Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

Digital Artists & Fine Art Photographers: Are You Making Convergent Media?

Digital Artists and Fine Art Photographers Should Be Using Convergent Media.

Convergent Media is a term I coined in 2007 for Digital Artists. 

 Digital artists and fine art photographers were in attendance when I recently spoke at art business webinars, art marketing panels and podcasts. During those talks, I mentioned why I believe "Convergent Media" is a great term for them to use. 

It Was a Busy Week Talking About Art Marketing and Art Business

My first activity was as a panelist for the 2012 smARTist Telesummit last Thursday. Tuesday this week was very busy. In the morning, I presented my “Boost Your Art Career: Using Publicity, Promotion & Power of Self-Belief to Leverage Your Success” webinar for smARTist attendees.

Download an Informative Art Marketing & Art Business Podcast for FREE

Later that day, I took part in an “Art Marketing & Art Business Podcast” with Jason Horejs. He is the owner of Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, author of "Starving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art, (A must read for any artist),and a prolific blogger.  Jason has done more than 100 live workshops designed to help artists learn the insider secrets for getting into galleries. 

More than once when presenting, I suggested using "Convergent Media" to my listeners, who included digital artists, and fine art photographers. The idea is to use “Convergent Media” as a functional term that accurately describes works made using digital technology and printing. I came up with the idea for the term in a 2007 Art Print Issues, "Convergent Media - Is It Time to Bury Digital Art?" blog post. It was a response to a question from a digital painter who was seeking help to describe her work that was not made up marketing hype, and still succinctly descriptive. 

Have You Charted the Steps to Create a Finished Digital Fine Art Piece?

As I thought about the process that is involved in creating a finished creation of digital art, I envisioned the numerous steps to get a piece ready to market. Of course, a fine art photographer, who does not significantly alter the original image, will most likely not want to classify the work as other than fine art photography.

However, digital artists and those fine art photographers who also use advanced Photoshop, digital painting, and other methods to complete a work  are prime candidates for using a term such as “Convergent Media". I think digital artists, photographers and painters will find the term particularly useful.

The “Convergent Media” process runs the technology gamut, including considering a digital fine art print is calibrated, and put through a digital printer to complete the work.  Because of the many steps and processes involved, I was reminded of the well-used art term of “Mixed Media.”

In mixed media, artists use different techniques, artifacts, surfaces and processes to come up with a final piece of art. It struck me digital artists use a similar process that mainly involves digital technology, but might also include hand embellishments or treatments to the printed piece, before it is offered for sale.

I trust this term will help you in describing and marketing your own digitally created works of art. I have a couple of other blog posts, including a guest post on Absolute Arts, covering the idea of using “Convergent Media” in more detail You can read them on these links:

• Convergent Media - Stretching the Imagination
• Convergent Media - Is It Time to Bury Digital Art?
• Brave New Digital World

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You can keep up on useful, practical, informative ideas like Convergent Media, and stay informed of other podcasts and webinars by subscribing to my blog here.

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This blog is published on the TypePad platform. When I first ordered it in 2005, it was the best choice for me. WordPress had not evolved to what it is today, and neither had my tech skills.

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Had I known then what I know now, it would have been a no-brainer to have started on WordPress instead. My plan is to move this blog to WordPress one day, but it is complicated and not high on my priority list.

I have published BarneyDavey.com, GicleeBusinessNews.com and BoldStarMedia.com using Wordpress. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of the platform and remain amazed at its reach, complexity and flexibility. It now powers 22 of every 100 new domains published in the U.S., and is growing.

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Visual Artist’s Challenge: Should I Work with Galleries, Go Direct to Collectors or Both?

 In the art business, if you hang out online with your kind or tribe as Seth Godin calls them, it does not take long to find lots of interesting folks whose work you admire. Such is the case with fine artist and prolific blogger Lori McNee and me.

Through mutual requests, we decided instead of guest blogging for each other that it would be a fun experiment to collaborate conversation style keeping to a single art marketing topic. It was an easy choice to first tackle whether visual artists should work on getting into galleries, seek to build their own direct-to-collector distribution, or do both.

Barney:  Although it arguably is contradictory, I am in the “do both” camp. While I believe artists will enjoy many benefits by working with galleries, working exclusively makes artists too reliant on things out of their control. In year’s past, there were no options and the gallery system was stronger.

