The NORMAL CHALLENGED Artist

Artisitic Inspiration is a Jealous Lover

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:16:00 +0000

INSPIRED BY INSPIRATION

How a cooking show and some butterflies interrupted my morning coffee.

I was watching "Avec Eric", a cooking show with Chef Eric Ripert, while I sipped my early morning mocha. When he asked another chef where his inspiration came from it made me cringe. Personally, I loathe being asked that question. I don't want to spend my time thinking about where Inspiration comes from, I want to spend my time expressing Inspiration.

Maybe I'm afraid that if I look to closely at my Inspiration it will disappear, though more likely I don't like to think about it because I don't really know exactly where this constant companion comes from. Inspiration was my imaginary friend for as long as I can remember, it's always been there and it rarely disappears.

Though I don't know where my Inspiration comes from I do know how it gets my attention. Sometimes it will strike me like a mugger boinking me over the head with a full blown concept and sometimes it comes like a thief in the night armed with just a germ of an idea that robs me of my sleep. Often it acts like a nosy neighbor who comes knocking on my door for some sketchy gossip, interrupting my plans for the day. Annoying as it's timing can be, Inspiration has also gently whispered to me numerous times, taking my hand when I'm grieving from a loss and guiding me to a new project to ease my pain. Inspiration has been my best friend and a caring lover at the worst times of my life.

I admit that Inspiration and I have a love/hate relationship. I am never without Inspiration, it constantly bombards me with ideas, smothering me with a constant demand to draw this and write that. It interrupts me when I'm washing dishes, it tugs at my mind when I'm trying to relax and it badgers me to constantly create, create, create until I'm exhausted from the efforts to please. My nature to get things done NOW is in direct conflict with Inspiration's multi-tasking. There aren't enough hours in the day or days in the year to do all the work that is on my Inspiration's to-do list.

My life is littered with sticky notes of Inspiration. It's the bane and the blessing of my life as an artist and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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The Most Important Sales Techniques for Selling and Marketing Your Art

MY LATEST POP ART CREATIONS - Retro Style Sixties Pop Art goes Contemporary

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:54:00 +0000

Images ©2010 by PopArtDiva.Com. All Rights Reserved.
No permission is given to copy, share, distribute, reproduce, post or print without written authorization.
Contact PopArtDiva.Com for licensing information.

Above are my latest works of Pop Art for PopArtDiva.Com and The PopArtDiva Gift Gallery. You can read more about them at The PopArtDiva Blog - how they came about, what techniques I used, what inspired me, etcetera.

As always all the designs are available on Posters in a myriad of sizes and mediums, T-shirts in assorted colors and styles, cards, invitations, cups, aprons, caps - even cool retro style sneakers and skateboards! All fully customizable and personalizable!

All images are available for licensing for your product, site or business - just Contact Me for licensing details.

To purchase any of the products or art simply click the image or the links below!

RETRO SIXTIES POP ART SKY
POP ART GUITARS
BIG BANG BLACK HOLE POP ART
POP ART SKULLS

POP ART MARTINIS

POP ART HOT DOGS w/ Chips & Soda!

Have a design you'd like to see on tees, cups, aprons & other gear? Create one or create your own store at Zazzle:

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The Most Important Sales Techniques for Selling and Marketing Your Art

Pop Art Food & August is American Artist Appreciation Month

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:06:00 +0000

POP ART FOOD
Pop Art Burger & Fries, Pop Art Cookies, Pop Art Pie, Pop Art Cake

This is what I've been working on the last month or so - Pop Art Foods. I've wanted to do this pop art edible series for ages and I got started with my Pop Art Cupcakes, then came Pop Art Popsicles and Pop Art Ice Cream Cones then it just took off from there. Having a great time with it too! Next? Pop Art Hot Dogs, what else?

Upcoming art events for August

Just to let you know, August is American Artist Appreciation Month. There should be some great shows and events in your local galleries and museums featuring American Artists.

Plan ahead, call around and see what you can line up to add to your artistic education and appreciation.

I'm searching for some retrospectives on the American Pop Artists.

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What Kind of an Artist Will You Be? Define Your Product First.Creating Your Booth - Making a Portable Gallery That Works Preparing To Do An Art Show - Getting your art, your booth and yourself together The Most Important Sales Techniques for Selling and Marketing Your Art

Work of Art - The Next Great Artist : Are you watching?

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:26:00 +0000

Two episodes of Work of Art - The Next Great Artist have appeared on Bravo.

