator and coordinator - surprise!) It is how I mostly see the world - it is mostly part of my personality and world view. The group attracted lots of people who had never done any organizing before and who felt incredibly empowered by contributing to the community like that. It was great and as individuals we were also empowered!!
Several of us were articulate about our model and we took the show on the road (we were asked to). We did some trainings around New England at different HIV/AIDS meetings and conferences. It was a very exciting and empowering time!!
It was also very validating that a model that we had created from our own life experiences received such notice and acceptance. It was thrilling that there already were theories backing up our ways and thinking. Very wonderful - and exhausting - time. Thanks for listening to my story!
This is long enough that I a going to continue it one more day … probably to Friday or Saturday. I want to share something that I read about once that is wondrous to me … about organizing some welfare recipients had done. To me, it is an extension of this - and I tell my memory of the story as often as I can because it is so exciting.
I very much appreciate all the comments from yesterday’s post on World AIDS Day - it means a lot to me and is very validating of those 15 years I poured myself into the work. I am trying to thank people for comments … but I have not gotten caught back up to that yet. I know I said today I was going to write more about our HIV/AIDS organizing … but I have been on the phone today for almost 4 hours catching up with family - so the time just isn’t there today. Hopefully tomorrow - or Thurs if not.
Diane’s 1000 Markets
But I want to share with you what I did do today … Besides putting quite a few new items in my Etsy shop yesterday and today, I opened a new shop. Someone invited me to check out this place 1000 Markets (http://www.1000markets.com). I have spent much of the day working on getting my shop ready to be approved.
Yes, you have to be approved once you get your shop ready before it can go public. I feel very lucky - my shop (http://www.1000markets.com/shops/dianeclancy) was approved almost immediately!! Here is the front page of my shop so you can see what it looks like. I hope you will jump over and go take a peek!
I feel so grateful - I have spent hundreds of hours organizing and preparing my work and marketing materials for shops. It is starting to really pay off. Once I get things written up for the different paintings, the different ways I sell my work, the different pricing … it starts to become more streamlined. Then I don’t have to re-invent what to say about each piece. But it still took hours to set up.
Today, December 1, is Worlds AIDS Day. This image with hearts, love, butterflies and peacocks is dedicated to all affected by HIV/AIDS - which means just about all of us. You probably don’t know I was an AIDS activist for 15 years … I poured much time, love and energy into educating people about AIDS - both to protect themselves and also to help the public understand and be respectful toward people with HIV/AIDS. Back then there was terrible prejudice … even though there is still, back then there was terrible talk. I started this work in the first few years of the epidemic (1985).
I will tell you my own story on this day when people all over are blogging about HIV/AIDS - you can get the facts from many places. When I started to feel a little better and could think past my pain and illness, I looked around to see what holes there were in the community that needed some attention. HIV/AIDS was there loud and clear. There was nothing locally and people didn’t even think rural people could get it.
So I started organizing and working with others to create a community group. We went to churches, schools, panels, whereever we were asked to talk with others to make our community a better place. We actually had a 24 hour hotline - we even got calls from a jail in Georgia (we are in Mass). A prisoner had our card in his pocket and we talked with both the prisoner and the prison staff - to help them understand which risks were real and which imagined. We had calls from California and Canada too. This was a little volunteer operation that was in my house. We forwarded calls to different members as we took shifts. Jack took most of the calls though - he was incredible. He has passed on … from other disabilities, not HIV/AIDS - but he was there … working his heart out! Thank you, Jack.
We wrote pamphlets for classes of people where there was no information yet. We wrote up a resource manual for services in our 26 town county - like which doctors WOULD treat people with HIV/AIDS - and also knew what they were talking about. We went to hospitals to visit people who were sick. We supported families whose child had come back home to die … and no one else would go to funerals. We befriended people who moved here and knew no one else. We did whatever we could see to do … both to support people with HIV/AIDS and because creating this atmosphere gave our community a better quality of life for us all.
One person came up to me after I spoke on a panel and disclosed he was HIV positive. We ended up forming the nucleus of a very tight, small group of people with HIV/AIDS - and me. Many of you know I have Crohns Disease. This tight group of friends gave me something I will always cherish. This was the first time I had consistent support from others who knew what it was like to be facing death due to health issues. There is a lot more support now than there was back then. The friendships were deep, crucial and gave me a sense of being understood that I had never had. Some have died and some are living life with a chronic illness that is very treatable due to the newer medications. But that is not what it was like back then … HIV/AIDS was seen as a death sentence then.
