Ending Soon: The Next Perspective Photography Competition

myartspace and HotShoe International have teamed up to introduce Next Perspective, a juried photographic competition. The competition is open to all myartspace members and the submission fee is $20 for up to 20 photographs. The jury panel is top-notch (jurors from Rhode Island School of Design, Sotheby's, and The National Portrait Gallery in London) and the top prize is a portfolio feature in an upcoming HotShoe magazine and $2,000. The competition ends April 11, 2008.

To learn more visit the following link: www.myartspace.com/hotshoe

myartspace on Facebook and Daily Art Feed

We wanted to let you know that myartspace has availed an early version of its Facebook widget. It provides a fresh new daily image of art from myartspace on your Facebook profile page. Our plans are to make the daily selection of art match your preferences over time. As myartspace has now hundreds of thousands of renditions of art online, this task is well within our reach.

www.myartspace.com/facebook

Also, click on the link below to learn about the myartspace Daily Art Feed. This provides a fresh new piece of contemporary art to you every day. You can get it in three ways -- by email, on your Facebook Profile and through an RSS feed. This is a great way to support artists by viewing their work.

www.myartspace.com/daily

My Art Advice: How do I market my art?

This is another common question that is asked of me and it is a very difficult one to answer because there are several directions and modules that one can take in order to have art marketing success-- you have to find what works for you. There are also a few pre-marketing steps that must be considered. I suppose the first issue to consider is that it seems that artists often lack business savvy. I base this assumption on some of the responses I've had in the last few years from artists who take on art marketing like a deer caught in a headlight.

Emerging artists often expect a gallery or art dealer to do the marketing for them. The only problem is that most of the emerging artists that write to me do not have gallery representation and are not in contact with an art dealer. These artists spend their time sending messages to galleries and dealers that will never respond to them-- this is a grave error and is often a complete waste of time. By not grabbing the bull by the horns and representing themselves they miss out on opportunities that others take advantage of-- and have great success with --on a daily basis.

People tend to dream about their future... but dreams can place reality within a cell. It is OK to dream about gallery representation, exhibits at top venues, and respected art publications knocking on your door, but you can't expect to establish yourself on dreams alone-- you can waste your life doing that! The simple truth is that waiting for dreams to come true is often the first step toward failure-- that goes for every aspect of life.

Sorry if I have popped your dreamworld bubble, but I've known many dreamers in my years and the majority of them end up living a real nightmare on down the road. While you dream about the future that you feel you are destined to have, others are relying on their own grit and ambition to carve out their own destiny. So what is the solution? How can one market his or her art and make the dreams a possible reality? Simple. Artists need to think of themselves as a CEO of a corporation-- they need to think on terms of business.

I realize that many artists are wary of the corporate mentality-- the public in general is suspicious of those towering economic power-houses.Thus, I want to make three things clear before the hate mail flows to my inbox. First, I'm not suggesting that artists should create work as if it is on a production line (though some artists enjoy doing that). Second, I'm not suggesting that artists should emulate some of the dark qualities of big business (...though it might help!). Finally, you don't need a degree in business to understand basic business modules (though some of us may regret not having one). So what am I suggesting? I'm suggesting that every artist should develop-- and utilize --a basic marketing strategy. Artists should observe some of the tactics used by corporations and adhere to them as far as developing their art career is concerned. In order to have success you must embrace some basic principles of business-- if not, you leave yourself open to being exploited.

When we think of art marketing on terms of corporate business practice we must understand that there is a lot of pre-marketing steps that go into the bigger picture. A successful corporation does not invest in marketing an item that is costly to produce. Corporations make a profit by keeping their production cost low and their merchandise price high compared to the production cost of the item. If you have not noticed, buying low and selling high is the foundation of business. This is a basic aspect of business that every artist should be aware of when creating, pricing, and marketing their art. And yes, creating and pricing come before marketing! It is best to have those issues worked out before placing yourself into a market.

