The article I sent last week was the ‘9 Ways to Boost Your Artistic Career’ by Arletta de Wal, Art Marketing and Strategist.  Have you followed her advice?  Are you ready to move to the next step? 

Here is the next article:

‘Creativity Boost in 21 Days’

Anyone else out there ever decided to lose weight and get fit?

The first time you go to the gym, you can’t just jump into an Olympic level workout. If you try, there’s a good chance that you’ll injure yourself, or strain muscles in your body that you didn’t even know you had.

Instead, the key is to develop a habit of going to the gym. Over time, that good habit will bring healthy rewards.

Developing good creative habits is a lot like building muscles.

You will need space, time, motivation and the ability to stick to a schedule. The skills you learn may feel awkward at first but with training and repetition, they will become second nature.

Eventually, the habit of making art will feel as natural and enjoyable as breathing, and your portfolio of artwork will grow because of it.

If you want to get started building good artistic habits, I recommend the following program:

• Organize your work space
• Set your sights on the results you want
• Develop the habit of art production
• Create and follow a 21-day schedule
• Motivate yourself to continue your daily habit
• Reinforce your art production habit

Set your sights on the results you want

In order to have a large enough portfolio for future exhibits, you need an idea of how many pieces you need to produce each month. Initially, you may not be clear on this, or even know how long it takes you to produce a piece of art. Don’t worry. You will figure it out as you go.

In the meantime, just write down a goal. How many pieces would you like to finish this month? As you learn from experience, adjust the number of hours or the number of completed works.

Develop the habit of art production

If you don’t have the time to produce art consistently, it’s unlikely that you can make a career of art. It’s up to you, however, to decide what “consistent” means. . . and of course it depends on all the other things you have to do in your life beyond art.

For the purpose of building good creative habits, try to set aside 15 minutes a day, or an hour a day, five days a week. Or find some time in between. The point is to choose an amount of time that fits your life so that you will stick with it.

You can always increase the amount or the frequency, or both, once you develop momentum. This is simply about establishing the habit of daily art production.

Create and follow a 21-day schedule

According to many experts, it takes 21 days to make behavior into a habit. So, you will need to follow your new art-making schedule for 21 days.

I’m including a sample schedule.  Adjust it to suit your current life and sate of organization.  Make sure to track your progress daily by making a checkmark on your calendar each time you follow the schedule.

Also, every day after completing your daily task, write down what worked well and what could work better.

Day 1: Clean and organize your studio so that you have one space for making art and another for storing it.

Before you start, prepare and organize your art making space. You’ll waste less time and resources and you won’t squander precious creative energy that is better spent on production.

I suggest that you arrange your studio space into two areas—one for making your art, where you work and have all of your supplies; and another space for storing completed work so that you can easily find what you need when it’s time to exhibit.

Day 2:  Take stock of what you need to do to make your studio space work better so that you can step into it and simple enjoy making art.

Day 3:  Order supplies and equipment online or go into town to buy them.  (This is one time when shopping equals work)

Day 4:  Put away your supplies set up new equipment and admire your progress.

Day 5:  Fine-tune your studio space so that you can step into it tomorrow to make art without any further set up.  Take a photograph of your handiwork.

Day 6:  Work on a piece of art.  Enjoy the flow.  There should be no distractions.  Tidy your studio space before you leave, and set up the work and materials you will use tomorrow so you can step right into it again.

Day 7-20:  If you are new to making art, work on your current piece for at least 15 minutes daily.  If you have been making art for a while, increase your time.

If you have to miss a day, catch up as quickly as possible so that you don’t lose momentum.  Remember to tidy or arrange your studio before you leave each day so you can always get back to work.

Day 21:  Look over the log of your experience for the last 20 days.  What worked well?  What did not work so well?  What do you need to stop, start or do differently to improve your art production?  Reward yourself in some way for sticking with the schedule for the entire 21 days.

NOTE: As you develop your daily habit of art-making, you may find yourself losing track of time.  As long as you don’t have any other appointments, that’s fine.  I use a timer to let me know when the time I set aside is up.

Motivate yourself to continue your daily habit.

List several reasons for continuing to create art on a daily basis.  You only need to take a minute or two to do this.  Here are some suggestions:

*Think about the positive outcomes.
* Keep a daily log of how each day went and flip through it at least once a week.

Notice any patterns that you see.  What is helping you build the habit of creating art, and what is distracting you?  Write down ways to reinforce what is working and to change circumstances that are getting in the way.

