Advice for young artists

I have been interested in art since I was a young child. My mother was and is very artistic. She encouraged crafts and anything creative and imaginative. Although I didn't know I would take my love of art into a more serious path, there are a few things I wish I could have been told about art and the art world when growing up.

So here is some of my best advice for young artists.

1. Date all of your work.

One of the best things is looking back at old work to see what I use to like to make and to see how much I have evolved as an artist.. Making sure you put a year on your art and it will ensure you know how old you were when you made something. Just TRUST me on this one!

2. Not every work has to best your best.

When I was younger, I would start a drawing or painting and it sometimes didn't end up how I wanted it, which art can sometimes do. This is something that even experienced artists deal with but I wish someone could have taught me this early on. Just because a piece of artwork doesn't come out the way you were hoping,  doesn't mean that you are not talented. Sometimes what we want it turn to out to be isn't even close to how it actually ends up being. Let it happen naturally.

3. Do not compare your art negatively with other's.

This is something that I use to do a lot but mostly to myself in my head. I rarely verbalized my feelings about how I thought my art wasn't very good because another person's was so much better. Please do not discourage yourself from creating art because of envy of another person's work.  Let it be inspiration that fuels you instead and one day you will be the fuel for someone else. 

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4. You don't have to be a realistic artist to produce great art.

So many people tell me they wish they could draw "they can't even draw a stick figure." This makes me so mad that many people think that they can't create art if it's not realistic.  Think of all the world's amazing abstract painters for example.  If you love art and practice hard enough,  just like anything in life, you can be successful at it.

5. Enjoy what you do.

At the end of the day you want to make sure that you are enjoying your art and the process. Making art is a freeing and meditative experience if you view it as such. The minute you start to stress or loose interest, think about trying another medium or even take it back to a simpler art like coloring. It will calm you and might just be exactly what you need to get you back on track with a happy inspired path to brilliant artwork.

If you think this helped you or could help another artist you know,  be sure to share and let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for coming by and if you would like to get notifications for my art blog hit the blue subscribe button at the top right of the page.

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy featured art of the day:

Little Boys Nursery dream wall art 

Song of the day:

Color of the day:
new age - 1444

How to prepare for holidays on Etsy!

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Good Afternoon everyone! It's my favorite kind of weather here in Metro Detroit Michigan.

Yep you guessed it....Overcast and gloomy! I am working on editing images if a few special wine bottle pieces that will be going up on my Etsy shop!

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I started painting wine bottles a few years ago when I didn't have a space to really paint or make art in. The wine bottles didn't take up much room and I could finish one pretty quickly because I didn't have much time when I was working and going to school. 

Trying to sell items online can be hard. It helps to take advantage of the holidays with making themed items for them. Wine bottles was a fun and easy way for me to do this! The thing that I have realized is that making items for the holidays takes a ton of time! 

(Check out this beautiful watercolor calendar!)

So I have come up with a system that helps me prepare! First I got a great calendar and put it somewhere I will look at everyday. Next I went through the calendar and marked each holiday with some sort of highlighter or marker. 

Then I turned back 1 month from a holiday and marked that day with a due date for getting that holiday work up online! That way I will have a whole month to promote my items! Who is going to buy a decoration the day before a holiday? It wouldn't even get to them in time! So putting them up at least a month early will really help with actually getting sales! 

After I went from that date and turned it back another month! I marked all of those dates in my calendar so that it is a reminder for starting to create products for that holiday! Nobody is thinking in August that they should start making Halloween products but this reminder date will help give you enough time to create products without too much stress!

It's exciting starting holiday items so early! It gets me in the spirit and since it's still summer and I am already thinking of fun fall festivities I am really pumping myself up for the new season! Everyone complains about stores putting out holiday decorations so early but I enjoy seeing it. 

Well today's blog is kind of a short one I will try to have tomorrow's be a little longer, but I hope this helps some of you properly prep for a successful holiday online store! 

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Jewelry Organizer Wood Wall Hanging Display Holder Necklace Earring Storage Jewlery Organization Frame With Shelf FREE SHIPPING by - DivaDisplay

Song of the Day:

The Temper Trap - Soldier On

Color of the Day:

BENJAMIN MOORE GARDEN CUCUMBER 644

Is Snail Mail a Dying Art?

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         When is the last time you got a hand written letter? Better yet.....when is the last time YOU wrote an actually letter to someone? Have some of you never ever wrote a letter?! Thinking about that being a possibility makes me so sad for kids today. Writing and receiving handwritten letters is so satisfying!

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I love to get fun mail. When I pull mail out of the mailbox nowadays I am just expecting to fish through coupon ads and bills. Every so often you get a cute wedding invitation or an artistic dentist appointment reminder that makes me smile! But when I get an actual letter from someone it makes my whole day! It's like a little gift and I get giddy like a kid on Christmas.

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So have I got you interested in writing a letter for someone? You don't have to have a reason to write to someone and actually someone getting a random letter might even be more special! If you were to send someone a random letter who would it be too? A friend, a cousin, an old neighbor? 

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Today the internet and other technologies make it so easy to stay connected to most people anywhere in the world and I understand how mail has mostly fluttered out of the picture. It doesn't mean I have to like it though! There is something different about taking the time to actually write out a letter. 

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If you go above and beyond and decide to decorate the letter in some fun way it just adds that much more love. Plus it is a great way to get crafty and use those rusty artistic muscles you have been putting to the side. Get a fun stamp or stickers (Yes this may seem like a childish thing to do, but it won't seem like it when that person sees all the extra time you put into it. They will feel special!)

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       This past winter my boyfriend's kids kept saying they were bored. So we came up with a great idea to send personal letters to kids with life threatening illnesses. They wrote the letters and decorated them and the envelopes. They had so much fun and I could tell that it made them feel good to do something nice for someone else who might need a pick me up! Here are some pictures I found from that day. :]

I enjoy writing letters and receiving them so much that I had a pen pal :] My beautiful cousin out in California has always lived in other states as me but I know we are blood because we have so much in common. I use to get so anxious waiting for her letters in the mail to hear how she was doing and then I got to decorate and write my letter back to her! Below are a few pictures of the envelopes I created for my snail mail back to her! 

So let's bring snail mail back and let some of our creative juices flow in ways we never thought about! Make someone's day by surprising them with a ways to let them know you are thinking about them. I KNOW you will make them feel amazing and in return you will feel just as good!

Let me know your thoughts! Do you already have a pen pal? What is your favorite part about writing letters? I want to hear from you and your experiences with bringing back the dying art of snail mail!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Envelope cookie cutter, 3D printed by - Printmeneer

Song of the Day:

Nat King Cole ::: I'm Gonna Sit Right Down & Write Myself A Letter

Color of the Day:

Delicacy Pink