The Dr. Seuss / P.D. Eastman Approach

Ok ... so here are my true colors. A child at heart, but that just means I'll never become obsolete! I really couldn't say it better myself:

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! ~Dr. Seuss

Recently I read this blog on the Huff Post, What is Working: Small Businesses
REposition, REstrategize, REinvent: 10 Tips for the "New-Age" Professional in 2014 (click the blog title to read the full article).

It made me think of how we may not have realized the actual story being told in all those books from our childhood. There are articles, blogs, textbooks, papers, and the likes, which we can read and school ourselves on, but it could be the memories of our childhood that really launch us into our role as a "New-Age Professional"; properly suited for 2014!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. ~ Dr. Seuss

I've found a way to be me, steering myself in a direction all my own. It's time to launch into 2014 and really forge ahead. I'm ready to take #6 by the horns and be relentless in this life of a career. Do you still see a correlation still with this topic - or - are you starting to at least? If not, check out the video for Are You My Mother: #6 - Be Relentless in Your Pursuit ... similar to Are You My Mother? ...

Be Relentless in Your Pursuit

Street Art vs. Architecture

I read an interesting article today that got me thinking: What art form carries more merit and might win this fight? When artists go head to head not thinking about the scope beyond their particular medium what losses are incurred?

Here's the article for reference: New York graffiti complex headed for Demolition

Initially I went in siding with the street artist. Old buildings and the organic nature of graffiti bring a certain element of character and distinction to cities. BUT, then I thought how gorgeous architecture can be and the different element of character and distinction that can bring to cities. THAT distinctly relies on the architect and the design type being approved.

What if ... the 17 artists who are filing this lawsuit were able to win the fight by being commissioned by the new developers to incorporate new art that would be more permanent and hold stature. They are arguing that this is what their artwork is and why the building should not be demolished, so live up to that standard and acquire higher recognition and acclaim by being a staple to the uniqueness of this new development. "Luxury" being the term here that might cause a rub ... but to each their own interpretation. A lot of it depends on the target audience and clientele they are trying to bring into the area with these new lofts.

Which side do you lean towards?

*Disclaimer - the 'luxury flats' image I referenced here was just a generic Google image result.

Balancing Social Media and Your Sanity

Promoting your business in this social environment is a little like asking someone to solve a Rubik's cube: A standard Rubik's cube has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible positions and only ONE final solution. So the odds of solving it are over 43 quintillion to one.

There seem to be a quintillion places for me to be and only one of me to go around. I've got to tweet about it, post to Instagram, update my Facebook status, share pictures and articles and witty little tidbits, post listings on Etsy and eBay, share from these sites back over to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, favorite and retweet or quote retweet, blog about it all, keep up on who is following me and who has decided to unfollow me. Oh yeah! I also need to do artwork in order to have something to tweet, post, update, share ... you get the picture.

With my mind running through all the places to to help bring visibility you can see how it could start to feel a bit like the image below.

BUT: What good does it do for me to avoid this environment? You can avoid the turmoil or enjoy the ride. The road to success is to jump in, hang on, and enjoy the ride! Find the silver lining and realize that in the end all of this brings visibility and gets my artwork in front of more people than just keeping it in an extra room in our house.

It's a labor of love and so rewarding to see everything come to life and out there as a "Shop" on Etsy, a listing on eBay, a commissioned piece on the new owner's wall. It's all so exciting.

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