Reinforce your art production habit.

New habits don’t always come easily.  Take one day at a time.  You are building a habit so the occasional slip is natural.  Expect it, decide what to do about it, pick yourself up and get going.

Developing the habit is the point.  As daily art production becomes habitual for you, you’ll naturally produce more art, faster.  Keep the emphasis on developing the habit and the artwork will follow.

Now get back to the studio and have some fun.

9 Ways to Boost Your Artistic Creativity

Most artists take great care of their art making tools. . . that’s a given. But whether you are naturally creative, or have developed your talents through training, it’s just as vital to care for and nurture your creativity.

Here are the nine techniques that I recommend to all of my artist clients who need a creative boost:

1. Keep an art-related idea journal
Keep a spiral notebook with you at all times to capture ideas, sketches and references to use later. It’s like keeping an art diary, and it’s for your eyes only, so you can record everything. Writers call this a “swipe file.” It doesn’t mean that you plagiarize things that you find—that would be highly unethical and unoriginal to boot! But whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all inspired by what surrounds us and what came before.

That is the point of this journal. Find things that inspire you, and save them to inspire you later on. You never know what will be useful down the road. It will save you time rediscovering things you have already worked through, and give you a wellspring of creative ideas for times when the well seems dry.

2. Put up an art ideas bulletin board
I have a board like this in my studio for art ideas, as well as one in my office for business thoughts.

Post anything that come to you, pictures, quotations, ads—whatever flies through your mind or catches your eye. You never know what will come from these artifacts.

3. Create an idea treasure chest
Collect images from magazines, quotes, postcards, etc. This can be anything that will stimulate future work. Store them in a way that makes them easy to get at.
It’s an amazing experience to open your treasure chest of ideas and rediscover things that previously excited or inspired you. Maybe you weren’t ready for them when you found them and put them in the box but you might be ready for one or more of the ideas now.

I love the feeling of going into my treasure chest—it’s like opening a gift from a loving friend who really “gets” you and what your art is about.

When you have actual things you can handle in your treasure box, it’s a lot easier than trying to recall ideas or start from scratch. You’ll remember ideas that you had previously, and recall why you chose the objects or see new connections that you missed before.

4. Pay attention to your energy levels
When you are freshest, do the most important art projects or art marketing tasks that demand your highest creativity. Save the more mundane jobs for when your creative tank is low.

Sometimes you need to take a complete break from art to let new ideas incubate. Don’t try to force creativity. Just be okay with the lull. Most times it’s a great incubation period and ideas will surface later. The tank will fill again.

Artists have different time spans and times of the day in which they can produce quality creations. Sense your rhythms and respect them. When the “inner bell” goes off, it’s time to move on to something else where your energy is fresh.

5. Split your art projects into smaller pieces
Always break big, overwhelming projects down into smaller bits. It’s usually easy to maintain your enthusiasm when you’re working on small pieces rather than the whole.

I love the languid beginning and enthralling ends of making art pieces, but often find I need to limit the middle to short bursts in the studio. (It reminds me of long childhood car trips when we would ask, usually about every 15 minutes, “Are we there yet?!?”)

Don’t set yourself up to be overwhelmed by expecting to produce too much at any particular work session. You’ll enjoy the work better and have a more consistent experience of satisfaction if you accomplish large projects in smaller bits over time.

6. Quit (or modify) art projects that are boring
Look for the kernel of excitement that provoked you to begin the project, and re-work it into something new. Find the smallest speck of interest or quality in what you have created, and start another piece of art with those aspects instead.
If that doesn’t work, it may be freeing to just throw the piece away. If you can do this, you know you are learning to curate your work and to release attachments to things that are holding you back.

7. Do something other than art for a little while
Distract yourself temporarily, and see if some time away allows you to recapture your excitement for the project. If you can’t get enthused, put the project away for even longer, or just move on.

I’ve come back to pieces years later and was able to complete them with what I had learned in the meantime.

8. Adjust the results you’re aiming for
Maybe you’ve created something that isn’t quite right. Or it’s not the final version of what you want to submit. Consider it a practice piece and remove the pressure of it being the final version.

Since it’s just practice, consider what would happen if you tried to wreck it. Even if you don’t actually do that to the piece, you will come up with interesting ideas that don’t come when you are treating the art piece as too precious.

9. Find other artists and teachers to work with. Isolation can make common problems seem bigger than they are, or make you feel like you’re the only one with these troubling issues.

