The Gutenberg Press

I started teaching a printmaking workshop this quarter at Griffin School. I've done this a few times now, and this time I've simplified things. In the past I'm waxed eloquent about all the different printmaking techniques that exist and how awesome each one is, blah, blah, blah. I decided to stick to the basics--relief and intaglio--instead of leading a comprehensive class. Specifically I'll be covering linocuts and collagraphs, with drypoint thrown in if time. No more lugging sample prints (framed sometimes) + plates and books on printmaking, and going on and on to an audience that's kinda dumbstruck by the massive amounts of information. If I see a spark in some kid's eye, trust me, I'll be bringing in the bling. But my new plan? Keep it Simple, Stupid.

I talked about the Gutenberg Press and Gutenberg Bible in my kick off class and the kids looked a little puzzled. I decided I'd show this video at the start of class next week. If you need a refresher on the Gutenberg Press/Bible yourself, here you go:



If you're in Austin, you can see a Gutenberg Bible at the Harry Ransom Center! It's in their permanent collection. Pretty sweet! I took a field trip there myself last Thursday, and the bible was open to the book of Ruth, which of course reminded me of my grandma Esther and her twin, Ruth.

Summer Reading List

I've been a vacationing fool. I haven't done much art-wise, but that's OK. I did manage to get a little work-work done only because I had looming deadlines--I had mostly PrintAustin stuff, plus I had a graphic design project to start and complete while at the beach. It's amazing how quickly one can finish a project when there's playtime at the other end. I did read three books in this very hammock:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green,
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and
National Geographic Kids Issac Newton: The Scientist who Changed Everything

I recommend all three! They were sooooo good! (The Isaac Newton one I bought for my son, but I decided it was the perfect reading level for an adult that would benefit from having complex concepts simplified a little.)

We're back home and I'm getting reacquainted with cooking, exercising, and making art. 

Little Black Book

For years I've carried around a little notebook. I like jotting down ideas as they come along since my memory ain't what it used to be. For awhile I tried a digital notebook on my phone, but I never went back in to review them while the thoughts were still fresh, and in the end my shorthand notes became cryptic. This new moleskin is a little thicker than my regular purse notebooks, so of course I starting filling it in right away.

I've been wanting to do a print on King Henry VIII and while visiting my MIL, she said the funniest riddle that just needs to be memorialized in a linoleum block:

King Henry VIII to six wives he was wedded

One died, one survived

Two divorced, two beheaded

You never know, this could turn into something one of these days. 

Say Yes

I was reading an article by Tina Fey the other day about her career and how she came to be where she is now. One thing she mentioned that was part of her climb to success was saying yes at times, well, when she was underconfident and for a split second though maybe she wasn't ready for whatever opportunity was offered her. I'm trying that and hopefully not packing in too much. With this new studio option on the horizon, I'm needing to come up with rent and rental insurance, + utilities, so you can see that any income generating opportunities that get thrown at me are much desired. The skill lies in knowing what is an opportunity and what will end up being a drag. Oddly enough, now that I'm not working a traditional 9-5 job, I seem to need an extraordinary amount of free time (kids will do that to you) so all this extra stuff could be a hurdle. My day of watching soaps and eating bon bons are way over! OK, just kidding about that. Nothing gets in the way of Downton Abbey, no matter what!

Here's what's going on with my collage on Io, moon of Jupiter. 

Look at this cool texture! It'll be covered with an over painting of black, but I am loving these lines and dried bubbles.

Here I've added a wash of yellow over the moon. I went super bright because I plan on dulling it with a buff color later, plus I'm going to try a faux encaustic technique mentioned in the book Surface Treatment Workshop: Explore 45 Mixed Media Techniques by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson, which will add some opaqueness. 

Here's the gel I'm using to get this faux encaustic look. I'm going to smear it on the moon as evenly as possible. We shall see!

