"Thankfully the Internet has made it easier than ever to bring attention to your art form, if you know how to use it to your advantage."

Co-Published: BeYourArt.com and The North Shoreian Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 7, Practicalities of the Surviving Artist, September 2009. Article written by Christine Stoddard.

The “starving artist” cliché exists for a reason: no matter what kind of artist you are—actor, writer, painter, singer, photographer, dancer, etc.—earning a living is a struggle. Regardless of your talent and experience, which school you attended, or where you took an apprenticeship or internship, you will have to market yourself in order to sell your art. In fact, self-promotion is perhaps the most important way to turn your artistic passion into a full-fledged career. Thankfully the Internet has made it easier than ever to bring attention to your art form, if you know how to use it to your advantage.

But just how do you use the Internet to your advantage? Where do you begin? What are some of the most artist-friendly websites out there? Don’t worry! The answers are only a paragraph away. Here are ways to promote yourself online:

Become familiar with online content: If you’re reading this article, then you are already familiar with the Internet and have at least a basic understanding of how it works. But you may not be familiar with taking digital photos and editing them. Likewise, you may not know how to shoot video or record audio from your computer. If this is the case, now is the time to learn. Perhaps you’re a writer, for example, who thinks there’s no reason for you to learn how to record audio. Think again. Present a real threat to your competition by recording yourself reading your poems or short stories and then posting the files online. No matter what your primary art form is and whether or not you like modern technology, you must recognize that the most financially successful artists these days have some knowledge of how to promote themselves using different forms of online media. Reach out to new audiences in every way possible.

Join Associated Content: Associatedcontent.com is an excellent venue for visual artists and writers alike. Joining is an easy, quick, and free process. You can create slideshows of your art and photography and get paid each time someone looks at it. The website also pays upfront $3 to $10 for all sorts of writing (unfortunately they rarely, if ever, pay upfront for poetry and fiction) and pays for all page views. Even if your poetry, for example, does not fetch any upfront payment from the website, you get paid every time someone visits your content producer page. So regardless of what form and genre you write, it benefits you to share your page link with as many people as possible. You can also submit audio (like songs or poetry recordings) and video (like your short movies). Join AC today at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html?refer=16739. Other sites you may want to join are ehow.com and Triond.com.

Start a blog: If you’re a writer, then blogging should come pretty naturally. Simply open an account at a site like www.blogger.com and start typing. The most financially successful blogs usually have a specific focus (like fashion; for an example, visit www.paisleyandparasols.com) and include advertisements. Visual artists can post an image a day on blogs. Musicians might post their song lyrics, videos of themselves performing, or their touring schedule.

Create a MySpace profile: If you are musician, then you probably already have a MySpace profile with your songs and schedule of tour dates. Also be sure to have plenty of photos and even a video or two. Actors and other performing artists can use a MySpace profile in a similar manner. Writers and visual artists should post samples of their work and lists of links to their websites.

Use Facebook to your advantage: Think those photo albums are only for party pictures? Then you’re not thinking from a promotional standpoint. The same goes if you think the ‘Notes’ application is only for sharing chain letters and surveys. You can upload any JPG under 5MB on the Facebook albums. Share your paintings, photos, scanned writing, and anything else you can turn into a JPG. If you’re a writer, use the notes to share your poetry, short stories, essays, or whatever form and genre you prefer. The ‘Notes’ applications is also a wonderful venue for linking to your blog, website, or online portfolios.

Post to Flickr: Don’t worry—Flickr isn’t just for photographers. If it’s a JPG, you can post it. That means you can take pictures of your artwork or upload scanned copies of your writing. For digital artists, simply save your work as a JPG and then upload it. Millions of people from all over the world visit Flickr everyday so update your photostream often and make sure that your photos are set to the public viewing for maximum exposure opportunities. Sadly, Flickr’s free account only allows for 200 photos. Luckily an upgrade isn’t too expensive (about $25) and you then have unlimited storage space.

