by Linda | May 13, 2011 | my creative journal
I realize the title is not exactly professional business-sounding. But I think it does illustrate the fact that marketing is such a fuzzy wuzzy topic for many creatives. I mean, we sort of know what it means and people think of advertising perhaps. But seriously it gets blurry as you start to talk about branding and such. These past few weeks have been slow on my creative business front and honestly I have just been lazy and fearful. After getting my media kit ready, I outlined some weekly marketing tasks for myself and even started a list of people to contact and things to do. But I soon found myself afraid to take those steps and feeling like there were all these obstacles in my way.
Even though the weeks have passed, I haven’t approached any blogs or submitted my work anywhere. I am still so afraid of rejection, of being ignored…imagining that reviewers would see my stuff and just laugh out loud. The thought makes me shudder and I already feel so small and meek. It’s amazing how one could feel so proud and energized one moment, then down in the dumps and so vulnerable the next moment. I am a crazy pendulum of emotions aren’t I? I allowed myself time to think and calm my nerves.
Marketing is simply about promoting myself. People have to know of me to do business and perhaps buy my products. There are many different ways to accomplish “getting out there,” of course. What about this branding talk? I like how BAM puts it… it’s simply your reputation. So everything you do contributes to your reputation as a creative business. Just make sure you are living up to who you want to be in everything you do, create and offer. Okay, that all makes sense to me and my lists of tasks help to get my name out and designs out there into the world. Obviously, I need to try them out to see what works the best. What attracts the most people to my blog or converts people to support me through my shops, etc. Okay, so I obviously am okay with the concepts and tasks…it’s just the fear stopping me in my tracks, so I’ll never figure out what works.
I am finding it really hard to overcome the fear of failure and rejection. Even though I can tell myself that I am no worse off if nothing becomes of my efforts. I guess, it would just be a blow to my ego. It’s always personal when someone dismisses your work. Let’s be honest here…especially with creative work, you can’t just say business is business. It’s amazingly difficult to me to not feel anything. I suppose you always feel something, it’s just learning how to deal with the fact that not everyone will like you – no matter what. Just as how not everyone is your friend in life. Oh, woe is the reality of things…the sting of rejection will never cease to exist. But it thankfully the pain passes over time. I suppose I just need to stock up on Snickers bars for comfort food!
Besides staring out into the countryside and pondering a lot this week, I did start a Greeting Card Universe Shop, but the review times take so long, I lost my momentum. I should not have let it stop me in my tracks…I know. However, I do like that the community is active there and I’m able to see my work on greeting cards…something I just adore – practically collect them! I plan to purchase my own card designs, so in a way it’s like a printer service so that my correspondence also promotes my own work. That’s one way to spread the word…just live and breathe your own work. Don’t think it’s presumptuous to use your own stuff and talk about it – something I am slowly learning to do. It’s about having pride for your work, not aggressively shoving it into the faces of others. 😛
I also revived my digital stamp shop, finally figuring out how to use Zen cart. Another thing I need to figure out is how to make all my work cross-over properly. I love papercrafting, but often the audience is completely different for those who like scrapbooking and cardmaking. That’s why I have a completely different blog BacktoPaper for those interests and in a way it’s like living two lives 🙂 I certainly need to focus, but I don’t want to lose all those other things I seriously enjoy doing. I simply can’t focus in the sense of reducing down my number of passions. I can’t fight my nature, but I also realize I can’t do it all. I am always in the quest for balance and sometimes I think it is a wobbly adventure – you just move a bit here and there to stay balanced. So I really need to get my butt into gear and act upon my marketing tasks…not just researching and making plans. After getting the foundations of your business complete, you must go forward creating and marketing – always! Although I still feel the butterflies when thinking about submitting my work…I think I have found the courage in myself, my support groups and ultimately my thirst for success – to take the leap – no matter what. I hope to report back next week with much more progress. Ciao ciao!
by Linda | May 9, 2011 | my creative journal
If you follow the blog, you might have noticed me going through lots of ups and downs. I’m certainly progressing in some respects, but often feel stuck as well.
Of course, obstacles in art and life in general, help us to grow. I think challenges force us to find a way through it…so we have to learn something new, change and/or adapt to the times ultimately. I guess it’s just a way of thinking. When you come upon obstacles, think about how they can contribute to your journey as you go along. You might be facing a huge brick wall, but how can you break through, go around or climb over it to continue onward?
If you think about it in a Zen kind of way, I suppose these blocks or hurdles along the path, slow us down a bit so we can access the situation around us. Winding our way along a unique path, sometimes we might steer a bit this way or that, adjusting our course to the times. Sometimes you go a bit backward to go around a different bend. It actually makes sense and certainly doesn’t seem like such a grave situation when you step back and think of your journey in that way. You aren’t really stuck…just stopping a moment to reflect.