I do not advocate abandoning art galleries. However, in today's art market, well established art galleries can get blindly buzz sawed by circumstances beyond their control and wreak havoc to the detriment of its artists in the process. And, now visual artists have tools to sell direct as never before. In their own interest, I believe they should pursue them alongside galleries.  As entrepreneurs, artists must tend their art careers and art businesses. That means being aware of changes and making the most of them for their own sake.

Lori:  This is one of the most heated topics being debated by artists right now. In fact, this very subject has been the focus of conversation during the past two weekends on my visits and paint-outs with some very influential professional artists. This is what I learned:
•    Surprisingly, some nationally recognized artists have begun to abandon the gallery route in favor of studio shows, self promoted exhibitions and direct marketing sales.
•    The majority of artists, including myself, believe in a healthy combination of gallery representation and self promotional sales.
•    The minority believe in relying on galleries for their sole promotion and sales.

Here is the synopsis: Direct marketing is the trend for 2010-2011. Gone are the days when galleries could hang art and easily sell it off the walls.  In light of the challenging economic times, the art market has suffered and galleries have been struggling. Most prospective collectors do not have the disposable income they once enjoyed. Now when a buyer does decide to invest their hard earned money in art, the collector wants a personal connection or better understanding of the artist. Galleries and artists can now tap into the ‘direct marketing’ approach with the use of Social Media, blogs, websites, YouTube as well as artists’ receptions, arts/crafts fairs, etc. This new form of direct marketing is the wave of the future.

Barney:  Today, society’s quick acceptance of change affects every business large and small. For example, could Google have imagined a closed social network platform launched to find the best looking freshmen on campus would evolve into the most serious threat it has known?

Facebook, other social media and ecommerce have changed consumer habits affecting the business model of brick & mortar galleries. Another factor is the Darwinian effects caused by the collapsing housing market that pummeled all businesses providing anything for homes, including art galleries.  

Changing times require artists learn to be self-reliant. Fortunately with the available tools, this is the best time ever for visual artists to control their destiny and to sell direct. That said, I believe galleries serve an important role, are here to stay and should be treated with respect.  

There is a term called coopetition where companies compete on some fronts and cooperate on others. I believe this is the future for artists and galleries. On one side galleries need to recognize and accept artists will compete with them without accepting suicidal head on direct sales battles. On the other, artists have to bring more to the table than art that sells, i.e., a personal brand, a loyal following, a killer mailing list, media contacts and so forth. Creative concerned coopetition should be the key to growth and survival for artists and galleries.

Lori:  I really like the idea of coopetition.  Some galleries might be hesitant to warm up to this mutually beneficial new idea.  Therefore, artists need to be proactive in building trust with their galleries through open communication.  I see this as the natural evolution of the artist/gallery relationship.

Barney: Despite that we both agree a combination of working with galleries and direct sales is the best. I believe we also agree there is no perfect answer. Artists can still be very successful being exclusively with galleries only program, or vice-versa handling all sales direct to collectors. Obviously, social media can play a huge part in marketing an art career no matter what path an artist chooses to follow.  

Stay tuned. This conversation will get into social media and art marketing in our next installment, to be announced.

You can find the second installment, Visual Artist’s Challenge II – Balancing Self Promotion & Gallery Representation, on Lori's Fine Art Tips blog.

Perspective on Success and Visual Artists ~ It Never Was Easy

It is interesting how one thought leads to another, and sometimes how one blog post inspires someone else to add to the conversation.

This action and reaction is one of the many things that makes interaction on the Internet so compelling. Without question, such occurrences extend well beyond the art business.

Not too long ago, I wrote a post titled What Is the Secondary Art Market? It attempted to give some definition to the what the secondary art market is and speculate on where it is headed. It is lengthy, but worth the read I shamelessly suggest.

The piece attracted the attention of artist Peter Leighton. In addition to being a visual artist, he also is the founder of Penny Prints Press, a 13-year-old fine arts digital press located in Austin, Texas. Peter also pens a blog on his www.PennyPrints.com Website. The image here is from his most recent post.

He had some interesting things to say in response my post. His was titled The Printmaker's Dilemma. Here is an excerpt:

Over the past year, I've certainly seen a dramatic downward trend in giclee print prices online... Original digital art prints, for example, in the 17x22 inch range and once selling for $200-$300 are now being offered at below $100. Many of these images being sold by print-on-demand online galleries attempting to aggregate as much content as they can in one place to get the biggest bang for their buck. Thus feeding the notion that digital art prints, no matter their perceived quality, are disposable art objects, to be enjoyed for the moment, but not collected... My only concern with this trend is that not all digital printmaking processes are equal.

