The ARTISTScenter » ArtWorks

5 Apps that help me save time

Bill — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:35:36 +0000

Regardless of the time you spend on the internet, there are no lack of tools to help make the experience less intimidating and more useful. I often get asked what I use and why so I thought I’d put up list of my favorite applications most of which I’d be lost without, because they save lots of time. They also help keep my scattered brain in one place.

Some of the tools I’ve come to rely on are web based lets me have quicker access to stored information while, also providing a safe and secure of storage for other information. Other tools I love are desktop applications that help me organize my writing, projects and passwords.

In case you are wondering…I don’t get anything from these folks, I just like using their applications, also I wouldn’t spread the word about them if I didn’t think there were useful.

One thing you should know is I’m a Mac guy so other than the web based apps most of these are for that OS. If Windows users have their own favorites please feel to post them in the comments below.

Evernote

Without a doubt hands down my favoritist of favoritst applications of all time!! The funny thing is.…I didn’t get how this application could be used until I realized it eliminated my need to hunt around on one of my many hard drives for everything from code snippets to links to pages within the blog.

Evernote is an on line application that is available wherever you go, eliminating in some cases the need for those annoying USB micro drives, that seem to end up in a pocket of a pair of jeans that just went through the wash.

Simply put Evernote is like having an organized “junk drawer” on line. It has a handy-dandy desk top application that continually synchs with your on line account. See a web page you want to save for later, just click the browser or the desk top icon and a copy of the page is instantly in your account. Want to save a receipt from that on line purchase? Again just click the icon and in it goes.

When you subscribe for $45/year you get 500 MB of monthly storage for pretty much any file type. It does have a free version giving you 40MB of space and limited file type. If you have a lap top and or smartphone or more than one computer you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll start using this app.

Dropbox

Next to Evernote this app is almost a tie as a favorite, Dropbox is like having another hard drive always ready and available anywhere you go. With it you have secure off site storage for things you might not want to lose, like that artists’ statement you’ve been working on but haven’t quite finished. Store it in Dropbox and you can keep revising to your content to your heart’s desire knowing that it will always be there.

I use Dropbox for drafts of blog posts, code I don’t want to have to restart from scratch, work in progress that I want available regardless of where I go, backups of this blog etc.

Drop box is free for 2GB of storage and I have yet to come close to that limit, you can upgrade to 50GB for $99/year or if you really need space 100 GB for $200.

Both Evernote and Dropbox allow you to easily share files across the web without risking the security of your other files.

OmniOutliner

This program generally comes, in its’ basic version, as a standard application included with most Macs, that’s how I discovered it. It does just what its’ title says… It lets you create extremely flexible and editable outlines for anything you want to write. Every article I write on this blog is first outlined using OmniOutliner.

I also use it to set up my posting schedule, brain storm ideas, capture and hold content from other files so I have references readily available. If I think I’m going to be referencing something from a web site I can copy in the quote as a clip.

OmniFocus

Last year I went on a search for a task management system/program that could really help me keep things organized in a way I would do on paper. I tested several programs but none had the flexibility of OmniFocus.

OmniFocus is organized around David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) framework and methodology. The concept is to get things out of your head and then organize them according to projects, so all the tasks related to a particular “to do” item can be included with it, given a start time, deadline, flagged or grouped by context as in office, studio etc.

You can create repeatable projects and or tasks, for example I set up a folder of projects associated with spring clean up of my yard. Just as in a paper list when a task is completed it gets temporarily crossed out, so the next spring all I have to do is click the crossed out tasks I need to do for that year and I have fresh list.

A real time saving benefit of this program is that it syncs across all of your gadgets including the iPhone. So, for that spring clean up, I just pulled out my iPhone and crossed of tasks as I completed them. Their status was automatically updated to match my desk top and lap top.

1Password

This program is an absolute life saver…that is for Mac users. It lets you take those thousands of different user names and passwords you have for all those sites you log into and keeps them safe in one easily accessible place. When you, come to a site that requires a log in, instead of running all over checking drawers looking for that piece of paper or notebook that holds your passwords, all you have to do is right click to open the browsers context menu. From there, click on the 1passord menu item and “open sesame” the program automatically logs you in.

If you have an iPhone you can synch with it and for example sign into Facebook right from the 1Password app without trying to remember your sign in info.

Sorry…no related posts.

