Showing posts with label express. Show all posts
Showing posts with label express. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The Importance of Selling Yourself as an Artist.

   
   
      Hello lovely artists. Today's blog is all about you. Who are you? No, not what is your art....WHO are You! Knowing who you are as an artist and human being is KEY for selling your art. Let's dive in today on The Importance of Selling Yourself as an Artist!
    

     When people buy art, they want to feel a connection to the artwork they are purchasing. What do you mean connect with art?  They may feel a connection emotionally to the subject matter, it may be their favorite color, the piece could have been bought on a special trip or vacation, or maybe even as a gift for someone else they care about. There are so many reasons someone might form a connection with a piece of art. 

      Did you know you can help someone form a connection with your art? The easiest way is by selling YOU. There is a reason why there are so many articles on artists "behind the scenes". People want to know the soul behind the piece. If they feel like they know you, they feel like they know your art and quickly can become connected to it. 


     What if you only sell your artwork online like an Etsy Shop? Just because people might not see you in person doesn't mean selling yourself isn't just as important! In fact, it might be even more important! Anytime you are contacting someone, whether it's another artist or potential client, you have the ability to sell yourself. Come up with a signature that fits you and your art when emailing back or communicating with others regarding your business. How are you promoting your online shop? I am sure that it didn't just happen overnight?


         Promoting yourself and your art is one of the most important topics for having a successful career and I am sure I can write a novel about this subject. But connecting promoting your art with the help of promoting yourself is a tricky topic! There is no fine line with what works or not because everyone is different and will have to find their way that fits themselves. For me, writing is natural and I have an easy time expressing myself, so a BLOG has been a great avenue for promoting.  It is a great way for people to get to know me more personally and see behind the scenes to my art. 


         A blog is a big investment of your time and energy and if you don't want to go down that road there are many different ways to promote yourself and art. Whichever you choose just make sure you are adding your own personality into everything you put out for people to see. If you are a shy minimalist, make sure you are promoting to fit YOU. Odds are your art reflects your personality and if you are promoting yourself in a big flashy way that doesn't feel right, people will be more likely to turn away.


       If you are out in person meeting people for your art, dress the part. When I say dress the part, I don't mean you have to have on jean overalls with dried paint marks all over it. Who are you as an artist? Wear what makes you feel as much of that person as possible. When I say dress the part what I really mean is BE YOU. Trying to dress as someone else or what you think people will want to see isn't going to sell you or your art. Find your style and embrace it and people will be interested in what you have to offer.


      I am always working on promoting myself as the truest me I can. Recently I have stumbled upon an app called Periscope. It's a way to connect with live streaming all over the world. I am able to allow people inside my art studio and to get to know me as an artist. I have already had sales from it. When people listen to me and see a piece being worked on in my studio, they connect with it. Come follow and join me inside my world of art! Periscope: Cloudninestudios


        Who am I? I am an artist. business women, blogger, painter, dog mother, wood burner, jack-of-all trades, handy-woman, girlfriend, lover of all things pink, roommate, outgoing bubbly personality, dreamer, rustic junky, athlete, astrologer, nature goddess, crafter, YouTube addict, and much much more, Thank you for all who already know me and are a part of my life. Thank you for all who are new and I hope to get to know you more. Who are you? Let me know in the comment section below. I can't wait to hear about you and your art!


Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo






Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

stay weird, home decor, rustic decor, office decor, quote block, black, quote, customize, personalize, distressed, rustic sign by - DaisyThirteen



Song of the Day:
Audioslave - Be Yourself


Color of the Day:
Benjamin Moore's 'Champion Cobalt' #2061-20


Friday, September 4, 2015

How to turn your dreams into a color scheme - Week 1


HELLO EVERYONE!
I am super excited for today's blog! Today starts the first weekly Friday Dream Scheme post. Friday's blog post will be about one of my dreams that I have had either recently or from past years that I recorded in a journal. Then I will make a color scheme to go along with the dream! Let's do this.


I haven't had any dreams this past week that I remember, so I decided to go back in my dream records and revisit one from my past. This was written in my dream journal dated for 
Tuesday Feb 28, 2013 - 3:19pm

It started were I felt like I was on a type of school field trip and I had entered a magical little gift shop. I knew I had to buy one item as if it were some assignment but I couldn't afford anything except an ugly trucker baby blue baseball cap. I kept looking around the shop though and something caught my eye! It was an incense burner in the shape of a detailed castle and the stick poked out the tower. I wanted it so badly. I also saw a miniature chess set that had really beautifully carved pieces and the board could fold up into a little cube that could fit into your pocket. 

Then somebody entered into the store and told me to run and hurry up, it was time to go! The next thing I know, I am in the sky held up by a giant orb shaped cage. There were a few other people inside it along with me. I didn't have my proper balance and the orb shifted or tilted and I fell onto my stomach. It scared me and I grabbed the bars of the orbed cage to make sure I couldn't fall through. My baby blue hat fell off of my head and glided to the ground far below me. I felt depressed about watching it float in the wind for awhile and I knew I wouldn't be able to get it back. Then the dream ended.  


