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Jana-of-all-trades or Master of One?

This piece is called “Less Traveled”. I believe in taking the less traveled road, which is one of the reasons I am not on Facebook.

I read blogs – art blogs, business blogs, marketing blogs, inspirational blogs, knitting blogs, humor blogs, travel blogs, writing blogs and art marketing blogs. The writers of these blogs are my teachers, guides, mentors and some have become my friends.

One of the most helpful is called Fine Art Views. Informative articles, insightful comments by professional artists and interaction with the writers all keep me returning to this site.

A recent series of articles by Brian Kliewer really struck a chord with me. He is writing about the myth of social media as a viable marketing avenue for all artists. It caused me to write this overly long post, which began as a comment on one of his posts.

About 1000 years ago I decided to become a professional artist. Pencil drawing was my favorite (only) style. I chose to be a master of pencil rather than a Jana-of-all-trades.

I learned from Jack White that in art sales oil painting sells the best and pencil the least. It crushed me. So, I learned to oil paint, moved into murals, and now have much more to offer customers. Because my subject matter and my audience are mostly Tulare County, having more to offer is a good business practice.

Still, those who have followed my art for years and new friends continually tell me they LOVE my pencil work. (Perhaps this is because I don’t paint very well, and they are too polite to say that.)

Almost four years ago I started this blog. I LOVE to post, love to show photos, talk about Three Rivers, Mineral King and Sequoia, my drawings, drawing lessons, my sources of inspiration, the processes, the shows and events, and be a smart aleck any time inspiration strikes.

Just like becoming a master at pencil, I’ve chosen to be a master at blogging. (Nope, not there yet but putting in my hours faithfully.) That is where the bulk of my computer efforts are spent. I’ve dabbled in LinkedIn, eBay, Etsy, and Google+. What a waste of time! (Notice I have continued to resist Facebook)

Has it paid off? I’ve read that it takes 5-7 years for a blog to really reap results. Not sure what the writer meant by “results” – probably a Big Fat Following. The pay-off  thus far to me is in personal satisfaction, steady growth in the number of readers, the discipline of 5 posts per week, the relationships built, the credibility established.

Thank you for your loyalty, comments, email, encouragement and honesty as I fumble my way along in the world of art, art business, art marketing and blogging.

5 Comments

  1. Steven, you are such an encouraging friend. Do you really think I will be aghast at my earlier postings? I could delete them, or edit them. No one reads back very far, anyway!

  2. I’m thinking about a recent conversation in which the moderator asked a certain Ca. artist if she could remember the first few pieces of art she produced and if she thought they were very good. Her aghast response was that they were awful and that she had even asked for some of them back! The same will be true for your blogging.

    The point being due diligence and perserverance!

    You will succeed because of your tenacious spirit.

  3. Cheryl and Jennifer, you two are part of what I love about blogging! If I hadn’t been chasing down quality blogs from which to learn, I’d never have met either one of you. You are both a blessing in my life. Thank you!

  5. You’re right, Jana, we have to carefully decide where we’re going to spend our time and expend our efforts. In the writing world, I was advised to get into social media so I started Facebook (have resisted Twitter thus far).

    I’ve got to admit, I fell in love with Facebook immediately (I don’t waste time with the games, etc). Not only does it help me have more of an online presence and post links to new blog posts, etc, but it is such a fun way to stay connected — or get reconnected — with so many folks. Especially love staying connected with family members this way and love getting to see new photos that I otherwise would never see. Yep, I’m now a Facebook fan 🙂

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