Network on Linked In: Linked In is the perfect place to post your artistic resume, links to your blogs and websites, and have your teachers and colleagues write recommendations to vouch for your talent and work ethic. You also have the chance to write a summary about yourself. View it as an opportunity to briefly outline your artistic experience and introduce your artistic vision and goals.

Post videos on YouTube: If you are a performing artist or filmmaker, YouTube has obvious promotional value. Make a video of yourself singing, dancing, or acting or post your movie. If you’re a writer or visual artist, however, YouTube’s value may be less obvious. Writers can make videos of themselves reading or discussing their pieces whereas visual artists may try creating slideshows or tape themselves at work in their studio.

By Janny Butler

In order to produce something of value, you have to have something of value to draw on. But too many of us forget that we have to “fill up our own well” before we can fill anyone else’s. If we’re women with families, this “forgetfulness” gets compounded by our natural tendencies to nurture other people before we take care of ourselves. Therefore, in the interests of keeping our writers’ health insurance premiums low, let’s talk a bit about some pointers for Writer Self-Care.

First, of course, comes common-sense stuff we were all told as kids. Yanno, eat your vegetables, Or at least attempt to have some balance in your diet!

Get enough sleep.

Get enough exercise. I can’t stress this enough. Sometimes the best cure for any kind of block or doldrums is simply a long walk outdoors. The benefits of rambling in the fresh air beat paying high health-club dues any day of the week. In short, get yourself as healthy as you can, stay that way as much as you can.

Second…give yourself a really nice place to write if you can. I don’t mean a private office, necessarily–just someplace, even if it’s the corner of the kitchen, that’s all yours.

A place that surrounds you in good feelings, of one kind or another.

Keep your favorite writing “good luck charms” around you.

You’ll want a good chair to sit in and your supplies within comfortable reach. Have good lighting and a coffeepot/teapot/stash of chocolate around. Comfort foods, great colors, a teeny fridge with bottled water in it…you know what you need. This is the place to give it to yourself.

Third, give yourself permission at times NOT to write, but to read.

Or to see a movie.

Or play with your cat.

Or have a conversation with someone you haven’t talked to in ages.
Sometimes all you need is a shift in perspective. That, too, is “filling up the well.”

For some of us, the best kickstart is reading a good craft book. For some of us, the inspiration comes from reading our favorite author. Not even a lot, maybe just a few pages or a chapter…of someone who can really handle the language and gets our own imaginations firing.

Fourth, try as best you can to silence any negative voices in your head.
If your negative voices are audible–i.e. people who live with you, your family members, etc., are not affirming you in your writing life–this is trickier. Counterbalance them with some positive voices: good critique partners…people who just plain love to read…even people like your hairdresser, your manicurist, the person who delivers your mail. Don’t forget the obvious places to pick up some “writer love.” Librarians tend to love writers, so your local librarian can often become your new best friend. People who read, love to meet people who write, and through them, you can get a chance to cultivate a “fandom”–even if you haven’t sold a lick yet. Some of the best support I ever got, early on, came from baseball moms–especially when they found out I wrote romance!

And, of course, there’s always the support you can gather online….

In short, nurturing the Muse isn’t a mystical, complicated operation that requires a lot of extra equipment–it mostly just requires a little more attention to yourself and keeping yourself well-cared-for. But as we all know, the “little” things usually end up being the ones that make all the difference–and taking care of yourself can make a difference that carries forward far beyond the world of the written word!

Happy Writing!

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Janet W. Butler, a member of ACFW,=20 is a non-fiction book production editor with Our Sunday Visitor, one of the nation’s leading Catholic publishers, by day and a “small soprano” by night. She writes–and sings–from Indiana.

Pet Portraits by Derek McCrea

As an artist in today’s changing environment it is vital to create a marketing strategy capable of meeting the demands created by tense competition. Different areas to focus on for marketing include: identifying and promoting to your target market, carefully select what you pay for as an artist and compare the advantages and disadvantages before making a decision, seek alternate means of exposure, and explore different options for getting your art “seen” by your target market.