I really liked this last episode where they were taken to an electronics "junk yard" and given the task of putting together a sculpture from whatever they could grab and drag back to the studio with them.

Miles - who admits he has OCD - got so disturbed by the mess he took a nap in the junk yard. He also took a nap on his sculpture during the showing. I won't say more - no spoilers here - but he is one of the more interesting participants.

I liked this challenged and kind of wished I was a part of it. It looked like great fun and I love the idea of re-purposing trash into art. Makes me want to run out and pillage my neighbors trash cans.

I rather liked most of the efforts put forth - I thought the judges were a bit harsh on a few. I always keep in mind that art is subjective and each viewer brings their own perspective and life experiences to the party, including so called experts, so all art competitions are a bit pointless in a way. Art is such a personal thing to both the artist and those who experience the work that I've always taken all proclamations of "good art/bad art" with a grain of salt.

Are you watching?
What do you think so far?
Which artist annoys you and which one is your personal favorite?
What do you think of art critics and art competitions??
Would you like to have "nap" as your art medium?

Have a good day and keep creating no matter what anyone says to you.

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Well, Whaddya Know - An ARTIST'S REALITY SHOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:55:00 +0000

Thought you might be interested to know that Bravo TV is going to have a reality show about Artists! After all the love - cooking - racing - snarking reality shows have littered up the small screen we artists finally get our two crayons worth in!

Work of Art - The Next Great Artist debuts on June 9th on Bravo - check your local listings for the times. I'm looking forward to it, I often thought about suggesting one but then I wondered, "how much drama could there be in one of us painting, drawing, sculpting away for cash and prizes?"

How stupid of me! Artists are naturally dramatic and don't you believe if anyone tells you there is no jealousy, envy or any of the other downfalls of humanity in the art community. After 30 years of doing art shows, working in art and advertising departments and dealing with fellow art co-workers, I should know better!

It should be interesting, if not all that based in reality, despite being a reality show. It is television after all and I'm sure ratings will come into play. I'm certainly going to watch with interest and I wanted to share the news with you. Please let me know what you think after the first episode or two! I'll try to get back here and post about it.

Yes, I've been remiss in posting lately - thank the fact that I am buried under a load of design requests and commissions as well as continuing to create for my online stores and rebuilding my website yet again!

BTW, check out the show's website on the link above - they even have an online drawing tool you can doodle around with. I'm going back now to check out the artists they've lined up and I already have one issue with the show - they're all young! Hey, Bravo, old people have talent too!!!!

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Happy Valentine's Day - FREE Art Books for You.

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:19:00 +0000

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Here's my gift to you - a link to FREE Art Instruction Books you can download in PDF format - including Watercolor for Dummies!

Just click the book cover and it will take you to a page for the download - use the FREE download and just be a bit patient. The file will download as a zip file and the PDF book is in the last file folder!

I just downloaded two free Sydney Sheldon Novels!

Enjoy!

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CREATE A FONT OF YOUR OWN HANDWRITING FOR FREE!

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:30:00 +0000

I discovered this great site where you can create a font of your own handwriting for FREE. I did it and now have my own handwriting style in a font on my computer:

I call is "I Failed Handwriting" for a joke because I actually did fail handwriting in grade school. It was the "cursive" version of handwriting and I failed because I refused to draw some of the letters the way we were supposed to - in particular the "T" because it was so ugly. If it hadn't been the first letter of my first name maybe I wouldn't have been so stubborn, lol.

I am going to do some more fonts here for my own graphics uses too - I'm already playing around using different mediums like pencils and crayons. I think this is the coolest thing since sliced bread for artists and graphic designers and wanted to share it with you!

If you want to create a font of your handwriting go to:
FONTCAPTURE.COM

Merry Christmas and don't say I never gave ya nothin', lol!

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THE CHANGING FACE OF ADVERTISING - WHY YOU SHOULD USE SOCIAL MARKETING

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:11:00 +0000

I've spent way too much time lately trying to convince my clients that they need to rethink their marketing and advertising strategy. The business model of the advertising is changing and it's changing fast thanks to social media like Twitter.

No longer can you just splat a few ads on the tube or in print and watch the cash roll in - your target audience is older, wiser and pretty savvy to the prehistoric tactics of yesteryear's Mad Men. Your buyers are talking amongst themselves about you and your products in under 140 characters. Your customer can now be your best friend or your worst enemy and they can become that in one viral tweet. You can make that work for you or you can let it bite you in the behind.

If you want to sell a product, if you want to promote your brand you also need to be aware that there's a big Purple Cow in the room now and it's the belle of the ball. What's a Purple Cow? Read the book, it will change how you think about marketing and promotion.

