Something new. A little video lesson on Not Overthinking the Process of writing and publishing.

Let me know what results you get! If I get enough responses, I’ll do the exercise myself and post my results.

And here’s the link to my dear, cherished duotrope.

Last year I was brought onto an online art community as an editor, finding resource links and developing web 2.0 marketing strategies. Shortly after I was asked to start writing articles ‘like i had on ninaalvarez.net’, where i’d waxed philosophical about the wonders of web 2.0 for small businesses. I did this for three months: poured my heart and soul into it, but at the end of the summer, there was a problem. I didn’t know what to write and my boss thought the tone was too personal. I was only doing what I’d learned was correct for Web 2.0. I was searching my mind for ideas constantly and looking only to myself to provide information. I felt weird about offering information I’d gleaned elsewhere, although, in retrospect, almost no one can write a blog solely from personal experience.

Between my block and our difference of opinion over style, we parted ways. But we’d been a good team for the most part and a couple weeks later we got back together and now are restructuring the blog the way he wants it. It’s fine. It’s his company and he pays me.

I still find great value in the excercise of writing ezine-like posts. But I also still believe there is value in doing things the way I was doing them, so I’ve transferred all the old posts over here and will continue, on my own time, to speak to artists from my heart. I don’t get paid for this. I have no editor, no boss, no restrictions and that’s exactly the sort of outlet I need. It’ll also make for more dynamic posts that hopefully you will enjoy and return to more than once.

I will also be creating my own podcast.  I invite those listeners who enjoyed the Artspan podcast I created to listen to my podcast. I’ll let you know as soon as the first episode is up.

I am planning artist interviews, important tips, candid advice, and ongoing encouragement. I see the current economy as challenge to approach spiritually, as any challenge is. There is so much to be gained when we are forced to simplify and see more clearly and then give ourselves permission to share our vision.

What is B.O.S.S. ?

Beautiful

• Take the best pictures possible of your art. See this previous blog post for instruction.

• Include images of yourself at the studio or gallery or an art class. Post them with your CV or artist statement page.

Organized

• Meticulously tag and categorize each piece of art according to its medium, style, and subject. Your Artspan dashboard will help you do this easily.

• With each image list its name, size, whether it it framed, weight (if possible), and shipping information. The more information you have, the more professional you appear and the more your buyer will trust you.

• Create an exhaustive list of all the art you have available on your site with sizes, names, and prices. Set this as a separate webpage all to itself. If you also take the time to include thumbnails in this list and then link to the image itself, you have a great, streamlined way to make sales.
  

Salable

• Set up a shopping cart at your website. Artspan offers this option with the upload of each individual image.
  

• Keep you prices clearly marked.

• Extra tip: offer a discount. 10% off all pieces for the week of Thanksgiving. Urge people to buy them as Christmas presents. There are tons of ways to entice people to buy your art without being too gimicky.

Sexy

• Shop around online. Make a list of a couple websites where you like to spend time, not just because of the content, but because of the entire experience: layout, color, images, text, multimedia, etc.
  

• Think creatively about your content. What sort of color palette and organization patterns would show your work in its best light? If you use a templated website, try every template until you find the perfect one. If you want to custom create one, then go for it.

Enjoy! Let us know if you have any comments/questions.

And if you have a website you want to show off, let us know.

In my secret life, I run a tiny publishing company called Inconundrum Press. Last year I was struggling to find innovative ways to our only book: 4×1, a book of poems by Ranier Maria Rilke, Tristan Tzara, Jean-Pierre Duprey and Habib Tengour. While hanging out on Youtube way more than was healthy, I was finally struck with an idea.

Two of my dear friends, Rick Wright and Anders Hansen, are a photographer and a painter respectively. And my friend Gregory Paul makes beautiful, ambient music that I knew he wouldn’t mind sharing with me.

So, I used the very rudimentary video creation tool Windows Movie Maker (which I believe comes with every computer with Windows). I took this lovely poem “A Robe of White Roses” by Jean-Pierre Duprey from the book and set it to images created by my artist friends (a couple photos at the beginning are even mine). I overlayed it with Gregory Paul’s haunting melody “Dustbowl Couple” and viola, I had a piece of multi-media art.