Many emerging artists make the mistake of investing more money into the creation of their art than they should-- this is a bad business practice. Emerging artists need to think about the long-term cost of the materials they are using. For example, painters will often buy pre-stretched canvas-- a single 16" x 20" pre-stretched canvas can cost up to $7 depending on where you shop. Anything larger can cost as much as $60! Thus, it would be more cost effective to buy the loose materials and learn how to stretch your own canvas. With a little effort you can learn how to build your own stretchers and stretch your own canvas.

This is the best economic choice to make. Rolls of canvas will be far cheaper than buying pre-stretched canvas one after the other... and wood from your local lumberyard is often cheaper and of higher quality when compared to those easy-snap stretcher kits found in most art supply chains-- they tend to warp easily. Again, think Big Business, by buying in bulk you will keep your long-term cost even lower and your profit higher. You may have to spend a little money on tools to get started, but in the long-run you will be saving money-- a corporation needs a factory or two, correct?

After you have thought about your product-- in this case your artwork --and have kept the cost of production down while maintaining a high degree of quality (you want to be known as a good business person, right?). What is the next step before marketing? Pricing. Again, take note of what the corporations do... before pricing your artwork you need to think about the hourly wage of your employees-- in this case yourself --and other company expenses... utilities for example. Don't be afraid to consider the hours that you have spent on a piece and the cost of lighting and other utilities when thinking about a price. I can't tell you what your time is worth-- but I will suggest that you keep that added fee realistic. Estimate how much you spent on creating the piece in regards to material cost, energy cost, and time-- make sure that you get as much of that money back as you can!

Once you have a figure in your head after considering the cost of materials, energy use, and time... increase it. You want to do this so that you leave some room for bargaining leverage. For example, if you are wanting $150 for a small sculpture you might want to ask $300 instead. This will leave you some room to negotiate with potential buyers-- you might end up earning more than what you had planned while making the buyer feel as if she or he got a great deal. Never go below your intended price-- in this case $150 --you want to make a profit! You want to earn enough to cover the expense that went into creating the piece AND have a profit on the side. With a little business savvy you might earn a few hundred more than what you had originally intended!

Keep in mind that once you establish a price you must be consistent with it. Nothing turns off past buyers more than to know that you are selling new work to new buyers for less. Collectors who have bought from you in the past want to know that they have invested in something that may increase in value over time. By pricing your work lower for certain individuals you do two things-- first, you lower the collective value of your work as a whole. Second, you damage the integrity of your business. Anyone who wants to be successful with their art-- as far as profit is concerned --will often have an uphill battle to fight... don't take the hill one day only to run back down it the next!

Now that you have a price in mind you will want to market the piece. If you are an emerging artist I would strongly advise that you avoid certain avenues of art marketing. For example, buying an ad in a popular art magazine can cost you as low as $300 and as high as over $1000 based on the prices I observed-- that will not amount to much if you have yet to make a name for yourself! Another tip? Avoid vanity galleries like the plague. That money would be better spent elsewhere. You would be better off displaying your work online and investing in business cards that include a link to a website that contains your art.

Focus on traffic to the artwork that you are displaying online. There are millions of people online that might end up viewing it-- which can lead to a piece being sold. Keep the business cards with your website handy. If you don't want to bother building a personal website there are other options that you can utilize if you are seeking an extra edge in your marketing plan-- such as a Premium account on www.myartspace.com-- (www.myartspace.com/premium). Having an online presence is very important-- it makes it easier for people to learn about your work. I know an artist who recently had a sold out exhibit after she posted links to her art and exhibit information online. A collector observed one of the posts and attended the show with credit card in hand. You can't knock that kind of exposure!

The Internet has opened a world of opportunities for corporations and self-representing artists alike. The difference is that corporations spend millions on online ad space... you can find ways to advertise for free! Sites like www.myartspace.com, www.youtube.com, www.livejournal.com and www.myspace.com have allowed artists to display their art to viewers who would have otherwise never viewed it. These sites offer free resources for artists who want to market their art online-- and they can be intertwined in order to increase the exposure that you gain for your art. I realize that big numbers don't always mean big results, but you will have a better chance at marketing yourself if you have all the online contacts that you can obtain.