One thing that moved me to focus on HIV/AIDS is the way oppressions all come together. Homophobia, racism, sexism, classism, ablism, agism, recovery issues … these all come together and intersect with HIV/AIDS. Back then, people thought women couldn’t get HIV/AIDS (except by needles); people of color were being told that HIV/AIDS wasn’t their issue; the beat goes on. I found it a way to be able to shine light, love, freedom and justice on many issues at once - one of my favorite things I have done in life.
In the US, HIV/AIDS organizing has become very different than it was back then. We helped bring money into the region to bring services to people with HIV/AIDS. This was needed … and at the same time it changed the dynamic from the intensely personal and involved connections to more social service connections. Something was gained and something was lost.
Tomorrow I am going to write one more day about this - in terms of the way we organized … it is the foundation of how and why I spend my life connecting with others in this way. Wow!! This connects into the issues I have been writing about - cool! Thank you for coming by!
I had to do another entry - this little elf kept demanding to be shared!! So here he is. I am off to take down the art exhibit in Brattleboro, VT - in the snow!! I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Apples / Oranges. This is my entry for Apples & Oranges - this is one of the Fruit Royalties that could be fun to create. I hope you like it!! Here are the entries for last week’s Green / Yellow. Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.
I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Apples / Oranges. This is my entry for Apples & Oranges - this is one of the Fruit Royalties that could be fun to create. I hope you like it!! Here are the entries for last week’s Green / Yellow. Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.
I used 3 different computer programs to get this effect. It took all of them to accomplish this. I did get a walk in today - was good to do. Thank you for coming by!
Today we were interviewed by a reporter about the AWE Project and the Arts and Crafts Fair. We went out to do errands and missed the the last minute photo shoot. I am sorry about that … but I can’t change that. The article is expected to be on the front page - so I am pretty excited.
But most of the day has been absorbed in offline, petty fixing things up. Something got broken and we tried to buy a new one. But in researching it, it seems like there are a lot of issues with the new ones. So now we have to figure out how to jerry-rig the old one. So I am exhausted without a lot to show for it all yet. All I want to do is sit in the sun with a Strawberry Lime (I made that up) and rest. Luckily it is supposed to be warmer this next week and perhaps I can get back into walking. I hope you are having a good time!! Thank you for coming by!
I know this is image is very similar to yesterdays - but every time I look at it, I see Thanksgiving, fall and harvest. So here is my Thanksgiving image for you - it looks like fall, good food, joy, health, kindness, friendship, family, peace and blessings to me. These I offer up to you .. I wish for all of us that we are thankful for all that we have and ask for blessings to all on the earth - human and non-human alike. I am very grateful for all the connections I have through this online community!
Illustration Friday has a challenge every week. I so much enjoy doing this challenge. This week is Opinion. The bubble on top of the soap box has a lot of Opinions and is pontificating - but the others seem very involved! Illustration Friday is a great way to showcase your work and a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of wonderful people! I encourage you to check it out! Lots of fun people and paintings! Thank you for stopping by!
The interview with the reporter from the local paper has been changed to Friday - it should be fun! She is also talking with the students from the local high school who have also taken part in this AWE Project (Artists Window Exhibit). We may have our picture taken with them. The reporter thinks this will be a front page article - yippee!!
Today was quite a day with the AWE Project (Artists Window Exhibit) and the artists and crafts fair (in a week and a half). This morning the reporter called to say she needed to reschedule for tomorrow - which actually worked out well for me. It is great - there really is an article happening in the local paper! The weekly paper emailed me for photos to go with the blurb they are going to do in the Arts section. And today Susan Elkin and I each recorded a 3 minute PSA (Public Service Announcement) at the local public access TV station. Also, one of the artists decided to not put up his work in one of his windows, so Susan and I put our work and a student’s work in that window. So quite a day getting things done around publicity!
