Archive for December, 2011
Why Every Artist Needs A Blog How To Create An
December 31st, 2011 | 
Author: Why Every Artist Needs A Blog How To Create An Artist Blog
As an artist the key to selling more artwork is maximizing itsexposure. The internet is an increasingly popular tool forpromoting original art and if done properly can be quiteprofitable.
One of the most effective and free! online marketing tools forartists is the blog. Artist blogs provide an easy way to displayyour art discuss your creative process post exhibitionannouncements and more. Best of all blogs require no workingknowledge of HTML and the search engines love their dynamiccontent.
What is a blog and how will it sell my art?
A “blog” is a webbased diary or journal. The author of a blogalso known as a “Blogger” publishes content on a regular basisabout a focused topic. These regular postings typically providea “community” feel by allowing site visitors to post feedback toyour journal entries. This mode of communication can deepenrelationships with potential art buyers leading to increasedsales.
Blogs also have the ability to archive all of your previousposts dynamically creating an individual page for each journalentry. The feature is great for art buyers using search enginesto find original art. For example if you have a blog postdescribing a painting that you just completed of the Golden GateBridge at sunset and an art buyer in Florida goes to Google andsearches for “painting of Golden Gate Bridge at sunset” thereis a very good chance that your blog entry will appear prettyhigh in the rankings. Cha Ching!!
Many artists have felt the pain of email marketing losing itseffect due to spam filters junk email overloads and virusparanoia. Blogs provide a new way to communicate with clientsfans and industry professionals. This trend can support youremail marketing efforts by allowing blog subscription optionsfor site visitors so that they are notified whenever your blogis updated along with providing a permanent place on the web forall of your postings as opposed to newsletter emails that aretypically deleted.
How to start a blog
Blog Publishing Tools
To begin visit some of these free blogging sites all offeringunique template options that even an artist can appreciateimage uploads and syndication ability.
Blogger.com Simpleto set up and multiple authoring ability
If you’re interesting in reviewing additional blog featuresthese sites require a small monthly fee to maintain.
Typepad starts at4.95/month
Tripod Blogs startsat 4.95/month
Note to artists with MySpace accounts: MySpaceprovides members personal blogs but it is important to knowthat MySpace blogs are not currently listed in search engineswhich as noted above is one of the main reasons to get a blog.While MySpace works to remedy this issue it is recommended thatyou blog using a tool that is accessible to search enginespiders.
Decide on a title for your blog
The title of your blog should be brief and to the point. Youcan get creative with your language in the blog description /tag line. A focused title will help with higher search enginerankings and make it clear to visitors what the blog is about.
For example the title for ThePauper.com blog is “
Blog theme
It’s important to establish yourself as a professional workingartist if you want to use your blog as a vehicle to sell yourart. Blog theme involves the layout and color of the pagequality of the artwork images displayed and verbiage used forblog postings. Select your blog template carefully and make ahabit to review your blog from the perspective of a potentialclient. Is the page visually appealing? Do the images of yourartwork provide a link to an extra large version to see detail?Does your content have a consistent theme? Here’s a good exampleof a working blog by mix engineer Ken Lewis:
What to write
What’s beautiful about blogs is that there are no rules on whatto write but if you want to attract and keep an audience youmight consider some of these suggestions.
Keep your posts creative and interesting. Move and inspire yourreaders by being completely honest about your creative process.
Use keywords in your blog title and post. Using theexample mentioned earlier if your post is about a Golden GateBridge painting be sure to use that exact phrase in the titleand body of your blog. Think about what people might type intosearch engines to find your content and then use those keywordsin your blog. This technique will help increase the ranking ofyour web page on search engines.
Post daily or at least twice a week. If you publish blogentries frequently you will see more return visitorssubscriptions to your blog and comments from site visitors.
Proofread and preview your blog entries before posting.Some blog HTML editors have a way of creating weird symbols outof certain characters and a quick spellcheck never hurts.Note: be sure to create your blog entries using Word or someother text editor. Many blogging tools tend to “time out” aftera certain amount of time and you could potentially lose hours ofwork.
Publish your blog Finally! Your blog looks great and hasunique content. Now depending on the blogging tool that youselected follow the steps to publish it to the World Wide Web.Test the live URL that now houses your blog. If all of yourgraphics appear correctly and the copy is flawless then youwant to make sure that you promote your blog on your personalwebsite in your email signature and by word of mouth.
Using the tools you already have to spread the word whiletesting your dedication to frequent posting is the best way toget started. Part 2 of will unveil tons of ways to promote yourblog online
About the writer: Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games action games card games flash games strategy games puzzle games and more. He also freelances for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com
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Ovecoming Writers Block
Ovecoming Writers Block
What is writer’s block?
Well I just can’t think of a single darn thing to say. Oh well I’m outta here!
