Notes From The Ancestors no.12
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Lately, I've been starting to acknowledge some of the slow realizations that have been lurking beneath the surface for awhile. I know many of you (dear and faithful readers) are artists as well, working through your own creative process, struggling to find the time to make the work that you are called to make. The internet has obviously transformed our lives in so many magnificent ways....I am amazed by all the wonderful connections and friends I've made across the world....and yet, there are some aspects that I fear I'm going to have to let drop. This blog is not one of them....the exchange that happens here has meaning for me and I hope for you, as well. I'm talking about all the social media networking that we are told is a must in order to be successful, especially with an online shop (or 2). With the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, there are just way too many ways of following and being followed. Everything has to be some sort of tool for exposure. Huge amounts of time that can be spent on Etsy creating and making treasuries to get your work seen by those who might be interested in making a purchase. The image that comes to mind in trying to keep up with all of it is that poor, tired mouse on that endlessly spinning wheel in his cage.
Not only is it all time consuming, taking me away from the studio, but there doesn't seem to be any payoff. Either I am mismanaging this social media thing, or it is just a bottomless pit. Being in the studio has meaning for me, as it allows me to explore an evolving understanding of humanity and my place in the larger cosmos. This blog has meaning for me, as it provides the possibility for meaningful dialogue (something more than sound bites) with people I will never have a chance to meet face to face. Spending time with books, engaged in reading means a great deal to me, as language and ideas are a major source of nourishment. Slowing down enough to enjoy the process of cooking and savoring the deliciousness of food....that too is important. And there must be time to enjoy the company of my husband, who is way over too committed himself....but I think we both seek a simpler life.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about how you navigate the world of social media....actually, the real question is whether anyone else is wondering if all these tantalizing ways to spend time on the computer are not just creating a smoky haze that threatens to stifle our ability to breathe.
The dailies for the last few days are here....and listed in my shop (15% off with coupon code: AUTUMNSALE)
October 10, 2012
October 11 2012
October 12, 2012
Thanks for reading....always do love to hear from you, so feel free to drop a line. Once I get my own time realigned I'll get back to reading the blogs that I've followed....another part of life that seems to have dropped away! Hope you have a fine weekend!
i totally agree with you. there are way too many ways to spend our days away from the studio . . . i too struggle with this.
ReplyDeleteinitially i joined every art/artist website, every social media site i could find. i found myself spending hours and hours just posting images of my work on the web. (no real return).
i quickly learned i had to curb this activity because i had no time to do laundry, pull weeds or (aghast) create art.
now, i only focus on posting to my blog, and i only post my artwork. i use my blog as my website, and i often refer people there to see my work.
i have actually sold a few pieces, i have had a couple of pieces commissioned and have been invited to be in art shows just from the blog (good return).
i know there are many many other things i could be doing to 'market' my work and my self, but my choice is to spend more time in the studio.
ps: i do post to pinterest.com/ occasionally.
Hi Rebecca, isn't it funny how each new social media possibility that comes along is billed as an essential tool....I have found most of them to be fairly frivolous and without much substance, not to mention no return. But blogs and websites, now that's a different story. There is great reward just in the conversation and knowing I'm not a complete heretic these days....I do have my secret Luddite sensibilities which I must be careful to keep at bay!! I loved Pinterest at first as a place to post work I found that I loved....my own personal bulletin board and a kind of sanctuary...then that too became a promotion tool and I lost interest. Oh well. Thanks so much for your comment!
DeleteI'm smiling at that last thought. You've expressed something that has been bugging me for a while. Someone else IS wondering like you about time spent online, meandering through images and interactions, the massive tilting haystack of it all. Some days, all I want to be doing is sitting in a corner with a pen and empty pages while the day begins. So I do that and limit online time to a time of the day when my creative work is done. I think of it all as a flick through the newspaper over coffee, a tea break time, a browse through magazines. And then realise I haven't written a blog post for a fortnight because I don't want to share fledgling work online!
ReplyDeleteHi Annie, funny how quickly it all gets away from you isn't it? And I'm glad to hear I'm not alone. I think I'm going to figure out how to rein it all in....and I'm not even doing that much! Sitting in the corner with a pen and empty pages....now that is a magical way to start the day! Cheers to you!