I have been promising to talk about the grant that I have gotten to coordinate the AWE Project this current year. I have been sharing about all the things I am trying to organize to get more time to paint with traditional mediums again. A bit ago Butterfly wrote a very thoughtful response to my post. Part of what Butterfly wrote is “It seems to me that you spend a tremendous amount of time organizing your own and other people’s work that only indirectly have to do with the actual art of creation. It seems that you hardly ever have time to sit down for hours on end to craft your art, or am I getting completely the wrong impression now?”
The Artists of Franklin County (AFC) have been doing this AWE Project for a couple of years now. I have been coordinating this project since the beginning and it takes a LOT of time! In Massachusetts we have Local Cultural Councils (LCC) that give grants to artists to help support work we are doing. This year I have received a grant of $1,000 to help defray the time I have put into this.
I have also applied for a grant for the next year - but it is unclear if there is going to be any money at all for LCCs given the budget cuts that this state - like most states - are going through. But I feel committed to working to keep this project going. If you would like to read more about the presentation that I made about this year’s grant, the second half of this post will give you some highlights of what we have been doing and the progress we are making.
From here, a lot of my work changes. I have done the coordinating - a lot with Susan’s help. Several others have stepped up and are taking more responsibility. This is the direction things need to keep going to make this project successful in the long term. It needs to continue to be claimed as the project of the whole group - and that is happening more and more. I am pretty excited to be going in this direction.
This is one of my biggest organizing tasks this next year - supporting others to take leadership rather than take the leadership myself. In other words, work myself mostly out of a job. It takes time to transition like this, but in the long term, I will have more time for my own work. I have put my own work on a lower level as I have focused nurturing on growing this organization … but I am very excited to see it coming into its own more and more.
Doing this in several areas of my life (artist life) is a main focus at the moment - and that is a lot of what I mean by organizing. Thanks for coming by!
This is an ongoing discussion about art, organizing, marketing and making a living. This has been an ongoing discussion this last week or so. For any new readers, there is a AWE Project (Artists Window Exhibit) already going on and an artists and crafts fair in a week and a half. …. A bit ago Butterfly wrote a very thoughtful response to my post. Part of what Butterfly wrote is “It seems to me that you spend a tremendous amount of time organizing your own and other people’s work that only indirectly have to do with the actual art of creation. It seems that you hardly ever have time to sit down for hours on end to craft your art, or am I getting completely the wrong impression now?”
Yesterday in talking about the board meeting of Fostering the Arts, I forgot to tell you about a publicity example other people mentioned that was very inspiring to me. This was an elementary school art teacher who decided to hold a display of her students work at the local food co-op.
People said she behaved as if she were showing the premier artwork in the whole world - the way she worked with the press. (This was said with great admiration!) She created BUZZ around town about this show with the way she promoted the event. This was incredibly inspiring to me!!
This got me very excited!! The day after the meeting, I got out the publicity lists and materials and decided to make another go of it around the current and coming events. A couple of people had written some materials and I had already pulled them together and sent them out to several news places.
Looking at them, I saw a few more corrections and decided they didn’t read as well as they could. So I called up an artist (part of the Artists of Franklin County) and she reworked the press releases to make them tighter and clearer. Great!.
So with that in hand, I decided to tackle them all again … and to create some BUZZ! If she could do it, so could I! Thus, I decided to tackle the local newspaper first (the Recorder) - the most important one … and I was incredibly anxious before I called - I don’t like to bother people. But I got a reasonable response - they will do what they can, but mainly a small announcement.
I had already been planning on talking with a regular reporter to see if they would write a story - besides seeing if the the Arts & Entertainment section could do a small feature on us. They suggested which reporter woud be the most useful to speak with - and he transferred me to her.
Several things have happened since I started writing this post. Tomorrow at 1 in the afternoon, we are going to meet with the reporter and she is definitely going to do an article on us!! Yippeee!! We are in the process of creating buzz! She is going to write about the AWE (windows), the fair and also the students we are showcasign along with our own work. This is very exciting and I will share it with you when it is written - she says it is a definite!
Then I tackled the regional weekly (Valley Advocate) … they had recently had and article about art in the windows of the larger town in the lower valley. It took many tries but at last I made some contacts there and emailed the person who would be the most likely person. In the process I gave them the info again for a regular announcement. This will all be a lot less scary the next time.
Since I started this post, I have actually talked with the woman who would potentially be writing the article. She was very nice, on deadline, but agreed to perhaps write an article. It would only be about the AWE Project since their publicity schedule is further ahead. But great!! It is a real possibility.
