Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

How Lucky Do You Feel? - Global Climate Change Options

Today is Blog Action Day. Along with 7,000 other bloggers, I have agreed to blog about Global Climate Change, the topic overwhelmingly chosen by participants. While I am inclined to believe it is more likely to be happening than not, I know some very smart people who believe it is a trumped up hoax. 

Like many Americans, if not most, you will find me concerned and in the middle on this and most thorny topics. In the case of global climate change, I am certain taking no action is wrong. I can't find fault with improving gas mileage, saving the rain forest, finding clean alternative fuels, being less wasteful and caring about our planet.

We cannot afford to hope to be lucky with the outcome of global climate change

The thing is with climate change, we do not know the outcome. We are part of an experiment right now, in the test tube, if you will. I don’t like that situation and bet you don’t either. If you have seen the direst predictions, then you know the situation could turn bleak quickly. Those who oppose the notion either don't believe the current climate change is not happening, or that current changes are a normal part of global function. Many of them think we are on a course of destruction by trying to save ourselves from something that will never happen.

Regardless of where you stand, for, against, or uncertain, this video will help you gain perspectice on what the real options are for the argument either way. I found it eye opening and thank Roy H. Williams, the Wizard of Ads, for exposing it to me along with many other great ideas.

Getting solar power ramped up to the right proportions would be a game changer

Energy consumption is a topic where all nearly agree we are too oil dependent and need to do something. Developing massive solar power energy would improve global climate change and benefit humankind now and for future generations.

Last week, I saw a tweet from Kathy Heasley, a powerhouse brand marketer with Heasley & Partners. The tweet led to The Information is Beautiful site and this article titled,Surface Area Required To Solar Power The World. It is a great example of the power of thinking large to solve big problems. If we could get our leaders to start backing ideas like this instead of the more trivial and parochial ones that hold their attention, we would all be better served by them.

Visual Artists Experience Change Getting Art to Market

For visual artists who rely on sales of their work to pay the bills, times are precarious, difficult and unpredictable. Sales are hard to come by and often only through painful negotiation. If you are still able to generate sales in this market, you have to feel just as fortunate as those who have a stable job with decent benefits. Things we took for granted not so long ago are precious today.

I have a new guest blog post on Absolute Arts titled Welcome to the Wilderness. It explores how changes in the economy and within the industry are affecting visual artists and the way they do business. One thing is for certain, nothing is the same, nor is it likely to be that way again. To a degree, we are all wanderers in the wilderness seeking to find our way. For those intrepid souls who continue to soldier on against tough conditions, they will find encouragement and suggestions in it.

Here's what one business person had to say upon reading it:

Got your blog... and of course the first thing I had to do was read it!!! Very encouraging for the artists... not so much for us business folks, but often the hard truth is better than veiled hopes.

Among the reasons I write this blog is to be able to tell it like I see it, even when it is the hard truth. Getting a reality check is not as much fun as a slap on the back with an "attaboy" thrown in. But, not facing reality is the cause of much of the difficulties we face now. This includes previous owners of media properties the industry relies on, financial managers asleep at the switch and politicians who over-promise and under-deliver as in "Mission Accomplished."

If those who should have known better, the ones we trusted to make the decisions, in our personal and national best interest, had not been deluded with everything's going to be okay pie-in-the-sky vision and logic, or driven by greed and monumental stupidity, we might not be lamenting our predicament today. But, as the saying goes, "Don't bother closing the door when the cow already has left the barn."

Since we are left to lament, we can choose to be miserable and do nothing about our circumstances, or we can find a way to make things better for ourselves. I am a believer that having a positive attitude can lead to abundance, but only when measured action leads to abundance. Not because I said or wished it to be so. Frankly, I am weary and leery of what has become a near national delusion where masses of people appear to be replacing hope with action.

