White Oak Studio

I received a catalog in the mail recently by a company called Aftosa www.aftosa.com  or 800-231-0397.

This company sells artist materials (mostly for potters) business products and provides artist services. The may be the answer to a prayer for me - an affordable easy-to-set-up web hosting service. And, not just the hosting but the availability of a simple site I can set up myself and manage. The only additional charge is a small annual site name fee.

What's Included? Instantly create your own professional and easy to use website using Aftosa's simple site builder.

1. Easily add an unlimited number of images and make instant updates at any time.
2. Nothing to install. Complete web-based system on PC or MAC OSX.
3. Complimentary technical support included.
4. No sales commissions charged.
5. Just $14.95 a month, no hidden fees, upfront costs or cancellation charges.

I spent quite a bit of time today visiting their site and reviewing individual artist sites who use their services. The site appears easy to set up and use, is clear and simple in appearance and best of all has no limits on number of photographs used - a key issue for me.

The cost is only $14.95 per month or $150.00 annually, instead of my $1,500 a year fee I am paying now.

The site will be for me and for my artwork instead of a site for the gallery as I currently have, meeting my goal of decreasing my overall annual expenses.

Thank you easter bunny!

How many of us as artists find ourselves discouraged and at a crossroads? I do....and all too often, frankly. It seems that while I am in control of my own work, my gallery and my marketing, I have no control over outside forces like; the economy, the price of gas and customer decisions.

When I get discouraged I have learned that revisiting other artist blogs and reviewing inspirational quotes helps me to get through the down times.  Pehaps that is why I use so many quotes on my blog. They lift my spirits!

Here is a favorite inspirational quote.

"Do not let the fact that things

are not made for you, that conditions

are not as they should be, stop you.

Go on anyway.

Everything depends on those who

go on anyway."

Robert Henri

I spent some time today checking out the Internet blogs of some other artists. I wanted to glean more insight into how others have created their blogs.

I liked the clean look of Christine Marie Art (at www.christinemarieartblogspot.com) as well as an old favorite  www.claudinehellmuth.blog.com

WHAT I FIND EFFECTIVE:

1) Claudine's blog has LOTS of artwork, photographs and newspaper articles - just like a traditional website (which she also has). Claudine is a "Gen X'er" and works in the computerized design industry so she really has a leg up about constructing a blog. (And that is why I particularly chose hers.)Her blog also has a lot of color, design and pizazz....

2) Christine Maries Art blog is lean, simple and restful to the eye. After my layered, highly complicated and hard to navigate previous website - simple is my vision now.

3) Knowing marketing like I do, I can read between the lines in Claudines Helmuth's blog to see that her blog really does a lot of low-key sales and marketing for her and the majority of links go back to her website where she offers workshops, comissioned work as so on. (SMART girl!!) Her blog and her site work hand-in-hand......

 WHAT SURPRISES ME:

1) Claudine spends quite a lot of time talking about her dogs and cats, trips and her favorite tv shows!

2) She references a LOT of links to websites, magazines, tv shows and so on.

3) She linked to a HUGE number of other blogs. (I am still not sure why except to get her blog read.)

4) Why would a prospect read both a blog and a website? (Perhaps the website remains 'static' and the blog is "ever changing.")

This is quite an interesting learning process for me and the time today spent reviewing blogs and individual blog styles has been revealing and informative to me. 

Today the contract arrived from the South Haven Center for the Arts http://www.southhavenarts.org/ for our planned "Picnic & Paper." www.WhiteOakStudioandGallery.com

My original idea was to colloborate with the art center and tap into their customer base (who may not yet know about White Oak). This will steer customers to the gallery at a time of year that is typically slow and hopefully boost gallery sales at the same time. They agreed to sponsor the event, promote it and to take registrations.

I came up with the idea, I wrote up the information, I will do the work, host the event in our gallery and in return I will also promote the center for them.

My view is that this has the potential of being a win/win situation for us both.

I have been watching how they promote "Picnic & Paper" and thus far I have seen.....

1)  Listing on their website

2) Listing in their current "Class & Workshop Schedule"

MY ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS:

1. The City of South Haven water bill

2) 98.3 Cozy Radio interview

3) Media releases/feature articles

4) Mention in her newspaper "guest column"

5) Calender of Events listings?