Talking with these people another time will be much easier. Another good reminder - choose which things to turn over to others and which things to do yourself. I had thought the publicity was done a month ago, and then it got handed back to me, Tomorrow I will speak more about the grant, which will put things in perspective.
After dealing with the 2 main newspapers, I went on to send out the releases to another 10 or so. Then decided - hey, why not, and I called the local weekly (the Town Crier) and ended up eventually talking with the editor - she said she would try to do something small (that is all they do.) And feeling successful, I even tackled the Boston Globe (centered about 100 miles away, that is the biggest paper in the state). I manageed to get the email of the appropriate person and pitched the idea to him. I will folow up with another email when I am done with this post.
I have been doing the publicity for these events for the last couple of years, but this time I have definitely learned how to take things to another level. We also are doing some local access TV psa’s - (public service announcements) and some little TC spots. I now feel more ready to tackle the publicity another time.
I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Green / Yellow. This is my entry for Green & Yellow. I hope you like it!! Here are the entries for last week’s Bent / Straight. Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.
I am so glad some of you are reading this and finding it useful and interesting - thank you for letting me know!! This is a continuation of my life as an artist. A bit ago Butterfly wrote a very thoughtful response to my post. Part of what Butterfly wrote is “It seems to me that you spend a tremendous amount of time organizing your own and other people’s work that only indirectly have to do with the actual art of creation. It seems that you hardly ever have time to sit down for hours on end to craft your art, or am I getting completely the wrong impression now?”
Earlier in the week, I went to the board meeting of Fostering the Arts. This organization focuses on building the Creative Economy in Franklin County. We are a fairly rural area with a very high (and unorganized) concentration of artists - of all kinds - and other creative people. We have lots of artists, writers, photographers, musicians, actors, craftspeople and lots of the technology support industries. With online access, many local people work with businesses in New York and Hollywood. I have even worked with a client from Paris, France.
There is a lot of mythology about artists not contributing very much to the economy .. but there has been a lot of research of what are the real facts - and they differ wildly from the established wisdom. We had a Creative Summit here a couple of years ago (as part of this initiative). There was a presentation from an expert (from outside the area) that showed lots of facts and figures. It turns out investment in the creative arts has a much greater financial return than investment in most other industries. That was shocking to me!
But very reassuring and gave me that much more reason to focus on building art - both in my own career and in the county. So when I was asked to be on the Board of Directors, as an artist representative, I decided to go ahead and take the plunge. I know I have good organizational skills so I decided this was important enough to go ahead and get involved.
We now have gotten a grant to develop a marketing plan - to bring up the whole creative economy in the region. A grand idea - but a necessary one to build the economy in this area.
At the board meeting this past week, the AWE Project (Artists Window Exhibit) was brought up as an example of a very successful artist initiative. We are seen as a model of what artists can be doing to promote ourselves and the community. I was amazed and gratified!! They were even using us as THE visible example of the continuity of the whole initiative.
Sometimes I think about trying to get one of the jobs by doing some of these things … but I keep remembering that would divert my energy from my own work - and say, thanks, but no thanks - not that any of these jobs have come my way. Having the grant for the AWE Project is a good addition to my art - mostly anyway - but anything approaching a more involved organizing job would not work for me. Tomorrow I will be working on my entry for the 2 Things Challenge, but Monday we will, at last, get to the grant. And thus to the press releases that I have been working on so hard. I am thrilled you are interested in hearing about my art life! Thanks for coming by!
This is a continuation of this ongoing discussion about organizing … thank you for your responses letting me know this is interesting to you!! A bit ago Butterfly wrote a very thoughtful response to my post. Part of what Butterfly wrote is “It seems to me that you spend a tremendous amount of time organizing your own and other people’s work that only indirectly have to do with the actual art of creation. It seems that you hardly ever have time to sit down for hours on end to craft your art, or am I getting completely the wrong impression now?”
Yesterday was quite a busy day - the people downstairs’ lock broke - again - so a chunk of the day was spent on that. I have to deal with plenty around this house … it is close to 100 years young and is lovely!! and also old. This is one issue that weaves through my life - and for some times of things I need to deal with them quickly - for sure!