I bought a sheet of Masonite at the hardware store on Monday for mounting this and another piece instead of framing. I need to get myself to a table saw pronto and cut the pieces down to size. OH! I just realized they have a table saw at Griffin School where I'm teaching printmaking today! Cool! I can kill two birds with one stone. (Caw, caw)

Speaking of Griffin School, would you like to see the absolute worst picture of me ever? Click here and you will find it. Nasty! I've lost 10 lbs since this picture was taken. I had inspiration for finally getting fit from many sources, and this pic was one of them, so I'm actually kinda proud of it.

The Big Dig, Cool Journals, and Sweet Texture

I needed to find something in my studio yesterday and the experience was rattling. So I rolled up my sleeves and spent some time taming it. Phew. I have more to go, but at least I have one functioning surface. I also found an impressive amount of blank books that were no longer blank. Each with some or a few pages of notes of either business ideas or artwork ideas. What the hell?!

The most ironic item found? This issue of BH&G. Notice the clutter buster story. I obviously never got around to reading it. 

Speaking of journals, I came across these fun journals at Austin's Renegade Craft Fair a couple of months ago. They're by Attic Journals. The journals are made using old garage sale finds or out of circulation books from libraries.

If you flip it open you'll find part of the original text, then you'll come across blank journal pages. I had a hard time choosing, but I picked a couple up for gifts.

Now that I have some work space in my studio, I'm going to get on with my Io piece. I added texture the other day using  Lascaux Modelling Paste A and a palate knife. The buckling of the paper that you see in this pic eased up after the paste dried and the paper is laying flat once again.

I-O, I-O, It's off to work I go!

I'm getting started on a new piece about Io, the moon of Jupiter. I started off with a bit of research--thank you Wikipedia!--after having a little knowledge already after working on this collage on the Medici dynasty.

© 2012 Cathy Savage, Brunechelli's Dome, 22 x 30", pencil, acrylic

Galileo was a part of the Medici court until the whole sun-is-the-center-of-the-solar-system debacle, so I have a fragment about the Galilean Moons shown here. (They are glued onto the wedding invite envelope of artist Carolyn Kimball. No kidding! I save it all!!)

First things first
I gessoed one side of a 22 x 30" sheet of Rives BFK and on the other applied a coat of Golden soft gel medium semi-gloss on the other. I plan on adhering this paper to a piece of plywood at some point. I should do it now, but I want to get started and don't have the plywood cut to size, so I'm going about things a little backwards. The layer of gel medium will seal my paper and allow me to glue it down on that side with much better results.

I traced a (dirty) trash can lid onto my paper this morning so I could go ahead and get started. This morning's art task is to work on the background for space, the final frontier. I was looking through the children's book Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott by Yona Zeldis McDonough and I loved the textures in the illustrations by Bethanne Andersen. The Io drawing/collage will probably end up being a texture fest now that I have my new book on textures and I'm dying to try them out!!

Trip Down Memory Lane

I'm about to make a Power Point presentation about Moi
I'm giving an artist talk to the Williamson County Art Guild about my work, process, and inspiration. I'll have a chance to talk about printmaking and Tesla--two of my very favorite things! I am also working on a new collage (right now it's just in my noggin') about Io--one of Jupiter's moons--and I plan on documenting my creative process between now and then so I can talk about a specific and recent piece. Should you care to attend the event on Tuesday January 8th, it'll be at the Windberg Art Center, 7100 N IH 35, 6:30-7:30 PM.

What's in my Backpack
With kids I need to have a backpack filled with gear so I have ample stuff to do while I'm waiting for them to finish whatever. Whenever we go camping I always have a ton of crap that I tote along--even if I end up leaving it in the parking lot--because you never know when you may have a spare moment to knit a row or read a chapter. This is my current load:

1. The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapman. I'm already aware of most of the advice I've read in this book so far, but it's a very good all around book, even as a refresher. One thing I found very interesting and will hopefully apply: sending a packet of postcards or giveaways in with my sold orders that includes my own marketing materials as well as those of my other artist friends. If we work together to cross pollinate, we shall rule the world!!
2. Notebook. I always have one with me. I have a purse-sized one too. When I forget it and need to jot down an idea, I create a note on my phone for later. Lately I've been writing down ideas from the marketing book, but I've started on my business plan and even have rudimentary sketches of the Io piece. It's all in there mixed up together. Just like my brain.
3. Novel. You never know when you're going to need a break from what you should be reading and just enjoy a novel. I'm at the tail end of The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea, which I've enjoyed immensely. 
4. Misc: Mechanical pencils, highlighter, optional book light (you never know!)
5. Knitting project. I'm working on a beard for my son. Yes. I'll post it when I'm done. Here's a link to the pattern if you are in need of a beard. 
6. Stitch n' Bitch by Debbie Stoller. Whenever I have long gaps in knitting I need to bring this book with me until I'm rolling on my project. I forgot how to M1 so recently ripped out the beard and will begin again with my Stitch and Bitch book nearby.
7. My new Radioactive book. I'm really waiting until I finish The Hummingbird's Daughter before I really dive in, but I have it on hand since I'm close to needing it.

Under the Wire

©2009 Cathy Savage, Tea Party, Intaglio, 8 x 8"

When we came home from camping yesterday I had two checks waiting for me from consignment sales. That means for 2012 I was only $18 off my financial goal. Whoa! On Friday my daughter and I are planning a girls day out that involves nail polish, tea and scones, and some collage making with old magazines. I'll be cutting out pics and creating a new vision board. Some may consider such a thing to be hocus-pocus, but I love them and I really think they work! My goals are kept up front and center when I come face to face with them daily, even when I'm not consciously looking.






Camp Food

I really out performed while on our recent camping trip. I made some tomato soup and corn fritters for dinner our second night and they were a big hit even for the little people. The tomato soup was partially made ahead of time. Here are the recipes, which were adapted from The Camping Cookbook.

Bread and Tomato Soup
Heat and simmer for about 30 mins, mashing up the tomatoes as they soften:
2 lbs ripe tomatoes. I used 2.5 pints grape tomatoes
2 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
(I made the above at home and reheated it at the campsite)
Add chunks of stale bread to the mixture until moisture is absorbed. I used almost a full whole grain baguette.
Add about 2 1/4 cups boiling water to bread/tomato mixture, breaking up bread as you stir.
Add some fresh basil (if your kids like it), serve. 

Cheesy Corn Fritters (same cookbook)
1 egg -- I used Orgran powdered egg replacer
3/4 c milk -- I used Organic Valley powdered dry milk, 3 Tbs to 3/4 cup H2O
3/4 cup flour -- whole wheat pastry flour worked great
1/2 tsp baking powder
2.75 oz corn, drained
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp snipped fresh chives if you want to go through the trouble
oil for pan frying (we used Pam spray)

Mix, but don't overmix. Fry up and serve. Yum! I always premeasure and pack what I can in ziplocs so cooking (and packing) is as easy as possible. We all enjoyed the fact that we could kick the soccer ball around the campsite while munching on the fritters.

I have a camping food document already going and at some point I'm going to add these to it. Here's the link to the old one if you want it. 

Radioactive

 My MIL lives in Madison, WI, which is just about the coolest town ever. A lot of cities have the mayor's book club, where the mayor suggests a book that the local book clubs and libraries support and there are discussions all over town and book signings, etc. Well, Madison just did this and they had the coolest book! It's Radioactive by Lauren Redniss, and it's about Marie and Pierre Curie and I own this book!!! (Yea for birthdays!!) I've taken a few pics for your pleasure. We have an upcoming camping trip and I'm going to bring this book. After all, since it's cold outside and there's a burn ban in effect, I have a feeling I'll be spending quite a bit of time snuggled up in the tent with 3 other humans and a puppy.

Impulse Buy that Turned out to be Way Cool!