6) Marquee listing?

7) Handouts at Rhonda Larson's flute concert.

8) Poster?

I need to get back in touch with Director, Sharon Mack, to see if we can "brainstorm" any other promotions. I am trying to remain openminded, however it is going to take a lot more promotional work than that to fill a workshop of 10 participants!

Donna 

After being gone up north to Newaygo for a week of R&R, I am finally caught up on my 277 e-mail messages. E-mail is definitely a love-hate relationship for me. While e-mail is convenient, timely and cost-effective it constantly conspires to keep me out of the studio and away from art making.

This week I got back in contact with our 23 consigning artists who need to swop out their spring/summer artwork for fall and winter work. Even though I have been talking about this all season in my monthly "Artist Reports," and specifically wrote a short note to each artist who needed to get in touch with me about fall work......only one artist did. I know that many artist have other jobs as well as their artwork but what about their responsibility in this partnership?

(This is exactly what I was referencing last weekend when speaking to artist Kathy Stanton at her show opening when she suggested I get my consigning artists to 'man the gallery" on weekends so I can go out and create.  Ha Ha - talk about time spent "baby sitting!"

Fall Tour is coming up quickly and I have to do the following - all by myself. Note: I HAVE NO STAFF!!

1) Lawn, gardens, outside of building ready for fall

2) Fall decorating inside and outside of the studio

3) Create scarecrows

4) Create menu and make food

5) Organize the fall/winter art work change over

6) Inventory/price/display artwork

7) Get pulp made for papermaking the day of the tour

8) Reconnect with demonstrating artists on demo timing and needs

9) Get posters and postcards distributed

10) E-mail electronic notices to my 1,500+ e-mail address book.

Calgon take me away!

Donna

"I live my life in ever widening cicles that reach out across the world. I may not ever complete the last one, but I give myself to it." Rainer Marie Rilke 

Well, I did not get the Ox-Bow Professional Artist Residency. And, my slides were returned with a "thanks but no thanks" from The Guild submission......all leading me to ask, what exactly is my destination?

I ask the Universe  - what is my path to be? But no quick answer is forth coming.....

MY DILEMMA:

• Do I continue in the gallery or do I close it?
• Do I go on as an exhibiting and consigning artist only?
• Do I simply retire?

More questions than answers at this present moment.... My lesson today is detach and have patience.

"What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress? Imagine that you are a masterpiece unfloding every second of every day, a work of art taking form with every breath." Thomas Crum

Harnessing the Power of Art to Forge Community is a big issue for me, and perhaps the main issue of my current dilemma. 

As I see it, "art creates community" - community between the Blue Coast Artists www.bluecoastartists.com as well as community among artists. Art opening's create opportunities for community among artists who exhibit and artists who come to view.

How can I leave the gallery business while retaining this community?  This is in fact, why I entered the gallery business in the first place. It's not about the money its about the social community. If I leave this community will I again be leaving the community I so appreciate and truly need (like leaving my neighborhood in Kalamazoo)?

The last time I left my dear community, I became depressed. This would definitely not be good for me a second time.

So, how do I learn from a previous lesson, make the decisions I need to make, while NOT making the same mistake again?

Donna

There is much I do not know but what I do know about this new place I am heading...

With my art and my life, I try to express a reverance for the mystery and beauty of the wild places....

What I desire;

To live my life in a way that is connected to Mother Earth and to live in a way that helps me to stay connected to her on a daily basis.

To live my life in a way that is committed to recycling and composting.

To live my life in a way that is committed to understanding the value and scaricity of natural resources while being/living in an environmentally sensative manner.

To live my life in a way that allows me to work in right livli-hood.

To live my life in a way that is socially responsible.

To live my life in a way that practices non-violence.

To live my life in a way that takes a positive contribution to my community.

To live my life in a way that eats lower on the food chain / organically (for my own health and the health of the land.) 

To live my life in a way that is filed with giving and receiving love.

To live my life in a way that help's to create more peace...one person at a time.

Donna

"Not only is living our belief's the right thing to do - it is the only path to take."