Shop, shop, buy, save: you have heard it a lot recently. Be grateful if you can do that and afford things not only for yourself, but also for somebody else.
The year is getting close to its finish line. Before we jump over to the next chapter in our life, we can still do something nice. For somebody who hasn’t had much luck.
I hope that I can still make some things happen and possibly sell some of my art. Art is all I have. There is nothing else because every day when I could make myself do something I was painting, drawing and creating. Even on these days when it felt almost impossible. The rest of time went by as if in fog. No energy, no desire to move. Big tiredness and exhaustion.
Life isn’t always easy. I have had 4 bad years in a row which really tested me. It would be great I could say the tough times are over, but I don’t know yet. I’m seeing the surgeon on December 22. I am not sure what he will schedule or decide. Therefore, I’m not very excited about the upcoming Christmas.
Everything else did not go right either. The city decided to do construction work around my place; they were taking off and changing sidewalks. My place became inaccessible for quite a few weeks. Before and after that I got sick and my main conditions worsened. The construction workers cut off our internet cable accidentally and it was not ok with me because I don’t see much on the phone screen and I cannot do posting from the phone screen. Neither do I read news and other stuff, it’s just too small and causes strong headache.
I feel like I am a bit better now, but, unfortunately, my resources have dried up. Well, 4 years of struggles without normally working can do that.
Therefore, I will be pursuing what I had intended about a month ago: featuring some creations and paintings.
I am aware that very few people read any posts. Most bloggers click on “like” from the Reader, and that’s it. However, if you do read this, please help spreading the word. Some art is for shipping and some sells locally. Sale would be the best gift for me, hence, that would allow me getting gifts for my family. Well, I might sound a bit upset, but I am not trying to paint the reality darker than it is. There are bad times and good times. It is amazing how fast time becomes past. Please help to fill the upcoming days with some hope and excitement.
I wanted this to be some kind of a promotional text. However, my hand was typing something else. Not the bright and glossy words which I was intending to put in this post, but rather the painful and sobering realization of the lost days and weeks. So, there is no promotion and advertising text, but the idea remains the same: I simply have to sell some beautiful, heartwarming pieces of art to make a few little wishes happen. I know it is going to be difficult, yet, we all hope for the best. Don’t we? Please let me know if you have ever seen on this website art that you liked so much you could buy it; for a gift or for pleasure, that definitely does not matter.
I placed the painted birds in their natural habitat. They come with a rustic frame, too. I didn’t get to take pictures of everything. It was quite dark here and daylight is over very rapidly.
I believe, this is a very unique and attractive art which also makes a great gift, as well as fantastic wall decoration. I have put in these artworks all my best thoughts. Nature has been always close to my heart and perception. I am not trying to copy it, but represent in a way I am feeling about it.
So, please shop for art. Shopping for art is rewarding to every involved party. I mean that refers to people, who have something left over from their spending budget.
I will keep posting more beautiful pictures on days when I can do that. Please share if you can, and please follow and share on Facebook or Twitter, too. Links are on the right side. Thanks!
Beautiful Christmas Cards.
Thanks Shawn! Oh, they look like cards, nice. These are all small canvasses which will have a frame. But that’s interesting you mentioned they look like cards, I will have to post on Fine Art America site to get some cards.
Great idea to use your pictures as cards too, Inese 🙂
While you write, that you would wish to have customers coming directly, I find it important for you to tell, where you wish customers to come. People need this and often also an invitation. All good luck to you.
Thanks, Irene! They would look great as cards, sure. I have a specific gallery on Fine Art America which is called “Greeting cards”, so they’d fit in. I think they look very good as small canvasses. I will try to get the pictures of framed things. The problem with internet display is that the sizes are not easy to understand because all images look the same: very large and very small. All links and studio info is on the right side where all widgets are. I will try to post something on Facebook, too, but I have way too less contacts there to make a meaningful something out of it. I’ve sent invitations.
Facebook can be good, but in the last month they have changed their rules a lot, especially for people, who are selling something. They want us to make ads and pay, otherwise our art will not be showed up in the Wall any longer. So use your private account for this, just an advice.
I know that. It’s not only the last month, it’s been a while when they pressure to pay. Well, I do not. It is hilarious because even with a giveaway one would have to boost or promote their post in order it was visible. I am in a lot of groups, so, I share, but this definitely doesn’t have much of success. Partially, I am having hard times because FB became like that, I mean extra greedy. Every site is the same. I can currently use only free whatever. This is definitely not good. Blogging doesn’t help either because most people do not read posts. 10% of followers do. That’s my experience.
I find, it is different, which people are reading my blog posts. I do also bring out different kind of posts. Where I started up with jewelry, I have also been writing about personal development, brought photos from my walks with my dog to now writing about my health too, because of what happened in the summer.