And, as you may notice, there is no video in it. I had wanted to make videos but my camera had called it quits, so I was forced to be ingenuitive, making a slide show that would hopefully be as dynamic as moving pictures.

Once it was out there in the world, I believe that it served not just 1, but 3 functions:

1. To advertise the book 4×1.
2. To display art by two artist-friends
3. To share Gregory Paul’s music with more people

I posted the video at youtube and then at 3 of my blogs. I made sure to add credits as well as website links in the video as well as with the postings.

Your Video Project

Although it is a bit of a jump for those of you who are new online, I mention this video now because Artspan has introduced a great way to embed video in your Artspan webpages. This is the perfect time to start thinking about your own Web 2.0 projects. It’s fall: a time of transitions, “back-to-school” and new projects. Why not make a video of your work? The possibilities are many, but here are just a couple suggestions:

1. A how-to video, showing a method or style you are working it and how to achieve it
2. A video collage/slide-show of your work set to music (make sure you have permissions for the music. There are ways to find free music online, which I will share soon.)
3. Video clips from your life: openings, discussions, salons, anything that will bring your art life into 3D for the viewer.

Interested? See Friday’s post for some ways to get started.

In the meantime: Visit my Artspan website page ‘One-minute Poems’ to learn more about the video possibilities.

Artspan.com is your key to over 30 web portals full of art resources and information. Each portal introduces you to the medium, offers online articles, and links you to Artspan members working in the field. There are lists of resources in the form of Education, Museums, Galleries, Books, Publications, Suppliers, and more.

Every week the Artspan Blog will celebrate one of its portals. This week:

ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY

Featured artist: J Myers

Abstract Photography avoids symbolic representation, rejecting the notion that something identifiable must be depicted by a photograph. Instead, its object is the image itself and the process of its creation.

Though examples of abstract photography can be found as early as the 1830s, it didn’t become a self-conscious form of image making until the early 20th century. It generally ran in parallel to abstract art, both in response to Realism’s decades-long ideology that photography must be documentary. The first publicly exhibited abstract photographs were Erwin Quedenfeldt’s Symmetrical Patterns from Natural Forms, shown in 1914… read more

FEATURED PUB

Apogee Photo Magazine
Informs active photographers of all ages, both amateur and professional, from around the world.

FEATURED GALLERY

Belfast Exposted
Belfast, Ireland

Founded in 1983 as a community photography initiative, Belfast Exposed Photography now functions as a gallery for contemporary photography with emphasis on commissioning and publication of new work.

FEATURED BOOK

Abstract Photography Techniques
by Kenneth Stephen Karsten

FEATURED EVENT

Photography Exhibition 12-10-2008 thru 02-14-2009 The Silver Eye Center for Photography 1015 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 412-431-1810, back to world calender

Deadline: October 18, 2008 The Silver Eye Center for Photography, the oldest non-profit organization in Western Pennsylvania dedicated solely to the understanding and appreciation of photography as an art form, invites photographers to submit entries for their juried Fellowship Competition and their New Works Galleries. Juror for Fellowship 2008: Ariel Shanberg, Executive Director of the Center for Photography at Woodstock. One photographer will be selected to receive $5,000 and have a one-person exhibition in the Main Gallery of Silver Eye. Ten photographers will be recognized with the distinction of Honorable Mention. They will receive $100 and will be invited to exhibit one photograph each.15203 Or call 412/431-1810. Visit their website.

Join the party! Submit an art event or resource of your own.

Our Podcast Alley feed! {pca-f22798f56ea8dc38e98817acb3be669f}

So, finally, I have a podcast. And I’m talking about the thing that started with Philthy Art: online art marketing for artists. Ch-ch-check it out:

http://artspan.podomatic.com/

Also, I return to Philadelphia, after my year of exploring, in the beginning of October. Watch for more events here at Philthy Art and get in touch if you have any thoughts or ideas.

Yours,

Nina

A description of the heart of social networking and marketing online and an overview of what our upcoming podcasts will cover, including:

-how to get a website
-how to a podcast
-hot to the word out
-taking notes online
-how to do advanced online marketing
-how to spend minimal time online
-how to write a compelling blog
-facebook, digg…sharable content
-vertical communities

Dear Artist,

I return again and again to Anne Bogart’s book A Director Prepares because the way she lays out the creative process makes sense to me. She offers seven modes that one must face and challenge, one of which is “Embarrassment.”

