Finding Passion

If you are seeking your own passion or seeking other who validate your passions then stop. For just a bit and start hanging around people who have a passion. You may never have the same passion but if you spend time with them you will see living examples of the possibilities. I am blessed to have in my life several people with passions they have followed. From becoming an expert on ancient South American civilizations to knowing almost all the species of arctic moth, to raising organic vegetables and spinning local fibers to recycling electronics, to teaching the next generation these people are diverse in their focus but equal in the joy they get from what they do. And each of these passions has a real complexity to them. They did not just sit down with a pile of books and gather the knowledge of others. They took those books and tried things and went places and talked to people and wrote their own books and took pictures and voiced their opinions. They made discoveries, and shared their information. They became the experts and professionals because of their passion and the energy it gives them to go beyond what other people do.

That is what I seek when I think of finding my passion.
Find those people and walk with them see the world through their passion and know that you passion awaits you too.

Back in the online game

Once upon a time...
I used to make things and sell them on Ebay. Then I lost my account because of a piece of paper I have yet to send them.
So I waited a few years and then tried Etsy. I had a couple dozen listings at one point in time but sold nothing and so I let the ads expire and waited again.
 I am back in etsy or at least I have a toe in the water. I really struggle with on-line selling.
taking good pictures, making attention grabbing ads, throwing enough search terms in the listing so people will find it...
But getting better at all these things is more likely to get me success in the electronic media market place than just local bazaars and shops.
So I am determined to dedicate time to learning better photography skills, writing good ads, being active in the promotion of my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Alaskanbonesandbeads.
I am also determined to label the things I have for sale so people know me and can contact me. I am determined to put together my Artist page and keep my name easy to find.

When It Doesn't Work

Sometimes Life seems to stack the deck against success.
Improvising on an art plan that did not work out. Much to the disappointment of the 7 year olds and myself.
Trying to stimulate some creative writing in 12 year olds who only see writing as a chore and the concept of organizing thoughts as stupid. 
Some days I find it quite difficult when faced with set backs. Especially when I am doing my best to help stimulate the creative process in others.

I have been thinking about what I will do first when it finally gets warm enough for me to be out in my unheated studio space.

Photography will probably be it. I recently asked a professional photographer about how I should take pictures of my art skulls. And his advice was to just try different things. different lighting, different set ups, different cameras, different exposures... And take notes. figure out what works best so that it becomes second nature to get the right set up every time I want to take a shot of a piece I have done.

I admit I am one of those people that always resented the process of learning. Practicing clarinet, practicing hand writing, practicing throwing, kicking... I just hold some tiny hope that one day I will try something and I will be perfect at it. I won't need to figure out why or how or go through the process of getting better. 

It is difficult to excite others to the process of practice and improvement when I resent it too.

So i find myself opting for those processes where control and perfection are not part of the final product. Haphazard or maybe serendipitous would be a better word.

Serious business

I have had the opportunity to watch some folks I know wade ever deeper into the business of creativity. 

One friend, Lizzie Newell is a writer. She explores a world with its own sexual and environmental situations. But in addition to the pure writing there is the whole editing and marketing process.
She is blessed with the talent to design book covers for herself and a few others, but the effort she takes to understand self publishing, because her stories do not fit into a neatly defined mass market box that publishers push on unsuspecting readers is amazing. There are places for independent sellers and small scale publishers to get their product made and on the shelves, but it takes a lot of hustle.

Other friends have opened businesses as the outlet for their creative endeavors. Happily Carol at the Screaming Weasel in North Pole has recruited other artists (including me) to sustain and diversify her inventory.

I have also seen the efforts of other artists who network continually to get shows and their name out to galleries and businesses to hang their work for first Friday art walks or in pop up shops. or marketing through Facebook groups, Etsy, Ebay, Craig's list, and their own websites.

I find myself wondering if I would ever really have the energy and drive it takes to follow any similar paths. Because as many hours as they spend marketing their work they still find time to create new works for the public to enjoy and desire and buy. 

And more than anything I would need the confidence in what I produce to market at the intensity that I would need to to make it pay me.

finding like minded people. Communities within communities

Finding people who like what you like or do what you do can be difficult if you get too narrow in your focus. Some of you maybe asking why you should care about the support of other people doing similar things in your area. There are a myriad of reasons.
Competition: if you are showing or selling your work it is good to know you else is competing for the attention and the money. 
Cooperation: you can share tips about where to find supplies, how to market and how to avoid having side by side booths at the county fair.
Support: its good to know other people have the same thought processes and they may have experienced many of the same hurdles you have. 
Introduction: you can share information about other people in you local crafting community.

So how do you find these like minded people?
Networking. 
Be social when you are at vendor venues. Talk to the customers, but also the other vendors.  When you are not a vendor at a venue go and look around and introduce yourself. Almost everybody appreciates making more connections to people.

Have a card. Having business cards (even if you are not a business) means people can invite you to events you do not hear about through the usual channels. Hand them out and make sure you have an email address that people can use. if you have a webpage or FB page let people know. You do not need to have a physical/mailing address or phone number on the card. But and image and a few words that describe what you do is a great idea. 