People, who are following my blog, have different interests, so what will interest one, will be different for another.
About Facebook, I have a friend, also in here, who did post in several groups and do post much in general, was excluded to post in groups for more than a month. She will not pay either. I don’t pay either, but I don’t sell much, where people found my shop at Facebook. This comes mostly from my blog.
I moved the art blog to a website, and that was a mistake. I lost large number of followers, etc.
I believe I have written also a lot about different subject on both blogs. Well, these interruptions due to health do not help. I sometimes simply cannot do anything for weeks, not even type a few sentences.
I don’t sell anywhere at the moment. It really worsened terribly within the last 2 years. I have spent a lot of money on supplies over years and the sales do not match that even one tiny bit. I also have no visibility in community because I never go anywhere. I am just here and cannot leave the place until I am better.
Maybe you should make a blog again with your art. Not to say, that you don’t keep the other website, but you can link your are here to your website and then keep your blog free of charge. This has been the best for me. In the first years, I didn’t pay anything here, but later I paid for my blogging name . com so I didn’t need the wordpress inside the link any longer. This is cheap and I will not invest more for now.
Well, I tried hard to keep and move the domain name over because it is on all printed and digital materials and this studio sort of goes by it. I was paying always for for both blogs for the domain names. It is now on my website and it was the wrongest idea one could have. I did not also know that the website would not be visible on the Reader for these who are not already following it. Technically, I have to invite every single person. You know how it is on the web: if you do not pay for anything, you become invisible. Blog is way better in that regard, not to mention much cheaper, too. However, since I am seeing that there is very little reading going on, I have a reason to believe that most followers do not even know I have a website and a blog and these are two different sites. No, I cannot imagine moving this all somewhere again, way too much work.
It was so much easier to promote or get done things even some 5 years ago. Everything was great and sales were happening. Any social media site has turned into money grabbing site, so, I don’t even know how social they are because these pages which were created as fan pages, are now business pages, and FB expects me to pay $20 to $30 as I post anything. Twitter is the same, but I never liked it since it is impossible to follow lots of people there or read the feeds. I don’t have that type of time. Online art selling places are all huge and have many millions of artists trying to do something. I am on quite many. That would leave brick and mortar galleries and shows, but that is expense, too. I had a show in a gallery and my costs exceeded the profits very many times. It’s like they charge for a day now here. It can be $750 a day or so. Some other charge a lot and still take a commission of sale. I know I am in a wrong business, but that is all I can do at the moment. I am tied to this one place and I cannot move works to shows, etc. This leaves online and my place. My place has a bad location. Very ignorant small town. I don’t practically know anybody here either which does not help.
I do understand, it is difficult. I see the same with my jewelry sale. Not much this year, but I haven’t been much on with promotion either caused the hospitalizing in the summer and now I just try to find myself somewhere.
I found out, that by being positive, no matter what is happening and smile to the world, be welcoming and friendly, all come to me, when I’m ready for this.
To learn new people to know, demand that we smile and open up, are willing to talk in a kind way. This works for me, for what I’m grateful.
It sure is difficult.
Well, I won’t be able to attend any events, go to any meetings or somewhere else for a while.
It’s worse in winter because we need to wear boots.
Other than that, not being able to drive is bad in Canada. I do not get far walking, but I take bus sometimes when the weather is tolerable to go to the hospital and clinic.
I don’t go to pubs, but there aren’t many facilities around here, except a few stores and eating places.
I might be better by the next summer. I mean, we do not need much footwear in summer and that is certainly less painful and easier.
I usually make friends easy, but like I said, since I cannot really go out I rarely see any people because very few walk in here. Some 2 people a month maybe, unless there is a class scheduled. Acrylic ended and I have 1 more class. They were not too well attended this time. 1-3 people.
I rarely see people, that is true, when husband is away on business, sometimes weeks pass and I do not meet anybody. Nurse comes every Friday. That’s it.
I wish you all the best for Dec 22nd. And I hope you get some good sales for your charming paintings. Money just seems to vanish at this time of the year, doesn’t it? Most of mine is going on my dog; back at the vet again today because Jack was stung by a bee. 🙁 I do agree if you have some spare money, paintings are a great gift to yourself or someone else.
Thanks! I don’t know what to expect on December 22. I will see how it goes. I will have to make some kind of decision based on what the surgeon says.
I haven’t spent anything on anything just because I didn’t have what to spend. That’s why I will be waiting for something to sell one or another way.
Dogs usually recover quite quickly from bee bites, unless there are many.
Thanks and have a good week!
