It's going to be a semi-slow week on the blog, I predict. I'm off to Crested Butte on a writing retreat to put the finishing touches on my book, I'd Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist's No Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.
One person requested that I stop mentioning my book–that I was promoting it too much. But that would be like me asking you to stop blogging about your art. And I'm not going to do that.
I will continue to blog about the book. It's very much a part of my work and my work for you. Besides, I've used this forum to help me write the book. Readers have contributed greatly to the contents and the support I've received on this blog has kept me going.
Thanks to all of you who are rooting for me. Your good words have kept me going. And now it's down to the wire.
10 thoughts on “Off on my writing retreat”
Hi Alyson, Have a great retreat. I guess one of the great things about the internet is if you don’t like a blog, you don’t have to read it. I am always eager to have people read and comment on my blog, and I want to please people. But also I need to be writing what I want to write about – after all, it is me who is putting in the most effort. I was greatly satisfied when – after a long and arduous (for me) series of posts about designing my business cards – someone who had been quietly reading (unbeknownst to me) commented how helpful the whole process had been for her in designing her own business cards. ~ Diane Clancy http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
Diane: Thanks for your comments and good cheer. Yes, a number of people have commented on how my writing the book has helped them see how my business works and my goals. I’ve counted the post and I mention the book about one in every 5-6 posts. I happily invite people to skip over those.
aaahhhhhhhhhhhh, a retreat. Good for the soul. I’ll be waiting for your blog on those special times. Enjoy. Please continue to blog about your book, and let us know when it is ready for the waiting artist!
I’d be interested in learning what a writing retreat is like. Since I also like to write in addition to my art, I’ve often daydreamed about doing something like that.
Writing retreats are great! What are they like? If you’re doing one on your own, you can design it your way. Most retreats that I have done have a main focus: writing. I gather food and anything else I need in advance so that I can focus on the writing. The biggest key of a writing retreat is getting away from all the other distractions. It’s amazing what you can do when you settle in and focus on your project. I hope you had a great time, Alyson! I know you did great work and hopefully you were also refreshed by the mountain air!
How great to get to Crested Butte! I have fond memories of the place, which I first visited as a teenager, summer of 1964. We stayed at the Ore Bucket Lodge. There was not much else around except a few businesses in town. The town and resort area has all grown a lot since then! Have a great time. Blessings, Diana
I hope your retreat went well. It’s always good to get away and concentrate. I love that you’re sharing your process with us. There is always an element of self promotion in blogging and talking about our work but personally I think you’ve been doing a great job of sharing without a lot of selling. Your book will sell itself, I think, and sharing your process has been valuable to many of us out here in internet land. Funny how we get praised by many and the one that criticizes is the one we mull over….;-) Keep up the good work!
Plese let us know when your book is available – I want one! Have a successful retreat.
Pam: I’ll write more about the retreat. Cynthia’s comments might also be helpful. All I know right now is that I got a lot more done than if I had worked from my home office! Diana: Yipes! The Ore Bucket. That was a long time ago. That was one of THE only places to stay on the mountain for the longest time. I’m pretty sure it’s now history.
Hi Alyson, I popped in here via Tammy Vitale due to an enthusiastic endorsement about you and your services in a fantastic blog post, bursting with art marketing info!I’d love to browse your site for longer than the three other articles I read here. Although I don’t have time to comment on them individually today, I’m impressed with your knowledge, ideas, and your enthusiasm in everything I’ve read, including the personal touches, such as info about your now Farmer Dad. I’m glad you listened to your inner voice to continue writing and promoting your book.How is that coming along now? All of us, artists or not, must market ourselves, as hard as it often seems to turn off that “but if I talk about myself it may sound like bragging or bore the listener” or “I don’t have time…” Just yesterday afternoon, I was following up on an ad venue, delighted to discover that it’s a free and weekly occurence and then took a few minutes to talk about myself in a nutshell without any prompting from the woman on the newspaper staff. Granted, this was after she mentioned other local artists who advertise with them, all of whom I know and we exchanged friendly small talk about them first, which was a great way for me to break the ice, because those cold calls are hard. Without any prompting I mentioned a few pre-rehearsed summary comments about my art community volunteer committments and groundfloor involvements, plus have several pieces chosen for the permanent collection of healing art, and the recent exciting news of a New York Times best-selling author purchasing a painting of mine while I was volunteering at an annual fundraiser for a local library foundation. After the first two comments, when she heard about my works being specially chosen for the hospital, she interceded and asked me if she could interview me for a full page feature article. Whohoooo! That was all because I swallowed my shyness gene (for the time being) and plunged forth talking with passion about what I love to do!(That’s also how I sold that painting: using a combination of friendliness and lots of chutzpah!)