While there are numerous ways digital prints are made, there are yet more sides sides to the issues of how to get the most value for artists and collectors from digital prints. As Peter noted, they are not all equally made, which creates a marketing and perception problem for serious professional artists who publish reproductions using the giclee printing format.

I left this comment on Peter's blog:

We can all pretend things are the same, or we can face they are different and never going back to where they were. Somehow, I believe those truly committed to making a career at something, such as professional artist, always will find a way to make do.

There is no question some big opportunities are gone or diminished, but I see more opportunities now than before. The big fat pipes of distribution are getting smaller as new much smaller, even micro ones, come into play. As I have said before, it was never a walk in the park in the good old days to garner great success. That is one thing that remains the same. 

I still find artists who successfully are managing their careers at a very high level selling originals and limited edition prints of their work. One thing I note is those who have such success have many things in common. In particular, they all built their collector base methodically and over time. There aren't any overnight successes among them. They went down many paths and drilled many dry holes on the way to their success.

As my comment on Peter's art blog indicates, it was not easy back in the day to build an art career. Obviously, it is not easy now. It is just different. I believe trade magazines and tradeshows were instrumental tools in helping artists then build a solid dealer base. I still believe these vehicles have their place and can be used effectively. But, like broadcast television, their reach and influence has peaked.

What artists have today are simply amazing new ways to make and reproduce affordable high quality art reproductions.Print artists also have the means to find collectors on their own and to build a distribution mix of dealers and direct-to-collectors channels that did not exist just a few years ago. Certainly, what we take for granted would astound previous generations.

This at a time when consumers are much more tuned to digital printing, in the form of what is still widely called giclees, as a great way to buy art. I am committed to help you find new ways to capitalize on this interest and the challenge to tap it.

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If you missed the opportunity to hear me and the other 10 presenters at the 2010 SmARTist Telesummit, you can still get in on the learning. The wealth of information provided by this wide range of speakers amazed me. I was humbled to be included with such topnotch art-career experts.

Here is a great offer for you. Introducing the all-new, 4th annual smARTist Telesummit 2010 Home-Study Edition! You can listen to the audio download and CDs (also read the written transcripts!) for all 7 days, with 11 Keynote Speakers, who gave 14 presentations... any time — at your convenience — as often as you want. 
 
Click here to Act Now & Save on your registration!

You'll zero in on the details you need to move your career forward, learning from our art-career experts and successful artists exactly what it takes to break the starving artist mold and be successful (in any economy)—with focus & facts supporting your Fabulous Art.

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Time to Build Your Art Career on Defensive Opportunistic Optimism

There was disturbing news this week in the art print market. *Boundless Gallery, an online art venue had been around for a several years, and also had become an important online art business retailer and a steady source of income for some artists. It abruptly announced it was closing its doors saying the business model was no longer profitable

This week, I added my comments to a lengthy and ongoing commentary to Maria Brophy's blog post, Should you be a Sucker or an A-Hole – You Decide. Maria manages the business for her artist husband, Drew Brophy. He has been rocking the surf art world for 20 years. Her post details how an arrangement went sour with a company had hired Drew to custom paint 50 of its camper van rentals.

The gist of the post is after tough negotiations that led to an original discounted price, the buyer announced he was getting offers to do the job at a price more than 30% lower than his current contract with  Drew. He gave them an ultimatum to lower prices or he would pull the deal. Read Maria’s post and the comments for more details.           

These events punctuated a moment of clarity I received after contemplating for some time about what is best for visual artists in the art business today. The clarity came in the form of three words:

• Defensive
• Opportunistic
• Optimism

Defensive – now, more than ever, artists need to realize they are mostly on their own. That is, they cannot count on publishers, galleries, or dealers to be there for them as in the past. The news about Boundless Gallery and the blog post by Maria proves the point.

I am not saying you should not trust galleries, online art marketers or art dealers. I am saying you cannot afford to rely 100% on their ability to look out for your best interest, especially if it conflicts with their own best interest. To some extent, this has been the norm, but the situation is worse now.

Opportunistic – it follows if you cannot put as much trust in others to carry your water as before, then you have to be opportunistic to create your own direct sales opportunities. Fortunately, in these times, visual artists can benefit from the confluence of growing Internet and e-commerce usage, changing consumer habits and Social Media trends to forge their own distribution models.

