Best Social Media for Artists: LinkedIn or Facebook? It Depends!

LinkedIn has numerous art related groups you can join from general all media ones such as the "Art Collecting Network" and the "Professional Fine Artist" group to groups specific to different mediums such as the "Glass Art Society" for glass artists. Some of the recent discussion topics in the professional fine artist group have ranged from "what is the last artwork you sold" to the age old discussion of "craft vs. art." Anyone whom is a member of these groups is permitted to start a topic of discussion or post a response to a topic.

 I have found the responses to the topics tend to be well thought out, more detailed than the discussions in Facebook and offer a variety of useful information.  The discussions may last for weeks or months and you can receive an email notice for each posted response. If you have a busy schedule, LinkedIn groups may be for you since the topic discussions are open for extended periods. The one negative part, as in any social media, is that on occasion I will see an alleged "art consultant" type try to take advantage of a new artist by saying "send me $10 and I will post your images to my website and you will gains lots of exposure!"  Before you take advice from any "experienced" artist or arts professional, it is wise to check out their websites and credentials first. If someone is giving advice on juried shows and they have no first hand experience in juried shows, obtain your advice elsewhere.

Facebook is geared towards more real time responses and shorter discussions. I am signed up to numerous art groups and magazines and museums and the information they post , while useful and interesting, is often more of an educational or PR outreach vs. a multiple party esoteric arts conversation. However, if you have a book or special event coming up, creating a Facebook group on the topic can be useful for publicity reasons. So both social medias can offer advantages for artists.

Colorful Recycled Glass Tumblers

I came across these colorful tumblers on http://www.uncommongoods.com/  The comments on purchased recycled glass products are always interesting to read since many consumers are still surprised that recycled glass is not clear and it will often have a greenish cast to it.

Click here to view the set of 4 tumblers.

Success For An Artist: A Two Way Street

I recently entered an online call to artists for photos by a well known magazine and was surprised to see a posted comment where an "artist" asked "what is in this for me?"  One of the ways that new artists can ruin their career before it starts is by failing to do their homework and viewing themselves as a "famous" artists when they have no credentials. Any other artist, established or emerging, would have been thrilled with this potential opportunity to have photos in this magazine.  In addition, there were no entry fees and it took about 30 seconds or less to enter the competition. This person came across as looking unprofessional and unprepared. 

 I have stressed that if you wish to be a professional artist, you do not give away your time and art for free, and you should never let anyone make unreasonable demands on your time.  However, when potential opportunities arise that are implicitly high visibility with no costs and a few seconds of work, you need to reevaluate your attitude as to what your role is here as well.

Likewise when opportunities arise to be in an art related book by well known publishers, your role should not end once your photos are accepted and the book is published.  I am in a recently published book on art glass yet I have seen only a handful of artists in the book even bother to list this event on their artist websites.  In my situation, I not only listed this new book on my blog and artist website, I provided multiple links from sources where it could be ordered. I also emailed the information on this book to my contact list and promoted it in a number of social media forums (facebook, linkedin, etc). If you have your art work featured in a book that does well, you benefit as an artist.  Your name does not need to be on the book as a publisher or author in order to take some responsibility for advertising the book. Artists who turn around and complain that being in a book did nothing for them have no one other than themselves to blame if they have not done any work to promote the book.

A Paint Color Called Recycled Glass!

Did you know that Sherwin Williams has an interior/exterior paint color called "Recycled Glass?"  It is in the green color family. See more information on this sage green paint color by clicking here.

The Colors Red And Green

The Colors Red And Green are associated with the Christmas Holiday but do you know why?

    The best explanation from answers.com is the following:

 "The color green is a natural representation of eternal life,   specifically the evergreen tree and how it survives through the winter season. That's why, in Christian belief, green represents the eternal life of Jesus Christ. The color red symbolizes Christ's blood which was shed during his crucifixion."

How Glass Ornaments Are Made.

Since Christmas is not far off, I thought I would share this interesting video.

A Detailed Video On How Recycled Glass Blocks Are Made