Making Your Purpose Your Business, Step#4

Making Your Purpose Your Business, Step#4

by: Heather J. Tait

Step#4 – Organizing & Developing Online Content

If you have done your homework then you are ready to organize and develop what will be your online content. Your content is very important as it will be used for promoting you, your work, and your website. Content serves a variety of purposes; it displays public relations, target marketing, and general information to build a platform for your product (your purpose).

One of the main items that need attention would be your biography. If you are an artist or writer, you will get asked for this pertinent information every time you make a submission or apply for competitions. Your biography is an essential piece of information that often can get viewed prior to your work. Even if your target audiences are publishers, agents, or clients, you have only one chance to intrigue them and make a good first impression.

There are several ways that you can address your audience. If you would like to be up front and personal, you can write in first person, using ขIข in your sentence structure. For example, ขI was born in Silver Springs, Maryland.ข If you want to have a general sound or professional structure, you can write in the third person, referring to yourself as stated in this example, ขHeather J. Tait was born in Silver Springs, Maryland.ข

It’s really up to you on how you would like to address your audience. I personally prefer writing in third person when referring to my work mainly because I feel it conveys a sense of professional etiquette. It creates a press release persona that can maintain your audience’s attention. However, if you prefer to write in first person you can do that and still have strength to your sentences. Either way you want to spark your audience’s interest in you and your work.

The difference between a how a hobbyist or a professional artist or writer can be determined simply on how they are conveyed through content. You want your sentences to have strength and power to them. Each word and phrase counts because they are performing a difficult task, representing you, when you are not there to do so. For example you could say, ขI’m an artist from Erie, PA. I am trying to make a living doing art. Hope you will look at my work.ข This sentence hardly provides any credibility to my name or my art. It conveys that I am not really serious about what I’m doing, but I still would like you to look at my work. That’s a lofty expectation to have of my audience when I lack taking myself serious.

A professional sentence structure as an example, ขHeather J. Tait was raised in Erie, PA and began her career as a professional artist in 1997.ข You want to state who you are, where you come from, and what it is you do. You want your opening sentence to really state a few basic facts about you and your work. This is not an easy task and perhaps one of the reasons why many artists and writers procrastinate completing a biography. Perhaps one of the reasons why, just as Alan Wilson Watts states, ขTrying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.ข

It’s quite the challenge to write about yourself and really expand on your talents. You have to convey your work and yourself from almost another person’s perspective. Imagine yourself as a Public Relations Specialist and you were just hired to write about an artist or writer. What are some things you would need to know about that person? What strong points do you want to enunciate about this person’s life and accomplishments? What active role does this person assume now?

You don’t have to be overly personal but you really want to give your audience a sense of who you are. Let them know how you began your career. Write about your technique or your style. It is possible to be personal but also professional. You may have to work on several drafts until you get a nice flow of words and a functional biography. The time you put into writing this valuable piece of information will pay off by getting people to take notice in something very dear to you, your purpose. So share your passion with your audience. You just may notice that your enthusiasm might be contagious.

You want to have a short version (100150 words) of your biography and then a long version (5001,000 words). It’s advisable to work on your long version first so then you can easily copy a short version by taking excerpts. As an example you can view my biography online: http://www.silencespeaks.com/artist/artist.html. I had a shorter version posted several months back, but because of numerous requests to know more about me, I had to rewrite it. You may experience similar feedback from your viewers. The long version will be for your website and the shorter version will be used for promotional websites that commonly limit your biography to 100150 words.

You can also write a statement about your work. A statement simply is a personal claim about your work or perhaps on what inspires your work. Get creative here and really just type what you feel you need to express about your creativity. I was asked for an artist statement back in 1999. I had no clue what that was but I wrote one down. I’ve used the same statement ever since. You can view it online to get an example: http://www.silencespeaks.com/artist/artist.html

Take time to really write down your talents and accomplishments and don’t be afraid to express them in your content. The more people learn about you, the more they will be able to relate to you.