I have done community organizing for over 40 years … lots of volunteer work - in many different areas. Given my health, it was one way I could contribute to the community - yet still take care of my health. It gave me a sense of purpose much larger than myself and my own issues and concerns. I feel really good about all the work I done over the years - in peace, environmental, health, and social and economic justice issues. Yes - I have been a little busy - and much of the work I was even able to do from bed! (I am sure I could write a book with tales of my life and organizing.) (My treatment went well today.)
A couple of years ago I decided that I needed to switch my organizing focus to art organizing. It seemed important to back up my art career with mainly focusing on the creative arts. “They,” “The Experts,” all say that the most important thing to build your art career (maybe even more than good art) is networking, building relationships and marketing. So, I deligently started about two years ago. I dove in. I refused to take on more responsibility in other areas (that lasted a whole year I think). I got active in art locally and online.
Actually I got pulled back in to both environmental organizing and local politics organizing. If we don’t have a functional earth, we have nothing to stand on. And if we don’t have decent local government (and national - yippee!!), then the arts and the economy are not well supported. The quality of life degrades when there is divisive and power-hungry leadership. But I am once again switching my focus some away from this. There are such important crucial issues in both areas, that I cannot turn my back on them … but I have seriously started putting my needs at the forefront.
Being so sick for so long, it was hard to not put the big picture ahead of me - given my personality. But I have come to a new place inside myself, and I am pulling inward in a healthy way. There were years I was so sick I could barely get out of bed, so when I have energy, I want to do things that I feel will help the world and make me feel empowered and effective.
So I am working myself out of some of the things I have been doing. I have not been the head honcho or anything with these things the last few years - just a good team player. (I was a leader a lot for years.) But I am letting people know that I am giving myself a chance to succeed with my art career. People are *mostly* supportive. And I am doing it.
I am going to stop here … and tomorrow talk about the grant and press release. I am wanting you to understand the texture of my life and my thought processes in doing what I am doing. It was very exciting to get the grant! It was the first time in my life I have been paid for organizing - I am thrilled. That is why I am going to start again tomorrow … so it is a readable length.
Thank you Jean and Butterfly for letting me know others are reading this soul searching - it is good to know I am not just talking to myself. I was very busy today between a broken door lock and the press releasees for the AWE Project (Artists Window Exhibit). I have lots to say about the grant and the AWE Project - very excited! … but tomorrow is my Remicade day in the hospital so I hope to have more energy to write tomorrow night. I keep talking with you all in my head about this issue and can’t wait to share .. but I need to put my health first.
There are so many things to say but I think I have to go to bed instead. To me this blue and yellow image looks like the foreground and background interact, play and exchange roles with each other (like the post a few nights ago). Thank you for understanding!! Thanks for coming by!!
This is a continuation of the discussion … mostly one-sided in actual writing - but hopefully generating a lot of thoughts in others - including Butterfly!! A few nights ago Butterfly wrote a very thoughtful response to my post. Part of what Butterfly wrote is “It seems to me that you spend a tremendous amount of time organizing your own and other people’s work that only indirectly have to do with the actual art of creation. It seems that you hardly ever have time to sit down for hours on end to craft your art, or am I getting completely the wrong impression now?”
One of the realities of life for many artists, most I think, is that we need to do other things too to support being able to make art … hopefully on the way to be able to creating art full time! Although I also usually enjoy the other work I do.
I do graphic design and web design - both which currently bring in the bulk of my income. I have a specialty - working closely with clients to help them express their creative vision. Other designers tell me this is most unusual - most designers want the idea and thank you very much - we will go off and work with the ideas - not the clients.
I have the chance to explore my creativity through my art, so I don’t need to channel this desire through the design work in the same way. Plus I usually like working with someone on a design rather than doing it alone. Obviously this attracts certain types of clients to me - those who want to work intensely with the designer. Many of my clients are artists, political activists or other creative people - not surprisingly!
Of course, those same clients tend not to have lots of excess cash lying around - so most of my work is done at my discount rate. Working this way, almost always results in a lot of unbillable time - which then I need to absorb. That is part of what I am organizing - figuring out better how to have systems to maximize my efficiency so I am not wasting time.
One of my ongoing clients is the People’s Voice - a newsletter I have been involved with for over 20 years. I have done almost every job except take the finished newsletters to the post office. Most of the work is volunteer but several years ago we decided to start paying the person doign the graphic design some money - nowhere near what the time is … but enough for someone to schedule it into their work life. I took over that job about a year and a half or two years ago. (Years ago I did it for free.)