First Annual Holiday Handmade Gift Guide

Bill — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:38:30 +0000

Welcome to our holiday gift guide!

The guide is a listing of:

artists whom we have had the honor to feature during 2009;

member artists who who submitted work and were juried into the guide;

non-member artists who also were juried into the guide.

The mission of The ARTISTScenter.com is to help artists get their work out into the world so the world can become a nicer place to live.

Consequently, this gift guide is dedicated to each of the artists in order to help them increase their visibility, and help you as potential buyers, easily find some of the best artists around.

Each listing includes links(when provided by the artist)to each artists’ web site, sales venues, and contact information, including Facebook and Twitter.

To learn more about our Featured Artists, just click o the badge below each featured artists name. The link will take you to the featured artist section of this site were you can read more about them.

Christy DeKoning

Christy DeKoning grew up in Sydney, Australia. With formal training in singing and classical ballet, Christy worked as a vocalist on the Vancouver music scene in the early 90’s, and then as a Certified Makeup Artist for several years before finally concentrating her career in Fine Arts.

In the past several years, Christy has completed over 200 commissioned watercolor portraits for clients worldwide. Christy now lives in Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband, two sons, two cats and a backyard full of squirrels (but no mice!).

Web Site

Etsy

Artfire

Boundless Gallery

Jane Campbell

Jane Campbel is a Folk Artist living in Northern California right in the heart of Gold Country. Her home is just miles from where apples are grown, wine is made & gold was first discovered. She was born in South Carolina & spent her early childhood there before moving to Japan , Arizona & finally California. Her travels add to her varied taste in art. There isn’t any style that she does’t like! I love painting angels, mermaids & mermaid angels.

Web site/blog

Altered pages

Twitter

Robin Pedrero

Robin Pedrero began fine art studies at the age of thirteen. She rode her bike where Foxwoods casino now sits near her hometown of Norwich, CT. Her early exhibitions began at The Mystic Art Association, the seaport town where she met Julia Roberts and cast during the filming of “Mystic Pizza”. Acknowledged for her luminous and captivating work Pedrero has since become an established award winning artist; published in magazines, newspapers, documentaries, and news broadcasts.

Pocket Full of Colors

Gallery 523

Etsy

1000 Markets

I will be adding more items to the section over the course of the weekend, AND listing NEW art in there as well. Keep checking on the SALE section for new stuff.

Email

Website

Blog

Etsy

Deviant art

Zazzle

Artists & Illustrators

Art4sale

Facebook

Twitter

Flickr

Kit Eastman

I create stencil-dyed (katazome) textile works, using natural dyes on natural fibers. Each piece is an individual variation of my nature-inspired design. I am passionate about this traditional Japanese textile design technique, which is earth-friendly and yields a beautiful textile that will withstand the test of time!

Blog

Etsy

Twitter

MnArtists

Candyce Fitzloff-Westfield

Original jewelry inspired by the natural world featuring the use of beach stones and fine silver.

Email

Website

Etsy

Trunkt

Facebook

Jan Raven

Each piece of jewelry I create is made with Argentium sterling silver and 14 kt. gold-fill wire that I weave, braid, coil, and form entirely by hand. Much of my work is an exploration and expansion of an ancient wire weaving technique traced to the Vikings. Other pieces are created by applying various textile techniques to wire.

E-Mail

Phone: 651–247-2669

Web site

Etsy

Facebook

Twitter

Kathleen Van Schepen

Right to left: Felted wall hanging inspired by Tuscany it features a rod pocket on the back surface for easy hanging;

Center, wet felted handbag, with needle felted embellishments. The beautiful daisy like flower was wet felted then beads added by hand to make it sparkle;

Right, The wristlets are perfect for those chilly days when gloves are a little too much. I love wearing them at the computer, while keeping me warm I can still do the necessary. But you will find a million uses for them, knitting, needle work, driving, sitting by the bonfire…Why not be stylish and warm???

Email
Phone 763–878-2964
Website
Etsy
Facebook
Twitter

Rachel Walsh

Handmade, eclectic jewelry inspired by nature, the elements and seasons. I also make many modern, simplistic pieces. I use many materials including Sterling Silver, Copper and Brass mixed with gemstones, glass, natural stones, vintage components and pearls.

Web Site
E-Mail
Etsy

Deborah Maxwell

Functional pottery is food, microwave, oven and dishwasher safe. Raku and Pit Fired pieces also available in the studio.

