My Guitar and Foreign Languages?

Hi ya'll,

As you can see I am holding a guitar. It's not mine. It is an electric and I like the look and size of it. My guitar is a Cordoba classical guitar. I love the flamenco sound of my guitar. It does not have a shoulder strap, nor do I plan to get one. I play sitting down and use a foot step to raise my leg for holding the guitar in it's higher up than electric guitar position.  I was chatting with my guitar teacher and asked him about foreign languages, I asked my BF about languages too. I made consultation appointments with various USC staff members in the research dept and in fellowships and asked all them, the same question.

 "What is the best language for an artist to take?"

At first, I thought I would just go to summer school and take Spanish. I had signed up for both classes. Then I got thinking about it. What countries have requested my art for shows? What countries do I have customers in, already? Where are my non USA followers mostly located? After thinking this through, I realized I didn't really have a "Spanish" following. Of course, I do want to go to Costa Rica and I have been to Mexico, but it is really not necessary to speak much Spanish in either country.

Photo by Julie Cooper, Columbia, SC USA

I remembered my art was requested for a show in San Paulo, Brazil, and they speak Portuguese there. That is a language they teach at USC. Galleries in Berlin, Germany have made several offers to show my work and represent me in their galleries. I have never been there and would like to see these places before I choose who to put my art with for the best selling venue possibilities. I would definitely need to speak the language according to friends that have been there, if I wanted to attend art shows and have an art workshop while there. I hadn't really looked at my stats in a while, last I remembered my biggest followings were in Canada and England with a few German and Italians in the mix. They teach German at USC. Germany is very cultural and I have been considering going to Berlin as my study abroad and to do research on artists and galleries.

                                                Silk Collage by Jean Bourque

My guitar teacher thought German would be good. I do not personally know anyone that can speak German, other than the German professor at USC. I don't actually know her, so I am hoping someone I know does speak German as I am seriously considering signing up for it this fall. It would be great to have someone to practice with besides class.  Since the other students are a lot younger even though I reach out, it's rare that any have studied with me or worked on a project.  

I did go thru all my profiles and found of course English speaking countries are my highest number of fans, followed by French, Italian and then German. India and Portuguese speaking countries where next, after them there was a big tie with Russian, Uganda, Pakistan and Ukraine. Much to my surprise, I had a few from Egypt, Turkey, Taiwan and S Korea but none from China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand or Japan. I had thought about learning Chinese so I could learn the alphabet and use it in art, but now I have decided besides my English speaking fans in Australia, Bermuda, The Netherlands, England, Ireland and Canada; I need to focus on learning a language that will benefit me in my art career. After all that is why I am back in college. German it is. Do any of you speak German? If you do, please let me know. You may also contact me regarding Private Painting Lessons in the privacy of your home for you or your child(ren). Reasonable rates. See email link below signature. Thank you!

Yours Truly,
Jeanee
. Contact Jeanee via email by clicking here!
Thank you!!

Art Marketing Tips have changed since 2007!

OUT WITH THE OLD MARKETING TIPS OF 2007

2012 UPDATEd art marketing tips...

Social Media has become a primary way of marketing art and

sharing your art with the world. Artists now have their portfolios

on their Smart phones, have art websites, art blogs, fan pages and

online artist communities as well as a LinkedIN, Facebook, Google+,

Twitter, FourSquare, and many other community art pages and

social sites and a few have even hung on with myspace. There are

even art marketing places online, and so many more opportunities

exist. I'm not talking about ebay or etsy... I am talking about

being able to share you art with the world of fine art collectors and

buyers and being able to find your market... and sell your fine art through out the world. Think.... Google search...

In the past 5 years, we have seen a huge revolution... ARTISTS

are talking to each to each other all over the world... creating

wonderful new events many of them online. We have streaming video,

YouTube, Vimeo, and so much more; the world is literally at OUR fingertips! Being an artist is no longer a solitary event.

There isn't as much mystery for the artists of today, almost every

gallery in the world is online and the museums are too. ARTISTS

are no longer limited to the state they live in... they can easily

find galleries, museums and artists groups in any area they want

to be in!

So dream big... you might as well... and get on your keyboard and

start visiting galleries and museums and art communities all over the world. YOU can find your market!

Most people know this, but for those that don't... there is one

CARDINAL RULE among Art Directors and Curators ....

DO NOT EVER SHOW UP UNANNOUNCED WITH YOUR PORTFOLIO

IN HAND EXPECTING AN ART DIRECTOR TO TAKE A LOOK SEE AT YOUR WORK... and don't just randomly start emailing out jpegs to them either.

You must read their website details, almost all have an area where

they list artist submission guidelines. Not only that, you must look at

the art and artists they show and see if your work would "fit in"

with what they are showing. This tells you what their collectors and viewers are interested in. If there isn't anything there that is like yours, don't waste their time or yours.

It's easy to get bogged down with showing all over your state and not find time to do your marketing analysis of the galleries and museums

of

the world. It's easy to go from show to show with your fellow artists. It's fun and you need to do some of that, but that cannot be your only

avenue for getting where you want to be.

When I was teaching art marketing... I often recommended artists spend as much time marketing as they do creating. AND NOW... I would say that's even more important.

I hope I have inspired you to look for your fine art collectors.