Inese your birds are adorable, you are so talented. I too had a blog on wordpress.com and moved it to self hosted, lost a lot of followers too. It can be really hard to keep blogging when you see fewer people visiting or commenting, so I emphasize with you completely. However as far as sales go, blogging (at least for me) has not been what captures peoples attention, it’s the ART. It’s what you create Inese. Perhaps you can use your website to feature your beautiful art, put a buy it now or add woocommerce to it, so people can purchase immediately. You would be surprised how many sales you get that way. While I love to talk with the people who buy my art, many times they are intimidated with the whole ‘art thing” besides, most people love to shop online and shopping for art this way is becoming the new norm. They say that in 10 years, shopping for art will be like shopping for music online…If there is anything I can do to help you with your website, let me know (free of course) I’m sure having health issues compounds things, I’m saying a little prayer that Dec. 22 will bring you relief and put you on the road to feeling better. INSTAGRAM is also helpful, as is Artfinder and Saatchi Art. Sending you warm greetings this holiday season and wishing you the best on the 22nd❤ hugs
Well I now see the buy it now section! So you are good to go! Just share your painting to facebook, both your fan page, but more importantly put it on your regular profile page and share it publicly. Ask your friends to share it. Offer a free print giveaway or something to make it get more attention. Make cards of these birds and offer those. Every little bit helps.
Thanks, Deb! I’ve been working on computers as long as they exist because I used to a lot of medical writing. Globally. That involved using all kinds of weird software, etc.
I do share things on Facebook, but the problem is that I have no friends in Canada since it’s been so long I’ve even gone out. I arrived her when I was 46. With 1 suitcase. Started from scratch, but never got things moving. I didn’t ever get a job or make any money here. I have also become a stranger in Latvia. I’m getting older, I’m almost 60, and health is the biggest issue because it prevents me from doing anything else. I know how could I get this done, but I cannot even dream about affording it. Yes, big issues. Hopefully if I do the surgery it’s better. I just really do not know. I do not see any good specialists here. I’m in a big doubt. Totally lost at the moment, I’d say.
Thanks, Deb! I am probably not doing as much as I could, but I just do not feel ok. It’s bad today. We have a very cold weather, maybe that’s why. I have “Buy now”. I haven’t checked, maybe it doesn’t work again. Woocommerce totally doesn’t work, I checked it out.
I am on quite a few online sites. Well, doctor will let me know about the surgery on December 22. I do not know yet, what should I do. I cannot leave it as is, but the previous surgery ended so bad that I do not feel like doing this one.
I’m not on Instagram, I just really do not have energy right now.
I wish some sales magically happened, but that’s probably too much to expect. I hope I will be better maybe over the weekend. As the cold moves out, it will be easier.
Thanks so much for your offer! Well, I can manage the website, although, the theme is not what I wanted, but I cannot purchase anything at the moment. I haven’t done any Christmas shopping for the same reason, I mean it all has stopped. I wanted to buy watercolor paper, and I couldn’t because it was expensive. So, supplies are ending, too. As soon as I know about the surgery, etc. I will have some understanding of what I can do. Right now it’s just not good.
You likely have exhausted all the different ways to promote and sell your art.. which is so beautiful. I realize also that sometimes this requires money that you really don’t have right now. I envision a brochure of some kind of a few of your works… distributing them to shops in nearby towns for display.. with perhaps the shops agreeing to display one of two of your actual paintings… but alas I know they would want a percentage or even money upfront. I guess I’m just thinking of a friend and another blogger who makes candles, and does what I alluded to.. You have struggled in so many ways…. I wish I could help…….. I hope your health concerns are taken care of… Diane
You are right. The brochure would be excellent idea. Some percentage would be fine, too. The main think is to return to health. I am seeing a different surgeon on December 22. Who knows? Nobody pays too much attention to the patient. Maybe I will have more luck this time, so, that this completely curable disaster ends.
There are still ways to promote much more. I hope I will make some money once I feel better. You know, I feel like doing nothing and it takes to put a lot of pressure on myself just to get done the smallest things. But brochure is a great idea. I could just leave it or mail it, but meeting people in person would be the best.
Well, that will have to wait until I know with how much recovery time I am dealing with. I believe it should be easier this time.
Thanks so much, Diane!
Yes, when one is not feeling well it is so difficult to have the energy to do what is needed… take care.. Diane
It sure is. I would do the absolute minimum and then fall in desperation because I am so tired of being exhausted. Sounds hilarious, but that’s a fact. Oh well, let’s see what the surgeon has to say.
Have a great weekend!
Oh.. I understand that so well also….. Diane
I know, Diane. You’ve been through so much. In my case, it’s the uncertainty that really makes me feel not that great about prospects and everything else. It’s practically impossible to plan anything for the next year because I just don’t know what, when and how I will feel.
Have very merry Christmas!