Replies: 18 Comments
on Saturday, August 13th, jose said
This is a forum for artists and art related matters, is it not? If a blog is posted informing artists about a tool that can be helpful why should it matter if it is self-promotional or not? Why give in to paranoia and wish to believe that you are being conned into reading about something that is irrelevant to your trade? By having chosen to join absolutearts to make my work more visible I too am engaging in self-promotion and I take it that you [@ and sameway] are no different: you are looking for ways to achieve a breakthrough and attract more people to the work that you do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with self-promotion, this is a moral concept that belongs to the past and that we artists should once and for all stop carrying around with us – especially not the artist of the 21st century. The internet is the tool that will liberate the artist. With self-promotion comes greater responsibility and guts – responsibility to produce higher quality art and guts to take the brunt of criticism directly in the face and not hiding behind the buffer of the promoter. The first step towards becoming visible [@ and sameway] starts by coming out from where you hide and providing us all with a link to your work – perhaps to the gallery you are so fortunate to be working with and promotes your work while at the same time protecting you from the kind of criticism you dish out to others.
on Friday, August 12th, Markus Kruse said
Sameway: What are you talking about, "Review"??? Can you explain futher? What are you looking for?
Thanks, Markus Kruse
P.S. It is hard for us to "review" your work if you don't let us know who you are. Are you an artist on our site? Are you a reader of the blogs??? Do you have a link on our site? I am not sure how to proceed.
on Thursday, August 11th, sameway said
I strongly agree with @ and Andrew. I thought this would be a "serious" platform to get my work seen i.e. a site about art for artists and those interested in art and NOT about selling How To books and the like! Just an idea: WHY not create a Blog area for those selling How To books?
@ touched on the "screening" process... hmmm, is there REALLY one? I doubt it very much. @ did you get a review of your work? I had to ask many times and it took about two months before I got a 'review' and it was not about my work!! Pathetic.
Nevertheless, I'm into it for a year and it does bring exposure for one's work. It seems that we must take the bad with the good as with many things in life.
Sameway
on Monday, August 8th, * said
Oh goody, another self promoter! (yawn)
*
on Sunday, August 7th, Hyacinthe Baro said
Okay: This is a worthy subject that seems to have induced certain individuals to screaming banshee status.
Here is the real scoop. Back in the day, we are talking the late 1960's when folks had lots of money in their pockets, cash that is, and a hunger for original art, well at least only 25o signed and numbered pieces of one image which in itself put a stamp of approval on the work, well in those days there were art auctions everywhere. Every hotel, Temple, Church, woman's club, on and on, charity, etc, had auctions of art.
Now it is 35 to 40 years later and I am inundated with emails and calls from individuals who bought my lithograph prints, love them, are thrilled to find me on the internet and want to know how much the work is worth now.
Where would a new artist, one who has learned their craft, is ready to show, ready to print limited editions...where pray tell will such a one show and SELL the prints?
On the internet. I have owned galleries from Madison avenue to Beverly Hills and never reached as many as on this site. And yes, the work sells.
Think about the bottom line please. Is what you create touching viewers and collectors in an emotional way that would make them want to buy and own your work?
Are you receiving responses from other artists and even collectors telling you how much they love and respond to your work?
If so then your originals will become valuable for their rarity, and your prints will make your work affordable and therefore collectible.
I firmly believe we have found the future for art, for showing and yes for selling and the Internet is it.
on Sunday, August 7th, @ said
Duh...
How to profit from (the art print market)
Buy this book...
Who really is making the profit here?
And on whom is this person profiting from?
If this website truly gave a hoot about artists, then this sort of information would be posted for free on the site (and not just one chapter to hook book sales).
Quite frankly, this latest blog entry has finally just about completely stripped my interest in this site. I have occassionally enjoyed reading some of the artist's blogs. But this latest ad, is just an ad! It really should have been a link or banner on the front page, NOT a blog entry, as keeping with what I had thought, were writings about art from artists and others!
It is kind of dumb don't you think? Here is a site that is trying to sell art. Lets face it, artists make their own work, they're really not much of art buyers. So people who buy art really don't want to read books about how to sell art. People who do buy art, like to read about artists. Thus, a slippery slope for Absolute Arts. Well maybe not... lets face the fact that this site makes money from you, the artist, as well. So in my opinion, which surely counts as nothing, this site is for aspiring artists only.
Oh what the hay, I'll never find that perfect world will I, so go for it! Good bye!
on Sunday, August 7th, Andrew said
Hey @,
The whole absolutearts site is about promotion. There's a screening process, but once you're past that, your work is presented, promoted to a larger audience than you'll be able to get without them. If you come to this site to look at art, great, but criticizing a blog that promotes a book about how to increase income for artists puts you on the side of those who'd like to see them sink, don't you think? You may not want to see advertising, but when you see it coming can't you just ckick off and onto something else if it makes you as hysterical as you seem to be getting? This particular blog's gotten more support comments from artists than any I've seen in a long time, and I for one think this book's worth taking a look at.
on Sunday, August 7th, Paul said
Barney,an excellent blog if you ask me,anything that can alleviate the financial woes of artists is very welcome,and I thank you for putting forward ideas and suggestions that I for one have never really even thought about,but will now,good on you.Paul.
on Sunday, August 7th, @ said
No angst. If it's advertising I want, I'll watch tv, listen to radio, pay attention to internet banners, or listen to radio. I come to this site to read about art. Apparently, I am in the wrong place.