Identify your market and attempt to promote your work through the various media of today, magazines, books, Internet, and traditional galleries. Be careful what you pay for. Lately I have seen a large amount of galleries charging a fee for placement of works. In some galleries this may be productive for the artists, but there are also those galleries who make their profit off of the artists almost solely.

Observe a gallery before making a decision to place art in it. You may pay 200 per month and pay 30% commission upon the sale for example. If you sell one art in 6 months you will lose money. Art galleries are a lot like real estate, location, location, and location. Do not fall victim for the “Calls for Artists” on Craigslist that ask for large fees for posting your art in their gallery where you pay 200 plus dollars for 5 square feet. Your art may be among 100 other artists in that gallery for a short period of time. It is also sometimes a good idea to ask another artist that has shown in the gallery about their success there.

Galleries are only one means of exposure. In rough times look at other “free” venues to showcase your art. For example, approach restaurants or hotels to place your works in their business. This has worked very well for me and what makes it even better is if you paint a painting of that business or restaurant and then have a spot near the painting with your business cards. In the end, you may come to realize that you being the only artist on the wall in a nice restaurant may be better than being among 100 others in a rarely visited gallery.

Many towns have “First Fridays” or similar names for one day a month where local business display local art. This is also a time when artists can set up a small booth and paint en plein air. Customers like to purchase art from local artists. I have had the most luck with this by painting and selling at different prices. In advance for example I will paint some of the local cityscapes or landscapes and also create prints of the same works so I can price the works at various prices. This makes my art more affordable for different customers. With all of my sales I hand out business cards and sometimes hand out 100 business cards in one day and not have any sales until later when I get an email from someone I met that day.

I am amazed at the number of emails I receive, almost daily, asking me to pay to be in a book of professional artists. The company asks for the artist to pay a large fee for their works to be on 1 page or even a half of a page. These same books are sent out to prospective future artists for free as samples to maybe a spot for their art in the book in the future. All along the featured artist in the book had to pay 350 dollars for their book and that was supposed to be at half price. Recently I went to www.lulu.com and created my own book titled, “2007-2008 The Inspirational Years”. It costs me nothing to created this book and when it sells I get a percentage. Plus the book has only my art, not hundreds of other artists.
Remember, as an artist what is most important is what you deem as success in your art. Why do you create art? Does it make you happy to paint? Paint when you feel inspired, if you are not selling currently concentrate on making a series of works for future promotion. Continue to keep a positive attitude and do not give up.

Biography of Derek McCrea

Derek McCrea is a US Army Infantry Combat Soldier with two tours in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division, and this is his stress relief. He has always loved to paint; it allows him to express emotions on paper and relax. Derek paints in a whimsical impressionistic style in plein air settings. He was born in Albany, Georgia on February 19, 1969. He presently resides with his wife, Sheila, of 20 years and his two sons. He first started painting with oils in the summer of 1984. From 1985 to 1986 he painted under the instruction of Jimmy Peterson, a well known artist from Georgia. In 1986 he won 1st place in the Georgia Arts Exhibition. Derek joined the United States Army in 1987 and continued self study and painting on landscape subjects in France, Holland, Germany, Italy and Hungary, painting in the plein air style. He has completed over 20 commissions in the past year. His works were most recently placed in the Shoppes on Madison in historic Douglas GA, and at Artsy’s on the River Street in historic Savannah Georgia. Derek has donated several artworks to non-profit and charitable organizations in the past: February 2007 to Christian Mission Hospital for HIV children run by Joyce Meyer Ministries in India, silent auction for a baby with PWS syndrome October 25, 2008, and the Annual Benefit on OCT 17, 2008 with Rescue Ink out of NYC. My website is at http://www.derekmccrea.50megs.com. My blog is at http://watercolorpaintingart.blogspot.com/.