Email
Phone 810.367.7001
Website

Lindsay Iredale

I make bright, chunky, and funky resin jewelry. Mostly necklace pendants but I also have some earrings and bracelets. I also make double sided resin fridge magnets out of recycled bottle caps. All of the artwork in the jewelry/magnets is done myself, with the exception of the retro clipart. I enjoy my jewelry a bit quirky and bright…and I bet I have a little something in there for everyone

Email

Web site

Lori Lee Sampson

Custom Pet Portraits: Charming, hand-drawn illustrations of YOUR pet. Send photos by email, receive finished art by email! No shipping cost. My style is detailed with realistic undertones accented by line work and an artistic charm. Use your hi-res art file for anything personal. Print at any size for scrapbooking, making your own stationery, note cards, even upload the file online for custom items like a t-shirt, mug, jewelry, just about anything you can imagine. Get Creative!

Email

Website
Etsy
Facebook
Twitter

Mary Foster

Brighten someone’s day with my beautiful note cards and calendars featuring images of flowers that I grow and photograph. They are perfect for hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, or small gifts for coworkers, teachers, friends, family, and especially for the gardener in your life.

The note cards are available in four different boxed sets of eight (Amaryllis, Garden Flowers, Roses, or Four Seasons) and a set of six (Perfectly Pink) assorted cards with envelopes. The desktop calendar contains 12 pages of botanical beauty in a cd jewel case that folds open to form an easel. Please visit my Etsy shop, MaryFosterCreative.etsy.com, for complete descriptions and listings.

Email

Phone 612–724-7583
Website

Jessica Clay

Indie jewelry made in fine silver and copper from precious metal clay. Designs inspired by nature.

Email
Phone 612–423-5498
Website
Facebook

Lonnie Ebertowski

PickleBerries features brightly colored jewelry featuring handmade fused glass. Expect to find ponytail holders, earrings and pendants. Most pieces feature millefiori, which resemble little flowers.

Web Site
E-mail
Etsy
1000 Markets
Artfire
Facebook
Twitter

Meghan Lunos

Simple, functional pottery with a modern look

E-Mail
Web Site
Etsy
Facebook

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First Annual Holiday Handmade Gift Guide

Bill — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:50:53 +0000

As a way of saying thanks to all of you fellow creative souls I’ve decided to set up a section within the blog to provide you with another way to be seen and hopefully receive some extra income over the holidays.

What

A gift guide listing on The ARTISTScenter blog over the holidays.
Depending on response the listing may run longer.

When

Listings may be submitted anytime between November 20, 2009 and December 15, 2009. Listings will run until January 1, 2010 or longer.

Who

Visual artists working in any medium, emerging or veteran.

Requirements

Artists wishing to be listed must have the following:

A web site or other online venue for selling your work like Etsy, Artfire etc.;

Work that is professionally photographed and displayed;

A description of your work *no artists statements* just describe your work so someone will want to buy it;

Contact information.

MUST be a subscriber to this blog

Must follow The ARTISTScenter.com on Facebook

Images

You may upload up to three images for me to choose from, at least one of your images will be included;

Use the form below to upload up to three images;

Up to three professional grade images to be used in your listing;

Re-name any image files to your name, so I can tell what belongs to you. For example, if your image file is named my_show_photos.jpg rename it to sueDoe_1.jpg. Obviously, use your own name and only number the file if you are sending more than one.

Jury

Your submissions will be juried by me according to the requirements above.
All featured artists will be listed automatically.
Member of Artists’ Circle will also be automatically included.

Cost

Zip! Zero! Free!!

How

Use the form below to send me your information

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Complete the form below to subscribe and enter the Holiday Gift Guide.

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The ArtWorks Manifesto

Bill — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:31:54 +0000

Contribute to the Manifesto

For quite some time now I have been thinking about how a Credo of sorts could be set up that would help to guide artists of all kinds on their quest to integrate their art with business. Moreover, I was looking for a tool that could help artists solidify their importance to our growth as a culture and reinforce their value and the value of their work in bringing their visions to fruition.

So I have started what I call, for want of a better title, The ArtWorks Manifesto. It is meant to be a starting point and as such I invite artists and readers to add to it by leaving a comment below . In the end, we will hopefully have a comprehensive guide to help artists realize their valuable role in our future and buyers realize the importance and value of art in their lives.

If you feel like expanding any of the points below feel free.….

