At this Point

In 2010 a series of survey questions were posted on my blog as a means of ‘taking the pulse’ of the online art community. More than 40 questions were posed and the results of the survey were presented as sidebars in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. The survey tapped into a range of issues, both practical and psychological, related to being an artist today.

In Pulse Points, my newest series which ends today with this post on Create Mixed Media, select survey questions from the book were presented to several different groups of artists working in mixed media and beyond. 

Today's rockstar panel includes: Kristen Robinson, Joanne Sharpe, Becky Shander, and grrl+dog.   

Today's questions and original survey results from The Pulse of Mixed Media:

Is it important to you that others like your artwork?

It is a bonus but not a priority…77%

It absolutely is...17%

Not at all. I create for myself only...6%

Overall does your family support your life as an artist?

Yes, 100% behind me…59%

Sometimes yes, sometimes no…34%

No, they just don't get it…7%

And a taste of what our panel members had to say:

Kristen Robinson: "My work is an extension of my soul and as such, it should be irrelevant but truly it is not." 

Joanne Sharpe: "My style isn't for everyone, but it is all me." 

Becky Shander: "My family knows that making art makes me happy, and since they like seeing me happy, they're all for it." 

grrl+dog: "Pulling the thread on this question unraveled issues rolling out of deep inner space." 

Head on over to Create Mixed Media to hear much more of what the panel has to say about these issues. You can also read the first five posts in the series if you missed them. And if you would like, please share your own experiences in the comment sections here or at CMM.

Yes, Virginia, ideas can run out...

In 2010 a series of survey questions were posted on my blog as a means of ‘taking the pulse’ of the online art community. More than 40 questions were posed and the results of the survey were presented as sidebars in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. The survey tapped into a range of issues, both practical and psychological, related to being an artist today.

In Pulse Points, my newest series continuing here today on Create Mixed Media, select survey questions from the book were presented to several different groups of artists working in mixed media and beyond. 

Today's rockstar panel includes: Lisa Engelbrecht, Sue Pelletier, Veronica Funk, Jen Worden, and Claudia Roulier.  

Today's questions and original survey results from The Pulse of Mixed Media:

Have you ever experienced an artist block (and if so, how have you dealt with it)?

Yes…81%

No...19%

Do you worry about running out of ideas?

Not an issue at all…58%

Sometimes crosses my mind…32%

It is a constant fear…10%

And a taste of what our panel members had to say:

Lisa Engelbrecht: "Doubts will come in when this happens - I'm not really an artist, am I?" 

Sue Pelletier: "I have experienced artist block, usually when I am creating something for someone other than myself." 

Veronica Funk: "I felt absolute exhaustion with how difficult it could be to heed to the desires of the art world." 

Jen Worden: "I am here to tell you, unfortunately, that you can run out of ideas." 

Claudia Roulier: "Usually my problem isn't having too few ideas but trying to find the very best one." 

Head on over to Create Mixed Media to hear much more of what the panel has to say about these issues. You can also read the first four posts in the series if you missed them. And if you would like, please share your own experiences in the comment sections here or at CMM.

The Business of Art

In 2010 a series of survey questions were posted on my blog as a means of ‘taking the pulse’ of the online art community. More than 40 questions were posed and the results of the survey were presented as sidebars in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. The survey tapped into a range of issues, both practical and psychological, related to being an artist today.

In Pulse Points, my newest series continuing here today on Create Mixed Media, select survey questions from the book were presented to several different groups of artists working in mixed media and beyond. 

Today's rockstar panel includes: Mary Beth Shaw, Marie Otero, Ronda Palazzari, and Angela Wales Rockett.

Today's questions and original survey results from The Pulse of Mixed Media:

How do you feel about the "business side" of being an artist?

This aspect is usually problematic for me…53%

Don't really embrace the business side but I handle it well…28%

I feel equally able to focus on both creativity and business...12%

The business side is easy: it is the creating that is hard...2%

If you sell your work, do you have trouble with pricing?

No, I have a system that works for me…8%

Yes, but overall I am comfortable with my pricing decisions…42%

Yes, and as a result I tend to underprice…48%

Yes, and as a result I tend to overprice…2%

And a taste of what our panel members had to say:

Mary Beth Shaw: "Coming from my previous life in corporate America, I find the business side inevitable and easy...of course that doesn't mean I like it."

Marie Otero: "I think the key is in recognizing where you want to go with your art and understanding what it will take for you to achieve your goals." 

Ronda Palazzari: "While the business side of is not my favorite part and I would rather be creating, I appreciate that I have to take care of it in order to create."

Angela Wales Rockett: "I am learning to be clear with myself about my own definition of success, and not to compare my efforts and results with somebody else's."

Head on over to Create Mixed Media to hear much more of what the panel has to say about these issues. You can also read the first three posts in the series if you missed them. And if you would like, please share your own thoughts in the comment sections here or at CMM.

Shameless Advertisement

As I am working away behind the scenes on my new book, I am happily seeing that my first book "The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed" is still making its way out in the world.

