How Do You Describe Yourself And What You Do?

In a recent article on Linked In, writer, Jeff Haden brought up some interesting points about what not to do in describing yourself. In his list of 16 terms one should not use to describe one's self: things that I hadn't given much thought to, but I'm sure I've done what he advises NOT to do. I think, as artists, we should take a good hard look at our artists statement and evaluate to see if we have used any of these terms (or, terms like it) to describe ourselves and what we do in our art.

(image copyright: Paula Scott, Molokai Girl Studio)

"STOP USING THESE 16 TERMS IN DESCRIBING YOURSELF"

by Jeff Haden

"Picture this. You meet someone new. "What do you do?" she asks.

"I'm an architect," you say.

"Oh, really?" she answers. "Have you designed any buildings I've seen?"

"Possibly," you reply. "We did the new student center at the university..."

"Oh wow," she says. "That's a beautiful building..."

Without trying -- without blowing your own horn -- you've made a great impression.

Now picture this. You meet someone new. "What do you do?" he asks.

"I'm a passionate, innovative, dynamic provider of architectural services with a collaborative approach to creating and delivering outstanding world-class client and user experiences."

All righty then.

Do you describe yourself differently – on your website, promotional materials, or especially on social media – than you do in person? Do you use cheesy clichés and overblown superlatives and breathless adjectives?

Do you write things about yourself you would never have the nerve to actually say?"

Read the rest of the article here...

I encourage you to read the article in its entirety and browse through some of the comments (more than 1,700 weighed in with their comments-and the comments often reveal even more helpful information). Although it is true, that no one is as knowledgeable as you are about what you do, we should give more thought to constructing our descriptions instead of taking a 'confetti' approach. 

Things You Should Know In Regards To Entering Art Competitions

Having been a juror and a curator of art competitions, I can say that there are mistakes that are consistently made by entrants that negates them from becoming a contender in the art competition they are applying for before the reviewing process is done.

According to John R. Marsh, owner of Light Space and Time On Line Gallery, about 30-35% of the submissions for 12 recent art competitions that yielded over 8,300+ images, were missing the mark. In this article, John shares his insights as to how to not only avoid these mistakes (and what they are), but he also gives sound advice as to how to put your best foot forward (so to speak):

"8 Mistakes To Avoid When Entering Art Competitions"

(article written by John R. Marsh)

"The following are some of the most common mistakes that we see each month. When entering any art contest, try to make sure that you are not making some of these common mistakes when entering juried art calls and juried art competitions:

1. Thoroughly Understand the Competition’s Theme & Allowed Media

Understand what the art organization (who is running the competition) wants from the artist. If the prospectus or rules state that the competition is for 2 dimensional art, do not submit your jewelry, sculpture or crafts. If it says no photography, do not expect the organization to provide to you an exception. There are numerous other venues and organizations who are conducting calls for your type of art.

If you have any questions or concerns about the theme or what is acceptable media, contact and discuss this with the organization’s event staff first, prior to submitting your art. You can save yourself and the event staff a lot of trouble, wasted time, effort and money."  YOU CAN READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.

The advice the Mr. Marsh shares with his audience in this article is one that all artists should sit up and pay attention to. I would also add that if you are not willing to learn how to photograph your images properly and prepare them for submission, then, for heaven's sake, hire a professional to do it! If you don't know of one, ask around amongst fellow artists and see which name is used the most and go with that one. Especially if your work is 3D-it is very difficult to photograph 3D art objects properly. I would advise on not taking a DIY approach to this. 

I've heard artists complain about the art work that wins the overall competition (as in, 'why did that one win?')-trust me, a lot of this has to do with submitting a good quality image of your work to begin with. When it comes to on line entries, the juror can only go by what they see in front of them. More and more art competitions are done by on line submissions, so if you want your best shot at any of these, be very mindful about following the submission guidelines and submitting the best image representation of your work.

Photography, The Internet, Copyright issues, Oh, MY!