All comments etc. received before September 23, will be considered for inclusion in the first draft of the document, and all contributors will be acknowledged.

What your see below is what I’ve come with so far.

Art brings light into the world

Art is an absolute necessity for a culture to survive

Art is about intimacy

Art is about the heart not the mind

Buyers are not enemies

The more we involve our buyers the more they will evangelize us

Give them what they want or help them find it

Self investment is important to success

The sale is a sacred point of connection

Artists must learn the skills needed to be professional

Art marketing efforts should Focus on the buyers, their problems and how you can help them.

The standard retail model of business does not meet the needs of artists and their markets

The technology offered by the internet and its elimination of geographic barriers needs to be embraced by artists in order to succeed

The nature of the artist-buyer relationship will continually change as new technology emerges

Tech changes will eventually bring artists and buyers closer presenting here to fore unrealized opportunities for artists to serve as mentors and teachers.

As artists take on the mentorship role they will play a major role in growing the value of creative work.

Art marketing will continue to shift to relationship building and conversation

Gallery placements will be more dependent on artist gallery owner relationship than before

Artists need to shed the “starving artist” mindset learned both through culture and education

Artists also will need to realize that their ability to support themselves as artists is directly dependent on their ability to market their work through connections

Artists also need abandon the “humble artist” business model and move instead to a model of abundance and value.

Artists will be able to set the tone for marketing messages by really showing the ineffectiveness of selling & pitching

All markets are networked whether you see it or not, your story is being told without you

Artists can learn to use the networked market to help build 10000 true fans people who will buy your stuff no mater what.

Artists need to learn how to position themselves in todays and future markets

Artists represent the front line in efforts to educate the market of the importance of art.

Successful artists recognize the importance of the business side of their work and strive to balance each

If artists want people to buy they have to be responsive to their markets

Markets are starving for personal contact with you so don’t hide in the back of your booth or only show up at the gallery or your opening.

Todays and future markets depend on conversation and grow through word of mouth so join the conversation get out of your studio regularly

The concept of “starving artist” is a myth nobody needs to starve if they are wiling to learn to use the right tools for the right time and place

The concept of “art selling itself” is also a centuries old myth that has not helped increase the value of art or the presence art in our lives

Please use the form below if making a public comment freaks you out…

NOTE: If you are reading this article from a feed service or reader like Google Reader, Feedblitz, Feedburner, etc. the form below will not work. So, you’ll have to go to the web site to contribute

No more submissions accepted at this time.

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People watch your way to your perfect buyer

Bill — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:27:48 +0000

So the show season is almost in full swing and you are beginning to shlep your stuff hither and yon to all corners of this country. If you are a gallery shower you might be shlepping or you may just be busy cold calling local galleries. Either way now is the time to start thinking about some very important stuff…like where is this artsyfartsy biz of yours going and how can you not starve.

Now is the perfect time to start paying attention to those mysterious folks who buy that stuff you make. While you are on the road start to look closely at who these people really are? We call that, getting to know your target market, demographic or audience, but for now we’ll just refer to them as those nice people who buy your stuff and keep you from starving.

So what has to happen to get the ball rolling so we don’t end up in a card board home? Well, those nice folks

Have to find us
They have to like us
They have to have some dough to hand to us

Getting to know them…

But that’s just the beginning… so get up and talk to some of those folks milling around your stuff. Treat’em like long lost friends especially the ones who have some of your stuff in there hands. Talk to them about their day, their lives, their families, where they live. When they are gone write some notes about them… what do they have in common.

Are they moms or grannies?
Are they mostly looking for gifts?
Are they young couples looking for handmade wedding gifts

This is the best excuse to people watch! My favorite way to do this is to try to guess people’s stories and try to figure how that story helps them decide what they buy, or where they go etc. When I was doing the art fair circuit I often myself doing this when someone entered my booth. An important key to this working is to pay attention to your intuition, most of us can feel the energy from people and can often Know if we have something in common. So…

What is that lady with the sun hat and water bottle slung across her neck likely to buy or not?
What’s up with that mom all tangled up in kids … is she looking to pamper herself?
Do you think that bored guy with his wife is going to buy anything that doesn’t have horsepower as a key feature?Or is he secretly looking for her birthday present?

What’s their story?

Now, after you have spent the second day observing and taking copious notes try to summarize what you have learned, are there any trends?