DeleteHi Patti - I enjoy listening to how the muses appear and guide you - an event for which I am forever grateful. I think they are leading and guiding you well. Re the social media thing - I appreciate you asking and questioning how it works. You have been one of the folk who has really done it well - you blog, you fb you etsy and each of these you do diligently. You commit time to doing them well and it seems to me that if the platforms are not rewarding you then the questions must be asked. Like you I love the blogging world - the conversations, connections and sharing. Somehow the bits of FB I have seen seem to be all about quick likes and 'awesome' 'beautiful' love your work'. Not a fair assessment I am sure, but I prefer this chatting opportunity even if it comes with the hassle of signing in and verifying etc etc.
ReplyDeleteI am yet to be convinced that there is a magic bullet with social media and selling your art - sharing and connecting yes; selling I'm not so sure. I will be interested to hear others' thoughts...have a happy weekend F
HI Fiona...thanks for your comment as well. I long ago gave up on Twitter, which I still don't get, although maybe its because I don't text on my phone. Facebook has its moments, but having a page seems to be more a quick ego boost as you allude to....I think I'll just try to figure out a way to send people here. This is where the conversation is! Thanks for sending that newsletter too! Have a great weekend....I'm off to the library for the day!
DeleteYou spoke my mind in this post (which is one thing I LOVE about blogging). This year is the first year in several where I have not been making anything with the idea of selling it. No deadlines, no criteria to meet - heaven. I've been having such a good time and learning new things about myself in the process. My muse has come to me through dollmaking which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't just let myself go to follow this new trail. I really love the knowledge gleaned from the Internet and I love my blog (which does give me some structure as I want to add to it regularly) and the friends I've made through it - but I am not on Facebook (to the horror of my friends and family) and won't Twitter - haven't posted anything on Ebay and while I've thought about Etsy probably won't do that either. Creating from the heart and soul and not from other people's criteria is my goal. I'm fortunate that my art doesn't have to feed me (literally) or I'd go very hungry. Sometimes selling becomes a goal in and of itself which may completely distort our own creative dreams and goals. Thanks for sharing your feelings.
ReplyDeleteSocial media is a bottomless pit. Once you fall into it, climbing out is extremely complicated. They require a crazy amount of time for scant return. I had an Etsy shop for about a year and finally closed it down. I felt my main job was marketing and could only be creative as a hobby, which is absurd and alienating. I am now sticking to my blog and will probably open a BigCartel shop sometime soon. I've met many interesting artists through my blog and I so appreciate the exchange with them.
ReplyDeleteI initially found you on Etsy, btw, but I enjoy keeping in touch with you through your blog much more.
Like you I've also been considering cutting back on some of the social media. Too much time spent on the internet makes me feel breathless. Blogging is important to me so I will keep up with it but Twitter must go and Facebook is hanging by a thread while I decide. Pinterest .... oh dear I'm addicted but I know it's getting in the way of work so I'm trying to limit pinning time.
ReplyDeleteNotes From The Ancestors no.12 is simply beautiful.
Robyn, interesting how it seems to be blogging that we are unwilling to give up. I really think it's because that's where the connections are made, the real support is found and the friendships are formed. I've long ago given up on Twitter, as I think I mentioned and Pinterest is, for me, like a private sanctuary....a place where i can keep work that truly inspires me. I refuse to turn it into yet another marketing tool. It's true...very easy to get lost there! So glad you like the newest Ancestors piece Robyn!
DeleteI have been struggling with these questions as well. I think we have to make choices. I love the etsy store, but it takes zillions of time to do the marketing. What is the most important thing? The studio work of course. So I have assigned myself a schedule and then anything social media-etsy-whatever has to come after. I love twitter for all the great info and for the laughter. I tend to take quick looks here and there during the day.In terms of making connections there I think I will let time do that. I have really limited facebook to family and close friends. There are so many people in Greece that I might not have been in contact with as often as I am able to do through Facebook and I think it's brilliant at that.I guess we just got to milk all these social media for the best they can give us for the least time commitment on our part. Not easy but worth while -after studio time...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, brilliant work;-)
Annamaria, yes, I can see what you are saying about Facebook, especially in your situation. But for the most part, I find it not very productive as a marketing tool. You're right....it's just about finding the right combination of social media interaction and making studio time the top priority! Thanks for your input!! And thank you for the high compliment on the work! Enjoy your weekend!