From the blog, "Plagiarism Today" comes a great article that grapples with the myriad of complex issues that photographers today face amidst the landscape of the internet, social media, and other platforms:

The Challenge Faced by Photographers

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Jonathan Bailey • 0 Comments

Every type of content creator faces serious challenges these days.

Writers are plagiarized, spammed and scraped constantly online while the fledgling eBook market faces serious piracy challenges. Filmmakers face obvious piracy issues and are having to depend heavily on box office revenuesdue to a shrinking DVD market. The music industry’s downfall is well-documented as piracy and a shift to digital has deeply cut into sales.Despite recent gains, music sales are still down considerably from just ten years ago.

No matter what copyright industry you look at, the Internet has provided both great opportunities and severe challenges. READ MORE HERE...

Choosing between a haphazard approach to a 'on purpose approach'

Does this sound like you:

Do you...

-feel like you’re constantly scrambling to get your artwork finished in time for a show? 

-juggle many responsibilities and feel overwhelmed or frazzled from trying to get it all done?
 
-wish you were more organized so you didn’t waste time looking for things in your studio or rushing to complete tasks? 

-wonder why you never get around to writing or updating your artist bio? 

Well, you’re not alone! 

The Rio Rancho Art Association is pleased to present our frist program for the year 2013 (and what a great way to start the year!) with Christine Herman who will be our program presenter for the January program. 

Christine Herman is a creative catalyst coach and professional artist dedicated to guiding artists to find their greatest truth through the joyful gateway of creative self-expression. Her presentation will help artists to organize, get creative and make the most of their time and activities:
This program will take place at the Jan 9th monthly membership meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Francis Episcopal Church Hall located on 2903 Cabezon Rd.in Rio Rancho (the church is located on the corner of Golfcourse Rd. and Cabezon Rd.) in Rio Rancho. Meeting locations and program content is subject to change. The programs are free of charge and you need not be a member to attend. Find out more about each of these presenters by clicking on the links that are highlighted.

Do What Inspires You: 'Ta Da!" And Not, 'To Do'

The last day of 2012. A day when many of us look back and wonder where all that time went. What did we do with it? Why wasn't there enough of it to get everything done?

Time to take stock, re-evaluate and shift gears.

One of the best things about starting off with a new year is starting off with a new resolve and making new lists. Whatever it is about last year you can forget about since it is gone, gone, gone!

I had the pleasure this morning of reading two exceptional postings from artists who both have noteworthy approaches to the new year.

From Robert Redus (Noise From The High Desert), he writes:

Reflecting back on 2012, it was pretty certain with few exceptions….I don’t want to sound like I wear nothing but brown clothes everyday of the year. Exceptional things only happen if  1.) You decide to make exceptional things a part of your life.  or 2.)You hand the wheel to someone else and end up where they are going, doing what they are doing and hope that 10-50 is not in the equation. My year was exceptional for what exceptional initiatives I put forward . Most of us would rather watch the alligator wrestling than be wrestling with the gator.

I refined my bucket list this year, and after entering a pie eating contest (#3 on the list) in Pietown New Mexico, coming in 15th place, I realized that writing down what I want to do then checking it off  is much like the 2 years…that’s right 2 years we spend sitting at traffic lights throughout our lives…..So no more bucket list….1-100….just sort of adopted the attitude that I should do what inspires me…take this exceptional life and…live it exceptionally….

So with the new year creeping up on us like a new pair of briefs…we have the what am I going to do with myself reflection asking us…”So what are you going to do with yourself”…I suggest you answer…”Absolutely Nothing”….as planning the fiery car wreck in advance, takes all of the suspense and intrigue out of all of the possibilities.

My New Year’s Resolutions are….none, sure I sat at breakfast with Sue this morning thinking about what I want to do, when in reality  I should be resolving not to repeat what I didn’t want to do last year….so yes, my resolution is exactly that….hands in the air, resolving not to repeat any part of last year but the good stuff….and then I have to decide if repetition of the good stuff is really worth the effort. read more...