Where do the people live, in the city, the country or…?
What do they tend to do for a living and how much green do they bring in?
Are they parents with young kids?
Are they childless couples?

These are the things you need to know to get a feel for who your ideal customer might be. Knowing this helps you know what is important to them, how they think, and what they might need of yours so you can spend your time in your studio focused on making the stuff that they are most likely to buy. And having stuff that the right people can’t resist will be one step closer to not starving.

Finally, once you have a good collection of characteristics, peronality, values etc. give this collection an form…name her. After you have named her then write a story about her, what does her life look like, what does she do with her time, what does she think, who are her friends, where does she hang out? Giving her form helps you visualize her so you can easily see her when she walks into your booth, gallery or shows up on your web site.

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14 ways to come home empty handed

Bill — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:59:39 +0000

Regardless of how or where you sell you stuff you may be unconsciously causing folks to move on down the road. Because, even though they really want to buy your stuff there is something getting in the way, so they leave your booth, your gallery or your web site. Well what's the big whoop about that? Turns out a lot, because you are not only losing that one sale you are likely also losing any other potential sales from that customer just because of that one bad experience. But it doesn't stop here that person who really, really wanted to buy that thing-ama-jig from you is more than likely going to tell her friends about her experience so you'll also lose them as potential customers.

So what follows is a brief list of some of the things you might be doing that could be losing sales for you.

1. Hide from customers, look bored, read a book.

If you are not willing to get out and meet your buyers they will likely think:

You are not friendly and who wants to buy from an unfriendly person;

You are bored in which case they will wonder why you are there in the first place;

You are independently wealthy and don't need their money so they'll just go elsewhere with it;

2. Have a secret automatic reject button

You may not know it but you might have a couple of automatic rejection buttons hanging out somewhere. These are things about you,about your booth, your gallery, etc. that are invisible to you but serve as automatic barriers to people doing business with you.

It could be:

The smell of that funny meat you are secretly cooking behind your booth;

The gallery you are in may be in the second under basement right next to the boilers and steam pipes, and you thought it looked "artsy";

Your stuff is scattered helter skelter all over your booth creating a confusing mess

Your kid may be playing Lil' Wayne's latest and gettin' down with some kool dudes clearly disinviting potential buyers

3. Only offer buyers one way to buy your stuff

No way are you going to give those credit card companies any of your money because you want to keep every cent. Or maybe you just take cash because you don't want to take the risk of a bad check.

4. No seal of approval

There is no evidence that you are anything more than an itinerant street seller and hence no indication that you are trustworthy or that you care. This really mostly applies to web sales since there are still a lot of folks afraid of giving their personal info out over the inter-tubes.

5. No way for them to know if your stuff works for them

There is no way for them try that sweater on of if there is there is no mirror. While that superly exquisitly glazed Raku vase looks all artsy on its museum white pedestal it does nothing for those folks who want help imageing it in their front hall.

6. Your prices are not obvious

Somewhere you heard that the secret to selling was not to have your prices showing well that only half way worked for the guys of Glenn Gary Glenn Ross.

7. The benefits of your stuff is clear as mud.

That potential buyer has no way of knowing if that funky painting or green pot will work in her house, so she move on. A simple description if you're selling on-line, will do. If you're in person let her see that the dress will great with her funky shoes.

8. Your booth, gallery or web site is not inviting or comfortable

You booth or gallery could be to hot, to windy, to noisy or to smelly and who wants to be in that kind situation?
Your web site is confusing with blinking lights and cutsy stuff that does nothing more than distract your buyers from purchasing...that stuff went out soon after the internets were discovered.

9. Not easy for people to communicate with you

There is nothing obvious that says "here's how you can contact me", so your buyers take that to mean you hang out in a card board box somewhere.

10. The benefits of what you're selling are not clear

The thing, the what your stuff does for potential buyers, is no where to be seen... so they move on to something that they can see benefits them because it is easier that way. If you know your perfect customer, you'll be able to describe all the muti-faceted things your stuff does, because she just wants to know it is right for her.

11. There are no clear logical reasons to buy your stuff

What ever the reason is that people should buy your your stuff is missing, and so they move on to the next guy who can tell them that his what's it will give them eternal happiness making their lives infinitely easier and more enjoyable.

12. No evidence that other folks liked your stuff

There are no pictures of raving fans describing the wonders of working with you and using your stuff. They need to know that others loved and adored your stuff and thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread...so let them see already!

