One of the things I always seem to be angry about is my tendency to change horses midstream. (Is that the phrase?) I took ballet from age six to ten, then decided I'd rather ice skate. So I was a crappy ballerina and also a crappy ice skater. I could have been one or the other and been it well, but I wasn't. This pattern has continued my whole life.
I worked in the social work field for two years. I worked in the sales field for what, five or six years total. But I don't want to do that, I want to be an artist. Or do something with the community. Or maybe try social work again. Or make a lot of money, which means none of the above. I'd also like to be a writer. Or a teacher. Also maybe a librarian or a carpenter. Or a crafter, with my own business. Of course, most of those require more schooling, which I don't feel like doing. I just want to jump in without committing to more fat stacks of student loans.
I do this with my promoting - I'm on MySpace, I'm on Facebook, Etsy, Craigslist, the Post Star, the Chronicle, the Saratogian, the Times Union, LARAC, Google Calendar, my website, IndiePublic, my blog is on Blogger--no wait! It's on LiveJournal. Well, how about both? I'll have a blog for idioms and a blog for my art. And a blog for my political beliefs and a blog for my every single thought. Plus the MySpace blog. And the private journal. And my art journal. I'm hanging posters up in The Shirt Factory, I'm hanging them up all over, I'm on message boards, I'm in the NCAC newsletter, the LARAC newsletter, the Killington Arts Guild newsletter, the Watercolor Society newsletter, I'm sending mass emails, I'm all over the fricken place like a crazy person and you know what? If I was earning an hourly pay for all my running around talking myself up, I'd be super duper rich. But I must be doing a crap job. I'd say right now I might be earning myself five cents an hour. Whoopee.
I do this with my art, too. Okay, I'm a watercolorist. No I'm not, I'm a mixed media artist. My work is autobiographical and experimental. Except for that Britney Spears one. Britney Spears is not a part of my life story. And the one I painted of a model that I don't know. And all those goddamn landscapes I painted because people like goddamn landscapes. Also, I like acrylics. And painting on wood. And photography. I'm a photographer! Also, I paint with my hair. Actually, I do idiom cartoons, I'm not autobiographical at all. Well, I'm doing decorative things now to sell on etsy even thou nobody's buying them. I do whimsical cartoons of little kids. I do custom graphic arts work. I'm a website designer. I'm doing paintings writing out all my insecurities. Now I only paint on windows. I paint on glass. I'm super edgy and in your face! I'm going to make art magazines because i'm so edgy and controversial. I'm guts-baring. Actually, that's tough because people might pick on me so I'll say the same thing except quieter, and I'll erase half of it. I'm cryptic. I paint on huge boards that have been covered with gesso. Maybe I'll start a business selling chainmaille jewelry. I'm a teacher, I teach classes. I want to change the world with my art! I'm political. I'm environmental. I'm feminist. I want to learn to sew. I want to silkscreen. I want to learn ceramics. I want to revisit welding. I want a welding studio! I will only make huge sculptures. I want to make jewelry. I use found objects in my art. I'll just make notecards, actually. My style is impressionist, kind of. No, i mean cartoony. I will do cartoons in newspapers! Actually, I only do abstract pieces with lots of texture.
This drives me crazy. Because it's bad business. If you want to be an expert at anything, if you want to succeed at anything, if you want to make money, you have to be a recognizable person. You have to have a style. A brand. Use the same colors in each piece, or the same brushstrokes, or characters, or hell, even the same freaking medium. You can't be all over the place like this. Renoir does ballerinas. Georgia O'Keefe does flowers. Gus Fink does horror. Pollock does paint drips. Casey Dwyer does funky feathery headbands and neckerchiefs. Tom Myott does stained-glass horses. Betty O'Brien does bright colors and birds.
I don't have a brand, I don't have a style, I don't have a medium. I don't have one website as the go-to, or even one goddamn blog. And that's just how I am. I get bored. I have too many ideas to just pick one thing and do it to death. But it gets me down that I really know better, I really know that it's smart business to have a "look"... but I just can't stay put. I get angry with myself over that.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go cross-post this in my personal LiveJournal, my LiveJournal art blog, and my MySpace blog.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Some news from LARAC!
LARAC Hosts an Artist Potluck
Musicians, writers, poets, and visual artists of all mediums are invited to join us in Lapham Gallery at LARAC on Thursday, February 7th at 6pm for an Artist Potluck. The event is free, just bring a dish to share.
Come meet other artists, exchange ideas, network, share resources and help us celebrate Chinese New Year!
LARAC staff will also be on hand to announce upcoming events in 2008 at LARAC.
You do not have to be a member to attend.
Larac is located at 7 Lapham Pl. in Downtown Glens Falls on City Park. Directions: www.larac.org or for questions please call 798-1144 x 2.
Coming on February 16th "Marketing Your Art" Workshop for Artists at LARAC
Back by popular demand, LARAC again hosts artist/ business entrepreneur, Susan Wiley on Saturday, February 16th from 10 to 3pm for a "Marketing Your Art" artist workshop.
