Helping Haiti

Like I told my boyfriend a few days ago, I can't listen to NPR in my car until the tragedy in Haiti is over (well, at least until it is not being reported on anymore). I tear up as I listen and before I know it my eyes are so filled with my own mascara that I can't see the road anymore. I am a great big sobbing hazard. Worse than someone on their cell phone. Just to be clear, I am not ignoring the issues, nor am I advocating that anyone else does. I just can't be informed and drive safely all at the same time!

All of the problems in my little world seem to evaporate as I hear about the horrible, terrifying conditions in Haiti right now. If it was possible I would go there and put in some real-time help. I would foster as many children as I could until their families are found. But that is not possible, so I am doing what little I can from here by donating 50% of all of my online sales to Save the Children. To learn more about them, click on the link.

In the meantime, support the arts and help me raise money for charity either by making a purchase in my Etsy shop or placing a bid on some of my original artwork on eBay. In both instances, I will donate 50% of the sale to charity, and with your purchase you will receive a thank you noting the amount of your donation.

Solo show this Thursday!

I am so excited to announce my upcoming show at A MOOD CHANGE, this Thursday as part of the 1st Thursday Art Walk in NW Portland.

I have been drawing and painting my heart out to create this new series furthering my personal exploration of inner and outer beauty, growth, spirituality and feminine strength. This is my first serious use of mixed media in my work--I have combined elements of collage, drawing with various types of pencils, watercolor, acrylic paint, and a couple of other mediums--all done on wood reclaimed from sources from old cabinet doors to the Willamette River.

Starting at 6pm at 618 NW Flanders. See you there!

And when you're finished, head across the river to the Olympic Mills Building (107 SE Washington) for the opening of "Journey," the visual arts piece of the Siren Nation Fest, where you'll find two of my paintings alongside the works of 50 other Portland artists.

Great Big Hole

Notice anything strange about my booth space at the Buckman sale last weekend? Like...the great big hole at the top? That's right! The Buckman Art Show and Sell went fabulously! I sold several things, including a favorite, "Autumn:"

18" x 24" Mixed media on masonite, 2008. All Rights Reserved.

It sold on Friday night, while I was at the Spoon show. So when I checked my email before heading to Buckman on Saturday, I had a note from Danielle, "Oh Yeah! Uh huh uh huh!" I thought, hmmm...what's going on here? And when I arrived at the show, there was my booth with a great big hole in it. Yay! I always love when my art finds a new home, and it was really great to sell a larger piece so I know Buckman will be getting some money (30% of all sales go to the school). Overall, the show was a blast, and I got to spend the day with Danielle:
and Leah:
And Chris, who's booth I tried to take a picture of but I ended up getting a bunch of goofy photos instead. :)

Get offline and sell your art locally!

I must admit that in the past I have had a very hard time selling my work in person--that is, sales make me gut-wrenchingly nervous. Just the idea of approaching galleries or local shops to show my work makes my stomach hide somewhere in my throat, so I've never done it before. I have shown in coffee shops and a couple of small galleries that felt more approachable, but it has been a long time even for that. Until this week.

Heidi Steeves is a mom at Buckman Elementary, where my daughter goes to school, as well as co-owner of Union Rose, a cool boutique on MLK that sells hand-crafted goods made by local artisans. I was introduced to her during the last school year and she asked me to come in to the shop with some of my things, but I was still very nervous and didn't feel like I had a good selection at the time. After stocking up for the summer's craft shows, however, and running into her several times over the past few months, I finally felt comfortable enough to go in. Heidi was so friendly, as usual, and took a number of my pendants, magnet sets, greeting cards, and bobby pin/ring sets on consignment. Yay!

I am definitely not over my fear of sales. Not even close. But as time goes on I am getting better and better. If you have a hard time with it as well, read on for a few things that have helped me:

1. Get all of your ducks in a row. Warning--do NOT use this as a procrastination technique (*guilty!*)!!! However, if you have a few things ready before you get out there it can help you feel more comfortable. For me, it was having my website in presentable condition because I am constantly being asked if I am online and I didn't want to send people to my crappy old site.
I also put together a simple portfolio involving about 15 images of my work, a printable slide list, a link to a blog interview, my resume and my artist statement. I burned it onto several cd's so that I have something to give to local venues--that way all they have to do is slip the disk into their computer rather than handing them a business card and hoping that they will get around to looking at my website. Of course, you should also have business cards. If you are well-prepared you will come off as being professional, even if you don't really feel like you are.

2. Think about everyone you know--do any of them own or know someone who owns a local gallery or shop? Chances are you do if you are active in your art community. Approaching people you know is a heck of a lot easier than approaching strangers! I know it can still be scary, but as I've learned two times this week, it can really pay off! In addition to getting some of my crafty items in Union Rose, I also approached a friend earlier in the week about showing my work in her gallery and I have a show there next month.

3. If you are not connected, get connected! When I first opened my etsy shop, it had been several years since I had graduated from Portland State, and as a single mom working a lot of crap jobs to make ends meet I had distanced myself from the local art & craft communities. I joined the PDX Etsy Street Team and met a lot of great crafty ladies, talked to other parents at Buckman (it is an Arts Magnet school so a lot of the parents are artists), made coffee dates with some old friends from my art classes, and started going to local art walks. Other things you could do are take art or craft classes, go onto craigslist to find art events, and contact your local arts council online and see what they have to offer.

4. This one is a jump-in-head-first tip: Do some local craft fairs. I know that this can seem extraordinarily daunting, but I cannot even tell you how much it has helped me. Having a booth-partner helped calm my nerves when I was brand-new to it. Being approached by one person after the next all day long made me realize that it's just people, and they are fun to watch as well as talk to. It also has given me some much-needed practice in talking about my work in a more casual setting than a gallery.

5. If you are a fine artist, go to some local coffee shops and talk to the owners about showing your work. They are usually FAR more approachable than galleries, rarely take a commission (and if they do it's usually small), and are usually grateful to find some work to spruce up their shop for a month or two. Obviously go in during a slower time of day when they are almost always up for a chat.

6. Take several deep breaths, make some goofy faces at yourself in the mirror, and get your butt out the door! Someone once gave me a great piece of advice when it comes to motivation. When do you feel motivated--before you do something, or when you are actually doing it? Not until you are actually doing it, and once you are knee-deep in it you are building momentum until suddenly, it's done.

If you have more tips or advice for either the uninitiated and/or terrible anxious, leave a comment! I'd love to hear them.