It's important that you update your approach to how you establish and maintain your brand. It's important that you get involved with and use social media in today's business climate. I can say that again and again but I can't emphasis it any better or with more authority than this video of Hank Wasiak: From Mad Man to Twitteraholic:

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LEARN HOW TO DO ART AND CRAFT SHOWS FOR PROFIT AND FUN STEP BY STEP
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The Most Important Sales Techniques for Selling and Marketing Your Art

NORMAN ROCKWELL - A peek into a great illustrator's techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:23:00 +0000

Scout at Ships Wheel is in the Public Domain, as work was first published in 1913 in the U.S. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Thanks to @CheapJoesArt on Twitter I found this great article on one of the artists who inspired me to become an artist myself - Norman Rockwell.

It is a wonderful article that gives artist and non-artist alike a peek into the process of creating an illustration for publication. It shows how Mr. Rockwell created his amazing photo realistic illustrations from photographs that he created and staged as his inspiration and starting point for a rendering. He often used friends and neighbors as his models, "setting the stage" for his visual story using real people, real life and a wonderfully quirky sense of humor.

Much has been said of the fact that Rockwell used photographs to create his illustrations, tracing them onto his canvas for his sketch. I would like to point out that tracing photographs, using projectors and otherwise using shortcuts when creating a rendering is a legitimate method of getting an initial "sketch" down for a starting point. In photo realism this is just a smart way to start and it's a serious time saver for the professional illustrator on a deadline.

Photo realism is just that - a painting so meticulous that it sometimes cannot be distinguished from an actual photograph. Whether or not you like this style of painting, it is an extremely time consuming and technically difficult style. It requires an artist of great skill and ability and Norman Rockwell was an artist of that caliber. His creativity is highly evident in the tableaus he staged and in the humor and changes to facial expressions he instilled in the final illustrations.

Once upon a time the art world considered artists who painted illustrations on demand for magazines or publications not "real" artists - they were called "commercial" artists to distinguish them from "real" or "fine" artists. What a crock. Especially if you are enough of an art history buff to realize that some of the greatest "fine artists" and masters were "commercial" artists!

Exactly what would you call painting the churches, sculpting busts and bronzes of the Medici family if not "work for hire"? If it were not for "commercial" commissions of the past - like the Sistine Chapel! - some of the greatest artists of all time might never have been noticed, their work never preserved and maybe most of it not even created!

As a young girl I found out about Norman Rockwell through my father who worked for the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Rockwell had done several illustrations for this organization over the years and my dad showed me several examples of Mr. Rockwell's work. You might be interested to know that one of these paintings of a scout, Scout at Ship's Wheel (the September 1913 cover of Boys' Life magazine for the Boy Scouts of America) , was Rockwell's first published magazine cover illustration! It seems like Life and The Boy Scouts of America might have been Mr. Rockwell's modern day Medici patrons.

Normal Rockwell was an artistic genius who had his finger on the pulse of the America of his lifetime and put that finger to work to preserve a visual memory of simpler times and even history. That is what I would call a master of art.

My thanks to The Norman Rockwell Family Agency for allowing the photos and the article on this great American artist thus giving us a look at the creative process at work.

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I did a Star Trek Book Cover Once - And forgot I did it!

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:25:00 +0000

So, I was digging through some boxes that I got out of storage and look what I found! This is a book cover illustration I did ages ago for a Star Trek novel that never got published.

I forgot I'd even done it! Thought you'd all get a kick out of it. I sure did.

Peace and Long Life!

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My NEW Hand Painted Martini Glasses Make Great Snack Dishes

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:35:00 +0000

My new Hand Painted One-of-a-Kind, Original
MARTINI GLASSES

are now available for purchase - just in time for Christmas!

I have missed painting so much that I started to do some small original paintings (The Pop Art Divas) and also some of these hand painted martini glasses. I am having a blast doing art just for myself again!

I'm so tickled with how they have turned out I'm posting them on every one of my blogs, lol. I have plans to use my set for not only serving martinis but for dishing up desserts with some pop art punch and serving snacks and stuff at my cocktail parties - they make great serving dishes as well as martini glasses. . . I also put some votive candles in them for mood lighting!

Check out what else you can do with them besides drink martinis in them:

To read all about them and get more information on how you can order a set check out my new blog dedicated just to my original paintings and creations - The Original Art of Pop Art Diva.

or you can go right to my New Etsy store where I sell the glasses as well as my one-of-a-kind pop art paintings:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE SETS of my
HAND PAINTED MARTINI GLASSES
and get ready to give yourself or a friend the gift of One-of-a-kind Happy Hours for years to come!