I’ve been feeling a bit silly posting about my ups and downs here on the blog. I guess I’ve been worrying a bit. I mean, some might think I’m just a crazy, overdramatic or oversensitive person. Not everyone shares the same amount of information through their blogs…I just happen to share a lot of troubles as well as creative work and ideas, because when my mind is full, it helps me to write it out. There are many who blog just positive stuff and successes, when they are feeling good. No issues with that, but I find blogging about my troubles helpful to me and I hope that my little revelations – if you can call it that – help others as well. I don’t think there’s an artist out there that doesn’t admit to having fears and doubts about their work. I guess, I’m just putting it out there. I don’t claim to know it all and sort of want to show that it’s okay to be a bit up and down. To be learning still, growing still, figuring it all out still. I am still in the beginnings of my journey, maybe that is why it’s a bit rocky…but maybe it will always be this way. I don’t know yet and I shouldn’t have to worry about it. Maybe life is this way, but people just don’t point it out. Perhaps, the more experience you have, the more you are able to handle your emotions and feelings. Maybe it isn’t a big deal anymore after a while?
Pondering about my specific obstacles and fears these days, I ultimately realized that it was all in my head. All these worries are elaborate imaginary circumstances that I have created. Or perhaps my Inner Critic has created. If my art sucks then I’m not going to be recognized or sell or succeed in any way and I’m going to die a sad little undiscovered soul…boo hoo. I’m totally reminded of a high school friend who was plagued by the what if scenarios of life. And because these obstacles are imaginary they actually are difficult to resolve. How can you resolve something that isn’t real?! I had to remind myself of the passion I have in my dreams and to just do it. I often rant on about to others…just doing it…because I feel like so many great things are lost because people just don’t take action. A great idea pops up, but they don’t even try and accept failure. I suppose my gung-ho nature is really American can-do. I love that.
So the main take-away thoughts in my mind today…as I scurry along my creative journey:
- I know that I’m not alone in my feelings. And somehow, knowing that makes me feel a bit better.
- I know that my fears are not valid and just stuff I’ve conjured up in my mind. So obviously I can’t solve something that isn’t even a real problem.
- I know that I have issues with uncertainty. I am still a practical person and I’ve always done things I’m sure of. So much confidence that I am sure it will work or I will succeed. Even though…I didn’t really KNOW know… anything could have happened. So it was all about confidence to get me into action, that’s all. There was really no certainty. It was confidence to just do.
- I have failed before and it certainly didn’t feel good. But I’m okay now and I can actually note how those failures turned into a different success or opportunity. Concrete examples. So…failure is actually productive – imagine that?! I have to remind myself of those good things, because we often only remember the horrible tragic failure parts…silly Inner Critic! Just shut up!
- So when I think of my mega fears the possible worst outcomes…it doesn’t seem so freaky anymore.
- Instead I think of best outcomes and that is certainly motivation.
- Fears are not valid obstacles because they are just that…fears…not real stuff. Made-up stuff.
- It takes a bit of pep talk to get through it all, so find yourself support. Everyone needs motivation and everyone needs a little bit of cheering up at times.
I guess that writing on my blog is a bit of support for myself. Getting it out there. Thanks.
by Linda | May 4, 2011 | my creative journal
Although I’m definitely making progress with my creative business 101 journey, secretly setting up some things in the background related to marketing this week…I’ve also been a bit disappointed in myself at the same time. There’s so much more I could do – connections to be made, barriers to break and work to be created in the end. Does one ever feel satisfied of oneself? Okay, maybe that’s a silly question because we must in some sense… but I’m always plagued with this idea of not having enough time and wanting to get more done…and done NOW! I suppose these thoughts stem from looking at my pile of random works…
For some reason, these works are on loose papers, not doodlings or ideas written in my art journals. Just pieces floating around from experiments and random musings. Maybe I had a flash of inspiration or wanted to try something out. I haven’t thrown them away, but don’t know what to do with them at the same time. So it’s all stuffed in a file folder, stacked here or there. What a mess!
Do you have work that is just lying around? I’ve pondered throwing it all away, because perhaps it’s just a burden…I should be moving on to the next thing. But then I wonder if I should bind it as an art journal…for inspiration at a later time or just for keeping like other journals. I’m not one that often flips through my old journals, so I’m not sure if it is worth it. I’m just not sure…still growing and changing all the time as an artist. But it started bothering me for some reason…seeing the stack of unfinished work. Things that could have been something…but now are just nothing. Does this even make sense?
I suppose if your work is creative, but you have fun with creative work at the same time, it can be challenging to create with no end in purpose. With no product in mind, you are just playing…but then it also seems like you are not working and that just doesn’t sit right. Again, plagued by the thought that I should be working more because I’m so far from my goals perhaps. Sure we have to play a little, but seeing a huge of stack of play versus no stack of work…well, I guess it got to me. I let myself play because that is part of the freedom of working at home and building your own business. So I ended up just played more…taking my old watercolor girl cut-outs and collaged them into pieces.
I don’t know why I can’t shake this negative feeling of having unfinished stuff. Not being able to move on as I want to. I want results darnit! Even though in creative work people always say you shouldn’t think about that. But if it’s your job, it’s sort of necessary. There’s got to be a balance between creative floofy lovey dovey stuff and the business practical I need to eat thing. 🙂
Balance…that’s what I need. It still plagues me…or perhaps that is too strong of a word. But to this day I still remember one of professors writing in my final critique that I need to find balance. Jeepers…I am I so apparently imbalanced?