Having a Website used to be a personal decision. I believe it is now a “must have” item in your marketing arsenal. Further, I believe virtually every artist should have a blog. The SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Google Page Rank benefits alone should make blogging paramount to artists.

Additionally, I believe the divide between those artists who do and don’t blog will grow larger with the former category taking market share from artists without a blog. Those who add a Facebook page, build a real Twitter following and utilize other social marketing tools will pull further away.

Optimism – unarguably, you need optimism to fuel your attitude, desire and ability to generate your best results. While you may temper enthusiasm with an honest realistic view and even pessimistic view of how times are tough, to be positioned for success you must prepare for and visualize the best possible outcome for your career.

You may not always be able to control your circumstances, but you can always control your reaction to them. If talent, hard work and luck are equal; optimism will win out every time. When you confidently convey you expect good things to happen, you take your collectors and other constituents with you.

I have a sister who has dealt with much adversity in her life, much of it coming from things over which she had little or no control. She reminded me of the great opera singer, Beverly Sills, who, despite a fabulous professional career, had painful personal hardships in her life.

Sills succinctly summed up what I mean about being optimistic in tough times when she said, “I'm not happy, I'm cheerful. There's a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all. A cheerful woman has cares but has learned how to deal with them.” 

If you watch your back, look out for yourself, and stay as cheerful, optimistic and as open to opportunity as possible, you give yourself the best chance to enjoy success in your fine art career

* A shout out of thanks is due to both Fine Art Studio Online and Empty Easel for their generous offers to help artists who were on Boundless Gallery. If you are one, check them out.

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Last Summer Repost - 52 Blog Topics for Artists - Get Started Now!

For the final summer repost, here is an oldie, but goodie, that stands the test of time. If you are ever at a wonder as to what to write about in your next blog post, the following repost will be helpful:

A Year of Blog Topics for Artists - No Reason to Hold Back Now

Perhaps you have read Why Every Artist Needs a Blog on Art Print Issues, and you are now ready to take the plunge into the blogoshpere. But, you are concerned you won't know what to write. If you think people don't want to know what you had for lunch, you're correct and win a gold star. Here then are 52 suggested blog topics designed to get you through your first year without ever mentioning peanut butter and jelly. Several topics could easily be multi-part posts:

52 blog topics for artists - Courtesy of Art Print Issues

1. Why I support xyz charity
2. The most inspiring art teacher I have known
3. How I came to know being a professional artist was my career path
4. Why I love working with xyz medium
5. What you can learn from the traveling exhibit at the abc museum
6. Four galleries I would love to carry my work and why
7. Five contemporary artists whose works inspire and inform me
8. Clues to the subtle messages in my art
9. My color palette is (nature/technology/environment) driven and why
10. Ten things they don't teach you in art school
11. How being in the business of art affects my art
12. When I paint, I like to listen to Guns n' Roses/London Philharmonic/Enya/Toby Keith
13. How the other arts influence my work, e.g., how I attempt to interpret the fluidity of a ballerina in my brush stokes
14. Here are blogs by other artists whose work I like, or whose blogs I like
15. Art retreats; although you may not get rich and famous, you can still travel and stay at wonderful places. Here are my favorites or fantasies
16. How other jobs I've had have added perspective to my art
17. Spirituality is personal, but growth in it has made me a better artist
18. Nine things I want to paint before I stop
19. Why painting en plen air is exhilarating
20. Art by other artists I bought in unusual places
21. Visually inspiring day trips around where I live
22. Museums I've visited in other cities and around home
23. Art books on my bookshelf
24. If I could only recommend one book, art or otherwise, for someone, it would be...
25. How living the creative life has uplifted my spirits and made me a better person
26. Advice for young artists
27. Why I love my local galleries and/or the local art scene
28. How blogging has stretched me as an artist
29. You can find my art online at these sites, here's why I chose to use them
30. Art magazines I like to read
31. The greatest influence on my life was...
32. Why and how parents should encourage artistic development in their children
33. Some funny experiences either colleagues or I've had at art shows
34. I still can't believe people have asked me these things
35. The five best quotes on art I've ever read
36. How the courage and creativity of some disabled artists have inspired me
37. Here are blogs I enjoy that are not about art
38. Seven ways technology has changed how I make and sell art (Some examples are: Photoshop/digital camera/digital painting/digital printing/Painter/online art sites)
39. I'm grateful because this person came in my life, or because this happened to me
40. Eight reasons I get out of bed to paint everyday are (Suggestions: Let's be honest, I need the money. I'm OCD and can't help it. It's the best job a person could have. A day without painting is like a day without sunshine. I can't stand the thought of going back to the 7-11)
41. And you heard writer's block was difficult
42. How overcoming creative obstacles has made me a better artist
43. So I went to a tradeshow/convention/workshop and the best/funniest/saddest thing happened
44. It's really hard to part with my originals; here's why
45. Five reasons you will like the giclee prints I offer
46. Flowers in my garden make me smile and make me paint
47. If I wasn't an artist, I'd be a...
48. Why faces are so difficult to paint, and hands are tough too
49. The most inspiring movie I've ever seen is...
50. How the arts organizations in my area are helping children/charities/??
51. Why you should always use a docent when you go to a museum. Here are some special things I learned at...
52. How reading the Art Print Issues blog has made me smarter, better looking, more creative and much richer

