Tonight was the second night for Binghamton's Off The Wall project and it was SO much fun. More live bands playing, even more local artists showed up to make this event stand out. We're starting a MOVEMENT here people!
I did a new live painting. As a request, I did a live painting of Tupac. I didn't sell any artwork tonight, but I did get a LOT of exposure and that is just as good in my opinion. A lot of people measure their success based on how much money they make. I base MY success on how much my artwork touches people who see it. Don't get me wrong... Money is always good for business too, but I think the personal relationships I build and the connections that people have to my artwork is worth so much more.
Tonight was a lot of fun. I met some new artists, new friends, spent more time with my little art family... which isn't quite as little anymore. It seems like we grow bigger and bigger with every event. I love that. So many different styles and creative minds... All with a common love and appreciation for the arts. It's such an honor to be a part of something so big. Networking is on a whole new level for me now. I'm meeting publicists now, fellow bloggers, artists, gallery managers, gallery OWNERS, buyers, art enthusiasts, you name it.
I DO have to admit this... The absolute best part about tonight, was the fact that my daughter was with me. Not only there lending me support, but she also did a live painting as well. I love that she's so into art and entertainment. You have to encourage the youth and I encourage creativity and imagination on ALL levels when it comes to my kids. Let them dream, let them imagine, let them play... most of all
Not too long ago, I was given an assignment to work on an artist appreciation project, where I would honor artists who I look up to and gain inspiration from. I was immediately tuned in once my professor started giving us the details and requirements for the assignment. I've always wanted to be able to do something where I could praise OTHER artists in MY style. So this was the perfect opportunity.
Granted that recently, I've had a lot of other things going on around me, I take pride in the fact that I remained determined to stick to this project. For those of you who don't know, I am no longer a student with AIPittsburgh. For too many reasons than I care to get into, let's just say that I wasn't willing to conform MY style to what THEY thought was artistic in order to get a degree. But I digress....
So even though it was no longer REQUIRED of me to complete this assignment, I still wanted to complete it. For personal satisfaction more or less. Like I stated before, as soon as the assignment was brought to my attention, I was hooked! I knew EXACTLY what artists I wanted to honor and how I wanted to go about portraying each one. The first of the artists that I wanted to highlight was Keenan Chapman.
Now I just happened to stumble upon Mr. Chapman through a Facebook post where one of his paintings was featured on a page. I thought his work that was shown was awesome. So curiosity got the better of me and I decided to click on his profile to see more of his work. Trying to find a single word to sum up his style is damn near impossible. Everything from his use of color to his unique brush strokes is enough to keep you wanting to see more. I became even more into his work once I watched a speed painting that he did of Bob Marley... You can see it here:
Another thing that I admire about Keenan is what some people may find funny but I think it's awesome. Have you ever looked at a person and the first word that comes to your mind is art?! THAT'S WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR ME! To be able to look at a person and just see art! That's amazing. I admire the fact that he's such a spiritual and socially conscious person. Which is something that I believe adds so much character and depth to his works of art. You can actually feel something when you look at it. Artwork that invokes emotion shows what a true artist is.
Here is MY interpretation of one of my favorite photos of him along with an artist appreciation video created by yours truly:
To close out this blog entry, I would like to state this:
As an artist there is absolutely nothing more humbling than to know that not only is your work appreciated and admired, but also that YOU as the person behind the art is admired and appreciated as well. So be sure to show a fellow artist your appreciation today. Support the arts and the people who help to bring them to life.
One thing that I've learned on this artistic journey of mine, is that professionalism is everything and networking is a MUST. It really is true what people say. Sometimes it's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know.