For example, you could place a link to your www.myspace.com account on your www.myartspace.com account, embed your www.myartspace.com gallery on your www.myspace.com profile, and place your myspace and myartspace links on your www.youtube.com account. Once you do that you can place all those links onto your www.facebook.com profile... and after that, make a post about it on www.livejournal.com or any other site that you are a member of-- it is a chain reaction of exposure for your art! Don't put all your eggs in one basket... smash the eggs and allow the yoke to flow-- fill every online crack that you can.

To sum this up-- try not to get caught up in day dreaming about how you think your art career will mature-- make it happen and do not allow yourself to be discouraged. Rome was not built in a day-- neither was Walmart. Artists will face uncertainty until they learn to build their careers from the ground up. A corporation can be a success over night-- this is why it is important to understand how basic principles of business can help in marketing your art. However, I don't want to trade one hope for another-- realize that any business can go under and that you will need to put a lot of work into getting it off the ground. With that said, it is better to base your art career on terms of business rather than on flights of fancy.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
www.myartspace.com/balhatain

My Art Advice: If I post my work online doesn't that mean that someone is more apt to steal my style? I don't want people to paint like I do!

This is another common question that is asked of me. It can be hard to define 'style', it is one of those issues that can be debated. With that said, your use of 'style' implies the manner in which you paint, the methods you use, the marks that you make with your brush, and the fear that someone will create images utilizing those same kind of marks and methods. With that said, if someone steals your style you should feel honored-- it must mean that you are doing something right in the eyes of someone. More power to the style 'borrowers', 'thieves', and 'cutthroats'! Why do I declare this? Because if you observe this issue within the context of art history you will find that this 'visual theft' of style gives rise to new movements in art and to new styles all together. So this fear of having your style 'stolen' should not be your main concern when uploading art online. In other words, you should focus on doing what YOU are doing and accept the fact that you are part of a visual tradition.

This concern over 'style theft' is common. I frequent several art forums and find that many artists think that they own their 'style'. These artists get very upset when another artist decides to work in a similar manner. Legally speaking, you can't copyright an artistic style. The image itself is copyrighted, but not the manner in which you created it-- the methods you used and the marks that you made. Allow me to repeat that in bold-- YOU CAN'T COPYRIGHT AN ARTISTIC STYLE! For example, if you paint blue figures with white backgrounds you can't file suit if someone else does the same unless the paintings are very close to being identical. There is not much that you can do legally if an artist utilizes the same types of marks, the same colors, and even similar subject matter. If this was the case people would not bother to paint!

Still worried about people stealing your 'style' if you upload your work online? Think of it this way, are you influenced or inspired by another artist or perhaps an art movement from the past? If so, in some way-- even if it is buried in your mind --you are 'stealing' from those styles... those ideas. You are utilizing similar marks and taking a similar direction with your art-- marks and direction that you may not have taken had you not had knowledge of that artist or art movement. By doing so, you add an authentic touch to that visual tradition-- but you can't deny the debt that you owe to those who have came before.

Styles and methods of creation have been 'borrowed' throughout time. One artist will 'take' ideas from another artist or a group of artists and build upon it. We all owe a certain debt to artists who have came before... so it is naive to think that your 'style' is free from the observation and exploration of others-- I would go as far as to say that it is a sign of insecurity if you feel that way. Thus, who are you to say that your art should be free from the observation and exploration of your peers?

I will go further with this! I think it is safe to say that every artist has told visual white lies with their work-- we are all inspired or influenced by someone-- and those ideas are molded into our practice-- even if we are not aware of it. One could say that this is a glorified type of theft. In that sense, every artist is a thief. So if you are worried about someone 'stealing' your 'style'... step back-- view your work --and ask yourself how many artists you've stolen or borrowed from. After giving this some thought... ask yourself how many artists they have stolen or borrowed from. At that point you will see how the cards are stacked and you will be less likely to conceal your hand.