13. Have more than one call to action (especially internet sellers)

Your sales page on your web site has a bazillion different choices for your buyers to make so many that they just get all glassy eyed and leave with out buying

14. See your customers as the enemy

Everything is locked up, with triple case hardened pad locks and chains connected to you ankles...ain't nobody going to steal your stuff!! Oh and you don't answer no stinkin' questions either!!

Before you go into automatic freak-out mode, you need to realize that some of these things may be workable for you. The deal is you need to find them and decide if the consequence is acceptable. So you may hate talking to customers the result maybe fewer sales and that can be OK as long as you know it and accept it. You may feel shy about tooting your own horn even just a little bit, the result may be fewer folks knowing about your stuff...again that's OK as long as you are willing to live with the results.

So how do you find out if you have a secret mine field causing you to lose sales? The easiest and best ways are to ask people, especially if you are selling on line. Put a survey on your site with just a few questions, if possible have as part of your shopping cart check out system. Another really good way is to bribe some of your friends to be secret shoppers making very clear you want to know about their entire experience especially the hang ups and glitches.

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Worried about losing your creative mojo?

Bill — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:41:49 +0000

Are you afraid to commit to really incorporate business skills and tools because you might lose your creative mojo? Do you have trouble adding up 2+2 to get 4? Have you shied away from thinking about business because it hurts your brain? Do you think in images and can never quite get things going in a strait line like figuring out what and where you want to go with your business? Are you resigned to being a starving artist?

You are not alone…creatives through out history have struggled with such questions, even more so since the time Descartes when linear left brain thinking became the accepted lens for viewing the world. The industrial revolution and the past century intensified the primacy of linear thought even more by holding science, math and other “hard” skills up as the standard for determining intelligence and cultural acceptability.

The result has been a heavy reliance on linear vision produced generations of unimaginative people at the expense of those who were less linear. Consequently, little attention has been paid to discovering a more holistic integrated way of seeing and learning. In many ways this neural split has been a major factor of the general devaluation of creativity and art in particular. Leaving us, has with few exceptions, left brain focused people who have difficulty “seeing” the world and right brain folks who have problems adding.

Such are the issues that Lisa Sonora Bean takes on in her blog The Creative Entrepreneur and her book The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real. Lisa’s book and research serve as an example of how whole brain thinking can produce a sum greater than its parts.Her MBA focus was on finding ways to teach both creatives and linear types to fully develop their brain functions and in the process she turned the business development process on its head by giving us a way to approach the left brain world of business using the visual tools we are familiar with. But she didn’t stop there, she acknowledged the importance of spiritual development as the first step in building a business especially one based on creative processes so the first part of her book is devoted to to helping us uncover our hidden gifts.

The four paths

The generally accepted way of starting to build any business is to have some idea as to where you want that business to go. Lisa has taken some of the current some of the current thinking in conscious business theories and added her own visual tools. Using the mandala, an archetypal symbol of unity and wholeness, as a model she combines left and right brain functions. Using graphics and multimedia graphic tools she shows us the “sweet spot of unity” formed by the intersection of four paths:

Heart & meaning
This path helps us discover to follow our heart and creative dreams giving us a framework to examine if we are seeing “what we enjoy” at the expense other points of view.

Gifts & flow
We have been trained to suffer, that value is always determined by the amount of “hard work” and “sweat” involved in achieving what we set out to do. This pair shows us how suffering has no relationship to achievement and that “coming easy” is a true metric of being in the flow with our gifts.

Value & profitability
Shows us that creating a costumer centric business that creates and delivers value is crucial opening the door for getting paid for that value.

Skills & tools
Helps us see and use the business tools appropriate to our business and vital to our achieving success in the first two paths.

These four paths represent the ever spiraling journey of clarity we all seek when we are in creative flow with ourselves and our work. The “sweet spot” is simply the starting point which when refined starts us on a greater journey of healing and discovery. To help us along the way Lori includes “prompts” or questions throughout each part level of the spiral.

Beginning brain integration

One of the overriding causes of artists failure in business is letting the fear of losing their creativity to left brain business mastery. Lisa debunks this argument with skill and her grasp of graphic tools, quite simply she leads us through what she calls the “four Modes of Functioning” or more precisely “how we get things done. Becoming aware of the functions of sensing, thinking, feeling and acting we can become aware of the presence of the constructive and destructive elements of each through graphically expressing their effect on us.