I'm pretty good about buying crap that very soon gets ignored. I guess that's probably true of many people. I shop at the thrift store generally, so at least I'm buying cheap clothing when the urge to buy an outfit that would look great if I would just lose 5 lbs makes it into my cart. I was shopping recently at Amazon--btw, I had a goal this year not to shop there for a variety of reasons, but I needed to buy an interesting Frisbee for the man that has it all--and I clicked around and landed on this book (their "you would like this" feature is very accurate and well, kinda creepy).

Bottom line
This impulse buy was AWESOME!
Surface Treatment Workshop: Explore 45 Mixed Media Techniques by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson arrived in the mail last week and when I opened the box my heart did a little flip. I didn't want to skim the pages, I wanted to have a chunk of time to digest the entire book from end to end, so I had to wait a few days. If you are into collage and you have a few techniques under your belt for creating interesting surfaces and textures, but don't have 45 of them, this book is for you! I could go on and on about how incredible it is--I'll be posting my creative trials and errors soon enough--but one thing that I especially liked about this technique book was their archival rating on each approach.

Grateful Thoughts
With this new heaviness from Sandy Nook, I am especially aware of my desire to seek the peace and joy within the noise. One song/chant, that our church sings when the kids run off to religious eduction, is very meditative and I hope you like it: When I breathe in, I breathe in peace, when I breathe out, I breathe love. I wish I could find the music so you know how it goes, but it's beautiful spoken as well.

Be wonderful. 

Necessary Evil--planning

My Amaryllis bloomed! Force one to bloom too--
check out this blog post

It's amazing how something I found exciting weeks ago now fills me with dread. Goal setting. My soon to be written business plans will refine what I've come up with here, but I might as well make some progress by thinking about what feels like a colossal task. I need to be in the right frame of mind to tackle this, so I have a cup of coffee with a pot nearby, my desk mostly cleaned off, and two hours to dedicate to the cause. I like to set due dates, so I've broken things down into first through fourth quarter.

First let me jot down my 2012 accomplishments. This will make me feel awesome!

• Set up as a business
• Set up system for tracking expenses (Boo! It's a lot more fun not knowing!)
• Establish business checking account
• Establish an exercise and studio schedule
• Figure out a way to easily update portfolio online
• Maintain blog
• List stuff to sell on Etsy, and get a grasp as to how it functions
• Teach workshop at Griffin School
• Set up solo exhibit (I'll report more about this as the details emerge, but for now it's scheduled for Fall 2015 in Chicago!!!!)
• Exhibit at 10 different venues
• Create new marketing materials
• Reach financial goal (not there yet, but I still have 1/2 a month)
• Sell grackle collages at 5 different locations

2013 Goals:

• Complete business plans for both graphic design work and art. Include marketing objectives, pricing structures, classes I need to take, as well as clear intentions as to what I am wanting to achieve. Q1
• Conquer Etsy in bits (BTW, I basically just moved all my Etsy goals from 2012 since I barely made a dent). Create first treasury in January with at least one per month for rest of year. Set up Etsy workshop for WPA, attend. Read my Etsy book (How to Make Money Using Etsy). Have at least 25 items posted by end of quarter, maintain that amount through year with the goal of increasing 10 more items every quarter. Q1 25, Q2 35, Q3 45, Q4 55. (I heard 80 items was the magic number of listings. Crazy! Not sure I'll ever get there...)
• Pay to have website critiqued, fix issues myself or pay to have done. Q1
• Create new marketing materials depending on what comes out of business plan. Q2
• Show work at 10 different venues in 2013 by end of Q4
• Reduce expenses by 2K. It will be a challenge to use up current supplies (matrices, frames) before buying new stuff, but my studio needs to be exfoliated. Big time. Ongoing.
• Teach at Griffin School Q1
• Create lesson plans for other workshops Q1
• Teach 3 more workshops by end of Q4
• Create 6 new collages in 2013. Q1 1, Q2 2, Q3 1, Q4 2
• Edition 6 existing prints. Q1 2, Q2 1, Q3 1, Q4 2
• Maintain blog. Ongoing.
• Reach financial goal by end of Q4

There's a good chance these will change, drop off, get refined, etc. But for now this is a good start. And look! It only took me 30 minutes! (You can do this.)