Your challenge for this month is to create a full length and short version of your biography. As a bonus create an artistic statement if you would like. Read other artists’ or writers’ biographies and ask yourself which ones interested you and then explain why. Which biographies had strong statements, which ones were weak? Then take that information and apply it to yourself. Evaluate what traits you want to express, organize an outline, and then write your biography.

By Artist & Inspirational Writer Heather J.Tait

About The Author

Silence Speaks http://www.silencespeaks.com

read more articles from this author at Silence Speaks Inspirations

Artist and inspirational writer Heather J. Tait began her career as a professional artist back in 1997 in Morgan Hill, CA. Her style combines simplicity and complexity. She uses bold lines with the aid of her Sharpie Marker and completes the process with splashes of bright watercolors.

Her work can best be described in its entirety as inspirational. She has over 160 pieces of all original works with inspirational quotes that correspond to each piece.

Her art as well as articles are syndicated internationally. Her work has been featured in the Spire Press (New York, NY), the Gutenburg Litegraphic Society (Salt Lake City, UT), Tony Awards (Atlanta,GA) and the FOX Theater (Atlanta,GA) to name a few.

She was also recently inducted into the Who’s Who of American Women 20042005the definitive biographical resource featuring the most accomplished women in all areas of human endeavor.

She is also the founder of Silence Speaks International Artist Association and Intrigue Magazine which works to promote artists and writers.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 13, 2004

by Heather J. Tait

Elements of a Good Design

Elements of a Good Design

by: Carla Ballatan

So you’re aspiring to create designs for companies advertising their crafts online? Hold on! Before chasing after your dream of being a ‘great’ and ‘wellknown’ graphic designer…Let’s go over the many names and title that associates with graphic designer and resolve finally who a designer is and what are the elements of design you need to learn.

According to an article, Chuck’s views on design, writing and marketing at www.ideabook.com/viewa.htm the author narrates that he’s already into his twenty something years in the graphic design business. Considering his long experience, Chuck’s been called art director, commercial artist, graphic designer, desktop publisher and graphic artist.

Impressed with the wide selection of titles? Let’s get on with the definitions, though. Graphic designer is defined by the Graphic Artist’s Guild as ขvisual problem solverข, the graphic artist is a ขvisual artist working in a commercial areaข, and the art director is someone responsible for supervising the ขquality and character if visual work.ข Don’t be led to believe that the definitions tell what the work is all about.

Among the various definitions, that of the creative director’s, ขwhose responsibilities may include overall supervision of all aspects of the character and quality of the (advertising) agency’s work for its clientข came close to what Chuck thinks a designer should really be…

Now, if you are undaunted by the closedefinition and is really keen on being a graphic designer, you should know that design is a communication art. There are basic elements for creating good designs in order to perfect this art.

The following are the elements of design that serve as standards in achieving high quality and successful designs:

1. ขDesign is more than meets the eye.ข Always keep in mind that design is also communicating an idea as well as giving visual delight and entertainment. It is actually a blend of both so that it becomes a welldesigned message. Anything less and you will not have a design.

2. ขDesign is about communicating benefitsข – your design must incorporate marketing messages that focus on what benefits your prospective customers might get in responding to your handiwork.

3. ขDesign is not about designersข – Design will never be effective if it’s made to stir up the designer’s ego. You must create designs that your clients need and not design that’ll make you look good in your portfolio

4. ขDesign is not an ocean, it’s a fishbowlข – Be very particular and appropriate about your designs and that would depend on the client needing them. Be careful about the principles you apply on either designing techniques or marketing ideas. Be aware that these two may not always be interchangeable.