Joining the two sides
The tools Lisa set us up with are now ready and available for us to tackle the seemingly and frequently avoided challenge of strategic planning, branding, marketing and communicating our value. Once again she coaxes us to look at these left brain tasks using our right brain tools.

Magical results
The real value of this book is its magically imaginative way of giving users a way to move into whole brain living and eventually a more integrated view of the world.

Interestingly enough I can’t imagine a similar book written from the left brain view that could be even a smidgen as effective or close to providing as much fun!

Recommendation:

Don’t just buy it …use it!!! And better yet buy the book and attend one of her workshops, it will be time and money well spent…you deserve it!!

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First Official Artsyfartsy bizes

Bill — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:38:45 +0000

Our first batch of artsyfartsy bizes who have definitly earned the title of artsyfartsy biz.

Please take a badge, and display it proudly because you are the models for today and future’s art businesses…you deserve it.

To learn what it takes to become an artsyfartsy biz go here What’s an artsytartsy biz?

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Minning the Twittterverse with minimal time

Bill — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:08:59 +0000

Twitter is one of the best and easiest tools to use to crete a network for your business…but many artists I talk with either a) see it as a time suck b) see it as a toy for kids or c) don’t see it as part of their job description.

The biggest of the three objections seems to be time suck but I think maybe they are all wrapped into one giant apprehension based on lack of knowledge with maybe a little fear mixed in. Just because you are afraid of being sucked into a day of twittering and tweets doesn’t mean it will happen…yoiiu do have control over how you spend your time! So today lets take a look at how you can build a viable network with out making it into a time suck.

The right stuff…will make the difference
To really make this work you’ll need a good third party application like Tweetdeck, twirl or the new one. Why not use the web? Because it sucks plan and simple, to much clicking,to much time waiting for page loads or re-loads. What makes these third party apps great is that you can speed tweet with them very easily by customizing the interface to how you work and you can make your twittering count in more than one way.
Since I use Tweetdeck and Nambu I’m going to frame everything in that context.

My priorities

Find content worth sharing with my followers
Support my peeps by spreading link luv through RTs and #FF
Reply to my peeps with encouragement and support
Share my own content

The when and what

Pick a time of day you are the least productive in what you normally do, for me it’s my morning cup/s. I’m normally not worthing of doing anything productive much before 10 am so I use that time to for twittering and no it is not 3 hours. So… I settle in with my java at my side and skim my twitter feed looking for interesting content first from folks I have come to know. I keep an eye out for tips, retweets, references to web content. When I find good tips I’ll click the link to save it to my browser, then retweet it so my friends get some twitter luv. Time spent 10–15 minutes

If you have a smart phone like an iPhone and you find yourself sitting in a doc’s office or waiting for your lunch date just fire up the appropriate twitter app and get to it. I use Twittalator Pro and Nambu and what I mostly do is mine the feed for useful info which I then add to my favs to check out later on Tweet deck.

You can spend even less time by limiting your self to no more than 3 re-tweets and save the rest for another session.

Make your tweets multi purpose

Now that a lot of “connect” type things are surfacing almost on a daily basis there is no reason not to use their connective power to spread your network wider. Tweetdeck now offers Facebook status updates simultaneous to your tweets and if you are on Friend feed your tweets will also be picked up and spread through that network.

Focus on folks who are useful to your network

Don’t spend time RTing or following tweeps who have nothing to contribute to your network or to that you care about. You don’t have to follow everybody who decides to follow you…let attrition take care of the spammers, money marketers and other unsavory characters who bring nothing to your table. Focus on the tweeps you’d like to hang with.

Share good stuff

A couple of times a week share something you have done or find interesting, something you know your peeps would like. It could be a blog you just read, or that piece you are working on… Go ahead you know you are interesting otherwise you have a follower count of “0”!!

Here’s the drill again

Get Tweet Deck or other 3rd party app

Skim the feed

RT good content to your peeps

Do interesting stuff off of twitter

Share that interesting stuff

BE YOURSELF

Sorry…no related posts.

More Twitter stuff for Mac Tweeters

Bill — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:03:48 +0000

A couple of days ago I was alerted to new Twitter client thing to help you with your twitterings the big whoop about this is that it is exclusive for Mac users and designed to work like a normal Mac applications. While I still have a lot of affection for TweetDeck it does have some issues that I don’t like…mainly its’ resource vacuuming tendencies and unwillingness to let go of memory. The latest release addressed the memory issue and seemed to have improved its’ ability to play with other applications.