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Street Art: Joshua Allen Harris' Inflatable Bag Monsters

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:34:00 +0000

Just when you thought you had seen it all in the art world, suddenly someone comes up with something totally new and unique and wonderful. Check out these truly creative, fun and animated sculptures that go from looking like trash to becoming a bag full of fantasy:

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Trompe l'oeil artist Julian Beever - the Pavement Picasso

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:56:00 +0000

Before I start painting today (YES! I have started real life painting again - check it out on The Original Art of Pop Art Diva!) I wanted to introduce you to an artist known as the Pavement Picasso, Julian Beever.

I've mentioned his work before but his talent is so great I wanted to make sure you saw his work. He is an extraordinary UK artist who does these incredible trompe l'oeil paintings on sidewalks. They are masterpieces of illusion and fantasy, viewing them takes you to another world - a world created entirely in chalk.

Because these drawings are soon eradicated by pedestrian traffic, they are temporary and interactive art. Part of the whole experience is how people react and interact with the art and the artist. The only records of these works of art are the photographs taken, the art itself slowly disappears as the world passes by.

I have to admit I hate the idea of the original works of art being destroyed. Beever's work is so tremendous you can look at it for hours. It hurts something in my artist's soul to know that they won't exist in a few days, but it may be part of the art is that knowledge of it's fleeting existence.

It makes you wonder what art is. Is it the actual work that is created, is it the creation of that work, is it the sharing of the work and creativity, or is it the thoughts and emotions that art inspires? Maybe art is all those things.

JULIAN BEEVER'S WEBSITE

What is Trompe l'oeil?

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YOU MIGHT BE AN ARTIST IF . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:45:00 +0000

I'm tweeting YOU MIGHT BE AN ARTIST IF. . . . jokes all day today on my @popartdiva tweet account so give me a follow if you want a chuckle or two OR if you have a good response to "you might be an artist if. . ."

Just having a little art fun!

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Picasso's Citroën - Car Art is an Understatement!

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +0000

I WANT THIS CAR!

Is this not the coolest looking car you've ever seen? This is the result when and art meets automotive. Custom car builder Andy Saunders created this absolutely wonderful and truly creative rolling version of a Picasso cubist painting - I think the painting that inspired it might have been: Le Rêve, what do you think?

~~ANNOUNCEMENT! ~~

I am starting to paint again after a hiatus of almost a year and a half - yup, real honest to goodness paintings in acrylic on canvas (well, canvas boards right now). I have started a line of miniature ORIGINAL acrylic paintings called The Pop Art Divas - check them out on my new Pop Art Diva Blog just for them.

I've been doing all digital art since I retired from the art shows a year ago this last May and I found myself badly missing the feel of a brush in my hand and some serious "me" time with a blank canvas. When I found a stack of little canvas boards I got an inspiration - why shouldn't the PopArtDiva paint Pop Art Divas? I love painting faces and I love retro style sixties cartoon style pop art. These little canvas boards made me realize I could do little paintings and this allowed me to create the time for some painting and art for art's sake again!

I'll be doing these in my spare time (which isn't much) and posting them for sale on my new Etsy Site! So far I've gotten 8 sketches done and I'm really looking forward to the painting stage! To keep up with their progress visit the Pop Art Divas Blog.

I expect the prices for these little mini masterpieces to run from around $20 or $25 up to about $100 each, plus any shipping and/or sales taxes. They'll be for sale on my Etsy store but I will announce them as they're created and post photos and stories about them here.

Stop by and read my introduction post and check out the very first sketches for my new Pop Art Divas series of original art!

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JACKSON POLLOCK - Did he hide his name in "Mural"?

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:52:00 +0000

According to this article at Smithsonian.com Jackson Pollock incorporated his own name into his famous 1943 painting "Mural". The author said it was his wife who first noticed the letters "son" in the top right of the canvas. They both then went on to "hunt down" the rest of Pollock's name.

I don't know. Frankly, you can make a case either way. It's very easy to see things in abstract paintings that were not in the artist's conception of the piece. I've had it happen in my work often. The human mind wants to make something "recognizable" from what it sees as "chaos" and so people will see a tree where there really isn't one, or an eagle's head or whatever their own imagination can shove the abstract image into.

