Working Artist

Inaction breeds doubt and fear.
Action breeds confidence and courage.
If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it.
Go out and get busy.

--Dale Carnegie

I struggle daily with a full time job, life on the farm, art, a blog, teaching and writing that I sometimes don't get time to draw. It is then that I must remind myself that part of the "Working Artist" phrase is "working". I need to make time every day for art so that it becomes part of me, the pencil is an extension of my arm. And I know when I haven't drawn for awhile that it affects me and makes me anxious to abandon life and get back to the drafting table again.

Another step in my journey to make art more of my life is to market my art and my services. Now this in itself strikes fear into the heart of most artists, me very much included. I hate marketing my art, as its part of me that I put on the line whenever I do. But its a necessary part of reaching my goal of having work compete less and less with my art.

Good enough isn’t good enough, because now everything is good enough. Our expectations of quality are unrealistic—and are being met every single day. We don’t just want to be satisfied, we want to be blown away.—Seth Godin, The Big Moo, page xi.

One part of my marketing has been completed, and that's the production of a brochure for animal portraiture, but that's not always convenient to carry or present so I want another smaller form of representation. A business card or postcard that will represent my art, my life, my work - me.

If you Google 'online business cards' you can find offers for cards from $5 to $500 depending on how flashy you want them to be. Here is a wonderful blog from Wendy Gonick about designing an artist business card from conception to print.

So I'm busy setting up designs and researching places that will print to my specifications at prices that don't bankrupt me. Business cards or postcards? I like the postcard option more as it gives me a larger canvas to make a statement. I'll play with some designs and layouts and see what I come up with. Any suggestions from those who have created cards or postcards is more than welcome.