But the truth is, every other artist goes through the same thing, and can empathize with your situation, or even help you work through it. So connect with others in similar situations and learn from them.

Quote author unknown:
“It’s an unfortunate fact of life that everything ebbs and flows. . . even creativity. And while we would love for our creativity to to just flow out of us, whenever we want it, sometimes we need a few “tricks up our sleeves” to move out of the ebb, and back into the flow.”

Hopefully a few of the techniques above have already resonated with you, but if not, I encourage you to give one or two a try. More creativity is always a plus, wherever you get it.

Sitting at my desk this morning watching it rain, I began thinking how this time of year is a good time to get your career in order.  We are heading into the winter season and usually it is a slow time with the exception of the holidays.  Before the holidays start to overwhelm us, we need to take this time to plan.

I have some friends that are going through a tough time and have a lot of stress in their lives right now.  Maybe that applies to you also.  It is hard to get thinking let alone started directing your art career when you are stressed.

Maybe you are getting hung up on not being able to create new work.  You don’t have to have new work to start to plan your career.  You have work; you have experience in showing it whether it’s at the local art league meetings, juried shows, etc.  It is enough to get started.

You may not be ready to let go or sell that finished work yet; and approaching a gallery is daunting to you.  Guess what?  You do not have to be ready for all that to plan now.  The first thing I do with my clients is Setting Goals.  When we take time to do this we start to think about where we want to take our art career.  If the only place you want to go is ‘maybe someday I will want to sell my artwork’, then now is the time to start in that direction.  You don’t have to actually sell it right now.  BUT you can plan for when you are ready .

A portfolio takes time to prepare, but is one of the most important part of your marketing plan.  I have had artists say they don’t need one.  Well, maybe they did get into a show or gallery without one, but somewhere down the line someone will want to see a professional portfolio.

Once you have that portfolio finished you will find that your confidence has been boosted tremendously.  You have proof that you are an ARTIST and you can feel like a professional artist.  You will feel ready to go!

Think this over and when you are ready to take the FIRST step, call me for an appointment.

Marilee Stockman

Art Coach

(949)689-898

We are in a down economy and as artists we need to be a little creative to sell our artwork.

Here are some things to consider for helping you sell your art in at this time in our economy:

•        Offer affordable options for buyers, artwork under $500, for example. or even under $200.  Don’t make a mistake of ignoring small sales and focusing all your attention on large ones; a steady stream of small sales can easily add up to a livable income.

•      Sell on the installment plan.  Ten buyers paying you $50 a week or a couple of hundred dollars a month on installment plans means you’re making $2000 per month.

•       Rent your artwork.  If you can rent out twenty works of art for $30 each per month, that’s $600 per month that you wouldn’t otherwise have if your art sat in your studio gathering dust.  Confine the rental pieces to those you’re less likely to sell outright.  You don’t want to tie up salable works that can potentially greater significant dollar amounts in short periods of time.

•       Barter your artwork.  Trade art for everything from medical, dental to meals, household goods, other artist’s work and anything else that you can think of.

•         Look at a part cash/part trade options when someone is interested in your art.  You might be able to trade for something they have.

How to find Passion

Some artists who might read this, especially

the more highly evolved ones, are going to

say, “I don’t need to find passion, I’ve already

found it.”  Fair enough.

Here are a few Ideas…

for those who may have misplaced it.

The word passion …

comes from the Latin patior, meaning to suffer

or to endure.  These days, losing its uncomfortable

roots, passion is a feeling of unusual excitement,

enthusiasm or compelling emotion toward a subject,

idea, person or object.

Here’s how to get it…

• Revisit and repossess your core dreams

and fantasies.

• Consider your dreams to be private, unique

and sacred.

• Get help from and watch the actions of the

already passionate.

• Indulge, honor and live in your own imagination.

• Don’t talk about it, do it.

See your passion…

manifested into action or production.

When you serve your passions,…

proficiency gradually takes over and becomes habitual.

“Permission” becomes entrenched with even more focus

and those giddy feelings of success.  It’s like love –when

you’re in it you hardly know where you are, but all is well.

Excerpt from Robert Glenn’s Twice Weekly Letter

WHAT KIND OF ARTIST ARE YOU?

ARE YOU THE KIND OF ARTIST THAT MAKES

THINGS HAPPEN?

or

ONE THAT WATCHES THINGS HAPPEN?

or

ONE THAT WONDERS WHAT HAPPENED?