Just for laughs...here is 2007 tips. Don't get me wrong some of

these are still good... but they do seem so basic... compared to

what we have at our fingertips now!

GO FOR IT!

A Few Art Marketing Tips from Jean Bourque 2007

Create happy customers and they will tell others about how wonderful you are.

Things you can do when someone is not quite sure- Offer to deliver and hang the work at their location;
Let them test it for a few days with their décor! You can offer extras; mat or frame exchange, build the value.
If the piece has won any awards make sure the client knows that.If you have just won an award, got into a

major gallery or in a new show let your potential client know. Do not be shy; they are interested in you

and your art.

I do not recommend reducing prices; it makes it seem like a bargain basement piece. Remember Fine Art

is valuable and should never be treated like a long sleeve shirt on clearance sale in the middle of the summer.

Fine art is an investment!

Wear name tags at shows so people will know who you are. Always carry business cards and have a portfolio

in your car; You never know when you will need it. When you make a sale and have the clients name and address;

send them a thank you and let them know what else you have going on or other work that is similar to what they purchased; offer to hang it. You can offer to hang it, so you can get a photo of the art in their home.

Create a website or gather materials that would be suitable for your web page As an artist; you are missing opportunities if you are not using the web. If you do not know how to do a website;

YOU CAN GET SOMEONE TO DO ONE FOR YOU! OR YOU Or you CAN CREATE A BLOG... THESE

ARE REALLY EASY AND THE SITE WILL WALK YOU THROUGH SET UP ... THE KEY THING IS TO MAKE

SURE YOU WRITE ON IT REGULARLY (or at least add photos) ... IF YOU DON'T YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO

BUILD A FOLLOWING with it! If you continue it .... you will find you have created a history of your art career.

After you have been showing and selling art for over ten years or so, you will be glad to have written it

somewhere! It gets hard to remember them all!

Yours truly;
Jeanee

Artsails1 is Thinking, Again!

"Journey" c by Jean Bourque
Silk Collage m/m on paper (sold)

Thoughts of an Artist by Jean Bourque 12-18-07

As artists, we wear many faces. When we create we are our truest selves, for there lays our freedom, our soul, our very being. Everything that I am stems up and out from the artistic soul I was born with.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to be an artist. I mean not in the obvious sense but on a deeper level. What does it mean and what does it take in terms of commitment, time, passion, expense and love to develop one's self as an artist.

Then there are the practical concerns which at times can be more pressing than the joy of art. How can I be self supporting as an artist? How can anyone especially a single person, be above the survival level without a fund or supporters; be that an inheritance, a grant, or a family's financial support?

I have been searching, not just for the answers to these questions, but to many more. Somehow it feels like a puzzle with a few missing pieces. Can we create the larger picture of being profitable and going above and beyond just getting by? I do believe we can. I try the doors and some open, while others need a key. Perhaps sharing my thoughts will provide a key.

We wear a happy face. We are blessed, we know we are. All of us that have this talent are very blessed. In the blessings there is a key to another dimension. We walk thru the sheer veil and what we experience is all in the mind. We are our minds, our thoughts, our passions, our creations, and our talent must come from our soul.

You can tell when someone is creating from their soul. Their work will look like no one else’s artwork. It will be as unique as a fingerprint. If we are all to write a story about what we did last summer, they would all be different. Yet, a group may paint flowers together and many times the teacher assists them, so that they all look alike. Not all artists are creating from the soul. I can attend any art gathering and spot the ones without joy in their hearts. They typically are just copying other artists and always wear a mask.

I have been blessed to be a very talented writer and a visual artist. This comes natural to me just like doing PR, Blogging and Marketing do. I have had many classes with many great and well known artists and some fine writers as well. I have been blessed to do things my own way. For that I am very grateful. I have the joy, I have the passion. I create unique art that is my own. I have a signature style. Even when I think my work looks real different and no one will know it is mine; they do. Something from within me always presents itself in my work, so that others recognize it in a crowd immediately.

I am moved to write, I am not able to “not” paint. These are things I must do; they are within me and must be shared. The colors and words swirl within me; paintings in a slide show format run through my head. I have been hazed and dazed with tons of creativity. It is what propels me through life. It is my passion, it is me; it is what I am. Creating is 100% me. It is my natural state of being.

This writer, artist has never ran out of ideas or faced a blank wall for more than a split second. I am like the proverbial; cup runneth over, my artisan well, runs deep. The more I let out the more I have! The face of joy exists when I am, who I am. When my soul is set free!***********

I look forward to every art meeting to see the happy faces of other passionate artists like myself. Hope to see you at our next art gathering!
Yours truly,
Jean Bourque
PS Please fell free to add your comments here. You do not have to be a member. Just click below.

Art Marketing Tips

Oil Painting "Floral Fantasy" by Jean Bourque

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Creating positive word of mouth advertising is done by having happy customers. Keep your current customers happy and they will tell other people!

Offer to deliver and hang the work at their location; let them test it for a few days with their décor. You can offer extras; mat or frame exchange, build the value. *
Do not be shy; they are interested in you and your art. *
Fine Art is valuable and should never be treated like a long sleeve shirt on clearance sale in the middle of the summer!

*
Haven't got that far with your art yet? Don't know where to begin? Sign up to be on this website or some other web site or start a blog. The website is like your calling card. Would you like a helping hand? I would be happy to work with you.
Yours truly;
Jeanee