If you don't like your circumstances, get out of your rut and change them. If you can do this with a smile on your face, great. Just don't think the sunny attitude was the thing that led you from the wilderness when it was smart planning, tough decisions and decisive actions that truly made the difference.

Warning Signs - Watch for Them - Don't Give Them

My good friend and fellow supporter of artists, Dick Harrsion, suggested the idea for this post to me a few weeks ago. Because there has been so much bad news in the ensuing weeks, I've held off publishing it so as not to add to the negativity in the news today.

It's gotten so bad now there are many people I know who don't read the paper or watch the news. The steady drumbeat of downer information can "Harsh Your Mellow" as a stoned surfer might put it. Still, if you are in business, you need to know what is happening. Being oblivious is not going to help you avoid getting burned by what is going on.

Dick, for those of you who may not have been introduced to him, is a former professional independent art rep and a consummate artist himself. He worked the southeast territory, primarily Florida. Upon his retirement, he came out with some of the best information for artists I've seen in a long time. They are in the form of podcasts he produced. You can avail yourself of his wisdom at: www.SalesTipsforArtists.com. This compilation of thoughts, suggestions, observations and facts is useful for any artist serious about their career. (Ed. note: Since the original post, I have learned the link to Dick's Web site is displaying HTML. Until it is fixed, you can access all Dick's podcasts, including his fiction and limericks on the Talk Shoe podcast network. Be sure to turn to Page 2 as there is worthy information on it as well.)

WARNING SIGNS YOUR CLIENT, CUSTOMER OR BUYER MAY BE HAVING “PROBLEMS.”

●  Phone calls, emails or faxes aren’t acknowledged or returned promptly

●  Websites are not updated with new material regularly

●  Posted client lists remain static or outdated – no new listings

●  Frequent staff or responsibility changes

●  Shrinking sales staff or personnel

●  Delivery and / or payments slow down

●  A decline in advertising or publicity for the company

●  Events such as seminars, “mixers” or invitationals aren’t happening as before

●  Branches or satellite locations are closed

●  Rumors circulate in the “trade” – other suppliers ask about your experience

Dick suggests to be on the lookout for any of these signs among companies and individuals you are dealing with. You don't have to jump ship at first notice, but being aware should make you more cautious in your dealings. If you notice such signs, you should take steps to cut your own financial or professional exposure.

Some things you can do are:

●  Cut down on inventory

●  Reduce the time allowed for payments

●  Lower the amount you will put on credit, and so forth.

Mainly, be prudent. It is not a time to cut back completely, but it is certainly a time to have a heightened awareness and a proactive approach to dealing with warning signs. Conversely, you don't want to be seen as giving off these signs either. Use them to check your own behavior and actions so you don't accidentally make yourself the target of a supplier's suspicions about your business.

Relief Anger Angst & 15 Things Visual Artists Can Do Now

Hello,

How are you my friends? Me? Well, I guess I'm doing fine. I woke up today to simple pleasures. The sun was shining. My spouse was enjoying a serene morning meditation. My dogs were playfully chasing each other. My bills get paid. I have job I like with promise and benefits. I am blessed.

Art Print Issues origins date back to an 8-page digital newsletter that began in November 2005. Since then, I've published more than 200 posts or articles with none espousing personal opinions (Casting aspersions on bonehead moves by tradeshow executives aside.) or political views. There are plenty of sources for that and I respect my readers don't come here to get my views on the economy or politics. There is, however, always a reason to break from tradition as this post proves, at least to me.

In a dichotomy of mixed emotions, I feel real relief amidst the daily front page dread

As is my daily routine, I read the morning paper. Yet, something is different now. While I still acknowledge the daily dose of dread and accept much, if not most, of it is out of my immediate control, and amid the noise of war, economic woes and natural disasters, I feel a deep sense of real relief. At the same time I admit to feeling the same nagging anxiety that afflicts us all to one degree or another.

