Not all about me

The cat bench

If there is a lesson to be learned from this 46 days of retreat it is that it isn't all about me. As an artist trying to make it through trying economic times I must admit I sometimes forget that. Especially in light of shameless self promotion. The new art market is the internet and it takes more than just a website. In fact websites may be going the way of the book store these days. Along with galleries and art fairs.

What is hot in this day and ethernet age is Facebook, Twitter and blogs. And an artist needs all three and Google + I am not a tweet twit though I have a twitter account and post links to my blogs routinely. Blogspot makes that very easy. And also linking to Facebook and Google +.

And the marketing gurus tell you that you must be active on all platforms to catch the attention of the art buyer. This has been one of my good weeks in that regard. I have sold two photographs on gallery wrap canvas largely because of my posts on my Facebook fan page. Well, one of my fan pages. I also have one with my sister Binfords Back Country Photography. And there is this blog and Creative Journey with its pages of my recent works.

What made fairs so successful in their heyday was that shoppers got to meet the artists up close and personal. We are to some degree seen as rather weird creatures. And when you are standing in your booth with the crowds milling by you begin to feel like a monkey in a zoo. You tell yourself it is about your art and not about you. But bottom line is if people like you they are more apt to purchase your art.

That can be overlooked on Facebook. You try to separate your personal life on your timeline page from your professional life on your fan page and you can to some degree. But the lines are very rapidly erased in the heat of expressing a political opinion or defending women and their rights. Hey, us artists have opinions. Sometimes really strong ones.

Stepping back from my personal page on Facebook was a way to redefine the line for me. And to see that constantly posting status messages is not unlike hogging the conversation at lunch. For there to be a true conversation you have to listen too. Just shutting up and only listening is not easy for me. And I am looking forward to Easter when I can again post a personal status message on my Timeline.

But meanwhile I have focused more on my Fanpages and posting work there and the result has been increased sales of my photographs. And I have gotten more work in the studio done. My timeline seems so eerily quiet when I am not inciting debate.

Comments

  1. The Blog of BeeMarch 13, 2013 at 9:34 AM

    Interesting take, I think quite a few of us have, for one reason or another, been quiet on our personal pages for some time. I have been quiet all round.
    I like it that your fan pages have brought you new clients (I have just joined your photography page which I didn't know about) which goes to show that although fairs/shows bring personal interaction, internet purchasing or purchasing because of something seen on the internet, is becoming more and more the norm. I don't particularly like internet shopping but if that's the way things seem to be going, we'd better get used to it. I prefer the personal touch.

    When I have been around, I have missed your updates.

    I haven't even visited my Blogspot page - I need to get my act together. There has been so much I could have written about from my ex boss now trying to be my best friend to the murder of a friend of my daughter, from the resignation of the Pope to the scandals surrounding the Vatican, from loss of friendship to my new jobs nut I just have not had the heart.

    Maybe my Muse will return after Lent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JBinford-BellMarch 13, 2013 at 10:11 AM

      I do think some events in our lives require processing before we can put them in words and your list certainly seems to include several things that I would have to vegetate on in my life before I could blog about them.

      Anytime you want to chat and I am on line just pop in.

      Delete

Post a Comment

I write for me but I care what my readers think. Please be polite and no scamming.

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming

Image
For much of my college career my fitness workout was swimming on the B squad of the swim team. I remember it as the days before heated pools and women coaches. I also remember being so exhausted and cold I could only lean against the shower wall and throw up. Not exactly warm fuzzy images but I was in awesome shape. Needless to say it did not leave me with a overpowering desire to swim laps. Point of fact for years my swimming became really informal: Swimming to shore after the canoe tipped over, challenging my sister once a summer to across the lake and back, seeing how long I could back float without moving a muscle, and a scuba course. I also played around with other ways of staying fit: aerobics, bicycling, jogging, skiing and dance classes. All of which seem to be bad for the knees, back or feet. After my ski accident my physical therapist steered me back to the pool. Damn if I was going to swim laps! However, aqua fit was just getting rather seriously taken so I took it. It r
Read more

The Pruning the Crown of Thorns

Image
Crown of Thorns Before I am a lover of Euphorbias . They are from the deserts of Southern Africa and Madagascar. They have evolved physical characteristics and forms similar to cacti of North and South America and are often incorrectly referred to as cacti. My big Crown of Thorns was one of my first of a growing collection of these succulents from the spurge family of Euphorbiaceae. I picked it up as a 6 inch plant in a New Iberia nursery when my sister and I were touring the northern gulf coast. I believe that was 15 years ago. I made an attempt at limiting its height a few years back to allow it to devote more energy to the new branches and make it a denser plant. That failed. And the height of the plant continued to challenge the window space and soon the long branches were leaning over and leaning against the window. I googled and found the proper way to prune this treasured plant. Still it was very difficult to cut off the four longer branches. Even with a plan. The f
Read more

Eagle Nest Dam

Image
Tour of Eagle Nest Dam Eagle Nest Dam is the largest privately built dam in the United States. It was begun by the Springer family in 1917 and completed in 1920. It and the reservoir beyond it one was privately owned by the CS Ranch which recently sold it to the state of New Mexico. Eagle Nest Lake is now a state park, but the dam and the waters in the lake are another matter all together. Water is well regulated in New Mexico especially during a drought. The lake is now at 25% of its normal capacity, and the water in the lake are water right lease holds of Raton, Cimarron, and historic ranches in the area like the UU Bar and the CS Ranch. Game and Fish department also get involved because the Cimarron River is an active fishery of the state. Our guide was a state engineer and the Gateway Museum secured permission of the land owners below the dam for us to gain access to the area. Some 100 locals and tourists attended this rare event. I have lived here almost twenty years and th
Read more