We do 'borrow' or 'steal'-- though steal might be a bold choice of word --from other artists regardless if we admit it or not... or are even aware of it. Show me your work and I can show you the work of a dozen artists who worked in a similar manner-- artists who have had a lot of exposure... meaning that at some point you have probably observed their work in a book, magazine, or on TV. Think of it this way, when we are young a peer draws a smiley face in class-- what happens next? A dozen kids end up drawing a smiley face and each add their own bit of truth to it. However, the original motivation to draw the smiley face was 'borrowed' or 'stolen' from the kid who did it first. Each child adds his or her own perspective to the original image that had been etched into his or her mind, but the foundation for that creation can be traced back to the child who drew it first in the classroom. Those of you who have taught will know exactly what mean. Is that not theft of style on its most basic terms? Does it matter?

I'm not suggesting that people should openly steal styles, but if someone does it to you... don't feel so bad. As I mentioned, it obviously means you are doing something right. Your focus should be on creating new works. In a sense, we humans are conditioned to borrow ideas, to steal ideas, to build upon the information that we have observed-- and make it our own. This is not exactly a negative trait... and none of us are above it. As far as art is concerned, we experience this theft in our youth the first time we draw a smiley face... so why do we feel that we are above it later in life? Why feel that your art should be protected from the thoughts and actions of others?

Here is my direct answer to this question-- if someone wants to 'borrow' or 'steal' your 'style'-- let them without a second thought. Chances are they will not have the same energy in their work that you do. Who knows... maybe they will end up utilizing the skills they have learned from 'borrowing' in order to develop their own visual direction. Perhaps they will end up doing what you do-- better. That is how art movements are made and shaped. It is the foundation of art history! To fear this is nothing more than a sign of insecurity. Again, that is my opinion-- and I understand that it is a philosophical one --take it for what it is worth.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
www.myartspace.com/balhatain

My Art Advice: Should I send a gallery a link to my art or images of my art by email in order to be considered for gallery representation?

I get questions like this often from emerging artists. This is a delicate issue. This question reminds me that the world wide web is sometimes a double-edged sword for artists. On one side you can cut yourself short by annoying galleries and other exhibiting venues by emailing them random information about your work. On the other side you can carve out your career by building your presence online. In regards to this question, be careful which way you swing the blade-- especially if you are just starting out. Artists want to land gallery representation, but that does not mean that every gallery wants to be baited by a thousand emails from hopeful emerging artists each day.

Before you send a random email to a gallery about your art remember that there might be hundreds of other artists doing the same thing at the same time. What will happen? You will most likely have your email marked as spam or blocked. If you are not blocked and you continue to send messages about your work you will most likely become an inside joke at the gallery rather than land representation. Worst case scenario... you will annoy the person on the other end and they will end up telling their associates about you. Word can travel fast and in the art world-- even on the most basic level --everything is about presence. You want to put your best face forward-- not blow it off with one quick letter. Annoying gallery owners can be career suicide depending on the status of the gallery .

Artists often forget that a gallery is a business. Galleries do not display work simply for the viewing pleasure of visitors. They have paychecks to write and lights to keep on-- it is a business just like any other. While it is true that galleries need artists to run their business, you need to remember that they already have a stable of artists-- they need art, but that does not mean that they need your art. You might be thinking, " If that is the case, why do the galleries have their email listed if they don't want artists to contact them?"... In most cases a gallery has their email listed for two reasons. 1.) They can send out exhibit information to their email list from that account. 2.) A random collector can write to them with questions about an artist that the gallery represents-- though most will call the gallery before writing them. Having an email address listed does not mean that the gallery is offering an open invitation to hopeful artists.

There are exceptions. Some galleries want artists to send examples of their work by email. Many of those galleries have ads in art publications stating that fact (just as galleries that do not want artists to send samples of their art by email will often have some fine print-- sometimes BIG print --stating that under their contact information!!!). However, I think it is better for artists to attend openings at the gallery they are interested in instead of sending a desperate email to the gallery about their work and why it should be represented. As I stated before, there could be thousands of artist worldwide sending emails to the gallery with the same hope that you have at the same time. You want to be a face... not a random name listed in the galleries email inbox-- or trash bin for that matter. Brick & mortar galleries do not have the manpower to address thousands of emails like that.