My relief is partly due to an election result that promises a new direction for our country, (In near perfect 40-year counterpoint symmetry, Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois is once again the locus foreshadowing not just a shift in political fortunes, but just as in 1968, seismic cultural changes as well.) The joyful harmony of the throng of 200,000 well wishers gathered to witness President-elect Obama's acceptance speech stands as the direct diametric opposite of the contentious civil and police riots that took place in Grant Part in 1968 during the Democratic convention.

The fractious turbulence that occurred there in 1968 signaled an era of great divisive societal upheaval and portended a momentous political conservative pendulum swing that peacefully comes to a halt in sync with the end of the Bush presidency. Just as a pendulum alters its return course not exactly following its previous path, this swing is destined not to repeat history, but to make it. We're neither looking at the New Deal nor the Great Society. Rather something altogether different with consequences just as great or greater.

A new president offers hope - but the greater relief lies elsewhere.

Although I have high hopes for the new administration, my greater relief is in the arrival of the economic meltdown we are witnessing. It couldn't have happened too soon on one hand, but on the other it gratefully waited till new leadership was standing in the wings. It's a nightmare to think how the current administration helmed by the most unpopular president in the history of polling would have found a way to bungle handling this mess had it unraveled a few years ago. The current doling out money to banks with virtually no strings attached is a good example. There is no oversight on this. At this juncture, it is incredulous to me how those responsible for such unguarded handouts are letting this happen.

No, I'm not heartless or crazy. I'm just ready to deal with the inevitable.

You could be asking, "How can you find relief amidst so much chaos and misery? "Have you lost your mind? Are you heartless, witless or both?" The answer comes this way. It is time and none too soon. It is time for us as a nation, and as consumers to change our spendthrift ways. The havoc being wreaked upon us is from a bill far overdue. The blame for which is neither partisan nor political. It is bigger than that.

This time, overdue change can no longer be averted. We've popped the dotcom bubble, the housing and easy money bubbles and we are left with the reality of our collective actions. True enough, there are some more to blame than other and may their names live on in ignominy and shame. May their purloined riches be the ruin of them. May their greed fester into deserving deserts of despair.

The full gravity and extent of this situation is yet to come.

The simple truth is with no more rabbits to pull from hats we are going to face very difficult times ahead. This will require painful and unavoidable solutions as already noticed in daily reports of new layoffs, bankruptcies, foreclosures, stock losses and scaled back services and expectations on nearly every level.

The news will continue to get worse till the bottom is found. We are not there yet. To some extent, we don't know the bottom. It is uncharted territory and the wise ones who we would trust to predict such things failed miserably at calling the outcome we live with now. To see Alan Greenspan trying to deny knowledge of or culpability in helping cause the current situation is a sickening example of delusional hubris and unfettered unaccountability. Come on Alan. Either you're lying or incompetent. And neither of those will protect your precious legacy. Too bad the same can't be said for your comfortable retirement and  pocketbook and that of the cronies with whom you helped brew this toxic economic stew we live in now.  

We have great role models to help us gather strength and resolve to pull us through.

The Greatest Generation as they were titled in a book of the same name faced many similar challenges. They were the children of the Great Depression. How did they respond to adversity? They fought World War II at great cost personally on the front and at home. Soldiers lives were lost and shattered. At home, gas, shoes, sugar, butter and more were rationed. The country pulled together as a collective whole to help the greater cause. Can you imagine that in 2008? That generation recovered and returned home to help build the biggest best and the most mighty country in history of the world. They had learned and lived by core values from which we have strayed far. They survived some of the worst times only to help lay the groundwork for what arguably became the best of times. We have much to thank them for and to learn from them.

We have gone from the quaint notion of a chicken for every pot to a state of overconsumption where a cell phone, flat screen TV, broadband cable, bigger and bigger homes and two cars in every garage is the norm. Unfortunately, easy money has made government, corporations and consumers all act like drunks at an open bar. That is we are without a clue how or when to stop from that which was destined to do us more harm than good. We now have a massive hangover from which the effect hopefully will scare us straight.