Even thought I allowed myself to play it all out, after collaging madly, the girls still don’t seem finished to me. More unfinished work play whatever…
It was definitely fun and I still like looking at them. It’s cute, they are cute…oo…ahh… but in the end, yet again, random floating pieces just lying on my desk.
I should note that the photos are all perspective distorted because I snapped photos of them at an angle on my desk. They look wonky, eh? Well, besides confirming the fact that I get glue just about everywhere when breaking out that bottle, I also learned that my watercolor girls started bleeding when the gel medium got brushed on top. I also noticed that the dried glue I smeared all over gives an interesting resist texture. Finally, I realized this uber heavy painting paper by Fabriano is lovely to paint on. I suppose this week, I just learned some new things…so it’s not all play after all. Sigh. Well, I hope everyone is having a great week and progressing in one way or another! Until next time…ciao ciao.
by Linda | May 3, 2011 | my creative journal
Even though I’m not one of those crazy fans, I did catch a tiny bit of the royal wedding broadcast and in the end was more fascinated by the hats! It’s a British thing, right? Well, I think it’s cute and totally inspiring. I started to doodle hats on girls…I suppose previously I had done this on birdie drawings as well…so hats are just in my doodling repertoire 🙂
These days I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, reflecting and doodling. Not much in terms of finished work which is disheartening in some respects. I am one to get totally jazzed and inspired by something…but it doesn’t always lead to a finished product. I guess…that’s the case with most people out there who are trying to “make it” in this world. Ugh! What a thought…
by Linda | Apr 29, 2011 | my creative journal
Woohoo! So I’ve completed my digital media kit after a few weeks of toiling away and editing a word here or there. It’s finally complete, at least for now. I realize that over time it will be added to…but I’ve got the bare bones minimum with a set of new photos ready for sharing. I had a really long photo session with myself earlier this week and seriously it was getting annoying to stare at myself…LOL! When it came to editing, I realized so many details and little things that were off…lots of cropping, adjusting…whew! Maybe it is best to go professional at times, but for now, I’m pretty happy with the results that I have…my guerilla way with DIY. It will do and I think it is a proper reflection of me at this point in time. I have to mention again that Tara Reed’s Press Friendly Artist ebook really helped to push me to get it done. It was so helpful to see her example kit and get the step by step rundown of press related items.
So with media kit in hand, I’m starting off with my marketing tasks. They are supposed to be weekly, but I am a bit late for this week already. Yes, time flies, we all understand, but I suppose it’s no excuse either. Hmph! I haven’t yet gotten the hang of it…but I have been doing research and making notes, so it’s just a matter of buckling down and getting it done. First, I have to write up my intro email to bloggers. It’s just a matter of getting out there, in front of people’s eyes. I’m absorbing in the wonderful articles from Modish biztips about how to approach blogs and the mega list of blogs. I now think that I should update my Etsy shop…because although I am targeting licensing clients and just want to be more known in the design and art community…I also want to promote my original work and offer things directly to consumers. It’s that personal connection that makes spreading my work more fun. Another item to add to the list!
I’ve also been looking at art competitions and calls out there to participate in. Again, another way to get myself out there, get connected with people in the industry and just plain fun when it comes to creating and sharing my work. I’ve noticed that most competitions require entry fees and although I understand it takes a lot of work to organize shows and juried competitions, I also have no experience and wondering if it’s all worth it. I suppose the key is to find those that fit me perfectly…but does anyone else have experience with this kind of thing – can you share? I wonder if the fee amount would be put to better use in direct advertising or submission to exhibition sites like paper n stitch. Hmm. I’ve learned that we simply have to find our audience, our niche, our community out there… but I suppose there’s no way to know at times but to try? There’s nothing like trial and error 🙂 At times I do feel a bit lonely…trying to find my place in this big world…oh how we can feel so small and meek at times! Where are my people?! I don’t know if it sounds presumptuous to think there are people out there, who would be MY people… but I do truly believe it…the fact that we just have to find our audience. I suppose believing that they are out there keeps me going, too.
Of course, top priority is to submit to manufacturers for licensing consideration. I have a mega list, but it’s been challenging to decide if I should create collections with a manufacturer in mind or just submit my current work. Sometimes there’s a feeling to the style, but other times there’s a mix of styles and I’m just not sure if we would be a fit. I’m also considering certain submission sites that might get my name and work out there as well. Sometimes manufacturers see independent artists on Zazzle or Cardstore and recruit in that way. I suppose in the end, there’s no harm in trying. I just saw the weeble wobble artist video tip by Tara Reed and it made me realize that I have to squash the fear of rejection that lingers in my mind. I am certain that it prevents me from stepping out of my comfort zone. I used to only do things that I KNEW would be a success…and it’s taken me lots of time to slowly open up a bit, step by step…not worrying about failure. Whew…we all know that it will pass and that it’s okay to fail, because it’s part of the learning process…but we still feel the fear. I’m still working on conquering the fear…
So I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! I will be spending some time working away at my marketing tasks and trying to get it a part of my routine! Ciao ciao!