Derek is a member of the following societies:

Southern Rivers Guild, GA
North Carolina Watercolor Society
Fayetteville Arts Council
Plein Air Florida – Space Coast Plein Air Painters
Plein Air Georgia
Further Information:
dereklovessheila@yahoo.com
http://www.derekmccrea.50megs.com
3010 Slippery Rock Ct
Columbus, GA 31909

"Do not...talk...about an unfinished manuscript." Shirley McKee

Written by Shirley McKee

There will be a time when you will have opportunities to meet with editors and agents. The Professional Attitude is more important now than at any other time. A meeting with an editor should begin with eye contact and a firm handshake. If you are proposing a book, be able to summarize the book in one or two sentences, including the genre. They will tell you never to be negative, but what I’m going to say will sound negative.

Do not, I repeat, do not talk to editors or agents about an unfinished manuscript. They will immediately be turned off. And for good reason. A professional will begin his or her description by saying, “I have a (genre) complete at approximately (word count) concerning (description briefly).”

You should, as a professional, be able to wrap up your interview in as little as five to ten minutes and, if you have that Professional Attitude, you will most likely get an invitation to send the editor or agent the first couple of chapters, and eventually, the entire manuscript. It’s all in the quality of the writing itself and the way you approach them.

I would add another admonition here. Don’t take your completed manuscript with you and offer it to them. Most editors and agents have flown to your conference and cannot be carrying heavy manuscripts back with them. Part of the professional attitude is consideration. Better to go home and mail the chapters they’ve requested with a notation on the outside of the mailer “Requested Material.” They will thank you for it. Be prepared to answer their questions about your book with brief, concise responses.

Believe me, they are constantly harassed by the unprofessional and will appreciate meeting a writer with the professional attitude.Dress for success, not necessarily tailored, but neat, not gaudy and comfortable. Never ever say “I’m a writer, but I’m not published yet.” Simply say, “I’m a writer.” If they ask, “are you published,” answer, “I’m currently working on a (book, article, whatever) and there are several magazines or publishers interested.” I hope you all will adopt the professional attitude and be published in the very near future.

Professionalism is much more than being paid for writing. It’s an attitude that carries us through each minute of each day. When someone asks what we do, writers should hold our heads high and say, “I’m a professional writer.”

Short Bio:

Shirley McKee is a former police detective and investigative journalist.  Now retired, she teaches creative writing in two Texas school systems and is working on her first mystery novel which is in its final edit.  She has over 400 articles and short stories published in magazines, not to mention her journalism publication.  Her awards number over 1,000.  She loves nothing more than meeting with other writers and sharing ideas and tips.

Derek McCrea, Painter

This article is part of the Living as an Artist Series.

By Derek McCrea

I have been a very busy artist for about 25 years now, lately I have started to reach what some would call inspiration and confidence in my works. The key to success is create art because you enjoy it, success will come when you least expect it, but it will not happen over night. The artistic potential is unlimited, but an artist must think outside of the box. If you do what everyone else is doing, your chances of success are limited. But, if you are unique and if you pursue limits outside of the traditional art arena, or box, you will begin to see results faster. This applies to all arts.

Lessons learned throughout over 25 years of painting include:

1. Never paint when you are not inspired.
2. Try to visualize what you want to paint before you paint the subject and imagine a finished product and what steps you will take to get there.
3. For larger and more detailed works draw the image on the canvas first with light pencil.
4. Establish your own style but learn from others. Experiment with creating art using individual techniques beginning with smaller less detailed images and working your way up.
5. Techniques I have learned to use and call my own include:
   • Use of splatter to create depth
   • Use of charcoal on finished products to add texture and shadows
   • Wet on wet, let the watercolors do their magic, sometimes watercolors when wet on wet create effects that make you say, “How did I do that?”
   • Try not to use too much paint, start out with lighter colors and add layers of darker colors. Too much watercolor paint creates a mess that you can not fix. That is the difference between watercolors and other mediums that can be repaired by “painting over”.
   • Use Art Trading Cards to practice your larger images before painting them large. This way if you make a mistake it will be on a small piece of paper and you can apply that lesson to your larger work.
   • I have seen different techniques for holding the watercolor paper to your background for paintings, including stapling down the sides of the work. I prefer to use masking tape around the entire edges of my paintings. This also aids buyers to mat the painting with ½ inch edges all the way around the circumference of the painting.