Being relieved does not mean I'm not outraged. Believe me, I am and worried too!

Don't get me wrong. Being relieved does not make me happy about the current state of affairs. I'm down right outraged at how this could have happened; at how many supposedly smart people who had our trust were either dead wrong or too greedy or dishonest to tell the truth.

Today, our greatest threat is not abroad. It is the ticking time bomb of a debt balloon that if not brought under control soon will burst creating havoc that makes today's bad news headlines seem trivial. That's why I am relieved. I think for the first time we have a collectively begun to glimpse the enormity of the problem facing us. And, we have someone who shows the intellect, potential and vigor to take on the enormous challenge before us and him. I believe Barack Obama when he says he is not a perfect man and thus we should not expect him to be a perfect president. Nevertheless, I place my faith in him. LIke his rival, John McCain, I think he is a decent person who will do his best to do his best.

Like many Americans. I'm proud we have fulfilled our destiny in becoming a powerful nation that with a grand experiement created a constitution that was tested by civil war and finally 140 years later proved the notion all men are created equal.

I'm relieved because I believe Barack Obama has the ability to do the right thing even if it requires a complete about face on political promises. Lincoln did not run for president on a platform to free the slaves, but he came to realize it was the right thing to do. FDR did not run on the promise to grow the government and create a social security network and spend money to put people to work and break the crushing economic stifle of the Great Depression, but he did because it was the right thing to do.

Obama has yet to take office, so it is a lot to put on him. But, whether you voted for him or not, whether you trust him or not, he's our guy. My instincts tell me he has the capacity to rise to the occasion and do the right things however painful they may be. Godspeed him, America and you too.

What does all this mean to visual artists?

It means the same to nearly everyone striving to make a living. We aren't going to give up on those things we have worked hard to achieve. We will have to make some sacrifices. Discretionary income will become less available. You might be like me and take a day job with benefits. One that leaves you time to create.

Alternatively, or inconjunction with your current plans, you might begin to stretch to do more, new and different things that still require your artistic eye and creative verve. Here are some points to ponder, to stir your thinking:

1. How else can you use your artistic creative ability besides putting paint on canvas?
2. Can you paint frescoes in homes and offices?
3. Can your artwork be created in to large scale wallpaper images using modern printing technology?
4. Can you learn some digital art skills or add graphic arts skills to your repertoire?
5. Can you teach art in schools or give private lessons?
6. Can you arrange small box lunch plen air picnics where art lovers and artists can convene to enjoy nature and art?
7. Can you arrange exhibitions that help raise money and awareness for causes near and dear to your heart?
8. Can you learn Web site design?
9. Can you find new ingenious ways to help your best galleries drive traffic to their shops?
10. Can you learn to squeeze all the paint from the tube before open a new one, or paint over a canvas with an image not destined to bring you money?
11. Can you sell your art as seasonal in same sizes so your work can be changed in a frame to fit the season?
12. Can you create a media event based on your art? Do you have a theme right for the times?
13. Have you looked at art cards, ACEOs, mini prints and mini orginals?
14. Wyland paints whaling walls worldwide. Can you paint large scale murals in your town? Or start a collective project to get a group of artists to create one?
15. Have you looked at forming a collective gallery? Maybe it's a temporary space you only use once a month, or once a quarter. There have to be landlords happy to bring in rent even on a limited basis.

Hopefully, these ideas will stimulate your creative marketing process to help you think about what you can be doing now that might help. A useful brainstorming idea is to list all the things you would never do. The more you add to such a list, the more likely you will find productive things you should or can be doing.

Making Art & Money in the Digital World - Meet Me in Atlanta

I'm honored to be giving a presentation titled Making Art & Money in the Digital World at the Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta next month. The company is an industry leading premier digital printmaker. The talk is slated for Wednesday, August 13 at 6:30 pm at company headquarters. The address is: 1082 Huff Rd NW, Atlanta, Georgia  Phone: 404-352-9779 Toll-free: 866-352-9779. Space is limited. RSVP via email by August 8.