Pick up cards too. This gives you a way to start looking at how other artists are marketing themselves. Maybe this can lead to a discussion or the discovery of a class about marketing for the artist. 

Have an on-line presence. You do not need an extravagant webpage to grab people's attention and Facebook is only one facet you should consider when developing your on-line space. Be careful though not to let the on-line pages become your focus instead of your art. Static pages that are rather like a super version of your business card but that do not need constant updating, unless you want to add to your gallery is a good plan. Make sure your business card and your fb page direct people to you webpage as well. On-line markets are also important to connect to all your other on-line media.

Go to events. The more you are seen the more you are known. Marketing at local craft bazaars and shops works great when possible buyers can meet the artist. Gallery walks and such get you known in your own communities.

We should not be afraid to make connections. We should not fear that what we do will lose the mystery or the magic because we are in touch with our communities. Reach out and find more reasons to make connections.

New Opportunities

I am excited. I have an opportunity to do an art lesson with students twice a week. I will be working with upper el kids on Tuesdays and lower el on Thursday. This will be fun and possibly a little messy. But now I need to pull together plans and supplies and figure out directions for either 7 year olds or 9-13 year old.
I need projects that will either dry quickly or can be taken home that day. I may have to see if there is a bulletin board I can use to post some of the projects on.
 Painting, weaving, dying, cutting, pasting, gluing, stamping, drawing, sewing, tearing, All such fabulous action word that make my heart sing.
But I must not forget the words sharing, cleaning, helping, and thank you.
Where to go first?

I know I have easy access to paper, paint, glue and yarn. Time to have some fun.

Derivative Art

This is not a blog about art that is inspired by that which has gone before or about art that blatantly rips off the work of another artist. This is about art that seeks to carry on a legacy from the artist. 
Art that is inspired by another often turns out as good or better works than those of the original artist, because there is still a strong spark of original creativity.

Art that is a forgery of another persons work carries nothing but the brush strokes, or glazes or ink work of the original. Tediously duplicated in a good forgery, that sadly should never take place.

But the art I mean is that where they try to duplicate the style, color, texture of the original and push it to new forms or subjects or plots. And I have found that these efforts almost always miss some essential component. Maybe it is the passion that drove the original author, painter, cartoonist, sculptor... It is a shadow of what the original author could have created. And I think many people are willing to buy that shadow, because they crave more from the original artist and like a dieter eating frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, "Its better than nothing".

 Examples might be when they write an original script for a James Bond movie, that misses the silly innuendos or puts together the dialog without consideration for the long term relationship between characters. These relationships have a past present and future for the original author, but the screen writer sees things only in the moment, because they do not own that world in their head.

And I am Sorry the Star Wars the Force Awakens is another example. It was put together to make sure it hit every cliche and standard predictable plot line, but it lacked passion. it lacked the nuanced interaction between people who have a history or are creating a history. It lacked humor.
Sigh How sad!

I will keep my eyes open for original works and support the passion of the true creators.

Fostering creativity in others

How to foster creativity in others:

As our school district faces huge budget cuts, classes in art and music are being sacrificed. In some ways I think these kinds of classes teach you to reach beyond the scope of the teaching far more than any other classes.
 They help you understand the tools of creativity:  pastels, the nomenclature of music, wood carving, how to play instruments, use a potter's wheel, rhythm, the emotional connections to both sound and colors... These are all tools like protractors and dictionaries are tools for math and English. But they are not valued at the same level. There are no standardized tests for art of music.
So as these kinds of cuts go forward it is more critical that our art community step forward to help fill these gaps.
 Offering classes and exhibitions and concerts and even setting up an easel or opening a guitar case in a place where you will be seen and heard can foster creativity in others. But to do these things take some bravery and willingness to share at a different level than when we join and orchestra or have pieces in a gallery.
Take part in street fairs and weekend markets and let people not only see your work, but interact with you. Be positive and encouraging to others. Think of them as part of the family and not as competitors. Soon you will be the person others look to for guidance and advice and you can help others find the creative voice they will no longer be able to find in their schools.

creativity and motivation

888888Selling ourselves the dream:777777777
Does everyone see grandiose potential in their creative endeavors? I suppose we must or why rewrite every chapter in a novel 5 or six times to get the wording just right. Surely we could not go to such efforts if we did not dare to dream of best seller lists and book clubs. No one would take pen or chisel or brush to hand if they did not harbor some dream of a masterpiece to be admired and cherished by an audience of some kind. No one could devote hours to following these dreams if the hope did not at least hover at the edges and whisper of fortunes to be made from the result.
Perhaps the fortunes to be made will not be ours. The antiques shows give us the perspective of time on the efforts of the creative mind. The hand carved chest made by a father for his newborn child may carry the same value as the great landscape painting done by an artist to earn his bread and butter. So I console myself with the thought that even if they are not recognized as highly prized objects now my works some day will indeed bring that high price to someone else.