5. ขDesign is creating something you believe inข – Don’t let a poor product be killed immediately because of great advertisement designs. Stick to your values and principles in accepting projects from clients, in order to manipulate your ad design to the best of your client’s advantage, you, must first know and have faith on your client and their products. 30

About The Author

Lala B. is a 26 yearold Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a nongovernment organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns imagined and observed, to bear witness.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 07

by Carla Ballatan

Getting Intimate with Corel Painter IX

Getting Intimate with Corel Painter IX

by: Ariel Velasco

If you are artistically inclined and would like to create breathtaking digital artworks, then the new Corel Painter IX is a musthave software for you. This new version of the Painter series offers increased speed, stability, and performance and several new creative tools all suited for the digital artist in you.

Speed has always been a factor in selecting a graphic program and with that fact in mind, Corel Painter IX has been endowed with brushes that can go up to ten times faster than version VIII. This is an important feature that all designers are sure to be grateful of.

A new Rotate/Flip command for the canvas has been added with customizable shortcut keys function that is sure to help speed up your work. An enhancement to the brush tracker feature is present called the กIterative save.ข This is comparable to Adobe Photoshop’s layer comp feature. Users can now use a กsnap to pathก painting tool that can really add some speed to drawing while using shapes, and paths.

There is new category of natural media brushes, called Artistsก Oils, which act more like traditional oil paints enabling the digital artist create artworks in the manner that natural painters make theirs. With textured surfaces, brushes, and tools, you can mimic painting and drawing with chalk, pastels, watercolors, oils, crayons, pencil, felt pens, ink, and more.

The Digital Watercolor now features paint that remains กwetก between sessions enabling the artist to play with the brushes even after he has painted the strokes.

The inclusion of cloning tool called the Quick Clone helps in making the cloning process faster and simple. You will only have to click on the menu and you are now set make clones.

Version IX has even included a total of 7 KPT filters namely Gel, Goo, LensFlare, Lightning, Pyramid Paint, Reaction, and ShapeShifter which are good effects that the artist can play with.

Painter has even gone to address compatibility issues with Adobe Photoshop enabling itself to open images in PSD format complete with layer masks, channels and layer sets maintained. It has also included support for Wacom Intuos3.

Included also are additional learning resources including a 175page spiralbound handbook containing artwork and tutorials from Painter experts, tutorial movies from Lynda.com, and a updated User Guide in PDF format.

In essence, having Painter IX is a software that should be in a digital artist’s toolbox. It has features that are sure to give the digital artist an edge.

About The Author

Ariel Velasco goes by the author alias of Paul Hood. This author is into books and writing. Reading is an essential part of his life and this has lent a considerable influence in his writing. Well traveled and would always want to travel more. He loves learning more about people and their ways. Took up a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology to further this fascination and had a fulfilling educational experience having been exposed to a wide spectrum of people. Always ready for new opportunities to learn and have a great deal of interest in different fields of expertise.

For additional information about the articles you may visit http://www.uprinting.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 11

by Ariel Velasco

Interview With Josh Epstein of Vision Music USA

Interview With Josh Epstein of Vision Music USA

by: Keith กMuzikManก Hannaleck

Vision Music USA is a proactive and progressive music service firm with the interest of their clients the driving force that makes them successful. President Josh Epstein and CEO Nick Stamoulis are focused on helping the Independent artists to maintain control of their career by saving them time and their hardearned dollars. Josh took some time from his busy day to talk to me about their growing company.

MuzikMan: How did you and Nick meet? What interest and goals did you share that brought you together? What are your backgrounds and what qualifies you to provide all of these services to Independent artists?

Josh: Nick and I met in Boston. I was working as the Publicist at the Mama Kin Music Hall coowned by Aerosmith. Nick and I care very much about music and musicians. Both Nick and I have always wanted to work in music. Specifically, we want to work on our own terms. Individually we have worked with people who care more about money then actually helping artists. We have seen hard working musician’s be deceived by manipulators posing as true professionals. Our goal is to own and run a company that is a true resource for independent musicians. We both bring very specific talents to our company. Vision Music USA is Nick and Josh. A major prerequisite to gaining employment with Vision is to share not only our beliefs but our work ethic.