Here is a synopsis:

Any artist wishing to improve their business will benefit from attending. In a fast-paced hour, you will discover new perspectives on art marketing for visual artists and photographers. Q & A to follow.

Tips on marketing, advertising, publicity, blogging, Web sites, social marketing and gallery alternatives will be provided. Artists will learn unique ways to market themselves and about attributes shared by successful artists. An extensive resource list will be included with the presentation handout.

The presentation will shed light on the rapid changes in traditional art print market and what it means to visual artists and photographers. You will gain insight to help decide to self-publish, seek a publisher or do both. The talk will include the attributes on every art publisher's dream artist list and the merits and pitfalls of both self-publishing and working with a publisher.

A discussion will be provided on how visual artists and photographers can use the print market and digital printing to:

•    Grow awareness for themselves and their art
•    Increase sales
•    Diversify their price points and consumer mix

I'm looking forward to it and promise to do my best to make it fun, informative and worth your time!  

Is the Next Big Thing About to Happen?

I've been a huge fan of futurist Watts Wacker since I first heard him speak to a group of tourism executives circa 1999. His presentation was fascinating and full of compelling information.

He was as riveting a speaker as any I've heard. That he managed to mesmerize his audience of business executives while wearing long hair, shorts, sockless loafers and a rumpled button down shirt made him more interesting. It was a rare encounter where I found myself thinking, "How fun it must be to be that smart, that cool, that self-confident and worthy of having organizations fly a person in and pay them thousands to hear their ideas for a mere 90 minutes?"

At the time, his international bestselling book, co-authored with Jim Taylor, The 500 Year Delta: What Happens After What Happens Next was riding high on the charts. And, his subsequent books, Visionary's Hand, and The Deviant's Advantage plus his latest, What's Your Story?: Storytelling to Move Markets, Audiences, People, and Brands provide more profound and practical insight from this informative oracle.

Finding a Way to Fill the Yearning for Authenticity Can Drive Your Art Career

A key fact I landed on from The 500 Year Delta was in the monumental changes we are living through, there is a societal yearning for authenticity. Today's digital world, including giclees, doesn't allow much for it. If you can figure out how to create true authenticity in your art career and properly promote it, you will reap great rewards.

Wacker's always thought provoking monthly newsletter is penned by him and published by his company, First Matter LLC. The essay most apropos to this blog is from the February 2008 issue. It does not disappoint. With permission, here it is:

Keep Your Eyes Open I’m Convinced it’s About to Happen by Watts Wacker

I can’t help but keep thinking about this being the 40th anniversary of the ’68 Chicago convention and the tragedies of both Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Especially now that so many have suggested that we are at the same, or at least, similar crossroads today, I just keep thinking about it.

I actually disagree with the assessment of similarity to the two periods of time. In 1968 the social mood was much more “down with authority” ... today? ... it’s much more like “are you prepared? ... and is there such a thing as being an authority?” We want our institutions to be prepared for the future and we’ve not so sure they are so.

There was an artist who captured the ‘60’s, Peter Max. Peter’s an amazing man. Philanthropist, humanitarian, environmentalist and philosopher ... he is the most successful living artist in the world. He truly was the catalyst for connecting art and business. Max was the first person ever to have his work placed upon everything from bed sheets to sneakers. His product was out-licensed to the tune of $1 billion (yes, billion) before 1970.

While he would likely refer to himself as a neo-expressionist today, he has traveled from realist to pop artist (maybe archetype on this one) to his latest definition. His prescience in seeing how “the poster” was on the cusp of unprecedented ranges and intensities of color (all at inexpensive and high quality) allowed him to connect romantic, playful and psychedelic. He created the yellow submarine for the Beatles. Toulouse-Lautrec would have been proud. Peter readily says that his love of the cosmos and childhood expectation of becoming an astronomer was a major source of inspiration for the art of the 60’s. He captured a period of time.