So what can you do? Attend openings-- get to know the people who are already exhibited at the gallery and be friendly to the gallery staff. By getting to know people and being friendly I do not mean that you should go up and say, "I really like this space. Are they looking for new talent?" or "Can you get me in here, my work is great!" to everyone you meet! Just enjoy yourself... be yourself-- leave the 'I'm a brooding artist' or 'I'm better than this place' persona at the door. Eventually you can slide the fact that you are an artist into the conversation, but keep it short.
Business cards that contain a link to your personal website or accounts that you have on art sites like www.myartspace.com can come in handy if a conversation goes well-- be prepared!

Some of you might be saying, "But I live hundreds of miles away! Sending an email is my only option!". Well, if that is the case you might want to ask yourself if you want to be represented by a gallery that you can't visit in person at least once per month, especially if you are new to the scene. With a ton of luck your email effort might land you gallery representation, but if you are not able to actually visit the gallery you will not know if your work is actually in sight of gallery patrons or somewhere in a backroom waiting to be pulled out when-- and if --someone wants to view it. That is not to suggest that galleries are shady, but they do tend to cater to the needs of represented artists who can actually visit the gallery often. Thus, you might want to focus on exhibiting opportunities near you or online venues that specialize in giving opportunities to artists who would otherwise be isolated.

Keep in mind that I'm mainly talking about city galleries. Rural galleries might have a different outlook on 'view my art' soliciting. I still think that getting to know more about a gallery in person, no matter where the gallery is located, is the best choice for you if you are seeking gallery representation. Also, remember that you do not exactly need to rely on brick & mortar galleries ... you can always represent yourself by utilizing sites like www.myartspace.com, www.youtube.com, and www.myspace.com as tools for exposure. Combine your efforts-- place links to your art accounts on your Youtube and Myspace account and place links to your Youtube and Myspace accounts on your art accounts. Be active online... network with artists and curators that you meet. Keep in mind that many established artists started out this way. Don't sweat over gallery representation.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
www.myartspace.com/balhatain

Premium Selection: Derek Ogbourne, Brian Hoover, and William Brovelli

Here are a few www.myartspace.com Premium members of note for this week. I will post a select group of artists each Monday. Feel free to leave comments for these artists.

Critics have noted that there is no room for comfort in the work that Derek Ogbourne has created. Derek captures the sadness of mortality and the fragility of our existence within the context of his work. He explores our collective fears and weaknesses by creating scenarios that are at times alarming-- scenarios that are charged with a darkly surreal energy that captures our morbid fascinations. Derek is represented by Carter Presents and Galerie Brigitte Schenk.


www.myartspace.com/derekogbourne

"Ultimately, I would like people to respond the same way I do to many early Christian works - not for religious reasons, but for the fact that they were often strange, unworldly, powerful and even fearsome objects of reverence. I appropriate imagery from the ancient past to popular culture and combine it with dream imagery. I then endeavor to create a sense of myth and magic in the hope that I may create my own objects of reverence." -- Brian Hoover


www.myartspace.com/brianhoover

"The work is centered in exploring the possibilities that arise from mass production on an individual level and its accumulative results as well as the philosophical implications of choice, volition, and controll vs. chaos." -- William Brovelli


www.myartspace.com/webfigs

Learn more about Premium service on myartspace by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/premium

Premium Selection: Introduction

Starting Monday I plan to post the url for a select group of Premium www.myartspace.com members. I will post a new group each Monday from that point on. Readers of the blog can comment on the work and learn a little about the myartspace community as a whole. If there is enough interest I will make a daily Premium Selection post.

When possible I will post a flash gallery for each respected artist and their statement. Premium members have the option of creating html and flash galleries. If a statement is not available I will post some brief information that is provided on the artists account. Today I will post a teaser of sorts by introducing the readership to a few artists who are part of the www.myartspace.com community.