Sometimes Bad News is Good

This is where I'm starting.These books have been
on my "partially-read" shelf for months or more.

I just spent the last few hours reviewing my goals and finances for 2012. It was kinda nice taking today off and really tackling this. Granted, it took some effort to get started, but after 15 minutes I was determined to evaluate every aspect of 2012. The news wasn't all bad, but I have some things I need to figure out going forward. There are a few goals I meant to achieve but never did--build an Etsy presence, increase my graphic design work, look into online selling--but I also accomplished quite a bit, so it was good to review. Now that tracking expenses has opened up a whole new can of worms, uh, namely that I'm making almost as much as I'm spending, I need to figure out how to minimize expenses or do a better job moving my work. I haven't quite figured out my 2013 goals but I've made a dent. I've learned soooo many lessons this year. That's the good part. I know what to eliminate and will refocus. I'm going to start by writing two business plans--one for art and one for graphic design--which will require some research. If you have any sources to recommend, please share!

Everyone Needs a Sick Day

Wednesday morning I held a brunch for my ukulele group. I had all the right stuff--bagels, cream cheese, lox, coffee and mimosas. Then we spent some time jamming. The morning was the awesome part of my day.

My body actually doesn't like salmon and I know this, but I have eaten it without barfing before and therefore I tend to keep trying. In other words, I'm an idiot. My stomach reminded me that it trumps my taste buds so I spent the evening in bed recuperating. I wasn't ill enough to feel totally awful, just bad enough to skip dinner and wish like hell that we had a TV so I could veg out in front of it.

Having no trashy novels on my bed stand (having read them already) I grabbed one of my magazines and boy after a few minutes I was glad to have a sick day. I spent 6:30 PM on reading by myself in my bedroom while the kids and Keith were playing Taboo in the other room (even the constant buzzer sound wasn't annoying, that's how engrossed I was). This is just my second issue of Uppercase. It's a beautiful magazine in all aspects. If you like fonts, graphics, good design, etc, this mag is for you. The articles are all creative-leaning with a touch of nerd. It's not cheap though, which is my only hiccup over it. But when it arrives it's like opening a present.

"Recovery Dinner" Thursday night

After having spent Wednesday night in bed, I was up for making a super healthy dinner Thursday. I have a friend that always posts his dinner creations (you know who you are) and after I made my own version I had to laugh--this is not the dream dinner of many, but it is mine. Lentils, bulghur wheat and wilted kale all drizzled with a tahini-umeboshi dressing. The recipe is from Cooking with the Right Side of the Brain by Vicki Rae Chelf and here it is:

Tahini-Umeboshi Dressing
1/2 c water
3-4 medium umeboshi plums, or 3 Tbs umeboshi paste
1/4 c tahini

whirl in food professor. Server over salad, or in my case, anything.

Book Review: On Writing, by Stephen King

I'm not a Stephen King fan. Sure, I've seen Carrie and The Shining. Oh, and Misery. I generally get freaked out over scary stuff so haven't picked up a Stephen King book since that one time I read Pet Cemetery the weekend my roommates were gone. But now I'm reading On Writing, which is part memoir and part instruction and so far I've enjoyed every word.

I'd like to share these gems from the book:

• "Your job isn't to find ... ideas but to recognize them when they show up." King is talking about writing, but really this could be applied to visual arts.

• Hectograph. King and his brother created a newsletter that they reproduced on a gelatin plate. I heard mention of this before, and remember purple sheets in early school days, but never knew the term. Here's a youtube video on the process. A typewriter would be hard to find if you wanted to do text, but a drawing would work fine. (You can buy the paper on Amazon if you don't have a pal that works in a tattoo parlor.)

