This will be a mixed bag post as I have a lot of ground to cover.
First of all thanks again to everyone in Little Rock, Arkansas who came out last Friday night to view my exhibition Fire and Noise. I really enjoyed speaking with everyone there and I was extremely honored by my friends who drove several hours to attend the opening. Fire and Noise will be up until March 7th so please, if you are in Little Rock, Arkansas or are planning to visit, stop by the River Market ArtSpace and check out the show. Gallery hours are Tuesday- Saturday 10am-5pm. Visit www.rivermarketartspace.com for more information. Here is a slide show of the exhibition along with photographs of the opening itself. Enjoy.
For all you locals out there (Northwest Arkansas). I am happy to announce I will be having a solo exhibition at the DDP gallery in March! I will be showing 15 pieces never seen before in the region, including two large diptychs. The exhibition is entitled Selective Evidence and the opening reception will be held Thursday March 5th from 5-8pm and the show will run for 3 weeks. My birthday is the day after the reception- so come on out, view my work and celebrate with me. To preview Selective Evidence visit my website and click on the work tab and then the DDP Gallery. It has been a while since I have shown any work in town so I am very excited to share these works with you and especially in the lovely DDP gallery.
The next topic I want to discuss is this blog. When I started this weekly studio blog April 20, 2007 (I can't believe I have maintained this for that long!!). I wanted to share a little about me but mostly how to promote, market and get your art seen in the world. I was encouraged to start this blog as way of organizing my thoughts on what had worked for me and what I knew would work for others. I remember feeling fearful of putting myself out there as any type of expert or mentor. I also remember receiving very few comments and having few regular readers when I first started. Back then, I was mostly writing it for myself with the idea that I would then condense some of this material into future lectures or workshops for other artists. That hasn't happened yet but I am hopeful it will at some point. Then the blog took on other roles as well; it became a promotion tool for my own work as well as other artists I knew and admired. Once readers found my blog and I started cross promoting it on other networking sites it really came alive (those paper painting give-aways didn't hurt either!) This studio blog has changed my life in many ways, taught me a lot about myself and improved my writing skills. Just the act of having this weekly post gives me a sense of stability and responsibility to you the reader. It also connected me to a wonderful community of artists and art lovers all over the world. For this I am extremely grateful. At the same time, I see my readership dwindling, as are comments so I wonder if this blog has served it's purpose? I don't know what more to tell you in order to help, guide, or inspire you. I feel like I have covered the basics of "how to be an artist 101." I added my own personal feelings and struggles throughout, my personal inspirations, hopes and fears, and lots of paintings. Perhaps, the blog just needs another brief hiatus. Or perhaps you have questions that have not been answered, or suggestions for a new direction the studio blog could take. Feel free to email me or leave me a comment below regarding this. I am honored for all the feedback and positive energy you have given me over the years.
Today I also thought it might useful to index some of the most helpful blog posts from my archives for those just starting out or continuing on this path of being an artist. Here are 16 helpful posts- think of it as the super condensed version of the studio blog. You can bookmark this post for easy access to my most practical advice. I wish you all nothing but success and perseverance with your art.
I called myself an artist
Free Publicity and the Press Release
Oh No! It's the post show blues
Hello: My Name is...( how to act at your art show)
Creating Inventory 101
15 minutes(motivation)
Creating a free web presence
Beware the Vanity Gallery
Bravery and the Art of being an artist
Rejection: Surrender into this ocean
Flow along with the tide ( our works origins and how it changes) My favorite blog post ever.
Nuts and Bolts: How to get your work in a gallery ( if you only read one post- this is the one)
Trusting Yourself Enough To Buy Art
Nuts and Bolts: Let's get you an exhibition ( a little different than gallery representation)
Do you still want this job? (the pros and cons of the profession)
Tortured Artist Myth or Reality
In other news, I know I have been neglecting my Etsy shop while working on Fire and Noise and I look forward to taking some time to create new small works on paper and filling the shop with these pieces. I love being able to create affordable, original art for all, as well as pay some of my bills. Please keep checking back at artmaven.
