Entry 28: New video on Studio 120: how to make the leap from hometown to the big city and into the big, bad cyber world.

New video posted to my Youtube channel series: "Studio 120":

Studio 120: painter Beck Lane talks about DIY promotion, determination and stats  https://www.youtube.com/user/La102438 - basic suggestions on how to make the leap from hometown to the big city and into the big, bad cyber world.

In addition to the suggestions in the video on promotion, I'm going to also suggest you do something I do everyday: research your audience. Who is your work for? Who is your customer/collector? How do they spend/invest? Is your audience local or national? International? What social media sites do they use? Age, gender, tastes....do you care?

But before you can get into researching your audience, you need to decide what your goals are for your work.

• Do you want to just paint and leave it at that?
• Do you want to show to your friends?
• In your hometown?
• Do you want to show in your nearest city?
• NY?
• Or do you want to have a worldwide audience?
• What type of artist are you and what do type of artist do you want to be?

The clearer you are on who you are, what you do, where you want to take your work the clearer your mission will be and once you've decided on your mission you're freed up to start setting goals and making steps to getting there....simple and hard all at the same time but if your decision is to be a pro you need to understand being a prof artist ain't for sissies. It is hard work that leaves you venerable but also opens you up for successes you couldn't have imagine existsed. There be magic out there but if you do decide to press forward and reach beyond your comfort zone you'll need to work on promotion - letting people know who you are, what you do and where you want your work to be headed. In a philosophical sense,  promoting yourself is giving yourself permission to succeed. You're not only telling the world you are worth their attention but you're embedding a belief in yourself.

Keep in mind, when you really start putting yourself out there you become more venerable to criticism BUT, whether you promote yourself or not, people will criticize regardless - the most venomous criticism comes from people who are simply jealous of people who are confident enough to put themselves out there and believe in themselves (or want to anyway). It's easy for cowards to be critical of people who are doing something positive and taking action with their lives. So F@#K it - do for you and your work in spite of them bc in the end they won't be there, you will be and it's better to know you've done your best to push yourself and your work than to look back knowing you hid. Find the courage to push yourself out of your comfort zone and promote your work and don't pay no mind to posers who ain't got that depth of courage.

That's what this video is about - it's not about being a marketing maven it's about a few things I've learned to do and places I go online to post and promote my work. Posting, linking, interlinking and tagging are a few things I was taught by a friend and am more than happy to share. Really, unless you're 5 years old and or have a large cheering section of supporters who are willing to do all the heavy lifting for you - you, as a self sufficient artist with lofty goals, should put on your big girl panties and learn to do it as well. Otherwise, you're just another guy making stuff.

Promotion is hard, it's time consuming and it's not easy unless you have a Madonna size ego but it is a part of getting your work out there. Maybe we'll save researching your audience for another day - that's a pretty big subject but something you should think about regardless.

Bugsy is the only guy in my house that's allowed to chillax.
Even the kitty has to work towards our future - kitty is in charge of project coordination - he's a task master.

To see "Studio 120: DIY promotion, determination and stats" visit:  https://www.youtube.com/user/La102438
(Hint: you get to see my big, modern desk in my fancy office)


ARTIST TIP (from my friend painter Heather Adels who has several shows coming up this spring):
"Go to sleep in your painting clothes if it helps you to get up and paint the next day."

Detail from a 36" x 36" painting by artist Heather Adels - a fav. 
To see more work, visit Heather's blog:
http://www.adelsart.com/blog/
She's nothing less than a genius..... and a very nice person.

All of Beck's work available exclusively thru:

Eden Fine Art

www.edengallery.com/

Call :(212) 888-0177 for details.

To view previous blogs visit:becklaneartist.blogspot.com/

To see albums filled with pics of work over the last year on FB: www.facebook.com/BeckatReBar/

Also visit: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002159828818

www.top20sites.com/Top-Art-Collectors-Sites