(Check out this great video on the importance of networking)
Now speaking from personal experience, this is how things went in MY situation. Now granted that I have been drawing and into art since the age of four, I always did it for self enjoyment. I never thought of trying to make a career out of what I did until later on in life. As stated before, I was only doing my artwork for self enjoyment. I knew that going to school would give me a degree, hence making me appear more professional with my art; but I never thought of making it a full time career. Only recently after interning at a local radio station, did I get the courage to step out and make this my CAREER. The owner of the radio station that I was interning for, came into the office to get his messages and just happened to see my sketchbook and what I was capable of, and the rest goes from there. Through him, I met people who sponsored local art festivals and events of the like who caught wind of me and my talents. Through them, I met even more people in the art community, I got TV interviews, and people started recognizing me when I would be out in public. After that, I started getting the courage to step out during First Fridays. Completely opened my eyes up to such an exciting and amazing artistic world that I had NO idea even existed. And it was right under my nose the whole time. Going to galleries and meeting artists and gallery managers and networking just gave me that extra boost of confidence. Some good words of advice... NO ONE WILL PROMOTE YOU AND YOUR WORK BETTER THAN YOU CAN! After meeting with some very humble and awesome people downtown in the art community, I am proud to say that I am now a member of a GREAT artistic family. I am doing more local events where I'm getting out and being active in the community. People are starting to recognize me as well as my work and it's a great feeling. All because I took that leap of faith and put myself out there.
If there's nothing else that you take away from this blog, please just understand this: Knowing the right people, being in the right places at the right times will help you build a strong foundation. Think of how many people will want to do business with you, if you come highly recommended by respected people in your field. No one will go as hard for you as you will go for yourself. Part of starting a solo art career, requires you to sell not only your artwork, but also yourself. Remember, you are a BRAND. You are a packaged deal. Let your talent speak for itself. Just remember that on the business end of things, NETWORKING WILL TAKE YOU FAR!
It's been quite some time since I've blogged. So much has happened since my last post in here.
SO WHERE DO I BEGIN?!
Well, I've been VERY active in my local art community since the last time I blogged. I've done events such as JULYFEST 2013 which was nothing short of amazing. I've been donating my artwork.. Most recently decided to donate some art to my local Boys and Girls Club. I've been linking up and networking with other local artists and building up an amazing team. Most currently, I've been a part of the "Off The Wall" project... Allow me to explain...But in order of course... THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN....
JULYFEST 2013:
Okay, so JulyFest 2013 is what I feel is the event that changed everything for me. For the better. I was out in the public eye. My work was on display. I was creating artwork live and in your face, giving people the opportunity to see my creative process from beginning to end. Not only that, but I was NETWORKING. I met so many amazing local artists. I created lifelong friendships and became a part of a beautiful little artistic family. I met people who would see me on a daily basis and never knew that I possessed such a talent. My clientele took a huge spike upwards. My facebook fanpage.... growing more and more by the day. I'm so incredibly thankful for that event. It really was life changing for me. Check out some of the footage below. Oh yeah... want to see which piece I created? well here she is:
"Cecelia the Voodoo Priestess" 14 x 18" acrylic on canvas
STILL AVAILABLE
$115 w/ frame
I'd also like to share some of the video footage from the event with you all.. Check it out.
So yeah, THAT was a lot of fun. As you can see from the turnout, I had a LOT of exposure from this event.
And now for the Off The Wall Project:
I'll just leave you with some of the excerpts from a friend and fellow artist, the beautiful Kady Perry (awesome name right?!)
"CITY ANNOUNCES NEW OFF THE WALL CONCERT & ARTS SERIES
Free Series to Feature Local Talent at Peace Maker Stage off Wall Street
BINGHAMTON, NY—The City of Binghamton announces a new fall Friday evening event, the “Off the Wall Concert Series”, at the Peacemakers Stage on the river trail adjacent to the Court Street Bridge. “We want to encourage use of this great city amenity and showcase local and BU talent,” said Mayor Matt Ryan. Along with eight musical groups during the four weeks, local artists from Quarter Yellow Creative Cooperative and Club Bling will be originating pop-up art. Several food trucks also will be on hand to offer a variety of tasty treats."
"Picking up on the “Celebration of Creativity” along the river trail during July Fest, the city reached out to Kady Perry and the Quarter Yellow Creative Cooperative to invite their participation to provide impromptu arts activities during the concerts. Perry indicated that about half dozen artists are committed to the event. Emily Jablon, operator of Club Bling in association with Susan Jablon Mosaics will be there with her mosaic creations which are rapidly becoming a signature in the city."
So yeah... we're talking something pretty epic. Last Friday was the first event.. be sure to come out THIS Friday for the second one. We're making BIG statements here folks. Come out and show your support. Check out some of the amazing footage from last week. Video courtesy of the awesomely talented Mark Urban (another addition of the lovely little art family I've been adopted into =] )
Hope this was a nice little update for you readers. I will be blogging a lot more now. Stay tuned for the next blog, MY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT...