There is currently a collective of 5 of us who put out the People’s Voice. When we were doing issues on creativity, the articles came in fast and furious - it was clear that artists wanted to be seen and heard! I had gathered almost all the writers and artwork. Almost everyone sent their contributions in early wanting them to be included (and who tries to say artists are the flaky ones???) Then we switched topics and it was not working as well. The issue before the current one we are dealing with was not good. I didn’t even get all the articles in until a month after it was supposed to be in the mail. Several people weren’t doing enough follow-up.
So this time, I have worked very hard to figure out how to make things work much better for myself. I am pretty much the coordinator (how DO I get in that role?) … so I accepted it and started writing a lot of emails about the state of the writers we had. It worked great!! The others become much more involved in that process and I actually had the newsletter laid out 3 days after the due date for the articles. This way I get a break!
The last time, I was needing to start the new layout before the previous issue was even back from the printer - so I had no down time - and I do not get paid enough for that!! So I have proposed a new system that is currently working so that we are working ahead of the curve instead of always in catch-up mode.
I think the others are beginning to see that this method will work a lot better for us all!! I am also doing this with my finances and such. When I got so sick in the spring (3 months of the flu), a lot of documenting and database work got way, way behind. And then took much longer to do than it would have if I kept it up. I have a new system for working with that too.
I am wanting to give a flavor for part of the organizing I am doing … I know I need more of that free time to paint … but I also need to deal with the realities of the rest of my work. I hope you are enjoying finding more out about my life!!! Thank you for coming by!
A few nights ago Butterfly wrote a very thoughtful response to my post. Part of what Butterfly wrote is “It seems to me that you spend a tremendous amount of time organizing your own and other people’s work that only indirectly have to do with the actual art of creation. It seems that you hardly ever have time to sit down for hours on end to craft your art, or am I getting completely the wrong impression now?”
Last night I realized that there were a couple of core issues … One is what I am calling organizing - and today I am going to share some of what I mean. Sunday I spent some time - organizing - or creating a system.
Saturday I got an order for a fine art card from my Etsy shop. I have sold hundreds if not thousands of my fine art cards - to individuals and stores locally - so there was never any dealing with shipping. I have sold dozens of ACEOs from my Etsy shop and have shipped them all - so I have a system for sending something that size (2.5 x 3.5″). But my fine art cards are a generous 5 x 7″.
For the ACEOs I had bought special envelopes so that I could send three together. When someone purchases 1 or 2 ACEOs, I use a regular card and envelope. When I send 1 ACEO (and business cards), then the envelope is less than an ounce. When it is more ACEOs, it is heavier. So I am fairly prepared when someone buys ACEOs.
So, now that I have an order for a fine art card, I need to figure out how to ship cards in a simple way. It would not fit in a regular envelope - the card comes with an envelope all in a sleeve. And of course I want to send my business cards too. I did have a pile of other envelopes that the card would fit in. So another issue to figure out - to see if that would work, and if not, what would. I got my ruler out.
Postage regulations have gotten much more complex the last year or so .. so I went to their site to check the new regs (again). Once the envelope goes above 6.25″ in width (I think it was), then you get charged a higher price. The envelopes I had were 1/8th inch too wide. That would have doubled the postage to use that envelope - that wouldn’t work.
So then I went online to check to see what size envelopes Staples has - ones that would require the least amount postage. It became clear that the size 6 x 9″ would work great. Then there were several kinds of quality envelopes to choose from - all at the Staples site.
Since I wanted to get the order in the mail the next day, I decided to go to the local Staples to buy there. Well, of course, they had different kinds - so it seemed - and not many choices. I made my choice of an envelope. I had a vague memory of the prices online and the store seemed more expensive .. so I used the computer there to look up prices again. It seemed to me that it was 50% more in the store.Ok ,,, I decided it was worth it to have them that day. Then at the cash register, I decided to give it a try. The guy asked his boss, and said if it were true it was cheaper online, then give me that price. So I saved 1/3 of the price …. in a small operation like mine, I work hard to be frugal.