The competition today with the age of the Internet has created stiff competition for artists. Those who stick with it, little by little, day by day, will see results in the long run. At least that has been my experience. It is easy to give up on art if you do not enjoy it. If you do not enjoy creating art, you are in the wrong profession. To me art has always been a hobby as my second source of income. Have options and alternatives to your life, but if you love art, maintain and improve your skills; it will pay off!

I set aside about one hour a day for marketing and if I miss a day I make up for it in the future. I have been doing this for many years. It does not happen over night. I initially spent months researching how to market my works and then began with local galleries, restaurants, art collaboration shows, art festivals, online galleries, art auctions, and targeting groups of people interested in the same topics I work with. Once I gain a customer I try to keep them informed by asking if I can add them to my Monthly Artist Newsletter. I have had return customers based off of what they have seen in one of my newsletters. It also provides a face and character to the work of art the customer purchases when they can remain updated on your efforts.

I am inspired both by beauty and by life itself. If I am having a bad day, or week I do not paint. I only paint when I am in a great mood. Sometimes I may go a month without painting. I will have dream about an image, or see something I think would look great painted and I get excited and feel an urge to capture the image in a painting.

Work outside of the box and paint because you enjoy it. The art world of today is not what it was 20 years ago. Take guitarists for example. In 1988 there were not that many teens growing up with the dream of being rock stars in comparison to now. Society has changed with production and the Internet. The art world is not that much different. If I were to guess I would say there are more artists now than there were 20 years ago. If this is not the case, it may seem to be as the media for spreading the word about art have increased. You only have to go on the Internet to see the massive competition. You have a better chance of being successful from my experience by working outside of the traditional box.
Most of all, paint because you enjoy it. If you do not enjoy painting you will give up. You may give up on art but art will not give up on you! The way I find inspiration is by taking photos of beautiful places everywhere I go. I have developed the eye to see art in the environment and can see a work being painted, take a photo of it and save it for the day I am motivated to create a work. Sometimes I use many photos combined to create one work.

My career is as a Soldier. My two hobbies include painting and offshore fishing. Both of which are very relaxing and allow me to express myself. Creating art for me is a way of life. Something I enjoy.

Biography of Derek McCrea

Derek McCrea is a US Army Infantry Combat Soldier with two tours in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division, and this is his stress relief. He has always loved to paint; it allows him to express emotions on paper and relax. Derek paints in a whimsical impressionistic style in plein air settings. He was born in Albany, Georgia on February 19, 1969. He presently resides with his wife, Sheila, of 20 years and his two sons. He first started painting with oils in the summer of 1984. From 1985 to 1986 he painted under the instruction of Jimmy Peterson, a well known artist from Georgia. In 1986 he won 1st place in the Georgia Arts Exhibition. Derek joined the United States Army in 1987 and continued self study and painting on landscape subjects in France, Holland, Germany, Italy and Hungary, painting in the plein air style. He has completed over 20 commissions in the past year. His works were most recently placed in the Shoppes on Madison in historic Douglas GA, and at Artsy’s on the River Street in historic Savannah Georgia. Derek has donated several artworks to non-profit and charitable organizations in the past: February 2007 to Christian Mission Hospital for HIV children run by Joyce Meyer Ministries in India, silent auction for a baby with PWS syndrome October 25, 2008, and the Annual Benefit on OCT 17, 2008 with Rescue Ink out of NYC. My website is at http://www.derekmccrea.50megs.com My blog is at

http://watercolorpaintingart.blogspot.com/

Derek is a member of the following societies:

Southern Rivers Guild, GA
North Carolina Watercolor Society
Fayetteville Arts Council
Plein Air Florida – Space Coast Plein Air Painters
Plein Air Georgia

Further Information:

dereklovessheila@yahoo.com
http://www.derekmccrea.50megs.com
3010 Slippery Rock Ct
Columbus, GA 31909