What qualifies Nick and I to assist others with their careers is our ability to relate to the artist. We have both spent several years in the trenches, similar to hard working musicians. Nick and I have worked in several key aspects of the music industry (booking, radio, marketing, artist development, promotions, management, etc). As the Showcase Coordinator for the NEMO Music Showcase and Conference I evaluated over 2,000 bands and musicians. I credit my ear for music and my eye for critiquing press kits to that conference. We chose to work with independent musicians for many reasons. One, with our assistance they might not be independent for long. Two, we have always wanted to provide the resources independent bands need to take their career’s to the next level. This is what is so exciting. This is what makes going to work a pleasure. It’s knowing that you are making an immediate impact in someone’s career.

MuzikMan: Where did you get the name Vision Music USA? How long have you been in business and how does an artist know that you are the real deal and really a ขNo Bullshit Firmข that you profess to be? Do you have actual testimony from customers that supports that statement?

Josh: Vision is simply the artists own vision. It is where they perceive their career is headed. This is all before we start with them. Once we start with an artist we take their vision to the next level. Vision Music USA has been in business for about two years. ขNo bullshit firmข is Nick’s idea. It is very true. It means that we don’t give the artist the runaround. We know how important their time is. We see it as a privilege to be working with the people we do. An artist sees this when the two owners of the company are constantly involved or supervising their project. We are very proud of our testimonials. When our customers take the time to express their happiness with our work it truly makes our day. All of our customer testimonials are on our website.

MuzikMan: What happens if a particular artist is not satisfied with something you have done, what is your recourse?

Josh: The customer is always right. I learned that at an early age from my father who owned a clothing store. We make our clients feel like family. If there is a problem with a portion of a service we do our best to appease the situation. Nick and I will always find an amicable solution for both parties.

MuzikMan: Are you both available to communicate with on the phone or by email during normal business hours? How long does it take you to respond to a clients query?

Josh:e are very busy. However, we are very accessible. Nick and both give our email addresses out freely. If we are busy, our procedure is to return all calls in 24 hours. For the most part, most people contact us and our employees via email.

MuzikMan: What made you decide to take the chance, quit your day jobs, and make this a full time gig? Most people are not willing to take that chance, what makes you different?

Josh: We both knew it was going to work. We have put countless hours of time into Vision Music USA. We feel that we have an innovative idea. We provide services to those who need it. Additionally, our services are very cost effective. This isn’t a get rich quick scheme. Nick and I are interested in making money long term while helping musician’s attain their individual goals.

MuzikMan: What can an artist expect to get in return for all of your services? What is the goal for each specific client?

Josh: First and foremost, we are consultants. It is our job to customize a client’s service to fit their needs. With our assistance, the artist will have a far greater understanding of where they stand and where they need to go. For example,if an artist purchases a Press Kit Development package we completely critique their original work. After this critique we give them the recommend suggestions they need. We point the artist in a direction they are comfortable with. The goal is to bring them more recognition and make the press kit more effective for the artist. Each client’s goals are assessed on a customized basis. This is our philosophy.

MuzikMan: Where does Vision Music USA want to go from here?

Josh: We would like to maintain our growth. We will be developing more products and services for our customers. It is important to Vision Music USA to maintain and continually develop relationships with other companies. We have a few other ideas but that’s another interview.

MuzikMan: Do you both feel that eventually labels will not exist and all artists will have complete control of their work in the aspects of production, distribution and promotion? A lot of that is happening on the Internet right now, do you think it’s a good thing? Are there some drawbacks to this radical departure from the status quo?

Josh: If people can do things on their own that was never possible, then go for it. Artists should have more control over their own work in general. I think the internet is amazing. Considering what I do for a living. I feel there are too may artists who don’t fully understand what a record deal is. Too many artists think getting signed is the goal. I think it should be the start.