It took a long time to make this decision, but I now have a system for sending fine art cards - and it fits up to 8 cards at a time. Now I need to get more cards listed at Etsy and other places. There will be more tomorrow on these issues on organizing. Certainly there is organizing that isn’t so productive - but some of it is - in my opinion.
I think this image is very lovely!! in many ways it reminds me of the reflections that I used to get lost in as a child. There were some shiny window sills in our house and I used to watch the clouds in the window sill - which had then become water. I loved going into these other places and dimensions. This has the same feel to me. Thank you for coming by!
Illustration Friday has a challenge every week. I so much enjoy doing this challenge. This week is Pretend. I was getting ready to continue writing about yesterday’s topic of organizing things in my life … I made an image for today (as part of Creativity Every Day) and WOW - this image I created screams Pretend to me so I am mostly doing Illustration Friday today - But look to the end of the post with a realization about organizing! Also I talk some about art and how I see this image. Illustration Friday is a great way to showcase your work and a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of interesting people! I encourage you to check it out! Lots of fun people and paintings! Thank you for stopping by!
Have you ever seen the image with the woman’s face and the vase? Look one way at the image and you see 2 women looking at each other - look another way and you see a vase pop out. This is about foreground and background. Look at it one way and the vase is the foreground. Shift your focus slightly and the faces are in the foreground and the vase becomes the background. I have always been fascinated by such things! Those 3D books that came out several years ago are related too … look straight on, and you see an image, shift your perspective and it becomes 3D.
When I first looked at this digital painting I had created, I saw the yellow center as the foreground - I thought that was what the image was about. Then immediately my focus shifted and the brilliant blues became the foreground with the yellow band behind the 2 fields of blue. WOW! I created one of those images was my immediate thought - I have always wanted to. I love looking at it from one viewpoint and then shifting to the other viewpoint. This will not surprise people who understand how much I like reflections and seeing life and the world in various ways.
Now on to the organizing part. In thinking over both comments to that post a few days ago, I realized that there were a couple of core issues … One is what I am calling organizing - that is for sure - and tomorrow I am going to share some of what I mean. Of course, the second is how I am spending my time. But the third relates to how I present myself (both to myself and others). Ultimately, this one is probably the most important long term. I am off to start tomorrow’s post - I hope you are having as much fun as I am in exploring this. I welcome your comments! Thanks for stopping by!
Last night Butterfly wrote a very thoughtful response to my post. I read it before going to bed and have thought and thought about what she wrote since then … I have been responding a whole lot in my head. I so much appreciate her caring and thinking .. and also I appreciate Grace’s thoughts on herself also. I want to share some of these thoughts out loud - so to speak - in an unorganized way! <grin>
Part of what Butterfly wrote is “It seems to me that you spend a tremendous amount of time organizing your own and other people’s work that only indirectly have to do with the actual art of creation. It seems that you hardly ever have time to sit down for hours on end to craft your art, or am I getting completely the wrong impression now?”
I definitely want to get more unbroken creative time with traditional materials - I think that would feed my soul greatly. Butterfly has spoken to me in a kind way that helps me rethink some priorities for sure. Clearly, my In Box for email is out of control. I know I am not alone. There are many opportunities of artists wanting to exchange links and requests to network with artists on other sites. At least I mainly skim and file all the great info that I get each day. (Some I skim, some read, most of the info I just file … for that needed day in the future.) But I also have some sense of what things are about and often remember to go find someone useful if I need it.
But I have almost 200 emails I haven’t knocked off. I can’t seem to get down to the bottom with lots of old ones that I need to make decisions about. … Lisa Call is an incredible contemporary textile artist! Her blog often makes me think. One of the things she said struck me really hard. People are always asking her how she gets so much done, she said (paraphrased probably) “I make decisions - I don’t waste a lot of time spinning my wheels about decisions.” I have kept this in my mind since then. I am working to get better at this with my email - for just one place. As I am doing my graphic design work, I also keep this in the front of my attention. So I know I need improvement.
But some of my other thoughts to Butterfly (and you too, because you are part of this conversation also) focus on what life is like for the modern artist. It is expected today that at least 50% of an artist’s time goes to marketing her work. That is a lot of time! I do spend a lot of time marketing, a lot! I have been rethinking this at the back of my mind - as I know many other artists are also. Online marketing is great - and it is also endless … I need to prioritize there also. And I have been spending less time marketing online and my sales have gone down. Obviously, I am still tweaking that. I have been looking at that and I know many other artists are struggling with this too … I am not alone!