My 5x5 project, an online extension of the book, is being featured in the current, November/December issue of Somerset Studio. Christen Olivarez, the editor of the magazine, has  highlighted the article on Somerset Place, the blog from Stampington & Company. In it she says "I truly feel like this article is like no other we've ever published. Perhaps it's because it is based on a book, "The Pulse of Mixed Media," that is like no other. When Seth first contacted me with the idea for this article, I was quick to say "yes!" to it. I knew Somerset Studio readers would really enjoy having insight into the creative processes of some of their favorite artists." A million thanks Christen!

The book has also been included in a post on Create Mixed Media entitled "Gifts for Artists/Creativity Jump-Starts." This post is the first in a series on the site that will highlight categories of gifts for the artist (and non-artist alike). Also check out "Gifts for Artists/Art Journaling", the second post in the series.

I still get a thrill when I wander through a book store and see my book on the shelf. And it still brings a smile on my face when I come across my book unexpectedly online, like the other say when I saw that Dick Blick has added it to their online store and even featured it on their landing page for books.

One of my workshop DVDs is also indirectly "in the news", but by way of full disclosure, that is because I put it there. I have just added "Head Start" to the shelves of my Etsy shop.

This is one of the mixed-media artworks that I created during the filming of my workshop DVD Easy Mixed Media Surface Techniques. You can see the creation of the piece, from start to finish, on the DVD. While I haven't run across any recent online mention of my other DVD, Easy Mixed Media Techniques for the Art Journal,  I am including it here so that it doesn't feel left out.

Point Taken

In 2010 a series of survey questions were posted on my blog as a means of ‘taking the pulse’ of the online art community. More than 40 questions were posed and the results of the survey were presented as sidebars in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. The survey tapped into a range of issues, both practical and psychological, related to being an artist today.

In Pulse Points, my newest series continuing today on Create Mixed Media, select survey questions from the book were presented to several different groups of artists working in mixed media and beyond. 

Today's rockstar panel includes: Quinn McDonald, Carla Sonheim, Sue Bleiweiss, Christine Mason Miller, and Jill K. Berry.

Today's questions and original survey results from The Pulse of Mixed Media:

How do you feel if you don't tap into your creative ability regularly?

Guilty…8%

Cranky…28%

Frustrated...49%

Doesn't affect me at all...3%

N/A - I always tap into my creativity...12%

Do you think of art as therapeutic?

Yes, art is my form of therapy…45%

Sometimes art can be therapeutic for me…49%

No, art is just art…6%

And a taste of what our panel members had to say:

Jill K. Berry: "If I go days without being in my studio I feel like I am neglecting one of my senses."

Carla Sonheim: "When feeling good, expressing myself creatively is where I go first." 

Sue Bleiweiss: "Tapping into my creative energy is just as important to my well being as eating and sleeping."

Quinn McDonald: "Creativity is the sharpened point of the pencil, rather than the eraser."

Christine Mason Miller: "I have used art to process, work through and express all kinds of emotions, struggles and issues in my life."

Head on over to Create Mixed Media to hear much more of what the panel has to say about these issues. You can also read the first two posts in the series if you missed them. And if you would like, please share your own thoughts in the comment sections here or at CMM.

Pulse Points Continued...

In 2010 a series of survey questions were posted on my blog as a means of ‘taking the pulse’ of the online art community. More than 40 questions were posed and the results of the survey was presented as sidebars in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. The survey tapped into a range of issues, both practical and psychological, related to being an artist today.

In Pulse Points, my new series continuing today on Create Mixed Media, select survey questions from the book were presented to several different groups of artists working in mixed media and beyond. 

Today's rockstar panel includes: Kecia Deveney, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Amy Duncan, Kari McKnight-Holbrook, and Jane Davila.

Today's questions and original survey results from The Pulse of Mixed Media:

Have you ever been jealous of another artist's skills?

Yes…69%

No…31%

Do you feel you have found your niche art-wise, or are you still searching?

Still searching for my artist's voice…43%

Found my niche, but just for now…39%

I have totally found my place…18%

And a taste of what our panel members had to say:

Kecia Deveney: "It is very easy to compare yourself to other, but it can be very self defeating as well." 

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer: "I do think that I've developed a strong personal style over the years, but that has not been a conscious choice. Rather, I've simply held the paintbrush the way that feels good to me."

Amy Duncan: "I view my approach to art as a tattered piece of fabric...woven together yet stray threads poke out in all directions."

Kari McKnight-Holbrook: "I've seen jealousy consume people's every waking moment in the art world. They are so busy worrying about what others are doing, they have no time to do anything creative themselves."

Jane Davila: "The drawback to pushing the definition of your niche is that people aren't quite sure what to do with you."

Head on over to Create Mixed Media to hear much more of what the panel has to say about these issues. You can also read the first post in the series if you missed it. And if you would like, please share your own thoughts in the comment sections here or at CMM.

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Want to be part of the artist survey that will be included in my next book? I am currently posting 4 new questions weekly on the sidebar of my blog. Head on over now, cast your vote anonymously, and make your voice known. 

