Life of Art SitRep #52 (Often called 1 year)

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

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I'm reminded yet again this week that when I really push myself to meet a deadline, even if it's only self-imposed, that once it's done, so am I. At least for a while. Sort of fell out of my intended groove with the beginning of February.

This week, I

Shot 236 photographs. Icicles, snow-covered creek, strategic sculptural snow accumulations. I waded through thigh deep snow to get some of these. (Next time someone suggests snowshoes, I will not dismiss it out of hand.)

I also set up a mini studio shoot of sorts for myself. 7 possibles but I think I can do this better so I will reshoot. I'd rather fix in camera than in post. Next time I will trust my instincts- some of the things I plan to change, I'd sort of already considered without quite knowing why.

Changed Rocklawn Arts store intro sale notice:

Forget January, start your calendar with any 2011 month!

Get 50% OFF All Calendars until March 1, 2011 at 11:59PM PT. (Click the "Date style and options" in the sidebar to change your starting month.)

Use code: DONTWAIT2011

Made Epimedium Flowers necklace:

Epimedium Flowers by RocklawnArts
View more necklaces on Zazzle.

Made River Water Ripples monogram necklace:

River Water Ripples by RocklawnArts
See more Valentine's day gift Necklaces

Finished my html coded products links file. Huzzah! It'd only be better if I'd thought of making it sooner.

Finished revising the product descriptions of the remaining 28 product lines and 7 calendars with streamlined tags and related products image links. WOO!!! Hmm, doesn't look that impressive written like that. There was lots of coding involved, figuring out spacing nuances, and redoing spacing for product lines I'd already revised. Most notably, I met my goal of finishing it before February 1st when as late as Sunday night (January 30th), I was seriously doubtful I'd finish.

Here's the unedited version of what I wrote: "Huzzah! So totally done (for now at any rate) with description revisions including OCD spacing nonsense I was tempted to put off all before February 1 with 59 minutes to spare! You're awesome, kiddo!"

Had my Two Chairs Buried in Snow print featured in an inspiration post on the blog, A Drop of Indigo.

Two Chairs Buried In Snow by RocklawnArts
View more Snow picture Posters

Tweeted several sales.

Made new binder templates with Folio Medium for URL instead of Courier. Hang on to both for now and see what I think.

Added Rocklawn Arts link to 5 lenses.

Updated store page on old Rocklawn Arts blog and also added product flash panels to its redirect post, so it's on front page. Since it's still getting hits, why not, right?

Finished reading Petersen's Guide to Architectural Photography.

Finished reading Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through The Gates and Beyond by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan.

Finished reading December 2010 Popular Photography.

Sent thanks DM with store link to 9 new twitter followers.

Watched "Layer Mask Magic," "Photoshop Cropping Tips and Tricks," "HDR Tone Combining" Photoshop tutorials. Eh, 1st one. 2nd: some useful bits. 3rd: OK.

Read A Photo Manipulator's Guide to Blending tutorial.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Winter water drops

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Petersen's Guide to Architectural Photography

6. Petersen's guide to architectural photography, by Kalton C Lahue
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great introduction to architectural photography in this slim volume. It was published in 1973, so it only talks about film equipment, but a lot of the techniques and information are still applicable even if you're shooting digital.

View all my reviews.

I spied this guide while leaning so far back on an Ab Lounger as to be (partially) upside down in my parents' basement. On a bottom shelf in a dark corner was just the title describing the subject I'd been wanting to learn more about. Love it when that happens. It's totally joining my photography reference books now.


A year ago on TTaT: Sketchbook, page 1

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Icicle Branches

Really doesn't seem like an icicle should develop this way, and yet, here one is. Reckon it's been windy round these parts.


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The Blue Shirt

It may sound crazy, but I have a long sleeve t-shirt that I haven't worn in several years because it's my favorite color and I don't want it to fade in the wash.

But today, standing in front of my closet, I was tired of the dark and subdued, and the intense twilight blue seemed just the thing.

I was surprised when I put it on though. It's ridiculously huge. I got the shirt in high school or college. I wasn't big back then, if anything, I've trimmed back down to those slim times in the past year.

The shirt is a testament to my self-consciousness back then. Don't get me wrong: I'm still all for loose, just not *that* loose.

Just checked the tag: it's a large. Assuredly men's. I wear smalls now –usually about the right fit– and mediums (when brands run too small and from my pre-existing collection. Sure there are still some larges in there, just not large larges.). Huh. Still mostly men's natch.

After I run my blue shirt through the wash, I'm going to retire it, not back to my closet shelf but to someone who will wear it.


Two years ago on TTaT: "delicate slut strings"

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Two very cool, quick books

3. Astonishing X-Men: Volume 3 “Torn” #13-18 by writer: Joss Whedon; Artist: John Cassaday (5/5)
So great! My favorite yet of these volumes. I'm officially a fan of Kitty Pryde.

You should start with volume 1 "Gifted," but seeing as I've read each volume in one sitting, it won't take you long to catch up. I saw the first two X-Men movies which helped with a bit of background and character familiarity, but otherwise I'm completely new to the comic. Please note, these books are *much* better than the movies.

The wit and deft storytelling of Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and more) coupled with John Cassaday's truly gorgeous art (seriously, I wish I could draw like he does. Well, I could I suppose, but it would take me so so very long to do 1 comparable image let alone a whole comic book).

Go on, see if your library has it. That's where I'm getting these to read.


4. Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through The Gates and Beyond by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (4.5/5)

A great little volume. In essence, it's a picture book for adults though younger people could read it too.

It describes the development of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's art project The Gates which was set up for 16 days in Central Park in 2005.

The book also gives an overview of their backgrounds: born on the same day in 1935 in different European countries, both affected by World War II. Fascinating how they met and how their lives as married co-artists evolved.

What's really intriguing to me is that the immense, ephemeral public installations they created (so very cool! Click the "some artworks" tab for artist renderings and photographs) over the years were completely self-funded. They didn't take sponsorships for any of them. We're talking millions of dollars for some of these installations. Of course, they were able to do that by selling smaller indoor works.

When you take money out of the equation, all that is left is the art. That's kind of awesome. Well art and all the permit hoops necessary. Many of their projects take decades to complete because it takes that long to get governments and/or institutions to agree to them. Christo and Jeanne-Claude considered that process part of the art.

Anyway, at the very least, check out their website to see some amazing scale drawings and their ensuing creations.

I'm hoping my library has some of the authors' other books on artists. Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through The Gates and Beyond is very cool.


Two years ago on TTaT: Ever more skeptical of old-timers

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Life of Art SitRep #51 (or 3 x 17)

Every week, I work towards creating a life of art for myself. This is the zigzag filled journey.

Play along in the comments with your own pursuits if you'd like. (That's where I'll cheer you on.)

*******

So what I've been thinking about lately is how these endeavors I list off each week fall into 3 main categories: Creation, Education, and Promotion. Maintenance could probably be a fourth significant category. I'm not sure how knowing this is helpful, except possibly for arranging these posts, but I am aware that the majority of my time goes towards promotion and maintenance. Sigh.

It is teaching me to ease up on my perfectionism a bit though as there are bigger, more useful fish to fry most of the time.

This week, I

Shot 126 photographs of snow scenes while hanging out windows.

FB'd, tweeted 25% off sale:

25% OFF Necklaces (Monogrammed keepsake pendants and more) and T-Shirts in my shop until January 29, 2011 at 11:59 PM PT.

Use code: LOVEKEEPSAKE
(Ah, Valentine's Day, here you come again...)

Prepped Melting Snow photograph, wrote description, and created product line. Melting Snow is now available in my shop on a variety of customizable gift items: prints/posters, cards, postcard, iPad and iPhone cases, mugs, t-shirts, tote bags, magnets, buttons, stickers, keychain, mouse pad, ornaments, return address label, necklace, and stamps:

Melting Snow iPad case by RocklawnArts
Browse other iphone 3 cases

Melting Snow by RocklawnArts
Make a Magnet at zazzle

Melting Snow – Medium stamp by RocklawnArts
custom stamps usps made on zazzle.com

Tweeted, FB'd, zblogged Melting Snow link.

Uploaded cropped, revamped Footprints in Snow and created a new product line for it to replace the old one.

Footprints in Snow by RocklawnArts
Shop for a card with zazzle.com

In this case, there was a piece of snowbank in the original image that increasingly drove me crazy every time I saw it in my store. There were also some contrast adjustments I wanted to make in Photoshop. This is why I'm now trying to take a day before uploading images so that I can look at them again with fresh eyes. Even a dinner break is helpful to gain a little perspective.

Made old Footprints in Snow products direct only and moved them, deleted old Footprints in Snow folder.

Zblogged revised Footprints in Snow.

Re-tweeted Binder sale:

Get $9 Off Customizable Avery Binders through January 31, 2011 at 11:59 PM PT.

Use code: BINDERS4SALE

Added Downtown Kansas City, Construction Crane, Circle with Fire Escape, Sandstone Fins, Double Arch, Adobe Passageway, Flowering Rhubarb Stalks, and Epimedium Flowers to Rocklawn Arts on RedBubble.

Edited the introduction and descriptions of all previously uploaded photographs on my Rocklawn Arts RedBubble site to include corresponding links to Rocklawn Arts on Zazzle. Also alphabetized product list file.

Updated Rocklawn Arts bubblesite introduction to include link to my zazzle gallery. Reordered new photos. Created two subsets: black and white, desert.

Tweeted redbubble update.

Made a link file for my zazzle products to make image linking easier. Still need to fill in a bunch but a great base formed. Done through Crane & Counterweight. (Already finding it useful. Anything that saves me from copying links into code over and over is goodza!)

Revised Desert Silhouette, Desert Wave, Double Arch product descriptions with related product image.

Made Digital vertical iPad case template.

Added holiday card tag to Snow-covered Branches card.

Added links/products to 14 lenses. Put list of my lenses on 1 post for further promotion/link adding.

Added Petrified Forest Desert to my American Southwest Scenes lens.

Made sidebar additions to couple of lenses, and other small tweaks. Gave American Southwest Scenes a lens boost on 1/22. Worked a bit on a lens quest.

Tweaked metadata templates in Adobe Bridge.

Came up with a DM for new twitter followers inviting them to check out Rocklawn Arts. Sent 6 thus far.

Read "Crowd Conversion: Transforming your business through social currency" Facebook Marketing Strategy/Case Study of Rage Against the Machine campaign to top Christmas music chart.

*******

How are your pursuits going?


A year ago on TTaT: Whoa

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Care for a picnic?

So this is what it's been like here lately. (It's hard to tell at this size, but it was in fact snowing when I took this photo.) Beautiful, sure, but also bitterly cold.

I was so stoked to actually see a bit of blue sky briefly today.


A year ago on TTaT: Who The Devil Made It

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