Sound familiar? No! Oh get real! We’ve all experienced this phenomenon when we absolutely have to write something particularly on deadline. I’m talking about…uh I can’t think of what the word is…oh yes it’s on the tip of my tongue…it’s:
WRITER’S BLOCK!!!!
Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head and onto the page!
Writer’s block is the patron demon of the blank page. You may think you know EXACTLY what you’re going to write but as soon as that evil white screen appears before you your mind suddenly goes completely blank. I’m not talking about Zen meditation stareatthewalluntilenlightenmenthits kind of blank.
I’m talking about sweat trickling down the back of your neck anguish and panic and suffering kind of blank. The tighter the deadline the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.
Having said that let me say it again. “The tighter the deadline the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.” Now can you figure out what might possibly be causing this horrible plunge into speechlessness?
The answer is obvious: FEAR! You are terrified of that blank page. You are terrified you have absolutely nothing of value to say. You are afraid of the fear of writer’s block itself!
It doesn?t necessarily matter if you’ve done a decade of research and all you have to do is string sentences you can repeat in your sleep together into coherent paragraphs. Writer’s block can strike anyone at any time. Based in fear it raises our doubts about our own selfworth but it’s sneaky. It’s writer’s block after all so it doesn’t just come and let you know that. No it makes you feel like an idiot who just had your frontal lobes removed through your sinuses. If you dared to put forth words into the greater world they would surely come out as gibberish!
Let’s try and be rational with this irrational demon. Let’s make a list of what might possibly be beneath this terrible and terrifying condition.
1. Perfectionism. You must absolutely produce a masterpiece of literature straight off in the first draft. Otherwise you qualify as a complete failure.
2. Editing instead of composing. There’s your monkeymind sitting on your shoulder yelling as soon as you type “I was born?” no not that that’s wrong! That’s stupid! Correct correct correct correct?
3. Selfconsciousness. How can you think let alone write when all you can manage to do is pry the fingers of writer’s block away from your throat enough so you can gasp in a few shallow breaths? You’re not focusing on what you’re trying to write your focusing on those gnarly fingers around your windpipe.
4. Can’t get started. It’s always the first sentence that’s the hardest. As writers we all know how EXTREMELY important the first sentence is. It must be brilliant! It must be unique! It must hook your reader’s from the start! There’s no way we can get into writing the piece until we get past this impossible first sentence.
5. Shattered concentration. You’re cat is sick. You suspect your mate is cheating on you. Your electricity might be turned off any second. You have a crush on the local UPS deliveryman. You have a dinner party planned for your inlaws. You . . . Need I say more. How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental clutter?
6. Procrastination. It’s your favorite hobby. It’s your soul mate. It?s the reason you’ve knitted 60 argyle sweaters or made 300 bookcases in your garage workshop. It’s the reason you never run out of Brie.
FACE IT ? IT?S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE WRITER’S BLOCK!
How to Overcome Writer’s Block
Okay. I can hear that herd of you running away from this article as fast as you can. Absurd! you huff. Never in a million years you fume. Writer’s block is absolutely undeniably scientifically proven to be impossible to overcome.
Oh just get over it! Well I guess it’s not that easy. So try to sit down for just a few minutes and listen. All you have to do is listen ? you don’t have to actually write a single word.
Ah there you all are again. I am beginning to make you out now that the cloud of dust is settling.
I am here to tell you that WRITER’S BLOCK CAN BE OVERCOME.
Please remain seated.
There are ways to trick this nasty demon. Pick one pick several and give them a try. Soon before you even have a chance for your heartbeat to accelerate guess what? You’re writing.
Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming writer’s block:
1. Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself. I know that’s a clich?but as soon as you start writing feel free to improve on it. If you spend some time mulling over your project before you actually sit down to write you may be able to circumvent the worst of the crippling panic.
2. Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a masterpiece in the first draft. Don’t put any expectations on your writing at all! In fact tell yourself you’re going to write absolute garbage and then give yourself permission to happily stink up your writing room.
3. Compose instead of editing. Never never write your first draft with your monkeymind sitting on your shoulder making snide editorial comments. Composing is a magical process. It surpasses the conscious mind by galaxies. It’s even incomprehensible to the conscious editorial monkeymind. So prepare an ambush. Sit down at your computer or your desk. Take a deep breath and blow out all your thoughts. Let your finger hover over your keyboard or pick up your pen. And then pull a fake: appear to be about to begin to write but instead using your thumb and index finger of your dominant hand flick that little annoying ugly monkey back into the barrel of laughs it came from. Then jump in ? quickly! Write scribble scream howl let everything loose as long as you do it with a pen or your computer keyboard.
4. Forget the first sentence. You can sweat over that allimportant oneliner when you’ve finished your piece. Skip it! Go for the middle or even the end. Start wherever you can. Chances are when you read it over the first line will be blinking its little neon lights right at you from the depths of your composition.