She says:

Every creative act involves a leap into the void. In the midst of this leap there are no guarantees. To leap can often cause acute embarrassment. Embarrassment is a partner in the creative process, a key collaborator. If your work does not sufficiently embarrass you, then very likely no one will be touched by it.

The purpose of this blog is not to inspire greater art from you (although that would be nice) but to inspire greater courage in the face of marketing your art. I suffer the fear of embarrassment every time I write a post. When I go back and listen to my podcast, I can barely sit through it. But the moment of desire to reach out is stronger in me than this fear of being vulnerable. And, as Bogart implies, it is this space of vulnerability that adds power and presence to whatever you are making.

Danse Magnet/Embarassment

A couple weeks ago I interviewed Amber Lauletta about her performance piece Danse magnet.

Tomorrow, August 29, 2008, she is doing her second Danse magnet in Philadelphia, where she is visiting for the month.
Click here for information.

The theme of embarrassment runs high in her piece. Amber, an American living in Paris, stands in a busy area and starts dancing to music, inviting people to join her. It is a celebration, a joyous act, not meant to call attention to people’s limitations, fears, social norms, etc. But yet, I find myself reflecting on these questions of embarrassment whenever I watch it. Embarrassment for her, for those who won’t dance, for those who will, and excited at all the tension and interest that arises because of this.

Below are some response to the idea of embarrassment in Amber’s own words:

Artspan: Tell us again how you define Danse magnet.

Amber: A public work, inspired by concepts of music and celebration and the intention of the piece is simple in that I’m just asking people, by dancing, to celebrate life and each other.

This piece is just saying that every day is a good day to celebrate being alive.

It was a perfect summation of my experience, Danse magnet was a leap, and important to strike out into the realm of performance. It had to be simple. It came from a history of pieces done before based on this need to take the leap…there were no guarantees, I set myself up for that. I knew that once it happened I was not going to be bale to predict the audience response.

I took this project on knowing it would be more of a sketck and field research and I would know after this piece how to do danse magnet and how to do other performances. And I wa faced with the concept of embarrassment: I was going to have to put myself out there in order to make others feel comfortable to do that. So I practiced in my room and I practiced on the streets quietly. I would dance randomly now and again. Finally I went to a park in Paris where there were some African drummers to practice dancing in public.

On the day of the performance there was this raw courage that surfaced. I really did jump into the void…it’s true what she (Anne Bogart) says…going back, it is embarrassing…hard to watch…and I had to go through a process…had to forgive myself of the judgments that came of watching myself perform. Most of those judgment came as a result of being a woman, judging my body and that even though I was prepared for the piece to not accomplish what I wanted, after it didn’t, I had to forgive myself and focus on it being a learning experience.

It’s important to talk about the ego—what is driving your piece—I def. would love to be a rock star. But if that is driving your agenda….Feeding the ego, wanting to be adored, versus a relationship of giving.

All the subjects of my pieces have come form where I am personally in my life. It starts off as a curiosity I have as a social construct or the way be behave as humans…after research I want to take it to the streets…I want to pose a question and begin a conversation.

But what happened after Danse magnet was that I was faced for the first time with the artist’s relationship to the public and what the terms of that were…am I going to be invasive and preachy, or am I going to just offer something?

This is one of the reasons that theatre doesn’t attract me: because I don’t want to stand there and be watched…I don’t want to make it that easy for the audience. But I don’t want to approach it in a naïve, adolescent, rebellious way like the flash mobs do, but it’s important for me, too, with the public works in a way that I feel artwork in the gallery doesn’t. I don’t want there to be an institution between my work and the public.

Artspan: What do to you think of the public response from Parisians….

Amber: Parisians are tricky people…like New Yorkers, they are apathetic to art because they

have grown up in an artistic environment…are blasé…as a culture, they are subtle, not vulgar…to bring this idea, with Latin and African rootes, very expressive, to a culture that is emotionally reserved was a challenge and I knew it would be. And I imagine this piece would have more of the effect I want if I did in a Latin culture.

See the first Danse magnet at Amber Lauletta’s blog Advertising Shelter.