Perhaps you have read Why Every Artist Needs a Blog on Art Print Issues, and you are now ready to take the plunge into the blogoshpere. But, you are concerned you won't know what to write. If you think people don't want to know what you had for lunch, you're correct and win a gold star. Here then are 52 suggested blog topics designed to get you through your first year without ever mentioning peanut butter and jelly. Several topics could easily be multi-part posts:

52 blog topics for artists - Courtesy of Art Print Issues

1. Why I support xyz charity
2. The most inspiring art teacher I have known
3. How I came to know being a professional artist was my career path
4. Why I love working with xyz medium
5. What you can learn from the traveling exhibit at the abc museum
6. Four galleries I would love to carry my work and why
7. Five contemporary artists whose works inspire and inform me
8. Clues to the subtle messages in my art
9. My color palette is (nature/technology/environment) driven and why
10. Ten things they don't teach you in art school
11. How being in the business of art affects my art
12. When I paint, I like to listen to Guns n' Roses/London Philharmonic/Enya/Toby Keith
13. How the other arts influence my work, e.g., how I attempt to interpret the fluidity of a ballerina in my brush stokes
14. Here are blogs by other artists whose work I like, or whose blogs I like
15. Art retreats; although you may not get rich and famous, you can still travel and stay at wonderful places. Here are my favorites or fantasies
16. How other jobs I've had have added perspective to my art
17. Spirituality is personal, but growth in it has made me a better artist
18. Nine things I want to paint before I stop
19. Why painting en plen air is exhilarating
20. Art by other artists I bought in unusual places
21. Visually inspiring day trips around where I live
22. Museums I've visited in other cities and around home
23. Art books on my bookshelf
24. If I could only recommend one book, art or otherwise, for someone, it would be...
25. How living the creative life has uplifted my spirits and made me a better person
26. Advice for young artists
27. Why I love my local galleries and/or the local art scene
28. How blogging has stretched me as an artist
29. You can find my art online at these sites, here's why I chose to use them
30. Art magazines I like to read
31. The greatest influence on my life was...
32. Why and how parents should encourage artistic development in their children
33. Some funny experiences either colleagues or I've had at art shows
34. I still can't believe people have asked me these things
35. The five best quotes on art I've ever read
36. How the courage and creativity of some disabled artists have inspired me
37. Here are blogs I enjoy that are not about art
38. Seven ways technology has changed how I make and sell art (Some examples are: Photoshop/digital camera/digital painting/digital printing/Painter/online art sites)
39. I'm grateful because this person came in my life, or because this happened to me
40. Eight reasons I get out of bed to paint everyday are (Suggestions: Let's be honest, I need the money. I'm OCD and can't help it. It's the best job a person could have. A day without painting is like a day without sunshine. I can't stand the thought of going back to the 7-11)
41. And you heard writer's block was difficult
42. How overcoming creative obstacles has made me a better artist
43. So I went to a tradeshow/convention/workshop and the best/funniest/saddest thing happened
44. It's really hard to part with my originals; here's why
45. Five reasons you will like the giclee prints I offer
46. Flowers in my garden make me smile and make me paint
47. If I wasn't an artist, I'd be a...
48. Why faces are so difficult to paint, and hands are tough too
49. The most inspiring movie I've ever seen is...
50. How the arts organizations in my area are helping children/charities/??
51. Why you should always use a docent when you go to a museum. Here are some special things I learned at...
52. How reading the Art Print Issues blog has made me smarter, better looking, more creative and much richer

Can Visual Artists Succeed Without Using Twitter and Facebook?