So, there you have it. Fire and Noise is on display, Selective Evidence will be up next month at the DDP, and I am leaving you with 16 key posts to hopefully motivate and inspire, and with more etsy paintings on the way. So, with that there is only one thing to do but say thank you for all your support, friendship, love, and comments and then end with a PAPER PAINTING GIVE AWAY. That's right!!! Leave me a comment between today and next Thursday at Midnight. I will randomly pick 5 lucky readers to each receive a small paper painting. I will post the winners names next week (even though there won't be a formal blog.) GOOD LUCK!
I love you all and thank you for the memories
(you know I will be back sooner or later- I always am...)
all content on my blog is copyright Megan Chapman 2007-2009 unless specified otherwise.
A free giveaway! Be interesting to see if there's a surge in comments left.
ReplyDeleteAs for the future of your blog I'm not sure where it should/could go from here. As you state, you have provided a huge amount of really good and helpful info/guidance and I don't know what more you could offer in that regard. I and many, many others are very thankful for all that you have shared. Beyond that your blog has a social value in keeping us interested ones up to date with your new projects, your thoughts and ispirations and a bit of what's happening in your life - but is that worth maintaining a blog for? I don't know the answer to that. I guess it depends a lot on whether maintaining the blog is a bit of a weekly burden or whether you truly look forward to writing it each week. I know with my own blog that its not easy to come up with regular new content and I don't even write lengthy bulletins like you do.
What ever you decide as the future for this blog please be assured that I have enjoyed reading it every week (even if I don't always add a comment) and it has given me valuable information and also great encouragement and inspiration.
You are a good person, a generous person and an inspiring and accomplished artist and teacher. I would hate to lose the means of following your artistic development and also losing a window into your world.
Just follow your heart. Everything will work out. And keep smilin'.
With thanks and much love...
Kev
Megan, you have indeed been a wonderful person to know, question, follow and love through this blog. In fact, if anyone ever asks me anything I will point them in this direction, and even when I went of sick I left a note on my own blog to point people to here. You have been more than generous...and I see this as a willingness to share and inspire.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also know that there are times when the pen has to have a rest to refill with new ink. If you're feeling like this, then follow your instincts and have a sabbatical to recharge and grow. After that you may be bursting to share and inspire again.
We will certainly be very happy to see you ♥
Megan, the exhibit looks absolutely amazing! Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite posts from your blog is the "What is Art For?" I had an artist friend visit my studio and we discussed it for hours!
Remember that the impact is not always seen or heard by the you the author, it's energy is there...
Best wishes always, looking forward to the giveaway! I'd love to hang a piece of your art in my home in CT!
Megan,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the show and for sharing---in detail---your processes and experiences as an artist.
Hope your visit with Dede went well last night.
Think of you every day
Matthew promised a visit home a while back....would be nice to see him here at the gallery, looking at your work.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to know you and very lucky to live around the corner from you. I'm always impressed at the ever-evolving and growing Megan Chapman. I'll see her around, even if I don't get to read the blog, lucky me!
Megan,
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've visited your blog, and it has been a great read. I've recently decided that I would like to make my full time job and not just hobby. Your "Best Of" list of posts is a gem, thank you. I hope to put your advice to good use.
As for whether you should continue your blog, I'd love to see more. However, the most important consideration is whether you enjoy doing it or not. Based on my own experiences with blogs, for every person who comments, there are probably another 10 or 20 who read and remain silent.
Best wishes and thank you for tips and advice.
John
Sorry, this sentence makes more sense if it reads like this: "I've recently decided that I would like to make ART my full time job and not just hobby."
ReplyDeleteKev- thanks for being a faithful reader- I am always grateful for your thoughtful comments when you do choose to leave them. I appreciate your compliments as well- very kind of you to say. I wish you good luck in your own art and of course in your surfing.:)
ReplyDeleteDebs- Thanks for everything, I know we will not lose contact- I can't wait to see how your exhibition "The Silent Landscape" all works out. You have come such a long way with your painting since we first met and it has been a thrill to watch your progress.
Amber- Thanks for your compliments on my show!I hope your work continues to take off as well- good luck with it all and thank you for your enthusiasm.
Matt- I am grateful to have known you since we were 12/13 and so grateful for all the support you have given me in my life in general. You have always been an inspiration.
Dede-You are an amazing friend. You also have inspired, challenged,and listened to me as I struggle through this job as "artist." You are a wonderful person and gallery owner.The only person I would want to call "Boss."
