I signed up to get Alyson B. Stanfield's Art Biz Feeds some time ago and have been getting great information as well as seeing many other artist's blogs and websites. The most recent Feed happened to be especially interesting to me as the question referenced the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to an art cooperative. As a current member of The Art Center Cooperative here in Jacksonville, I was immediately intrigued by the post. The artist asking the question was mixed media artist and teacher, Brenda Marks at http://brendamarks.typepad.com/.
If you get a moment go to Brenda's blog and check out what Alyson had to say. And while you are here, read about Alyson's book, I'd rather be in the studio, all about marketing and selling your art. She is a great art coach and you can find her at ArtBizCoach.com
I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion is for artists of all kinds. Painters, sculptors, ceramist, jewelers, photographers, and others will benefit from the easy-to-follow self-promotion practices in this book.
Author and art-marketing consultant Alyson B. Stanfield, of ArtBizCoach.com, focuses on sharing the artwork directly with potential buyers through electronic and traditional communication outlets—in a manner that is comfortable, not artificial. Artists match Internet marketing strategies with sincere personal skills to take charge of their art careers.
The book includes online worksheets and downloads.
Happy creating!
I subscribe to Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz Blog and today's question was "How much affect do circumstance and location have on the type of art you make and the way in which you make it?"
What are your thoughts on the topic? And if you do not already subscribe to Alyson's blog, you should. The topics and writings have really been helpful to me. I am sure you will find something of interest there, too. http://www.artbizblog.com/
Below is my response.
I have had both large and small studio spaces. Never a room actually built as a studio, but one I have reserved as "my space" for creating. Right now "my space" has spread to the entire house much to my husband's dismay and need for order.
So I would have to say that my studio is wherever I am at the moment with art supplies and ideas on hand. What affects me more is my mood and energy levels which unfortunately swing from one extreme to the other at times. I have been reading a lot lately about how clutter and disorganization affect you so maybe getting a studio large enough and dedicating it to my work would make be produce more often. (Another big challenge as I still have to have a alternate job to pay the bills, which is probably another obstacle since it is also a creative job and drains my brain every day, but that is another story.)
Environment does play a part in creativity mainly because of the local market. But I try not to get wrapped up in making art for someone else since that is what I do to earn money (graphic design) while I am trying to transition to my real job (painting & mixed media). And of course, money always plays a part. Having become accustomed to a rather nice lifestyle, letting go of the perks is really quite frightening. It is a huge catch 22. And very frustrating, as all I really want to do is paint, read and just enjoy the beautiful world around me.