5. Concentration. This is a hard one. Life throws us so many curve balls. How about thinking about your writing time as a little vacation from all those annoying worries. Banish them! Create a space perhaps even a physical one where nothing exists except the single present moment. If one of those irritating worries gets by you stomp on it like you would an ugly bug!
6. Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your research notes within sight. Use someone else’s writing to get going. Babble incoherently on paper or on the computer if you have to.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;I’m building a recession proof online business. Would you like to join me?
http://goingbroke.1nc.co.cc
Advertising Your Home Business On A Budget
Advertising Your Home Business On A Budget
When you are starting out in a new home business and no one knows who you are one of the greatest challenges you will face is how to drum up new business.
If there were not people in your community or marketplace that you knew who needed your products or services you probably would not have started your business to begin with. But once you have talked to those who you personally knew who needed your. What you offer then your next task is to find others who will help keep your doors open.
Many people know that they must turn to advertising at some point in the future but they hope that day will be long down the road. For some this utopian concept will come to fruition. But for the rest of us in the real world we must come up with creative solutions for meeting our home business advertising needs while working within our budget.
Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of money in order to advertise their home business. When you start out you honestly will not have much money available for advertising and if you do you should still spend it wisely.
Before you jump headfirst into the world of advertising let me share some of the lessons I have learned concerning this most important topic.
LESSON 1
It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to advertise your home business unless you fail to plan and fail to test.
As much as is possible you should always test your advertising. If you jump in and start dumping tons of money in to advertising without first testing your advertising you might find yourself broke and without sales at the end of the road. Most people who commit this error write off their failure on the home business they chose or the economy or any of a hundred other excuses. But if they are unwilling to take responsibility for their mistake they will never learn from their mistake. Don’t let this be you.
LESSON 2
All testing should be done in blocks. If you begin to advertise simultaneously in newspapers radio and television how will you know which advertising is bringing people to your cash register? You won’t. All you will know that something might be working but you will not know what is actually doing the trick.
Even if you tell people in your advertising to tell you how they found you my experience shows that fewer than 10 of the people ever will tell you anything and those people who do may not even get the facts straight! You cannot rely on your customers to tell you what advertising is working for your home business. You must put in the extra effort to know for yourself.
LESSON 3
Only when you have a proven and solid advertising portfolio should you venture to drop big bucks in an advertising campaign. Even then you should be careful to keep further measurements to determine how much the maximum advantage of an ad would be. Sometimes you might be able to reach ten times as many people but depending on the kind of media and other factors the additional exposure will only generate twice as many sales. Keep your eye attuned to situations like this to get the most from your advertising dollars.
LESSON 4
As Lesson 3 illustrates sometimes your best advertising investment may actually cost you less money. When you are first starting out whether you are running a home business or a business outside of your home you need to be able to get people talking and thinking about your business.
If you are busy testing ads in media’s such as the newspaper magazines radio and television you need to learn ways of promoting your business that do not require large cash expenditures. A few examples are:
Word of Mouth
Business Cards
Press Releases
NonPrimetime Ads on Radio and Television
Here is more information about each type of lowcost advertising:
WORD OF MOUTH
This of course is the cheapest kind of advertising on the planet it does not cost you anything. Ask your customers if they know anyone who could also use your products or services. When they are happy with your offerings and service they will be willing to tell you whom you can contact and they will pass the word for you.
BUSINESS CARDS
You can usually pick up 500 business cards for about 20. When you do hand them out. Do not give more than a couple of cards to each person. If they need more cards from you they will ask.
Some people are known to network with others on a regular basis. Some of these people are also known to be always looking for an extra few bucks. With these people you can suggest to them that if they write their name on the back of one of your business cards and the card is presented to you then you will pay a referral fee to them. You do not have to offer much sometimes one dollar is enough. Look at your home business and your offerings and decide how much would be a good referral fee.
PRESS RELEASES
Press Releases are a good source for generating news about your home business. The business editor at your local newspaper is always on the lookout for a good business story to fill the business news section of the newspaper.
Of course the business editor understands the economics of running a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you buy advertising in his/her publication but will still print stories for special events and openings.
The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are a sole proprietorship quotes from you should be written in a third person format: John Doe said “Your quote here.”
A Press Release should pack the most important information at the beginning of the copy and leave extra details towards the end.
You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will enhance their take on your story.
To learn more about creating Press Releases you may check out Rusty Cowleys site: http://www.PRrainmaker.com/
NONPRIMETIME ADS ON RADIO AND TELEVISION
Believe it or not some of the best rates for radio and television are on the overnight and nonprimetime venues. These target times are not a total waste as they can easily keep the infomercial people in business.
These offhours are just less populated than the primetime hours.
Don’t be afraid to check your local radio and television rates for nonprimetime hours to see what bargains may exist. With television primetime is 7pm to 10pm. With radio primetime is 8am to 5pm. This sure leaves a whole lot of hours available to advertise your home business at discount rates!
About the writer: i m robin