Take your Career to YOUR next level with Vision Music USA!

Vision Music USA is a TRUE independent musician’s resource!

Some services include: Artist Development, Booking, Merchandise, Graphic Design,Website Design, CD Duplication and much more!

About The Author

MuzikMan writes reviews, interviews and articles covering Independent and Major Artists

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 07, 2004

by Keith กMuzikManก Hannaleck

Creating a Virtual Art Gallery

Creating a Virtual Art Gallery

by: Cynthia Houppert

To the online artist, it might seem a paradox, at first glance, to hear a recommendation to hold back work. The artist on the Internet often overproduces and displays their entire body of work. In essence, by placing it for casual viewing, known as กshoppingก the work, devalues its worth by defying the Law of Supply and Demand.

How can the artist benefit by applying the advantages of the Internet with the successful business practices of the traditional gallery? Letกs look at the traditional galleryกs sales structure.

At the Preview, in an inner gallery, and by invitation only, previously unviewed works are presented to the galleryกs selected collectors. The works are tagged as sold, but left for viewing. An aspect of human nature, wanting what one cannot have, has been accommodated as well as a relationship to supply and demand.

To paraphrase Israel A. Kirzner, the, almost, universally accepted theory of supply and demand shapes production and consumption, and is, not only the skeleton, but the flesh and blood of the economic system which determines the artistกs survival in the marketplace.

[‘the Law of Supply and Demandก, by Israel Kirzner At the time of publication Kirzner was an economist at New York University. http://www.libertyhaven.com and The Freeman, a publication of The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., January 2000, Vol. 50, No. 1.]

The show opens to the general public. As the show closes, unsold works are then considered shopped, since the public has viewed them. Then, they are placed in an outer gallery for the casual onlooker. Those traditions have held true, stemming from the basic nature of human beings and how market prices are determined.

This brings us back to the question of how might the traditional practices be adapted to the Internet? The artist could, for instance, set up a number of galleries.

The Inner Gallery would contain works previously unseen. A collector might pay a onetime fee, the purpose of which is to discourage windowshoppers. The fee could then be applied to their purchase. Those who purchase are the collectors who go into your special Guest Book to receive Preview invitations, thus, eliminating the major pitfall of current Internet based galleries, the windowshopper.

How does one structure a Preview Page? Obviously, for your Preview Page you wouldn’t want just anyone dropping in. This could be accomplished through a member login given only to your private collectors. By closely monitoring their login dates, you can determine when the Preview is over and itกs time for the show to be opened to the general public.

A Middle Gallery is for works that didn’t sell in the Preview, but are only available to those who have registered in the Guest Book and agree to receive future newsletters and updates. Finally, there is an Outer Gallery, that is for browsers and only contains images that have been sold, their price, but never to whom it was sold.

Although there will be many windowshoppers, as the exclusive nature and as the reputation of the site grows, the more exclusive collector will come to the site, sign the Guest Book, and come to the Preview ready to collect.

Perhaps Museum Directors, Curators, Critics and Reviewers could be contacted as well. Given passwords, they could actually look at the work online, without the artist having to physically move the works as in a landbased gallery. Their reviews could be then added to the Preview Page and the artistกs resume for future use.

Anyone with experience on the Internet knows you can’t just create a web site and expect people to show up. The site must be properly marketed as well as have something the web surfer desires. Go to ARTNews and see how the ads are structured. Ask yourself what it is about that ad that makes you want to visit that gallery. What makes it desirable?

Look at the size of the images in the ad. Are they thumbnails or fullsize images and details? Collectors want to see brushstrokes and have the monitors to do so. Remember, that the majority of the nationกs assets lie in the hands of those over fifty years of age. Many of them wear eyeglasses. Accommodate their eyesight. Bigger is better.

Of course, not all artists who put up a web site are going to be worth collecting, just as galleries will not find all artists suitable. Not all collectors will want a given artistกs work. Without demand there are no sales.