Anyway, this new Mac focused app is called Nambu and while it is in public beta ( which means it is still being tested) is promising. The primary thing I like is that it lets me manage more than one Twitter account without logging in and out. So here is the skinny on it from my current use.

Multiple views

While Tweet Deck offers multiple column views using them has always semed clunky no the case with Nambu. A click of the Mac like interface button will change to another view. The views are:

Combined view
This is basically a column showing your stream. You can use this to keep it open stuck in a corner of your screen and ready ffor you to check at a glance. This view shows you the feeds from all accounts you have and can be just a little distracting…

Outline or sidebar view
This view looks alot like the finder view in that it shows two columns, the first of which is similar to your folder Finder folder structure which allows you to click on and open folders. The outline view lets you change between Mentions (@replies) private (DMs) sent tweets favs etc. Without opening up the shebang.

Multi-column view
Just as the name sugggests you can have as many columns open as you like and you can create your own by segmenting your followers into business, family and friends. This view takes up the most screen real estate. This view would not be good for a 13″ Macbook screen!!

Multiple twitter accounts

As I mentioned it lets you easily move between multiple twitter accounts. Since I manage another Twitterr account this feature is worth its weight in gold for me. ..no more logging in and out!!

Multi service management

Currently you can manage your friend feed account and Ping.fm account along with identi.ca.. For artists having Ping.fm available within one twitterr client will save time by letting you set up and schedule tweets without going into your browser.

Screen updates using Growl

If you use the FireFox facebook plug in you know how handy it is to have status updates appear on your screen without having to be in Facebook. Nambu offers a similar experience by showing follower updates in a corner of your screen…not sure I like this but it can be toggled on/off through the preferences panel.

Mac OS X like interface

As I mentioned ealier the interface is very much like a normal Mac application and responds similarly to some of the Mac mouse commands at least I’m used to using. A right mouse click over tweets will open a contextual menu that lets you select from a list of choices including follow/unfollow, retweet, reply, groups, favorites etc.…very handy indeed.

The menu bar icons also reflect the Mac interface making it more intuitive for us die hard Mac users. Finally, the dock icon regularly keeps track of the number tweets in your stream.

Real-time updates

A feature that is lacking on many Twitter client apps is real time updates, most up date periodically resulting in a time lag. I have to say that while the real-time update is cool, the speed of updates and resultant shift in tweet positions are just a little trying on these old dyslexic eyes. On the up side, it does force me to keep moving thereby reducing the time spent twittering.

Photos

Another of the cool features Nambu has is the ability to pull photos from anywhere on your computer and not just Twitpic other web based apps. The time savings here is obvious since you don’t have to upload a photo to an online service.

Url shortening

One of the things I like about TweetDeck is the built in URL shortening just copy paste and click the “shorten” button and your have a shortened URL automatically added to your tweet. Nambu eliminated the extra paste step by inserting a link button which automatically shortens any URL in the tweet. Also very nice is the ability to see the base URL, just mouse over the clipped one and you’ll be shown a bubble (see below) that reveals all.

Comment threading

Nambu also offers a way to see the root URL when you mouse over a shortened URl and a tooltip bubble shows up listing the entire URL.This feature is really nice if you can’t remember who you replied to and what it was about, when that person replies back you can now know what the @#!! they are talking about!!

What I miss that tweetdeck has is the ability to click on a user name and see their profile and listing of most recent tweets along with the option to follow/unfollow. Add this feature to Nambu and I’d use it everyday!! Likewise add multi account and service feature to Tweet Deck and I wouldn’t hesitate to jumpship.

Update &correction from Nambu

Shortly after this post I received a comment from Nambu pointing out that indeed one could access a user profile and after playing with it discovered another way to quickly get the info. First to get it quickly just mouse over the profile photo and a text bubble pops up to summarize the user’s profile (see below).

If you want more info just click on the photo and the following dialog box opens so you can snoop around more.

Need I mention the value of as representative of the software caring enough to correct me!! That in itself speaks volumes.

Remember:

Since this application is in Beta use it at your own risk, and expect bugs, & crashes. Nambu is making regular improvements that promise to morph into a great Twitter client.

Sorry…no related posts.