I do know that many famous artists have hidden things in their paintings for various reasons so it's not inconceivable that Pollock did this. According to one art expert quoted in the article, Pollock would use some form of figurative device as a starting point for his paintings so maybe with "Mural" he simply used his name. In abstract art this is not an unusual technique if you don't have a concept in mind when you're starting an image. I've done something like that myself - it's like a jump start for your creativity.

You be the judge. I prefer not to try to shove an abstract image into a concrete "thing". Instead I choose to enjoy the play of color, form, texture and energy the artist managed to get on the canvas. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and an abstract is just that - an abstract.

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OLD STYLE MAD MEN, "We don't need no stinkin' Twitter!"

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Below is a very interesting and thought provoking video posted YouTube on the Social Media and it's growing influence on how we communicate, interact and even market our brands and products today. There are a few very powerful statistics and points put forth on the growth and power of social media that might shock you:

If Facebook were a country it would be the fourth largest in the world.
Social Media has over taken PORN as the #1 activity on the web.
78% of consumers trust peer recommendations whereas only 14% trust advertisements
35% of book sales on Amazon are for the Kindle

I don't know how accurate the statistics in this video are - too bad YouTube doesn't have an appendix, however statistics aren't necessary to see that social media and the Internet have changed the way we communicate in a radically short amount of time.

I wanted to share this video with you because it is well made and it reinforces what I continually point out: If you are attempting to build your brand you cannot ignore the Internet and you cannot push social media aside as "silly kid stuff" anymore. Watch the full four and a half minutes, it will open your eyes and you won't regret the investment of time:

I don't believe you can consider this new form of communication a fad. Fads are, by definition a "short lived" phenomenon, whereas a trend is "a prevailing tendency", so maybe it's a trend - something that changes course and morphs as it moves along. This is the nature of technology, isn't it? I believe that this is exactly what social media will do and this means it will be necessary for any company or individual desirous of effective marketing to stay abreast of the changes and be able to change course along with this new method of interaction.

Traditional media sources like newspapers and television are losing ground to the Internet. I have gotten news on Twitter sometimes hours before it showed up on the news on TV and obviously way before a newspaper landed on my wet lawn or in my gutter 30 feet away from my front door. Yes, you have to "check your source" on sites like Twitter and Facebook because people will tweet and retweet information they have not confirmed - it is a case of Caveat Emptor or, in this case, let the "tweeter" beware, but it's a matter of a few searches and a few moments usually before I have the "real skinny" on any news item.

What does this mean to those of us who are trying to sell a product, build a brand or promote a service? It means that we now have the same tools at our fingertips that that Madison Avenue has but it also means we can no longer hide in anonymity. Exposure is instant and viral - it means that new ideas and products get great exposure in a seriously shorter time period, what you say on the Internet is out there in a nano second and it stays there.

In today's world you can reach millions or possibly billions with less effort and cost than traditional media, it means even the little guy can get into the advertising and marketing game and become a mini Mad Man or Mad Woman. But it also means that bad corporate moves can become fodder for hilarious YouTube videos, a public relations blunder could turn into a world wide nightmare for a company and a moment of stupidity where you tweet how much you hate your job can cost you that job. The Internet and social media are great tools for promoting yourself and your brand but, like any tool, you have to learn how to use them to wield them to their best advantage.

For myself and my brands - PopArtDiva, The Martini Diva, The Diva of Tiny Foods and, of course, The Normal Challenged Artist - I have chosen to put a very personal and unique face on my image. I bring a lot of my own personality and a lot of my sometimes snarky sense of humor and what my Mom used to call my "smart mouth" to my branding. I am what is termed a "personality brand" as opposed to a "corporate brand."

I do promote my online stores, my website, my products and my blogs but I also share information, link to my free recipes and art, tweet fun information and quotes and I make comments on other content and trends going on that particular day. I interact with fellow social media players and create acquaintances and network with like minded people. I do not try to increase my followers (Twitter) or friends (Facebook) artificially to gain high numbers. I am after quality not quantity. I want those people who link-in with me to actually read what I have to say and pay attention. If they don't then I am wasting my time trying to promote anything.

Primarily I use Twitter and Facebook, as well as Linked-In and a few industry pertinent sites. I do have MySpaces, YouTubes and other accounts as well. I use several tools like Ping.fm, Twitterfeed, SocialOoomph (formerly Tweetlater), TweetDeck, Bit.ly, SplitTweet and a few others to semi-automate my feeds and I spend my time on the top 5 social media sites primarily. I watch the trends and search the rankings to see who's hot and who's not. Yes, it's a lot of work and takes a lot of time. That is why this whole phenomenon has actually created a whole new job classification - Social Media Directors and Account Managers. (Think I'm kidding? Do a search and see how much these jobs pay!)