Therefore, critical analysis of the web statistics should be carefully monitored. If you get a lot of hits and no sales then the problem is not in the marketing. Conversely, no hits, or very few, would indicate poor marketing. At some point you have to figure whether or not you’re no good at marketing or the work is not collectible.

As for meeting with the artist, the web cam, if not a personal visit, makes for an enjoyable time. With the development of Japanese graphic technology, one day soon the collector and others members of the art community will view the minute details of the artistกs work in truly a virtual gallery without defying the laws of human nature which drives all mankind.

About The Author

Cynthia Houppert is an art consultant in Atlanta, Georgia and the author of กArt Gallery Safari: Bagging the Big Oneก

(c)2003

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 05, 2003

by Cynthia Houppert

New Collection of Paint Patches for Studio Artist

New Collection of Paint Patches for Studio Artist 3.0

by: Carla Ballatan

New innovations regarding motion graphics for Synthetik Studio Artist are always welcome for easier creation of masterpiece art works that will exactly show what we have in mind, like paint dripping down the canvass or slipshod scattering of paint or the splattering patches of paint with very particular desired effects by the artist. It is a great help that Dave Nagel, have always strived to write about and develop new paint patches to attempt more and more types of motion graphics to challenge and encourage more userartists for Sythetik Studio Artist .

Dave Nagel noted that not too long ago, he has written about techniques for creating writeon and painton effects for motion graphics. He further demonstrated what he wrote about by using custom brushes to reveal underlying footage, as though the paint were dripping down or splattering across the canvass. He also showed some methods of splattering paint around the canvass. On his latest paint patches – Nagel Series 12 – he have expanded the brushes he had used in the previous tutorial.

The newest collections of Studio Artist Paint Patches are 20 brushes designed to splatter and drip. These brushes are also designed to reveal source image, scatter the contents of the canvass and applies liquid strokes to the artworks being created.

Three primary categories characterize these new brushes: the blow pens, reveals and drip paints. The blow pens’ use is to scatter paint on the canvass. Reveals, according to its term, reveals source footage of your work especially for creating transitions. The drip paints are designed to create liquid strokes on the canvass – paint splashes and drippings. These would help in making your artwork for lively and realistic.

These brushes are designed to work only with Studio Artis 3.0. Previous versions, other than Studio Artist 3.0 won’t let these brushes function properly. However, they can be modified by path pressure and pen tilt or other interactive modifiers. These new set of brushes can be customized further in the Studio Artist’s Paint Synthesizer depending on your needs for it.

For artsy types and frequent users of Studio Artist, it is best to ask for more tips in using these brushes in order for you to expand knowledge on its usage. These innovations will surely maximize your abilities in making artworks with much more extraordinary creativity.

For downloads, installation and usage instructions, please understand that Synthetik Studio Artist 3.0 is a Macintoshonly program, running in Mac OS9 and Mac OS X. Upon downloading ขNagelSeries12.sitข file, decompress it using Stuffit Expander. Download Stuff Expander free from http://www.aladdinsys.com/downloads/index.html.

About The Author

Lala B. is a 26 yearold Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a nongovernment organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

Book reading has always been her greatest passion mysteries, horrors, psychothrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.

Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns imagined and observed, to bear witness.

For additional info and comments about the article you may visit http://www.losangelesprintingservice.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 10

by Carla Ballatan

Five Steps to Protecting Your Music and Your Money

Five Steps to Protecting Your Music and Your Money

by: Jeromie Frost

There are a lot of independent labels out there waiting to use a talented musician to make quick money. The offers may seem hard to refuse, especially if you are a struggling artist or band that has struggled to get a record deal. A little money and exposure may seem great for the moment, but you run a high risk of getting contractually bound to that record label for the rest of your life. If a better deal comes along later, you may not be able to accept it, or you may get robbed of your rightful percentages. All of this I learned the hard way. I was very fortunate to be able to get myself out of trouble and get a fresh start in the music business. I also took time to educate myself through books and the experiences of others, as well as my own, to conceive a plan on how to avoid a repeat of what happened once before. This plan I believe will be very helpful for you ambitious artists pursuing your dreams. It is put into five easy steps, but make sure to read the details listed within each step.