• "You must not come lightly to the blank page."
• "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops."
• "Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather... Dumbo didn't need the feather; the magic was in him." King is talking about the use of adverbs in the above passage, but what I got out of it visual art-wise, was to put down the crutches/viewer digestible subjects.
• To get better at writing you must read. Well, that's easily translated to art. Get out there. Study artists, study their art, critique it, etc.

I could go on and on, but instead I'll just encourage you to read the book.

Wonders of Plexi

I love Plexi. I use it for printmaking--monotypes mostly, but it can be used for drypoint as well--and I always request it over glass when getting my work framed by my awesome framer, Winner "Augie" Augustine of L'Antillaise Gallery. (I had a print framed with glass nearly ruined in transit when the glass broke. Never again. Plexi all the way, baby! My supplier? Regal Plastics.)

© 2012 ModPlexi

Artists Wendy and Melissa of ModPlexi use plexi for colorful backsplashes for their line of house numbers and I was fortunate to see one up close yesterday when I visited Wendy. She also has a clever way of framing the collages that she and Melissa create, sandwiching their work between pieces of plex and using screws to hold them together on the edges.

© 2012 ModPlexi

Here's an example of one of ModPlexi's collages. Two pieces of plexi (one which is used as the matrix) are pressed together and secured, giving their unique work a very modern look.

ModPlexi's blog link
ModPlexi's etsy site link

Sorry this pic is so poor. It has a funky
plastic cover that wasn't easy to photograph.

The kids and I visited the library today after school and look at this very apropos book I found in the art section! It's titled Plexi Class: Cutting-edge Projects in Plastic by Tonia Davenport. Most of the projects inside are fun jewelry projects, but it was nice to thumb through. The author uses an X-acto blade to cut her shapes and all I could think was her life would be a lot easier if she would use a laser cutting machine like the one at MAKEatx.

Perfect Presentation Frame
from the book Plexi Class

Davenport did have a frame in the book similar to what Wendy and Melissa create. She uses wood trim molding to make a frame, secures the artwork similar to how a framer would do it using foam core and a point driver, then screws the plexi on top (in this example she uses plexi pieces instead of a large sheet. Huh? Yeah, that's what I thought.) A sawtooth is nailed into the top back of the frame to hang the work. I have a show coming up next month at the UU church and I plan on trying this method. I could use a temporary frame that is inexpensive to make and easy to store.

I printed my second color of my reductive woodcut that I mentioned the other day. Silly me forgot to snap pics while in the studio, so it'll have to wait until next week. It's very exciting! My registration was spot on!!

Martha Stewart I ain't

Well, I got down two of Martha's books that I've had on my shelves. I've been saving them for that day when I have lots of spare time and can make my own mini soaps or votive candles. Upon opening the first one, I almost choked when I saw her craft room. It was so put together, with her craft papers put neatly into fabric covered binders for easy access. At that moment I realized I will never be Martha. As much as I love crafting, the reality is, I need to pass them on to someone that will use them or at least doesn't need the shelving space (they are tomes!). It's time to acknowledge that when I find myself with loads of time, I would rather spend it in a hammock.

I worked on Grackles today. I finished up six more, plus I contacted galleries that have them in stock to see if they wanted more. Then I contacted a potential vendor. And I napped, which was my most important task. I was so sleepy today. I wonder if Martha takes naps? Probably not. Or she hires someone to do it for her, maybe? (I don't have a very updated Etsy site, but should you ever want to purchase a grackle, know that you can contact me and I'll set you up.)

Getting Things Done, in Theory

I checked out the book Getting Things Done by David Allen. I was so motivated after cleaning my filing cabinet to organize the rest of my life. I'm great at coming up with lists of things to do, but not great about implementing them--perhaps due to scheduling every waking moment. (How nice to actually enjoy goofing off? Last night I watched Wallander on Masterpiece Mystery. It would have been more relaxing not to share my show with laundry folding and email. Plus I kept thinking about the blog post I've been meaning to get out about artist Ellen Heck. Her book is amazing, BTW.) So, is this book going to be the magic bullet? Probably not, but a good friend that I love and respect told me she thinks it changed her life.

