The direct result of losing someone or something you love is profound grief. And that hollow, meaningless feeling that accompanies loss does not lead to art.
Yet we know art is the answer.
Here are eleven ideas that helped guest blogger Barbara Muir work through her grief. Perhaps they might help you feel your way back to your studio.
Working Through Grief and Returning to the Studio Read
Guest blogger: Kathryn Goldman
The short answer is “No.”
The longer answer is that most artists are not going to have their art taken by someone like Richard Prince who has commercial stature and deep pockets. The threat to most artists is from every day Internet “sneak thieves” – lazy non-creatives who right click, copy and paste. Prince did more than that, but not much more.
Copyright is still useful for artists despite the actions of Richard Prince and the expansion of the defense of fair use.
When it came to light that Richard Prince appropriated wholesale the work of Instagram users, added a few phrases of his own to the comment thread, enlarged the images and charged $90,000 for a print, many in the art world (and the legal world) were troubled by his actions. Others, not so much.
Some of the original creators of the Instagram images have sought revenge of sorts by selling the image they created for $90 in an attempt to undermine Prince’s market. The effectiveness of that strategy is questionable. Without Richard Prince’s actions, those Instagram artists would have continued operating in relative obscurity.
Many agree that obscurity is a bigger problem for artists than infringement.
Has Richard Prince Killed Copyright Protection For Artists? Read
Guest blogger: Kim Bruce
After researching, comparing and gathering information on what you need to know to make a choice between WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or Weebly, I have come to the conclusion that there is no conclusion.
Each of these services has something to offer depending on your needs.
For example, if you’re a hobby artist, a free Weebly site, which includes their paid ads, may suffice.
An artist with little or no computer skills may want a simple drag-and-drop interface, which is available with all services (drag-and-drop themes are available for WordPress).
A professional artist may, and probably should, prefer the power that the WordPress platform offers.
In all honesty, I find it very difficult to compare Squarespace, Wix or Weebly with WordPress the self-hosted version (WordPress.org).
WordPress is different. It’s a robust, scalable, open source (free) application that can be whatever you need it to be.
Website Wars: WordPress vs Squarespace vs Wix vs Weebly Read
Guest blogger Cynthia Morris writes: “There’s a certain someone in my field who has a huge following. This certain someone also has a great blog. I found myself constantly referring to the blog as an example of what a good blog should be. And I admit it, I had blog envy. . . . “
Get Over Blog Envy and Learn to Love Your Blog Again Read
Guest blogger Holly Van Hart shares she read in several places that you could “create your own website in 10 minutes” with WordPress. While she never believed it would take 10 minutes, she never imagined it would take 100 hours. Perhaps you can benefit from Holly’s experience. “I already had an art website, a contract with a web hosting service, a domain name, and a blog hosted by Google (Blogger). But my site was 5 years old and needed to be totally overhauled with new, fresh content and current styling. It also needed to be integrated with my blog. . . .
Build Your Own Website In 10 Minutes (Not) Read
Guest blogger Marcia Crumley shares her first solo exhibition last November in Boston was a spectacular success. She’s a bit of a control freak, so letting go of certain things was very challenging at first, particularly when those tasks involved the art itself. But as the opening date grew closer and the to-do list kept getting longer, Marcia realized that accepting help from others was the only way to get it all done.
Friendsourcing for a Successful Gallery Opening Read
In 2006, I went on vacation, accidentally got into a new gallery while there, and wound up quadrupling my art sales. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that having your work in exactly the right location – a very specific type of place – can change your success as an artist dramatically.
Vacation Leads to Quadrupling Art Sales Read
So you have heard about this thing called “art licensing” and it sounds pretty good! You can earn income by licensing the same art to multiple manufacturers to use on different products. “Sounds great!” you think. “Where do I sign up!” you ask. “Hold onto your paintbrushes!” I say. Before you start putting a lot of time and energy thinking about the dream that is art licensing, you need to understand the reality of how to succeed in the industry.
Five Realities of Art Licensing Read
Guest blogger Marcia Yudkin shares her marketing expertise regarding “hype.” Most people understand that when talking about “hype,” she is referring to an overexcited style of writing. Marcia offers help in understanding why and how you might want to keep hype at arm’s length.
Avoiding Hype in Your Art Marketing: Why and How Read
When you work on your own, it’s easy to get into an unproductive rut. The demands of everyday life can pull you off track. Soon, you find, you’re taxiing kids, doing the laundry or waiting for repair people. Well, YOU are the Ringmaster of your life. You get to call the shots, and you can step up and create a structure to drive momentum and increase productivity.
You Are the Ringmaster of Your Life Read
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