Whether you are a giant corporate brand, a celebrity, a politician, a soccer mom or an individual artist just trying to make a living with your creativity there's a reason for you to use social media. (Take a look at who's using Twitter!) Corporations are now using it for customer relations, PR, as well as marketing, individuals use it for staying in touch but you can use it to get a lot of exposure and exposure can translate into a better bottom line!

As for me? You may follow me on Twitter as @popartdiva and @TheMartiniDiva and you can friend me on Facebook as well as google my YouTubes, MySpaces, blah, blah, blah- you'll see how I use these new tools and you'll also get all my blog updates and news before they land in your e-mail box!

Happy and Prosperous Tweeting, Friending and Networking to you all.

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LEARN HOW TO DO ART AND CRAFT SHOWS FOR PROFIT AND FUN STEP BY STEP
Click the links below to download my articles for a nominal fee of only $2.50 each:

What Kind of an Artist Will You Be? Define Your Product First.
Creating Your Booth - Making a Portable Gallery That Works
Preparing To Do An Art Show - Getting your art, your booth and yourself together
The Most Important Sales Techniques for Selling and Marketing Your Art

MORE WAYS TO SELL YOUR ART ONLINE - What are you waiting for?

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:43:00 +0000

I am always looking for new ways to sell my art. My last post told you about creating a Zazzle store and selling your art on tees, posters, cups, etc. (that's a screen print of my homepage above) and I hope you looked into it. I now have nine zazzle stores (links below) and they are starting to get some nice sales thanks to my promoting on Twitter, Facebook and my websites and blogs. (BTW, you can see how I market them each and every day if you Follow me on Twitter and Friend me on Facebook!)

Today I'd like to tell you about selling your art as an electronic file. I do this in several ways. I create my art as files in formats and sizes for people to use on the web or to print at several different stock photo and e-download sites. There are quite a few of these kinds of sites out there like Fotolia, iStockPhoto and Dreamstime and PayLoadz, etc. Right now I'm setting up my Dreamstime account and uploading images there for sale.

Now, this is a numbers game. You aren't going to make piles of cash per image BUT remember millions of people are out there looking for cheap images they can use on the blogs and websites or art they can use for printing. It's a licensing agreement between you and the particular site and each site has different requirements and pay scales, you have to determine which ones you want to deal with. (Read their agreements VERY CAREFULLY! You don't want to hand over an exclusive right or even give them the full copyrights!)

The more images you have up the more chances you have of making money, it's as simple as that. You can design images for multiple use too - I create images that I can upload to Dreamstime and other stock photo sites but I also create a layout for use on products at one of my Zazzle stores or other POD (print on demand) stores - there's a ton of those out there too. So far I've used Cafepress and Zazzle but Empty Easel has great articles on the others and even ratings and tips. (P.S. I am closing down all of my paid CafePress stores and no longer recommend it to other artists as they changed their marketplace sales commission policies).

I plan on creating accounts at as many of these sites as possible. It's a time consuming process but the fact of the matter is the more places you sell your art the more exposure you have and the more chances of making money on your creativity. Selling art is a business and you have to work at making any business a success, but if you're willing to put in the time eventually you will be making a nice living from your art on the Internet.

If you're not willing to put in the time but still want to set up a POD store or an e-download account but you have the money to pay someone else to do it for you then CONTACT ME (PODsetup@popartdiva.com) - I have several POD set up packages available. I have done this for many non-artistic and/or non-techy types (see Feisty Side of Fifty's BOOMER BOUTIQUE - I also created the masthead and all the art for her slogans she wanted to market on products).

Take a look at these sites and set up a strategy of how you'll approach your sales and marketing. Think outside the box - try to fill a need out there that people might have for art. I set up a website called Easy Greeting Cards where I reformatted my designs as greeting cards, put them on a template and set them up as files people download and then print out. I use PayLoadz for the delivery and payment service. My thought was that often I need a greeting card to mail out but don't have one and don't want to waste time schlepping to the store for one stupid card - I thought maybe that service might solve a problem. Then I found out about Send Out Cards and I'm going to be adapting some of my designs for them too!

Now, get to clicking and start selling your art in new and exciting ways. Well, what are you waiting for?