I think I will wait until tomorrow to say several more things that I want to share with you, A biggie is an insight about how I am presenting myself. Other parts have to do with the reality of my life. I am very eager to share them with you … but will wait til the ‘morrow -I sure hope you will come back to read the conclusion - or is it going to be the middle of the story?
I have been thinking and thinking about these issues anyway, but thank you, Butterfly - for your comments have propelled me into high gear in processing and thinking, (I know - doing too, but I need thoughtful action, not just action). Thank you for coming by!
Today I got much organized and I still have a lot to do. I feel I am making real progress on figuring out an organizational system that will work for me … so that I can get back to painting with traditional materials. It all takes time though … and ideas for today’s post didn’t come to the top of the list.
I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Bent / Straight. This is my entry for Bent & Straight. I hope this makes sense to you!! Here are the entries for last week’s Saturday / Sunday. Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.
Illustration Friday has a challenge every week. It so much enjoy doing this challenge. This week is Wise. The bubble above is very Wise and looking over the rest of us. Illustration Friday is a great way to showcase your work and a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of wonderful people! I encourage you to check it out! Lots of fun people and paintings! Thank you for stopping by!
Jean Hood wrote a post for the Design Style Guide Blog yesterday. This wonderful blog showcases lots of wonderful handmade work - “Search the best in handmade decor”. Design Style Guide also has a new website here - check it out!!
IDT Blog Header
Jean’s article was featuring Affordable art for your walls, featuring Glenda Bailey and Susan Elkin. These 2 wonderful artists are featured in this blog post here.
This is Night Sky I- a 5 inch x 7 inch Matted Fine Art Print for only $20! Susan prints her reproductions with archival paper and inks. This print is rated to last a lifetime. She encloses the print in a protective sleeve with an acid-free backing board to protect your image. Susan is keeping this item as an unlimited run, open edition.
Elkin also sells this piece as a Fine Art Card, for only $4.00! Susan’s card is:
blank inside for your own personal message
a 5″x7″ card with image covering entire front
printed edge to edge image is luxurious looking
perfect for framing ~ or sending to a friend
digitally printed on high quality paper
printed with archival inks - your print will last for a lifetime
comes with a white envelope
enclosed in a clear sleeve.
Susan’s Etsy Shop is here - with lots more lovely items!!
I have written a post but I cannot upload the images … even via web ftp … it has been partly broken since the problem a few weeks ago … and it has totally tanked now … so I am just saying hi!!
Each month Worldwide Women Artists Online (WWAO) have an exhibit (online of course) of members’ work based on a theme. This month is Functional Art. I encourage you to go on over and look at this great exhibit! I encourage you to go over and check it out. Many of you know I have been a bit behind on things so I missed being in the video. Staci Rose was kind enough to include me anyway (but the video was completed.) I encourage you to go check out her interesting blog, http://stacirose.blogspot.com.
“Functional Art, November WWAO Exhibit
Besides this lovely video, Staci has made a list of the items with links to them, Here is the part of the listing that has my Ocean Dreams mug.
“Functional Art, November WWAO Exhibit
In this showcase, Ocean Dreams is shown on a mug - this is available here. Other items are available in my CafePress Shop. Besides being in the online exhibit, this is also listed as an 11 x 14″ Framed Fine Art Print in my Etsy Shop. Here is my Etsy Shop. If you would prefer this in a different size, let me know and I will do one up for you!! I can also put Ocean Dreams on other items at CafePress. Each of the paintings or items in the show can be purchased. Thank you for looking at my being showcased!!
WWAO on the site says “Worldwide Women Artists is an international collective of women artists showing and selling our work through the worldwide web. As women artists, we give birth to our ideas in a variety of styles and media. We embrace the diversity of each other’s work, celebrating the joy of creating our art and sharing it with the world. We welcome female visual artists from all over the world who create and sell their own original art.”
I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Saturday / Sunday. This is my entry for Saturday & Sunday. In case you can’t tell … the parents are out carousing Saturday night in the moonlight and then the mom is taking the children to worship Sunday morning in the sun. Here are the entries for last week’s Textures / Shapes. Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.
Diane Clancy's Art Blog