John-Welcome to the fray. I know we just met and you are a first time visitor. Your comments really put a smile on my face, a spring in my step and hope for the future. Good Luck in going full time in your Art and turning it into more than a hobby. You and people like you are the reason I started this blog- so I am thrilled you found it. There are many other helpful posts in the archives if you run out of information from the 16 I posted.
Thanks everyone for your comments. Pretty good odds on the paper painting give away right now but I do hope others will comment as well.
I love this page and Blog Megan! Very nice to see your work after all these years, I never knew you painted.
ReplyDeleteSo come back soon and share with us! You are an inspiration for all us artists. Rock on!
xxoo
Geri
I love your artwork as you know, but I can't help feeling that as I'm fortunate enough to be a previous winner, and now own 2 more stunning paper paintings, I think I should withdraw myself from the giveaway to enable someone who doesn't already own a piece of your work to have the chance above me.
ReplyDeleteGood luck bloggers!!
:) x
One thing you have done that I love and find so impressive is to promote and give attention to other artists that you admire. This along with your first hand knowledge and experience of being a professional artist gives back, and if there is something we all could be inspired to do more of, it is to Give Back :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, blogging traffic and comments seem to go in waves. Right now I seem to have less time to read and comment on blogs, and I'm noticing that some blogs that I "follow" are updating less frequently. I wouldn't worry about it or over analyze.
I am still thinking about what you wrote a while back, about "I remember..." and every now and then a random memory will pop into my head, and I'll want to write it down in a dedicated journal, the "I Remember" journal.
Beautiful, beautiful show! Wonderful. I so wish I could come and see it. I'm sorry I don't comment more (but you know I always read your blog). I'm going to miss it if you stop. I don't know where you should go from here but you always have a good idea to disseminate. Maybe you could shake it up a little. Do a paragraph a day for a week or, go the other direction, and write once a month for awhile? ... or not? What would I know? I don't blog.
ReplyDeleteMegan, I absolutely LOVE Baptism by Fire! I enjoyed perusing your work at the River Market ArtSpace, and I will definitely recommend it to others!
ReplyDelete--Shanna
Geri- Thank you! I am glad you were able to comment. I think I was a dishwasher when you knew me "back in the day." I only practiced the art of dishes :)
ReplyDeleteDebs- you are becoming a marketing maverick..back out of the give away while you plug your other blog.. (I like your style)
Stephanie-thanks for your comments- you were a reader way back before most.I'm glad to give back- I have been given a lot.Keep remembering..
Ash-thanks for the "beautiful-beautiful" you have always been so supportive and like Matt I am so glad we have been friends for so long- you have helped/influenced/guided me more than you will ever know. I love you like a sister or even more.
Shanna- I am so glad you checked out the show. It is folks like you that encourage me to keep blogging and all the other crazy networking I do- because I think it is responsible for getting my work to you and who knows how many others that I will never hear from. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you went to see Fire and Noise.
All- I may just a few weeks off like a did in the summer or more- but you can always keep up with me at www.meganchapman.com or just "google me"
Right now there is a 5 out of 9 chance in the paper painting give away (excluding sweet Debs) Good Luck!
Megan~ I read Follow Along with the Tide on fri and it was one of those things that I needed to be reminded of. The thing I really appreciate about this blog is your honesty, and you can really give some food for thought. And of course Inspiration. I've read through some of your archives and want to read through more of them. :) In fact as I get closer to June when I am ending my business as a Hairstylist and putting all my energy into creating, your blog is more and more of a valuable resource. But sometimes shifts in where we put our creative energy is needed and that's important so I can understand needing a break for you. If you do resume this blog count me in! Thank you so much for the encouragement on my blog and the work of art you created on the Follow Along post took my breath away!!!!!! I could go on about that one, wow lady!
ReplyDeleteHeather
Megan! My comment never posted for some reason. It was so ... poetic at the time, and now all I can remember are the bare bones:
ReplyDelete1) I have always appreciated your blogs,
2) Their subjects always seem pertinent and well-thought-out.
3) Follow your heart on what you do with it in the future. If you want to keep it in the same vein, you're always coming up with new stuff that is valuable to us readers, and if you want to take it a new direction, you know we'll follow.
4) Just because we aren't commenting every week doesn't mean we aren't reading along, or missing one week then reading two the next, or forgetting on a Wednesday that you haven't posted yet and coming here eagerly to read... only to realize we're still up to speed.
