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.

And more books. . .

Salt and Light, oil on board, 11×14″, not for sale

(But why isn’t it for sale? Because it is too personal to me. Then why are you showing it here? Because it is the only painting I have with books in it!)

  1. Up For Renewal by Cathy Alter is autobiographical. It was well written for a dumb book, or maybe it was a dumb subject. Anyway, I ended up just skimming it at the end. She spent a year of her life actually following the advice in women’s magazines!!! Are you kidding me???
  2. Just My Type by Simon Garfield is a book I had in my Amazon shopping cart for awhile until I remembered that I don’t like to own too many things. My friend Don bought it and graciously lent it to me. We both have an interest in typefaces, and this is “a book about fonts”. I ended up skimming it too. I realized that I like the way fonts look, I like to see if I can recognize them, but I don’t care very much about their history. It goes back to a year of my life as a phototypesetter, and then a couple of years working at a printshop where I ordered type through several other phototypesetting companies. Just broke my heart to hear my graphic designer nephew tell me that Papyrus is a horrible type. It was confirmed in this book. So what? I STILL think it is pretty, so there, Cory!!
  3. Georgette Heyer was recommended to me by my current favorite writer, Carolyn Henderson, author of Middle Aged Plague (READ HER! SHE IS FANTASTIC!! Then remember to return to me, ‘k?) Carolyn explained her this way:

    Georgette Heyer was a Regency Romance (don’t lose me here) writer of 1920-1960 – comedy of errors, delightfully written, much good advice slipped into gems of stories.

    Heyer reminds me of Jane Austen. I tried with the book Bath. Too many words, too little action, people with nothing to do but talk about one another. If you like Jane, you will like Georgette. I keep trying, but I have really lost my taste for fiction.

Next three books

Salt and Light, 11×14 oil on board, NFS

This California artist does more than just draw or paint. Sometimes she knits, sometimes she reads, sometimes she does both at the same time (if the book will lie flat).

  1. Pennybridge, by David Tolladay is a self-published novel by a pastor from Tollhouse, California. (Hmmm, do you think his hometown influenced the title of the book?) It is the story of a pastor, somewhat reminiscent of the Mitford series by Jan Karon. There are little sub-stories woven throughout, it held my interest, was a little hokey at times, had typos and needed an editor, and I thought it was great anyway!! The book was given to me by a dear friend who goes to his church, so I thought of it first as a mercy-read but ended up thoroughly enjoying the story.
  2. An Italian Affair, by Laura Fraser (the same author of Losing It from my last list) is an autobiographical book about an affair with someone she met while on a trip to heal from being dumped by her husband of 18 months. It is written in a odd style – don’t know the right technical term, but it is the “you” tense. She is brave and adventuresome and lets the reader in on her thoughts and feelings. Can’t say that I related to any of it, but it was certainly interesting to read! (and the complete opposite of Pennybridge)
  3. All Over the Map, by Laura Fraser is her third book. This one tells of her struggles at turning forty, her quest for purpose and her travels during the next 6 years. It has a happy ending, but leaves me wanting to know what happens next in her life. And, it causes me to be both immensely grateful for my stable steady safe life and a little dissatisfied too. I’d love to meet Laura, but will be content reading her blog.

A new year, still reading

“Salt and Light“, oil paint on board, 11×14 (Thank you, Steven S., for the title!)

This year I will continue to tell you what I am reading (Thank you, Melissa, for the idea!). What does this have to do with art? Nothing, except it gives you a more complete view of who this California artist is.  I’ll do it in groups of threes. Just finished or am finishing these books:

  1. Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo (such an unfortunate last name). I was astonished and inspired  by this book. It is a simply told story by the father of a boy who had an amazing life-changing experience at the age of 3. It is very convincing. It is here on Amazon.
  2. Sylvia’s Farm by Sylvia Jorrin. This is a book of essays by a sheep farmer in upstate New York. At first I was confused because the chapters didn’t seem connected. When I read it, I could picture the sheep, the 28 room house, the stone walls and gates, the barn and carriage house. It made me go to her website to see the photos, but they were distorted on my screen. She uses the word “shall” too much, but I liked it anyway.
  3. Losing It by Laura Fraser. I learned of this book from a reference to Fraser’s writing in another book. Her blog is great to read – what a life, what a writer! It made me order all 3 of her books from the library and this was the first to arrive. It is a very engrossing look into the diet industry and how the myth continues, despite the fact that diets are proven to not work.

What are you reading?