Artists need to position themselves in the market right now for what lay ahead.

• That might mean developing a long term plan to become active in real-world events such as art fairs, art shows and hosting your own exhibitions at hired venues.
• Or if you aim to sell your art within the gallery system, maintaining friendly lines of communication, and cultivating long term relationships will be increasingly important as competition for gallery spaces becomes stiffer.
• You’ll need to start right now to develop and strengthen the bonds  and networks you have with your gallery curators and owners, if you are a galleried artist.
• That might mean working hard to develop your awareness through your blog site or/and website; 
• Really going hard to generate a greater profile, a streamlined system, a plan for extending your online operations. 
• It might mean making strategic decisions such as turning to sites like e Bay and Etsy, with the view to learning and mastering the secrets to making such sites work well for you.
• Either way NOW is the moment to invest time and effort into exploring and learning new marketing ideas, new selling techniques (yes, I know artists hate to sell their own work, but who in the world is better qualified?), and new ideas.

who is an author.  I adapted it for artists and thought this

was worthy for inspiration.  I am going to try this how

about you giving it a try?

Freeing Your Muse

In mythology, a muse was a goddess who inspired artists.

There were nine muses in Classical Mythology, each one

responsible for inspiring a particular set of artists: one for

poets, one for musicians, and even one for dancers and comedians.

Today…

we refer to a personal muse as a source of inspiration,

creativity, and genius. I like to think of my muse as an

angel of creativity whispering great ideas into my ear.

So…

how can you access your muse, or spark of creative genius?

To…

become more creative in your artwork try these five practices.

Use them regularly.  Your creativity will grow over time as you

develop it, just like a muscle.

 1.     Capture the first ideas you have in the morning.  Keep a

notebook in your bedroom.  When you first awaken or

while you shower, pay close attention to any ideas that

come to you.  Jot them down before you get busy with

the remainder of your day.

2.   Build a structure for your project.  Your creativity will flow

when you are not worried about what you to focus on or

which ideas you want to present.  Spend time planning.

When you know what you are going to do, you can be

more creative

3.  Meditate or sit quietly for at least 10 minutes every day.  The

stressed mind cannot be creative or even think very clearly.

A few moments spent sitting quietly and clearing your mind

will increase your creativity and bring many other benefits to

your life, included decreasing your stress.

4.   Surround yourself with art and beauty.  Ensure that your

environment fosters creativity.  Listen to music which you love,

clean up the clutter, or splurge on an art poster or painting

which inspires you.   Try rearranging the furniture, bringing in

fresh flowers, or painting the walls.  Freshen the environment

where you work and you will feel a greater sense of possibility

and a surge of new ideas.

5.   Have more fun!  Ensure that you have time to laugh and enjoy

yourself on a daily basis.  When artists feel isolated, creativity

dries up and working becomes a chore instead of a work of art.

Marilee Stockman

Art Coach

Pass this on to your artist friends.

I hope you will have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July.

Is it time for you to move your art out of your home/studio?  Read this article and if it moves you give me a call to help you get going.

Get your art out of the studio

Your work isn’t doing you any good sitting in your studio. While you’re waiting for the ideal opportunity, your art is aging. As it ages, so do you. Your ideas get stale because you’re not sharing your art and getting feedback. You’re not growing.

Here are five suggestions to get your art out of the studio right now.

1. Ask a friend with a great house to host an art show and sale for you and two other friends. Home art sales are becoming increasingly popular for all kinds of artists.

2. Hang your art in a restaurant, bookstore or library. Don’t put your work in harm’s way or in a terrible location, but don’t be too picky either. As long as the work is safe, accessible and in a reasonably well-lighted area, you’re in business.

3. Ask your doctor, dentist, or hairdresser if they’d like to display your work for two months. “Train” their staff about your art, leave a price list, and put out plenty of business cards. Don’t be surprised if they become attached to the work.

If you make functional art (jewelry, pottery, etc.), ask your service professional if they’d like to throw a party for their staff and friends–right there in the office.

4. Arrange to show your art in a bank, building lobby, or a vacant storefront. Request a date for an opening reception.

5. Invite people over. Yes, I know this goes against my desire that you get your art out of the studio. But if you can’t get it out, at least you can open your door to potential

Your art needs to be shared. Get it out of the studio and in front of people rather than waiting for the perfect situation.

Marilee Stockman, Art Coach