You blew my friend Adam's mind at the show. He was positively swept away into another world he'd never seen before. It was such a joy to watch and facilitate, mostly because I remembered the first show of yours *I* saw, and how I felt, taking it all in.
Girl, keep on doin' what you do. You've got it.
Heather- thanks for commenting- I am so glad you read that post, and that my information is becoming more helpful to you as you get closer to June- that is so exciting and I wish you all the best with it. It is a challenging job but the rewards are great. Thanks for following along during Fire and Noise and for all your encouragement as well- GOOD LUCK following your dreams!
ReplyDeleteGinna- Sorry your poetic response got lost in the ether but this one certainly put a smile on my face. Thank you so much for everything you said. I am so happy I was able to "blow Adam's mind" at Fire and Noise- I live to do that. :)
You are an amazing talent in your own right and I feel lucky that you have my back. "you've got it" too!
There is now a 5/11 chance of winning a small original work on paper. Folks have until Midnight Thursday to comment.
To all my readers whether you comment or not- thank you for sharing your time and energy with me. I appreciate it and thrive just knowing you are out there.
Thanks so much Megan for everything you have shared... I just wish I had found you sooner. I have bookmarked this post as your list of previous posts will be most helpful.
ReplyDeleteWas great to look through the slides, looked like a great show, just wish I could have been there... and good luck with your next show.
I will miss you...
Katherine
x
Katherine.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome.This blog will be around either frozen in this static state or updated again soon.
So please take advantage of my condensed version but also of my archives. Thanks for looking at my slide show of the show- I wish you could have been there too- it would be lovely to meet you. Thanks for the luck and wishes.
I will miss you all too.( but I am always around on some internet portal... :)Take care and I wish you continued success with your art!
Everyone:
On Friday when I announce the winner I will try to give some time frame if I am just going on hiatus.
Also, if you feel like commenting but don't want to be entered to win or whatever just say so in the comments- don't let that stop you. :)
See you all briefly on Friday!
Thanks for everything
-x-Megan
i want to win! i want to win REAL bad! i REEEEEALLY wanna win! did i win? am i the winner? i won, right? yay!
ReplyDeleteok seriously, i have read your blog many weeks. i enjoy it. you are tenacious. i like seeing you go for it and share.
your art is beautiful. i can always tell whats a "megan". your paintings always seem well thought out. your aesthetic is developed and mature. the titles rock, that may seem like an odd compliment but i mean it, i put much thought into my own titles and yours really add a lot for me personally.
lets trade, i want the nest looking one from fire and noise, along with 3am and the baptism by fire. those were my favorites...
cheers, babe, have one for me.
Aw Megan!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't go on hiatus too long! I really enjoy your posts, and have felt that I have gained a lot of knowledge and perspective on art, and the art world, from your writing.
You will be missed!!
I totally understand where you are coming from, and I know you won't be gone for long ;)
Your show looks amazing, and I know it looks even more amazing in person. I wish I could see it in person...someday. Someday!!
I wonder if the blog has up and down times like seasons of the year...I notice the new year surge of interest in all things arty has started again. Well rested after the christmas break and back to work so to speak therefore time to renew connections.....love your work i so enjoy the depth of colour and the boldness of your paintings.
ReplyDeleteWell I just found this blog so I can't say that it's worth giving up on yet. Maybe you just need a new look for it- choose a new back-ground and header, give yourself a couple of weeks and think about what direction you want it to go.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I'll be here a while, and it's only 9:08 pm thursday night my time so maybe I can get in on the give-away still? All the best!
Flannery- thanks for commenting and for your compliments. I think you are a very talented genius so I appreciate what you say.Sorry it wasn't meant to be (the giveaway) but one day soon we will figure out a trade.
ReplyDeleteMichele-thanks for the "you will be missed" and you are right I won't be gone long...Keep up the amazing work- you are force to be reckoned with.By the way did you know that my brother bought a piece of your art not long ago?!
Russet- thanks for finding me via twitter.Thanks for the compliments as well- I like your idea of blogs having up and down seasons- seems likely.
Dahlhaus-thanks for finding me.
Please look at the archives etc. I will consider a new look when I come back in April.
thanks again everyone- take care!
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI stop in and read whenever I get a chance, and I don't think I've ever commented before.
I just wanted you to know, from a "lurker" :)