Letterboxing is Cool
Have you done this before? It a treasure hunt of sorts.

My mom and dad brought this
chop home from China for me. It's carved out of marble! xoxo

1. Visit the Letterboxing website and find a treasure hunt in your area (usually hike-related)
2. Bring a hand carved or unique stamp, a stamp pad, and a notebook
3. Find the hidden treasure based on the directions found on the Letterboxing website
4. Stamp your notebook with the stamp inside the treasure box
5. Stamp the notebook inside the treasure box with your stamp 
6. Go back home and report the treasure box active

It's so fun! Check it out. Great for kids. And really, it's an excuse to carve your own stamp. :)

Toiling Away

How wonderful to have an extra weekend day! The 4 of us plan on doing something remarkable Monday, yet to be decided. But as for the past 2 days, I've done a lot of nothing other than recharge my creative batteries. I received the first magazine of my subscription to Uppercase in the mail on Friday, so my goal of reading Ellen Heck's book end to end was thwarted by a beautifully typeset diversion. I love text. And I love good illustrations. I subscribed to this mag on a whim, and so far I'm very pleased that I did.

Its nice heavy paper makes it that much more delicious to read. Every page is a feast for the eyes. I can't wait for October's issue, and I still have 1/2 and issue to read. (I haven't flipped through it all the way if you can believe it. I'm wanting to savor every page and any peeking might lessen my reading experience.)

My girl and I made pasta this weekend. It was a lot of work but worth it. In an effort to get the kids interested in cooking, I'm going to attempt to make a dish with them once a week and just rotate between the two of them. If I don't teach them to cook, how will they eventually take over for me, which of course is the ultimate goal. ;)

Free Publicity

I read, or really skimmed, 6 Steps to Free Publicity, by Marcia Yudkin. Promoting your art may seem horrible at first, but someone has to do it, and nobody knows or cares about your work like you do. (It actually gets better. I look at marketing as a business necessity now, not as a drag on my free time.) This book is geared toward all professions, and as an individual artist, I'm not sure I can employ the same strategies more than once a year at best. But I learned how to write a press release and I'm going to give it a try and hope one of the publications (I'm aiming for 6) will want to try and turn it into an article. It will in all likely hood end up in recycle bins, but it'll be good experience and then I'll have the contact lists and understanding on how press releases work, which will come in handy down the road. Top things I learned about press releases:

1. Correct format
2. Create a headline that has a news angle
3. Present basic facts for the angle of your headline in paragraph one. Answer 5 W's (who, what, where, when, why or how)
4. Gather or create lively quote that elaborates on the basic facts for paragraph two
5. Elaborate further on basic facts in paragraph three
6. End with the nitty-gritty details--where to find, etc.

 Here's a video that sums it up:



If you've had experience writing a press release that has been picked up as an article in a publication, I'd love to hear about it!

Here's Johnny!!!

I'm almost back from my visit to Shangri-la. We've been in upstate NY and this is my view as I type this very post. I've spent most of my visit hanging out with family. I have managed a bit of reading and I wanted to recommend the book Imagine by Jonah Lehrer. The book will actually be hard to find since Lehrer admittedly fabricated an interview with Bob Dylan--crazy, right? He's one of the most studied and documented musicians--and copies in bookstores were removed by the publisher. But, like any book its contents shouldn't be taken as fact without more research by its reader, and the contents as they stand are worth reading. I heard about the book through an NPR article with the author before the scandal broke and it had been in my library request queue for weeks. When it arrived post-scandal, I figured I'd give the book a read anyway. The book is about creative thought and how to increase creativity through scientific principles. I know it's available through the Austin Public Library system, so if you're local, you can request it if you can't find any lingering copies on the shelves of your favorite bookstore.

I have another book for the plane ride: 6 Steps to Free Publicity. I'll let you know if it's worth the read.