Walls of relatives...? We as humans are all related, thus, many, many, many, walls!
Dusty closets...? Perhaps you need to clean, JR!
on Saturday, August 6th, JR said
So much angst. Consider Absolute Arts requests authors to write for them and reviews the submission before posting. It is invited approved commentary. As with art, reactions to commentary are subjective.
Successful artists accept, indeed embrace, that commerce and promotion are part of the success equation. A young artist once besieged Picasso to critique his work. Many requests later, the master finally came to the young artist's studio. After a viewing at lenght in silence, Picasso turned to him and said, "Sign your name larger."
Art without ego and money attached, however unseemly it feels to avowed sack cloth purists, is only found in dusty closets and on the walls of relatives.
on Saturday, August 6th, @ said
because....
I'm sick and tired of commercials!
I'm sick and tired of self promoters!
Lets talk about art! and skip ego and money!
on Saturday, August 6th, Criticus said
Why is it that if there is a blog that offers a self promoting aspect others get so angry about it? It is not just here... it is everywhere!
Why is there so much envy???
What do you think it is talking about paint, the struggle to paint, trips and critical discussions... they are all promotion for one thing or another!
Why are so many people against a capable marketing aspect? Artists really need to get the point that 70% of their lives needs to be marketing - to make it in the artworld as an artist. Sitting in the studio contemplating the next brushstroke is not going to get you an exhibition or success! Don't expect others to do the promoting for you. Take the ideas that others offer and use them to your advantage.
on Friday, August 5th, @ said
I came hear to read about art just to fing this stupid commercial for a book!
SPAMER!!!!!!!!
on Friday, August 5th, Brad Greek said
Excellent 1st Chapter Barney. It really grabs your attention and makes you think. Creating a thirst for more information and answers, well done!
So many references, I thought you wrote the book for me, I can relate to alot of it. Thanx!
on Friday, August 5th, Douglas Bullis said
There's another venue that can work for exposure, though it's unlikely to miraculously boost the bottom line. Call it an all-around personal biopic. Put together a multimedia CD of your work, stills or videos of you at work or speaking directly to readers, bio info about how your style developed (best if illustrated with examples), how you actually accomplish your work (if not too proprietary for others to know), and whatever else you feel readers would relish knowing. You can give or sell these at shows, to your galleries, to students, whomever. Since these are an exposure tool, the lower the price the more likely the sale. You can also sell them as CD books on Amazon through their Amazon Advantage Program. Try this link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/misc/sell-your-stuff.html/ref=subnav_sys_/102-2940935-4552141
The only problem with selling to Amazon is that your CD has to have an ISBN number printed on the back, Those cost $225 for a set of 10 from www.Bowker.com. If you don't want to spend that much for 9 you won't use, you might work with other artists and go in on a group buy. You'll have to have some form of business name -- not surprising since self-publishing is still publishing. It does not have to be a registered business; a dba will do just fine.
Write me at if you need more details.
Douglas Bullis
on Friday, August 5th, Nina said
This topic is extremely interesting and very relevant to many artists.
I, too, welcome advice from other arists.
I plan to look at David Lorenz Winston's portfolio.
on Friday, August 5th, Richard Orban said
This topic is basically the premise with which I started our dotcom business in Oct of 2001. Although A. Aubrey Bodine died in 1970, during his 50 year career at the Baltimore Sun he became world known as one of the finest Pictorialists of the 20th Century. His submissions were accepted for over 800 Salon competitions and he earned over 1,000 awards for his work. We self publish his photography as note cards, reprints, archival reproductions, calendars and on canvas. We have developed a growing network of retail locations and a marketing and sales organization to support our dealers.
There are two key factors for our continuing and growing success: (1) great art, and (2) print-on-demand technology. But you really need great art - the rest is mechanical, just turning the crank.
on Thursday, August 4th, Brad Michael Moore said
Another self-marketing blog, only without the personal touch... Sounds like a good subject though. I was just curious if Barney wrote this bio, since it's in 3rd person, or was it composed by a dedicated and capable marketing person in the form of a spouse, relative or close friend. Best of luck on the rag, self-published? BTW, Anyone have some first person advice out there? I was noticing Premiere Portfolio Artist/Photographer, David Lorenz Winston, has a published image from his pages making the art poster websites - congrates to him, good luck to us all.
The first chapter can be downloaded and the book can be ordered at: www.printmarketprofits.com or by calling: (877) 869-8859 