Today, we should be looking for “that look”. What I mean is, what is the look for today? We’re far enough “in” to the 21st century. And, like Peter, I believe it will be somebody born in Europe ... developing years in Asia ... than blossom in the USA. However, in the 2010’s it will be some other order and more than likely an artist who blossoms in Asia. Keep your eyes open ... I’m convinced it’s about to happen.

I'm in agreement with Watt's observations and predictions. If you want to read my TalkBack comments on his site and peruse some very interesting links related to Watts' commentary, go here.

This post comes on the close of the 30th Annual ArtExpo New York show where in its heyday none other than Peter Max used the venue to further his career. Wouldn't it be great if the artist whose talent will rise to grab our collective consciousness as Watts' envisions was exhibiting there this year? That fantasy aside, given the changing dynamics of the art market, I wouldn't bet on such a notion. It's far more likely the art print market and its primary venue will undergo untold major changes before the next big thing comes calling. Just as The Beatles and Peter Max helped revolutionize music and art by being different and not of the status quo, I believe the next big thing will break out of some yet unknown venue or channel.

Do You Have a Second Life? Do You Need a Second Life?

If you want to be somebody else,
If you're tired of fighting battles with yourself.
If you want to be somebody else
Change your mind, change your mind. - lyrics to Change Your Mind by Sister Hazel

If you answer is yes, you likely are one of the 8.5 million plus people who have created a virtual alter ego on Second Life. Here is the description of what Second Life is from its Web site:

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 8,558,745 Residents from around the globe.

There are who find it hard to imagine one having enough time for a rich involved second life when their real life is so hectic already, while for others the escape from the clamor of reality is the lure. Me, I signed up and got an avatar, but was fairly bored before I got off Help Island where you learn to walk, talk, drive and fly and get an appearrance and find and move stuff. I did go to some galleries and cafes, but still was anxious to get back to RL (real life) in SL parlance.

Despite my personal experience, I don't underestimate the power of such software to transform people's lives and businesses. That actual countries are setting up consulates on Diplomacy Island gives you another glimpse of the depth of involvement and the potential others see in the virtual world. If you can find a way to make this work for you, go for it and please report back here when you do or if you already have.

Before you think I'm crazy and wonder why I'm posting about Second Life, you should know it is in the press for many reasons. For example, it was featured as a cover story in the May 6, 2006 BusinessWeek magazine with this headline: My Virtual Life - A journey into a place in cyberspace where thousands of people have imaginary lives. Some even make a good living. Big advertisers are taking notice.

The July 4, 2007 edition of The Art Newspaper carried this article: Art Makes a Scene on Second Life - The online virtual world is becoming one of the best places for for artists, curators and dealers to meet. The article mentions the island of Artropolis where artists have set up galleries that sell both virtual and actual art online. One artist claims to have made more than $10,000 offline from contacts made in Second life.

The blog, Business Communicators of Second Life recently announced Sanpellegrino's pool party launch for those whoever wanted to be part of the high brow Italian art and club scene. Wow and darnit! I missed it on July 25. Before you laugh, consider its sponsor is international consulting firm Accenture. So, if you are just bored, want to kill some time in a virtual world and perhaps pick up some sales and contacts you would not otherwise get, Second Life just might be the ticket for you. 

Whose Art Is It Anyway?

Some of you may already know I occasionally blog on Absolute Arts, one of the more heavily trafficked sites for visual art. My latest post there has the same title as this post. It talks about some interesting observations regarding money and art, throws in a dash of politics and a flourish of acknowledgment for the accomplishments of one determined person to do good by following through on a good idea. Here's the link: http://blog.absolutearts.com/blogs/archives/00000344.html