NOTE: If at some point a gallery does not play it most likely means that the artist has deleted the gallery. If that is the case, click on the link below the gallery to go to the artists profile on www.myartspace.com where you can view their active galleries. ALSO, galleries may contain music... in order to stop the gallery simply refresh your screen... unless you like to be hit with a barrage of music from several active galleries-- some of us do. :P

"People often think I am trying to be offensive with my Islamic based art. This is a huge misconception as I am Muslim myself and would not want to offend my own faith. The work is about the distorted view many Muslims have of their faith and culture and what makes a 'good' Muslim - especially in a western society." --Sarah Maple



www.myartspace.com/sarahmaple

Lois Foley was a highly accomplished and prolifiic artist. She painted for over 50 years. Her work was shown and admired around the world. Lois Foley is deceased.



www.myartspace.com/loisfoley

"My work is an expression of personal experiences that have had devastated, antagonized, and encouraged me.I am fascinated by simple yet beautiful forms, especially those found in nature.The use of abstracted forms allows the viewer to connect with the work without preconceptions. By abstracting a simple shape, I am able to create complexity through color, texture and light. I want to continue to portray interesting, passionate, disquieting, and beautiful moments of human life." --Christine Hilbert

www.myartspace.com/christinehilbert

Myartspace site update

We've been busy building new features and capabilities into www.myartspace.com and we wanted to update you on some of the changes. Next week we'll be introducing some long overdue changes to the "Favorites" capability in myartspace so you can share your "playlist" or art with others. Myartspace offers free accounts as well as Premium accounts. The following is some info on the Premium accounts.

Premium Subscribers-- We wanted to let you know that all of the features promised in the premium subscription are now all up and operating. We recently added a premium subscriber page, social bookmarking capabilities, press release capability, event posting capability and evites to our capabilities.

The Premium Subscriber Artist Page-- From the home page of myartspace, clicking on the "Artist" label at the top brings up the first screen of featured artists. In the upper left corner of the screen you can see "View All Artists Premium". By clicking on the Premium you can locate our premium subscription members quickly and easily. This request was made by a number of collectors on the site.

Social Bookmarking Capability-- Added Social bookmarking is a way for people to store, organize and share web pages. For premium users, a social bookmarking capability can be added to the personal profile page so that others can quickly and easily mark your page in Digg, Del.icio.us, Facebook Share, Twitter, Stumble Upon and many others. Artists that are serious about getting their work viewed and recogized on the Internet realize they have to avail their web address to millions of prospective viewers. The social bookmark is a simple and powerful way of doing this.

Event Posting-- Premium subscribers can post to their personal profile page upcoming events for others to be able to monitor. The events can be for an upcoming solo or group show, for an exhibition at a local gallery, or any upcoming topic of interest. The location can be added and Google Maps will bring up a map of the precise location. Of course, if the search engines such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN pick up the event, then it will be available to a substantially larger number of people.

Evite Capability-- eVites are quick and easy to make for premium subscribers. When an artist posts an event, he has an option to create a corresponding eVite, or electronic invitation that can be sent out to your network or beyond. Artists can select a piece of art from their image library to include in the eVite
.
Signing up for premium services is quick and easy. Currently, you can sign up for premium services for $50/year. In July, this figure will rise to our normal price of $75/year. In addition to the features above, you get a personal web address on myartspace, the advanced personal profile, the ability to add video and music to your personal profile page, an alternative HTML gallery template to show your work, the ability to order and reorder you galleries, portfolios and images, and a catalog/eBook capability for your work.

Our next major capability for the myartspace community is The New York Art Exchange, a very contemporary way for artists to sell their art on the web. We will keep you all informed as we move closer to rolling this capability into production.

Kind Regards,

Brian Skiba

CatMacArt Corporation

Sign up for the Weekly Featured Art Edition

The myartspace Weekly Featured Art Edition is an "opt-in" only publication. Sign up for it and you will receive a new edition each week. I will also be posting links to new editions on the blog.

Weekly Featured Art Edition

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

The new "Welcome Page" for members

If you are a member of myartspace, starting next week you will be greeted by a more friendly and informative welcome screen. The intent is to pull together useful information and make it available at your fingertips (or at least the tip of your mouse!) when you enter myartspace. So you can see how many new messages you have, how many invitations you have to join other people's network. You can see you current galleries and network. You can edit your profile, attach music or video to your galleries or even send out an email to dozens of friends pointing them to your myartspace profile page and all your galleries. This is part of a long-term ongoing effort at making myartspace a more friendly, more productive site for you to be on.




That's all for now.