The PopArtDiva™ Gift Gallery

The Martini Diva™ Boutique

Carousel Corner

Happy Holly Daze

Taking Care of Business

The Brat in the Hat RANTORIUM EMPORIUM™

Cocktail Napkin Wit & Wisdom

The Normal Challenged Artist™ Shoppe

TweetleBirdie™ - Twitter Stuff

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LEARN HOW TO DO ART AND CRAFT SHOWS FOR PROFIT AND FUN STEP BY STEP
Click the links below to download my articles for a nominal fee of only $2.50 each:

What Kind of an Artist Will You Be? Define Your Product First.
Creating Your Booth - Making a Portable Gallery That Works
Preparing To Do An Art Show - Getting your art, your booth and yourself together
The Most Important Sales Techniques for Selling and Marketing Your Art

MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR ART & PHOTOS AT ZAZZLE

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:19:00 +0000

I am in the process of moving my online POD (print on demand) stores over to Zazzle from CafePress. This is a result of commission policy changes at CafePress that seriously affected the bottom line of my sales profits. From what I'm seeing on Twitter I'm not the only one either.

That being said I want to say that it might be the best thing that could have happened (despite the amount of work that is involved). The customer interface at Zazzle is a much more effective sales arena, allowing you to set up your products to be personalized by your customers in a variety of ways including styles, colors and even adding their own thoughts, names and sayings.

I follow @zazzle on Twitter for their shopkeeper updates and quick question/answer issues. Their response on Twitter is almost immediate which I truly appreciate if I'm working on uploading a new design or creating a new product and need emergency help. (P.S. You can follow me on Twitter as @popartdiva)

Also helpful are the video tutorials at Zazzle's YouTube University Channel - Rob Greenleaf has done an excellent job explaining the Zazzle shopbuilding experience from learning the dashboard right through to training on their store builder software for creating your website store.

I had one little problem with one of the tutorials and posted a comment on that particular video expecting I would have to go back in a few days to see Rob's response. Within an hour I got an e-mail from Rob about my comment/question. Rob works at Zazzle and tried to call me but (silly me) I had a typo in my phone number on my account. That didn't stop him - he then e-mailed me and told me he'd tried to call and would be happy to personally help me with the issue if I provided him with a correct number. I did and within minutes I got a call from him.

Rob spent nearly half an hour on the phone with me! This is an amazing example of superior customer service and support to their shopkeepers. He went above and beyond the call of duty and I have not experienced that level of service in decades - online or off!

Yes, this is going to be a long and arduous process - rebuilding my main store - The PopArtDiva Gift Gallery - and growing my two new stores - The Martini Diva Boutique and TweetleBirdie BUT with this kind of help my job is going to be that much easier.

I encourage any of your artists out there with designs that you think would be great on tees, aprons, cups and other products to give Zazzle an opportunity to help you make money with your art.

And for you artists with hand made, one of a kind creative works try setting up an Etsy store - I'm thinking of doing some hand painted martini glasses for The Martini Diva and that's exactly where I plan to test the designs, promote and sell them!

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LEARN HOW TO DO ART AND CRAFT SHOWS FOR PROFIT AND FUN STEP BY STEP
Click the links below to download my articles for a nominal fee of only $2.50 each:

What Kind of an Artist Will You Be? Define Your Product First.
Creating Your Booth - Making a Portable Gallery That Works
Preparing To Do An Art Show - Getting your art, your booth and yourself together
The Most Important Sales Techniques for Selling and Marketing Your Art

Twitter Tees & Gifts on Zazzle - Make Money with Your Art

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:06:00 +0000

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I just finished four designs for my new Zazzle store: TweetleBirdie - Fun Stuff for Twitter Fans and Other Social Media Lovers. I also have two other stores The PopArtDiva Gift Gallery and The Martini Diva Boutique - both of which I am currently adding designs to as I get them reformatted.

I'm switching over to Zazzle from CafePress over the next few months because of commission payment changes at CafePress. But interestingly enough I've been looking at Zazzle anyway and this just shoved me over a bit faster. I have to say I LOVE Zazzle's customer interface - it's so much more efficient and it allows the designer to give clients a way to personalize if they want - very clever.

It's not quite as easy to set up - not as intuitive - but that's because it's a much deeper interface and allows you to let your customers PERSONALIZE their product, plus it makes more options available on all it's product line. You have a bunch of cool cups, including 2 styles of travel mugs, instead of just one or two, people can pick different tee styles and colors and there's even postage and skateboards you can design! I do wish they had the ceramic tiles though - Zazzle, can you hear me?

Zazzle also has great promotional tools - like an easy to build flash panel that features your products. Check mine out for TweetleBirdie below:
TweetleBirdie

My little window display allows you to stop motion, zoom in on any product, make a comment about the product, rate my products and click to buy right here!