For nearly four years I have been honored to be a guest blogger on Absolute Arts, which remains one of the most highly respected and trafficked online art sites. My most recent post for it went up today. It is titled: Success and the Unconnected Artist. The post tackles a question am frequently asked, which is can I make it as a visual artist without having a Twitter and Facebook account? Not to mention Linkedin, MySpace, FriendFeed, Flickr and on and on.

The short answer there, and I encourage you to go there for the longer one as well, is yes. An artist can devise ways to sell art and enjoy a viable long term career without the benefits of Facebook and Twitter, etc. While I am a strong proponent with my own regular involvement, I think most visual artists who do participate in social marketing would be hard pressed to accurately assess their return on investment from their involvement. This incongruity does not diminish the activity.

David Ogilvy, arguably the most influential advertising person ever, is reported to have said, "Half the advertising I do works, I just wish I knew which half." So if a Madison Avenue superstar can't pinpoint return on investment, it means you shouldn't fret over it either. Despite believing it's possible to make a career outside of the Internet's widely bandied Web 2.0 tools, I remain a stalwart believer that artists can positively affect their careers by using them.

In order of importance, I would start with a good Web site that can professionally promote and properly present you and your work. Follow that with a blog and then let those things be the platform to launch into Twitter and Facebook, which can effectively be used to drive traffic to your site and blog. There's obviously more to it than that, but this is a good overview of how to get started using Web 2.0 to promote your art career.

Easy Way to Put Your Website on Mobile Devices with .Mobi

Read Art Print Issues formatted for your mobile phone at:

www.artprintissues.mobi

If you don't have an iPhone, you surely know someone who does. The statistics for percentage growth of those using mobile devices to connect to the Internet are growing rapidly. Here is part of a recent comScore press release:

comScore: Mobile Internet Becoming A Daily Activity For Many

Number of people accessing news and information on their mobile device more than doubles in a year

Reston, VA. March 16, 2009 –comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported that the number of people using their mobile device to access news and information on the Internet more than doubled from January 2008 to January 2009. Among the audience of 63.2 million people who accessed news and information on their mobile devices in January 2009, 22.4 million (35 percent) did so daily; more than double the size of the audience last year.

Now, if you have a blog or Website and can afford $4.99 a year, you can get your website formatted for mobile phones, or Mobilized, using GoDaddy.com's free Mobilizer software.(For full disclosure, I work there for GoDaddy. However, there is no monetary gain for my mention here. And, all ideas and opinions expressed here are mine and do not represent the company in anyway.) Follow this Mobilizer link to test the software. It will let you see how your site will look using it. It's a free look and if you want to buy the .mobi domain, you can get it on sale for $4.99 a year. That's $10 off the list price of $14.99.

Notice the new formatting for Art Print Issues?

I have moved the left column to the right side of the page. That allows the blog posts to download first. This better accommodates mobile device users. Also, it helps those with slower Internet connections be able to start reading the blog post without having to wait for the left column content to load. I already had been contemplating doing this for the latter reason, the addition of .mobi to my communication arsenal sealed the deal for me.

Art in the Digital World - 3rd Anniversary for Art Print Issues

Faithful readers of words that tumble out my head into this blog post know I'm favored to author the occasional guest blog post for Absolute Arts, which is one of the leading and most comprehensive sites covering the fine art scene. It's impressive Google Page Rank of 7 attests to its popularity and traffic. (For those of you interested in Page Rank and who don't want to hurt their non-math non-tech brain trying to follow the logic on the link above, you can just read this paragraph from the Smashing Magazine article about it:

Each Page Rank level is progressively harder to reach.“PageRank is logarithmic in its calculation. In the same way that the earthquake Richter scale is exponential in calculation, so too is the mathematics behind Google PageRank. It takes one step to move from a PR0 to a PR1, it takes a few more steps to PR3, it takes even more steps to PR4, and many more steps again to PR5, and so one.” [Google Page Rank FAQ]

Art in the Digital World - It's Bigger Than You Think

Should you rather read a ramble with an interesting take on how the digital world intersects in the art world, reading my Absolute Arts blog post is here for your pleasure: Art in the Digital World. It is ambitious in trying to cover lots of ground while connecting more than a few bits and bytes along the way.