DeleteI have a blog which I stick to posting arty things, figuring everyone has enough trivia in their lives without reading mine! I belong to LinkedIn, but actually still can't work out what its about. And the others seem to need an inordinate amount of time and input to get to a place of understanding. The blog also fills that need of somehow "I've got to share this element of my life" though I wonder who actually bothers to read it, but somehow that isn't important. It becomes a means of me recording my art life.
ReplyDeleteSpookily today an article in one of the magazines which come with the Sunday papers, is about finding yourself, one thing mentioned was to have a 30 minute rule. The email you know is important, the letter, pick it up, but don't open it for 30 minutes. Not only can IT wait, but the process of waiting makes you calm down or take stock, or be ready to deal with in a better frame of mind. So true I think. A few times recently I've switched off the computer and walked away, for fear of responding aggressively to what's been said. and its paid off, situations have calmed down, the originator sees sense, and all without me doing anything other than not kneejerk responding. (course in my head they've been dangled out of a multi story building) I hate the way I deal with something, send it off phew, done, and instantly there's a response, a question. Can I please leave the admin of this task and get back to the art for it. Of late its been like working in an office, always something. I think we should go back to carrier pigeons, and quill pens to make people think before they write!
Amen, Beverly! Those are great words of advice to pause and wait and not give in to the knee jerk reaction. Although, I must admit there was a nice laugh at the folks dangling outside the multi-story building. I think you are right about the blog...this sentiment is echoed throughout the comments here...that it is the most meaningful aspect of the social networking game....even if only for ourselves. Thanks for sharing your insights!
DeleteBeautiful work!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to how you work as it is the same for me. I never know what I will have in the end, it is always magic.
The death of my mother 5 weeks ago has me thinking a lot about time and how precious it is.I only go to FB once a week and limit my time to about 30 minutes. I blog once a week and update my etsy store once a week, I limit myself to just enough internet and no more. There are many other things I want to do, like paint!
Have a wonderful week. xoxo
Hi Annie....so sorry to hear about your mother's passing. I know it must have you thinking about the preciousness of time, which is so often on my mind as well. So many things to do and so little time. I think that Etsy can be it's own bottomless pit of time consumption....but adding to the shop less often is probably a good approach! Enjoy your week and thanks so much for taking time to share your thoughts!
DeleteIn amongst all your beautiful work you have posed this huge question Patti - and one with which we all grapple. I have only been blogging this year and love it. I began the blog for myself as a replacement formy daily drawing and so my posts are often about my process, notjust my finished pieces. Ihad noidea how welcome and wonderful it would be to find my'tribe of like minded artists andsupportersallover the world. I have a very briefLinked in profile whichi very rarely looked at so now decline every invitation. Facebook, my daughter setup for me many years ago and I rarely look at it. I joined pinterest about a month ago and in one visit realised how addictive it would be so have avoided it completely. Blogging is enough. I would love to actually write more than I do but usually I post on the run. I would love to research other artists and write about their work, about books I read and so forth, but at the endof the day the blog is about me and thatis enough. Time in the studio is precious. Maybe once more time is available my blogging, and enjoyment in reading others blogs, will increase but I doubt that I will dabble too much further into social media.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, yes, I'm inclined to agree....blogging is enough. I think there are plenty of folks out there for whom the social media blitz is helpful and even enjoyable, but it's pretty clear for the people I connect with here....it's the same story.....and not surprising really. I do enjoy your blog and your work, of course, and am happy to hear you share your feelings about this topic!
Deletefirst, relishing the bounty in the details of the new notes from the ancestors. lovely lovely!