Pulse Points

In 2010 a series of survey questions were posted on my blog as a means of ‘taking the pulse’ of the online art community. More than 40 questions were posed and the results of the survey was presented as sidebars in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. The survey tapped into a range of issues, both practical and psychological, related to being an artist today.

In Pulse Points, my new series beginning today on Create Mixed Media, select survey questions from the book were presented to several different groups of artists working in mixed media and beyond. 

Today's rockstar panel includes: Traci Bautista, Jane Davies, Linda Cain, Roben-Marie Smith, and Lynn Whipple.

Today's questions and original survey results from The Pulse of Mixed Media:

What would boost your creativity the most...

More time…51%

More space…37%

More supplies…12%

Do you find yourself influenced by current trends...

Absolutely, I love the newest trends…6%

Yes, sometimes they have an impact on me…62%

No, they do not effect the direction of my art…32%

And a taste of what our panel members had to say:

Traci Bautista: "I love to do what I call trending+inspiration trips to help inspire ideas for colors, materials, textures and design. These trips include visiting my favorite stores, fashion designers, traveling to different cites, scouring vintage, antique and home stores."

Jane Davies: "I think a studio elf who comes in and cleans and organizes every night would help me focus more on my work. I don't want things extremely neat and organized - but if I could just have a clear space to work in, I think it would help."

Linda Cain: "I have enough stuff to play with way beyond the time I will probably be on this earth. BUT...I want them all. I've said many times 'it's a lot easier to collect supplies than to actually use them.'"  

Roben-Marie Smith: "I have been spending too much time on activities that keep me from being in the studio. It is hard to create on demand and scheduling a few hours a week in the studio is just not working for me."

Lynn Whipple: "It's funny how certain themes will show up in lots of people's work seemingly at the same time, say...birds, for instance. I always thought it might have something to do with the collective unconsciousness."

Head on over to Create Mixed Media to hear much more of what the panel has to say about these issues. And if you would like, please share your own thoughts in the comment sections here or at CMM.

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Want to be part of the artist survey that will be included in my next book? I am currently posting 4 new questions weekly on the sidebar of my blog. Head on over now, cast your vote anonymously, and make your voice known. 

What's Your Point?

Coming soon to The Altered Page and to Create Mixed Media...

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Four new artist survey questions have been added to the sidebar of my blog. Share your thoughts and speak your mind anonymously. The polls are now open...

Picking Portraits

This is a page from my book with a composite photo from work in the book by (from top to bottom) Danny Gregory, Pam Carriker, and Orly Avineri.

I have teamed up with CreateMixedMedia.com and North Light Books to sponsor a contest and I hope you decide to play along.

As you may already know, one artist is highlighted each week on CMM in their feature The Week as Art. That artist creates a "calendar of art" highlighting the dates of that week in an artful way. You can see the entire 2012 calendar here and even submit to be the artist of the week yourself here.

CMM is mixing things up this week. If you head on over to their home page, you will see that the current Week as Art has been designed by seven different artists using their self-portraits from my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. Or should I say...portions of their self-portraits.

So on to the contest. head on over to CMM and try to identify as many of the artists included in The Week as Art. Come back to this blog post and leave a comment with your guesses. One week from today, I will select all the comments that have included the correct answers for all 7 artists and those commenters will be entered into a drawing. I will then randomly select one to win the prize of their choice of any book from the North Light Shop.

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Four new survey questions have been posted on my sidebar. Head on over and speak your mind!

New: Workshop DVDs

Are you familiar with ArtistsNetwork.TV? This site provides online instructional videos from leading contemporary artists. ArtistsNetwork.TV offers many options for viewing their workshops. You can buy individual workshop DVDs or immediately access individual workshops as instant downloads. You can subscribe to any individual workshop or to all workshop videos in a given medium for a 6-month period. Better still, you can subscribe to all video workshops for periods of 6-months or a full year. You can get an art eduction while in your PJs in your own home!

I am excited to announce that I am the first mixed media artist to be represented on ArtistsNetwork.TV. This past March, I headed to North Light Books' headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio to film two workshop DVDs (more on that amazing experience in a later post).

"In Easy Mixed Media Surface Techniques Seth takes you step-by-step through a variety of mixed-media techniques using his easy mixed-media Painted Grid process. You'll learn how to incorporate text, texture, mark-making and interesting finishing touches like spatter, dry brushing and more. You'll discover several unique projects using the finished painted paper that take your work to the next level. This video includes 71 minutes of premier workshop instruction."

"Apter's second video, Easy Mixed Media Techniques for the Art Journal, takes you through a variety of unique mixed-media texture-making, distressing and layering techniques. The finished product can be used as a personal journal, artist's book or a place to explore the use of new materials. This 95 minute video will have you discovering surprising techniques for adding interest to your art, using the simplest of tools and materials."

You can head over now to this post on Create Mixed Media to see video previews of both DVDs as well as to watch an interview I did with my DVD editor, the wonderful Kristy Conlin.

These DVDs will be released later this month. I will post again just as soon as they are actually available for purchase.

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My week as Guest Curator on crescendoh.com continues today. Join me here to follow links to some of my favorite blog posts on the web.