Top 10 tips for Artists

Leave a reply

Kirsty Hall has 10 tips for artists. It’s a great list and everybody should head over and read it.

Excerpt below:

4: Love Your Process

I’ve seen far too many people, particularly at art school, endlessly
struggling with a medium or form that they just don’t enjoy. Why? Art
is hard enough without handicapping yourself with a process that
doesn’t excite you. You need a certain amount of joy to get through all
the bits that you don’t like, so don’t lumber yourself with a form that
just doesn’t do it for you – it’s not noble, it’s just masochistic!

For some reason #4, quoted above really resonated with me. Why was it in art school that I forced myself to labor over acrylics on canvas when I hated it and beat myself up for not using oils? I should have spent my time creating book art, books, sketches and watercolors. I can only imagine the artist I would be now if I focused my time and effort- 4 years worth, on art that I loved!

Don’t think of what you should have done do it.

Business Card File

2 Replies

Here’s another one for the GTD and planner crowd. Like I
wrote previously staples has these fancy new business card wallets. I bought
one I couldn’t resist. I see how they can be useful in a number of ways.

In my
new position I’m striving to make contacts that are useful, I won’t go into it
too much here but I’ve found in this new position that I’m getting business
cards from people. Like I’ve said in my previous posts business card are the
best for quickly passing off contact info. So as I’ve picked up a few cards
here and there I’ve realized I like to keep them on me.

Since I don’t have a
fancy cell phone and I’ve already maxed out my 12 number phone book, I need to
keep the cards on me. I figured I’ll have the card file on me at all times. So
I needed a way to organize it.
Post-it tabs are my solution. It turns a card file into a
portable rolodex. I’ve divided it up into personal and work numbers. My boss’s
card is the separator for the work cards and my significant other’s card is the
divider for the personal cards. I keep cards to my website and art in the back
and work business cards in the front. Cards as I collect them are stored in the front pocket

One additional item that I made for this is a card of
post-it tabs. I used an old starbucks card, put large tabs on the front and
small tabs on the back, 2 of each color and then a small stack of notes on
there too. That way I always have post-its available at all times.

Img_4800

Img_4801

Img_4802

Img_4803

Here’s an INteresting Idea

Leave a reply

Maybe the next time you journal you can choose a new identity to force yurself into a new way of thought? that’s what the journaler and blogger here thought up. Check out the pic below for an interesting pictorial thought on this idea.

Webfirenze0009

I like the idea, and its a nice way to take an old writing prompt and explore it over again. For those of use who are visual journalers what about drawing or writing in someone else’s style?

Jotters Loaded up to eBay

Leave a reply

I just loaded this set of 6 jotters up to eBay. Each has 48 pages made of Wausau pastels 24lb paper in ivory color. The covers are made from advertising posters that are coated in vinyl. These posters advertised Easter dinners. The colors are pale yellow, pinks and some light green. Low starting bid and a low buy it now price. Made 100% by hand.

Img_4798

3X5 cards/GTD/ Wausau and Staples

2 Replies

This one is for all you GTD addicts and Hipster
PDA users. I was at staples today and I found Hipster PDA 3×5 card wallets,
completely ripped off from the Levenger’s pocket briefcase. Featuring black and
brown leather and a seemingly decent quality. They also have business card
wallets that I couldn’t resist.

I can’t find a link to the Staples version of the 3X5 card case but trust me, it looks JUST like the Levenger case. Probably a lesser quality but still very nice. It retails for $14.99. They had a bunch of other snazzy accessories, notebooks and portfolios. All coordinated in colors and designed to look good on any desk.

*warning Paper geekiness below!

In bookbinding news, Staples has discontinued Wausau’s pastels paper in favor of their own line of paper. The Staples paper is also acid free BUT it only comes in at 20lb, Wausau’s paper was and is 24lb. But Staples now has acid free pastel colored cardstock @ 110lb and wonderfully coverstock @ 65lb. Here’s my one issue with the I would be fine with the change if the Staples brand was in a comparable weight but its 4lbs less, which makes one hell of a difference when writing with a fountain pen.I bought a package to test out and see what it’s like but I’m not holding my breath. What I am excited about is the coverstock. I’ve been looking for a decent coverstock for age that was both cream in color and acid free most brands do not make it. Usually it’s bright white and not acid free. I would suggest that thus far the range of papers they are introducing isn’t comparable to Wausau but Hammermill and because of the acid free labeling on the Staples paper I"d say thus far they are beating them out.

Have I mentioned how much I dislike change?
* a quick check online shows that the Wausau paper is available online, in the colors I use (IVORY) even cheaper than I had been buying it in the stores. So I’m wondering if they are getting rid of all their stock and I’ll never find it again.

Gorgeous HandMade Sketchbooks

Leave a reply

So I’ve been browsing the internet looking at sketchbooks and what people do with them and I found this site! Holy cow! The writer and artist has an obsession with all things French and sweets. After you check out the pages about her sketchbooks start and the beginning and read back- it will make you hungry for sweets of the delicate and rich French variety.

1sketchbookvenicespread5460

2sketchbooksmadebymoi

Look at that gorgeous marbled paper! Fantastic!