ReplyDeletenow, to the meat and potatoes of this post. i've grappled with the same questions. the life priorities are easy. the social media stuff is where it gets tricky/confusing. do we really need to do it all? is it helping? am i not doing it right?
here's where i'm at so far.
etsy: lots of amazing opportunities have come of it, but always as a result of my own listings, never because of treasuries et all.
facebook art page (not personal): good connections, no sales, easy to identify my tribe/target market, nice overlap with life.
twitter: haven't given up on it yet, but haven't quite figured out how to connect. good way to keep track with ideas/links i'm interested in.
tumblr (one for inspiration, one as gallery of my work): easy, by far the greatest at directing traffic to both my shop and blog. not sure how that translates into sales though.
blog: great heart connections, online home front, part journal, part database, great for exercising my editing skills.
pinterest: i have a feeling it'll be the death of me, so i never go anywhere near.
i'll stick with what i've got so far. the key to me is discipline. limiting the time i spend online, rather than the specific sources, help me focus on work and prioritize better online too.
Anca....thanks for this thorough run down on all the sites you use and how they are working for you. I'm surprised to hear about tumblr directing traffic to your blog and shop, although I'm not sure why really. I totally let that one drop off a couple of years ago, so never gave it a chance. Funny how I am hearing over and over again about the addictive quality of pinterest and how people must limit themselves or stay away completely as if abstaining from drugs or alcohol so they don't control your life!! I think the key is limitation and finding out where you find some measure of enjoyment and advantage. Thanks for sharing your insights and weighing in on this question!Oh and thank you so much for the kind words about the Ancestors series!!
DeleteSomeone reminded me recently that just because I think something doesn't mean I have to say it out loud. And that's the way I feel about most social media. When I had time, I loved making treasuries on Etsy - but it was all about the composition and editing for me and it certainly never brought any sales (though I hope it did for those I featured). Recently FB - my art page - has been interesting because of the other pages I've liked - it's become a neat little web of fiber stuff. But it all confuses me even so and makes me grumpy more often than not. And, yes, I'm on linkd in but have no idea why an artist would think that would steer folks their way. I just want to do the work that isn't work: my art. Would it be nice to sell more? Sure. But I'm not convinced that my work is the type that social media geeks like anyway, so there's that. (Augh. I'm getting grumpy just thinking about it!) Bottom line? The only thing worth doing is the work you love...all the rest is busy-ness - and who needs that?!?!?
ReplyDeleteKaren Anne....ha! I wish someone would tell me (gently, of course) that just because I think something doesn't mean I have to say it out loud....so often I regret my words and feel that foot in mouth sinking feeling. Your bottom line is perfect....I'm with you!!! Thanks for the honesty....hope you'll always say what you mean....you are a smart cookie!! Thank you!
DeleteThis is the thing that I too have been struggling with. Social media is a real time eater. I love my blog and often cross post on Fb but I can;t say that doing this has really shifted any traffic my way.
ReplyDeleteI want to spend more time doing and less time socialing on the web. It always end up taking time - pleasurable time - but precious time that might better be spent creating.
Thanks for this post - I've thought about posting something similar .
P-such a good line - the muses have me on a need to know basis - does that not describe so many of us in time challenged times. Go well. B
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ReplyDeleteI just learned of your work from a blog I follow, http://littleyellowbirds.blogspot.com/ by artist Joetta Maue. She had discovered your work on Handeye magazine (12/20/2012) That you have gone viral is beside the point; I admire your ability in your artwork to 'explor(e) without preconceived notions of an end point'. And now browsing through your blog I am inspired to try dailies and encouraged by your attitude to simplify one's social media network. I myself struggle to keep current on my artwork AND my blog which I use only as a vehicle to share my work. Thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi!! Thank you so much for finding me and I'm quite pleased to know that my work means much to you! I'll head off to investigate your blog as well. It is a struggle to keep up with everything! The blogworld and the cyberspace connections made possible by the internet are just amazing and the opportunity to be featured in Handeye was one of those serendipitous surprises! I'm so pleased that my daily process is a source of inspiration...please give it a try and you will find your own path...keep in touch and let me know how it is going! Now that this is the start of 2013....happy new year and best wishes for the coming year!
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