And, from Lynette Shepard, guest blogger on 'Celebrate What's Right With The World', she and her husband, Dewitt Jones come up with the "Ta Da" and not "To Do" approach:

New Year’s resolutions can be a setup for judgment, stress, and failure. While the “clean slate” of January 1 can certainly inspire us to set goals and intentions, it can also overburden us with expectation.

I used to approach my list of resolutions for each year with equal parts excitement and aversion. I fretted about what I had not accomplished the previous year, which added stress rather than reducing it. I eventually switched my list of resolutions to a list of intentions. This kinder, gentler list has put me more at ease. Still, I felt I was missing something.

Then, some years ago, Dewitt and I added a new list for December 31st. We wrote “done” lists - lists of what we had already “done” in the year just past. We started with accomplishments, travels, and completed goals.

We made our separate lists; then sat down and reviewed them together, frequently remembering and adding others. Great conversations about our lives and feelings resulted.

It wasn’t long before the list morphed - into what Dewitt aptly named the “ta da” list. It wasn’t just milestones and accomplishments we were re-viewing. Insights, new knowledge, and self-revelations made the list. Life moments that we experienced throughout the year. read more...

So, take note of the exceptional things you've done in 2012. Repeat. Add more exceptional things. Don't dwell on what you didn't get around to do. As Robert says, "take this exceptional life and live it exceptionally".

You know, it doesn't get any better than that.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mixed Media Event

2013 CREATE Orange County Workshops Posted! Orange County | May 29 - June 2, 2013 | Hyatt Regency Irvine

Discover this exclusive mixed media event that brings together more than 20 of the best artist instructors from across the country for an incredible blend of over 90 workshops encompass the following techniques: Bookmaking & Art Journaling Printmaking & Surface Design Mixed Media Stitch Collage & Assemblage Mixed Media Jewelry

CREATE Orange County Workshop Sneak Peek!

Holiday Party News

 

Date: Wednesday, December 12th at 6:30 p.m.
Location: St. Francis Episcopal Church, Rio Rancho
The church is on the NW corner of Cabezon/19th and Golf Course.

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

Set Up/ Pot Luck/Clean Up: If you have not had a chance to signup for the Potluck or Set Up/ Clean Up Help, please email me at rendancechick@yahoo.com to signup.
Food: I will be creating a spreadsheet in the next couple of days with all the food listed that people wish to bring. If you are not a cooking sort of person, please feel free to bring rolls, bread, or an appetizer/dips and chips. Salads are also great. Please bring a serving utensil with your dish if it is needed.
Drinks: I will have water, lemonade, and coffee (yes, regular and decaf)
Attire: Holiday casual, Holiday festive, etc.

Donations for Haven House:
We will have a box for Haven House donations at the party. Some ideas of things to bring

• toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, lotion, conditioner, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, etc.)
• pesonal care items (combs, hair dryers, nail clippers, etc.)
• baby items (all size diapers, lotion, formula, bottles, sippy cups, baby shampoo and conditioner, nail clippers, etc.)
• PJ's, socks, slippers, underwear (all sizes including children)
• sheets and comforters
• merchandise cards (preferably - Walmart, Target, Walgreens)
• gas vouchers
• phone cards
• paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex, copy paper)
• detergent

Centerpieces: Inspiration Jars/Creative Containers

For those of you interested in helping out with the centerpieces this year, I am asking people to create a Creative Containers/Inspiration Jars.

These are containers that you have that you can upcycle, embellish/decorate, make festive, and fill. You can do anything you want to the container to inspire another artist in our group. The sky is the limit here. You can stuff the jars with paint tubes, crayons, paint brushes, sketchbook or journaling ideas on little slips of paper, add a plant to it, a small candle, a balloon, anything that you think will inspire or make someone want to smile or laugh. That way after all the laughter and inspiration, the artists will still have a fantastic container for their studios.

This idea comes from Cloth Paper Scissors (click on the link).

If you want to sign up to let me know that you are bringing a centerpiece, please email me at rendancechick@yahoo.com.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!