If you're interested in building your own store, check out mine and then click over to their Sell area and "create a store" with your own art. Just click the image below to get started:

Publish Post

Or you can just purchase my fun social networking - social media tees at
TweetleBirdie
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And you can still get my fun NORMAL CHALLENGED ARTIST design on tees & stuff at The Normal Challenged Artist Shop but only here as I have made the store private and just for my blog and website visitors only!

The Costs of Creativity - Artists, Selfish or Genius?

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:47:00 +0000

My friend, Joyce Mason (The Radical Virgo & Hot Flashbacks, Cool Insights) sent me this link to a video about the issues of creativity, the costs of being creative, nurturing creativity from Elizabeth Gilbert that I found extremely interesting.

If you are a creative person I think you will find this video interesting too, especially the points she makes about being a creative type in today's world versus being a creative type in past history - very, very interesting statements on this video.

I also read several of the comments on the video - a few made statements like "self-absorbed". I believe that to be a truly creative individual we must be somewhat self-absorbed and, yes, even selfish. Is this bad? I don't think so - I think we must honor ourselves if we wish to honor and help others, but maybe that's just an easy excuse for selfishness.

So, what do you think about this video and the points made in it and in the comments?

Buy Great Products at The Normal Challenged Artist Shop!

Accidental Art - How a Rowdy Grandma Turns Spills into Art

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:16:00 +0000

I just got through reading a post from Cindy Shepard aka The Rowdy Grandma about how she took the spills, drips and accidents from art sessions with her grandchildren into Accidental Art.

Not only does Cindy see art in things other folks would consider a disaster, she also manages to ease the feelings of her grandchildren and teach them something at the same time - and she gets a new "floor" after every visit for free!

This is what I consider creativity squared! Cindy has taken her creativity and created a win/win situation in her home. Kudos! Cindy, maybe we should start an Accidental Art Gallery?

Read: Accidental Art - One Rowdy Grandma Gets Creatively Smart

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Buy Great Products at The Normal Challenged Artist Shop!

The Sidewalk Chalk Guy - Art on Pavement

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Photo from gprime.net

Believe it or not the image above is really a chalk drawing on the sidewalk!! Sidewalk Chalk Guy is the artist and his work is amazing - all the more so because it's a temporary canvas that can be walked or rained away in a moment! His name is Julian Beever and he does this all over the world.

Enjoy these images and get inspired!

For my latest art and creativity stories visit
Life Is Like Art - It's All in How You Look At It.

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Buy Great Products at The Normal Challenged Artist Shop!

The IMAGINE PEACE TOWER for John Lennon lit tonight - watch live online.

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:21:00 +0000

Yoko Ono announced on Twitter this morning that the Imagine Peace Tower that she created in memory of John Lennon will be lit tonight for one week on Viðey Island, Reykjavik, Iceland, more info at www.IMAGINEPEACE.com

IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is an outdoor work of art conceived by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon. It is situated on Viðey Island in Reykjavík, Iceland [map], powered entirely by Geothermal Energy. The artwork was dedicated to John by Yoko at its unveiling on 9 Oct 2007, Lennon's 67th birthday. IMAGINE PEACE TOWER symbolizes Lennon's and Ono's continuing campaign for World Peace which began in the 1960s, was sealed by their marriage in 1968 and will continue forever.

Click here to view the

IMAGINE PEACE TOWER LIVE at EarthCam Control

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Buy Great Products at The Normal Challenged Artist Shop!

HARBIN CHINA - A CITY OF SCULPTURE, A FESTIVAL OF ART - ALL IN ICE!

noreply@blogger.com (Pop Art Diva Enterprises) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:17:00 +0000

I seem to be finding a ton of great art to show you in the last week - probably the universe telling me to get my butt back here and start posting some new tips and advice for selling your art again! I have been neglectful of late because I have been quite busy selling my art as well as moving to a new state (you can read about all my art projects and commissions etcetera at my Life Is Like Art Blog).

Anyway, after finding the wonderful commercial that used stupendous Origami sculpture to get it's point across, the next thing I came across was a movie on The Harbin China Ice Festival and I was blown away!

Take a look at this video:

More Photos of the Ice Sculptures

Photos of the Festival - they light up the sculptures with color at night!

Photo courtesy of Fresh Pics - www.freshpics.blogspot.com - which by the way is a pretty darn cool photo site to check out!
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Buy Great Products at The Normal Challenged Artist Shop!