Here is my dream color scheme! Each color represents a certain part of the dream or feeling the dream gave me. The first color is the baby blue of the baseball cap. The second color is the sky blue I see when I think of the cap floating away in the wind. The third color grey is the general color I get from the castle incense burner and the following fourth color brown is the actual incense sticking out. The fifth color of light grey was from the feeling of panic I felt when being rushed out of the shop and loosing my balance. Lastly the sixth and final color represents the bars that confined me and the others in the orb-shaped cage in the sky.


This is something anyone can do! Write down your dream and create a color scheme from it. Use it to make a meaningful painting for your bedroom or to pick out your outfit for the day. I believe we have dreams to guide us and show us things that are hiding in our subconscious. This is just one way to use the wonderful information your mind has given to you while asleep. 


Not every dream you have may be a nice dream. What if you have a reoccurring nightmare or you have a dream so vivid it frightens you throughout your whole day. I say embrace it! Write it down and create a color scheme. Using those colors on a piece of paper with colored pencils and then setting it on fire or tearing it up and throwing it away, might help release the negative attachment to the dream. 


What do you think! Every Friday I will be doing this in the blogs and I hope it will inspire you to create color schemes from your dreams! You might even find that you connect with my color scheme that I came up with and feel compelled to do a piece of artwork with it. Let me know your thoughts below in the comments about your dreams.


Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo




Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Blue and Gold Sweet Dreams Little One, Hand Painted Log Slice Nursery Decor by - FieldandForestDesign



Song of the Day:
Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams



Color of the Day:
Benjamin Moore Milkyway: a very soft, pale blush of yellow cream



Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Can anyone be an artist?

   
      Thinking about what to write today a thought popped into my head. There are so many people out there who don't use their creativity because they are afraid it won't be amazing. This makes me so angry! I can't tell you how many times I hear, "I wish I could draw I can't even draw a stick figure." That is the stereotypical phrase anyone uses when they appreciate art but think they can't make something themselves.

      If you think you can't, then you won't. I am a big believer in positive thinking. Yes, I do believe a great deal of my artistic talents have been passed down genetically and reinforced through growing up around art; but why does all art have to be a masterpiece? Why can't you try and make something with stick figures? Who says art has to be realistic and detailed?


    So many artists throughout time have tried to think out of the box and make art that means something and expresses their feelings and thoughts. Look at most of Picasso's work! Most people would laugh at their paintings if it turned out like his work but he is one of the most famous and idolized artists of all time.


Ever remember how satisfying coloring as a kid was. Even how great you felt after completing your horrible macaroni necklaces? I want you to feel that way again. Get carried away in something and not be afraid of it's outcome. OKAY, I think you are getting my point. So what should you do?



Abstract art is a great place to start. Pick a few colors that you are really drawn to. Go to your local craft store and pick up a few bottles of acrylic paint for a dollar or two a piece. Get a canvas, or paper, or wood or whatever you feel you want to paint on! Then just start applying the colors however you want. It may mash together and look like baby poop. Or it may come together and look like a beautiful sea of colors. Either way don't be afraid of the final outcome. Get lost in the process and I grantee you will LOVE IT!



Recently there has been a great business that has opened up called  "Painting with a Twist."  I am not sure if this is only sprouted in Metro Detroit area so far or if it is nation wide yet, but I am sure it won't be long before it is. It is a place to go with friends and family and have some drinks and learn how to step by step paint a picture of your choice. What a wonderful way to hang with good company in a stress free environment and create something! I am all for it!

So whether you are Van Gogh reincarnated or a regular business salesman, go make something creative! I promise it will really make you feel great.

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo



Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Create Art Necklace in Sterling Silver - By rockmyworldinc


Song of the Day: (One of the most inspiring music videos of all time)

Coldplay - Strawberry Swing


Color of the Day:
Citrus Orange


Monday, August 3, 2015

Do your Dreams influence your Art?

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Good afternoon everyone! I am getting a little bit of a late start today. I didn't sleep in that much but we had breakfast for lunch and I laid around a lot avoiding laundry and other chores. I am very lucky to have Monday's off. It's an extra Sunday for me!

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I want to bring up a topic today that means a lot to me and I know I will only be skimming the surface. DREAMS. I have always been a very lucid dreamer ever since I was a child. I remember very vivid details and even smells and colors of things while I am dreaming. 

At a very young age I started writing down my dreams. I have a bin full of journals packed with dreams. Writing my dreams down has created a stronger muscle for recalling my dreams when I awake.  You might be thinking why am I bringing this up in the Art Blog?

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Dreams are windows inside your subconscious. If you are someone lucky enough to remember your dreams being able to express them through art is a blessing. But WAIT maybe you don't realize you are already creating your art from dream inspiration. Take a look at your recent work and compare them to your last dreams you can recall. Do they seem to connect? 

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My art is very influenced by my dreams at night or even day dreams which I also have plenty of. That's were the idea from my business name comes from. I want all of my artwork to be a refection of my dreams and daydreams. I want them to make you feel so happy and surreal that you could say they take you to cloud nine. Where anything you dream I can create and anything I create I have dreamed.

How do your dreams influence your art? Has this blog opened your eyes to this thought or are you already creating through your subconscious recalls? Do you never remember your dreams and want to learn how to begin to? Let me know your thoughts!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo



Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Dream Journal made from recycled handmade paper with Moon Tree design by Cliffwatcher



Song of the Day:

          Fleetwood Mac - Dreams




Color of the Day:
Benjamin Moore's Bear Creek