This interactive, day-long workshop will cover marketing, selling and presenting your work, representing yourself as an artist and as a business person, packaging yourself, believing in yourself, living your passion and sharing it with others. There will be a question and answer period.
The Workshop will be held in Lapham Gallery at LARAC. Cost is $15 for LARAC members and $20 for non-members. There will be a break for 45 minutes for lunch on your own. To register and for more information please call 798-1144 x 2. LARAC is located at 7 Lapham Pl. in Downtown Glens Falls on City Park.
“Toolkit for Shop & Studio Owners” workshop
Thursday, May 15th 5-7pm
Workshop leader: Nadia Korths, Craft Consultant, Adirondack North Country Association
Description: The workshop will begin by providing participants with a summary of best marketing practices gleaned from gift shops and studios across the Adirondack North Country region. The latter part of the workshop will be devoted to actual critiques of local gift shops and/or studios during which each participant will be asked to write some ideas, suggestions, and/or observations which will then be provided to the shop owner.
Musicians, writers, poets, and visual artists of all mediums are invited to join us in Lapham Gallery at LARAC on Thursday, February 7th at 6pm for an Artist Potluck. The event is free, just bring a dish to share.
Come meet other artists, exchange ideas, network, share resources and help us celebrate Chinese New Year!
LARAC staff will also be on hand to announce upcoming events in 2008 at LARAC.
You do not have to be a member to attend.
Larac is located at 7 Lapham Pl. in Downtown Glens Falls on City Park. Directions: www.larac.org or for questions please call 798-1144 x 2.
Coming on February 16th "Marketing Your Art" Workshop for Artists at LARAC
Back by popular demand, LARAC again hosts artist/ business entrepreneur, Susan Wiley on Saturday, February 16th from 10 to 3pm for a "Marketing Your Art" artist workshop.
This interactive, day-long workshop will cover marketing, selling and presenting your work, representing yourself as an artist and as a business person, packaging yourself, believing in yourself, living your passion and sharing it with others. There will be a question and answer period.
The Workshop will be held in Lapham Gallery at LARAC. Cost is $15 for LARAC members and $20 for non-members. There will be a break for 45 minutes for lunch on your own. To register and for more information please call 798-1144 x 2. LARAC is located at 7 Lapham Pl. in Downtown Glens Falls on City Park.
“Toolkit for Shop & Studio Owners” workshop
Thursday, May 15th 5-7pm
Workshop leader: Nadia Korths, Craft Consultant, Adirondack North Country Association
Description: The workshop will begin by providing participants with a summary of best marketing practices gleaned from gift shops and studios across the Adirondack North Country region. The latter part of the workshop will be devoted to actual critiques of local gift shops and/or studios during which each participant will be asked to write some ideas, suggestions, and/or observations which will then be provided to the shop owner.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Classes
The class on how to sell your artwork online went really well yesterday. Thanks to Brian, Nicole, and Janet for coming! The feedback I got was very positive, and I'm inspired to offer the class again in February...
Other news is that it's Martin Luther King Day! There's an event happening in Glens Falls that I helped to plan. Read a blog post I wrote about it here.
Also, for some reason, kateaustin.net is acting up and not linking. To access the site, just keep going to aephemera.net.
Lastly, I also do some writing! Check out my article on Gus Fink that was recently published by Associated Content.
Other news is that it's Martin Luther King Day! There's an event happening in Glens Falls that I helped to plan. Read a blog post I wrote about it here.
Also, for some reason, kateaustin.net is acting up and not linking. To access the site, just keep going to aephemera.net.
Lastly, I also do some writing! Check out my article on Gus Fink that was recently published by Associated Content.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
A new class - "How to sell your art online"
Are you an artist?
Would you like to know how to sell your artwork?
Most artists have the skills to create wonderful pieces of art, but none of the business knowledge required to sell it.
This class is for you!
(Visit aephemera.net for details and to see full-size image)
Would you like to know how to sell your artwork?
Most artists have the skills to create wonderful pieces of art, but none of the business knowledge required to sell it.
This class is for you!
(Visit aephemera.net for details and to see full-size image)
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
KateAustin.NET
For those of you who haven't been tuned in all along, I ought to first tell you that I used to have a "personal" website back in the day of emo poems (Before emo existed! Pre-mo!) and self-portrait glamour shots. It was called aephemera.net because I liked the word ephemera and I liked to spell things wrong. As I began to show and sell my artwork, I changed it into an art website. The problem with this is that it's a hard word to remember how to spell, not very advertising-friendly. I've been promoting the hell out of it for several years and it's pretty established now, people remember how to say it but not how to spell it, but they do remember that it's there and what it is. But. I think I'd be doing better if I had an easier website to remember. But, Now I'm so far in that I don't want to just confuse everyone with the change. I bought KateAustin.Net and right now it just forwards to aephemera.net... I'm not sure what to do from here. Advice? Thoughts?
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