Happy Birthday Art Print Issues - Three Years Old and Picking Up Speed

Finally, this blog celebrates three years of posts in this format this month. The first back in February 23, 2006 started a string nearly 200 more since. If you count the articles in the blog's digital newsletter format begun in mid-2005, the list is closer to 250 posts.

Blog Post Triage Keeps the Patient (Post Prospects) Alive

I have never been at a point where I wondered what to write about next. For every post that was planned, there were probably two closer to being extemporaneous wanderings and musings on whatever was firing on my synapses at the time.

My regret is not having the time to get all the thoughts, ideas and suggestions that pop into my head and which I think merit pursuing into the blog. It's like blog post triage much of the time. But, in this case the patient always lives at least enough to be resuscitated at a later date. My trusty other brain helps me keep track of loose thoughts and blog topic prospects.

I'm humbled and honored to have each and every one of you who take your time to read my words. And, I'm eager to keep cranking them out for your edification, entertainment and help in improving your art careers. It's not unlike painting. The more you do, the better you get at it and the more you want to do it. And should others take a fancy to the output, then all the better. 

The Death of Blog Rush - Is It the Tip of the Iceberg? Why It Matters

The blog syndication network known as Blog Rush abruptly shut down a couple of days ago. There were as many as 50 readers who signed on to use them after reading about it here, or seeing the widget for it in the sidebar of this blog. If you are a Blog Rush publisher, you are advised to remove it as it is no longer serving the widget.

I liked the idea of Blog Rush because it was novel and appeared to be something that would be beneficial. Also, I liked it because it was the brain child of John Reese. who is a pretty savvy Internet marketer. He has made a fortune for himself and others, including enough to invest $400k of his own money in Blog Rush.

What has happened to Blog Rush, despite being a unique approach personally backed by a successful and experienced Internet marketer, is indicative of what can happen with nearly any Web 2.0 venture. Seeing Blog Rush collapse is a foretelling sign for some other Web 2.0 darlings. To wit, Rafe Needleman, editor of the Webware: Cool Web Apps for Everyone column for CNET News, ran a piece on October 10 titled, 11 troubled Web companies: The next Kozmos? Here is part of it:

"We are going to lose some good companies." That's the warning cry from investors in tech these days.

Some we won't miss, of course: the lame, me-too, or single-featured "products" masquerading as businesses. But be prepared. Some Web 2.0 start-ups that are well-loved by many are in serious danger of falling off the cliff.

The problem is that being loved is no guarantee for success. Even being used isn't enough. Remember Kozmo, the munchie messenger service from the last bubble? Not a person who used it didn't love it. In the interest of building a user base, the company was OK with losing money on every transaction in its early days. But when the time came for it to become a real business, it was too late. It couldn't transition to a viable company, and it folded. It was a tragedy.

Needleman's list includes companies that will be shocking to some, especially devoted users. It includes: Twitter, Skype, Pandora, Meebo, TripIt, Second Life, Zillow, Ask, Daily Motion, MySpace and NetVibes.Wow! Several of those are companies whose services I really like. I can't imagine losing MySpace, Zillow, Pandora or Skype. I'm sure many regular users of other names on the list will be just as chagrined and disbelieving as I am about my faves on it.

Why does this matter and how does it affect visual artists?

I often cover items of interest regarding Internet marketing here for a reason. I've repeatedly stated in this economic climate and with distribution methods continuing to evolve, it is imperative for visual artists to take control of their own distribution as much as possible. While I'm not advocating revolting from the gallery or publisher systems, I am saying success for visual artists today requires they take more responsibility for getting their work to market than any previous time. Not that it is hasn't always been crucial, just more so now.

Get the real moral of this story here

Obviously, the Internet and other technological advances are the main causes of disruption in changing and altering distribution channels. At the same time, these same forces also offer artists more choices and opportunities to be in charge of building their reputation and making direct sales. It is important to have an awareness that some services or companies you might use and take for granted or not as rock solid as you might think. As such, I will continue to report on progress surrounding Internet marketing and Web 2.0 and apropos Web 3.0 developments.

The real lesson is your business model has to be predicated upon being profitable. If you are sheepish about your pricing and not taking a fair markup on your work, it will come back to haunt you. Better to lose sales than to give it away. The well worn adage, "You can't lose money on every sale and make it up on volume", is as true for artists as it is for Blog Rush, MySpace orTwitter.