1. Copyright your music

This is one of the most important things you can do to protect your music. Take the time, fill out the forms. There have been many instances where a person wrote a song and nothing ever came of it. Years later a signed band steals their song and remakes it. The original artist had it copywritten and sues the other record label for thousands if not millions of dollars. Instant riches! Protect your tunes.

2. Understand what you really want from your music

Figure out whether you are looking to sell your songs to record companies, or be the band and artist who performs the songs. There is good money in just writing songs for other bands. Ask for a percentage if that is your decision, because that will generally make you much more money in the long run than an up front payment. The only thing you sacrifice by writing instead of performing is the fame and exposure. Also, determine how much you stand behind your music. Are you willing to allow the record company to make several changes to your songs and try to mold you into ขtheir soundข? How much do you believe in your product?

3. Get a contract lawyer and agent

You need an agent to represent your band to the record labels. This person doesn’t need to be an established agent in the business. It can be a friend or relative if they can talk assertively and won’t make any quick decisions without consulting the band. The record companies only want to talk to one person, not three, four, or five members of a band. It gets too confusing for them and they don’t have the time. Make sure they are looking out for your best interests and not theirs. A contract lawyer is especially important. Just call around and find a local lawyer who specializes in contracts. When it comes time to sign the dotted line, make sure the lawyer is by your side. Don’t sign any contracts or documents until you and your lawyer have taken time to read them thoroughly and make a decision. If a record company is rushing you to sign any papers, walk away. Patience should be allowed to you if they are truly interested. If they rush you, they are planning to manipulate you.

4. Promote yourself tirelessly

Artists have been discovered a number of different ways. Every band has a different story. Use every media avenue you can to expose yourself nationally. Unless you live in L.A., New York, or Atlanta, local exposure isn’t going to be enough. Think big with your music!

5. When offers are made, research them well before committing

Don’t take the first offer made to you, only unless it’s a major record label and you researched what they offer very well. Signing bonuses are nice, but long term percentages are most important. Every artist gets a different percent with their label. The longer you have been in the business, the better your percents will get. Don’t get too greedy. Aim high and let them work you down. Twentyfive percent on the total profits on you album is very high. Most bands don’t get that. Remember, the suits and ties are the ones who make the big money. Without them, you are just selling CD’s out of the back of your trunk. If you don’t write your music, your percentages won’t be near twentyfive percent. Singer/songwriters make more money.

Good luck as you venture into the formidable music industry. There are several independent labels that are legit, but there are thousands of them that aren’t. Be careful and try to follow these steps listed above. I hope you can gain good fortune using these five steps.

About The Author

Jeromie Frost is a singer, songwriter and recording artist. His story and music can be accessed at http://www.jeromiefrost.com.

This article was posted on March 23

by Jeromie Frost

Printing Techniques For Printmaking

Printing Techniques For Printmaking

by: Marlon D. Ludovice

We may not be aware how these books, newspaper, magazines and other printing materials have come to reality. We just know how to use it and get benefited from it. While, knowing the process…ah for many of us knowing the process is just a waste of time. But looking back at the printing procedures will gives us more ways to value the printing materials we have especially the books.

Printmaking is a process for producing a work of art in ink; the work (called a กprintก) is created indirectly, through the transfer of ink from the surface upon which the work was originally drawn or otherwise composed. The artist determines how many prints are to be made in an edition, usually signing and numbering each one (and sometimes separately producing one or more artistกs proofs. Depending on the complexity of the process chosen, the artist may work in conjunction with an expert printmaker, and make use of a printing press, a baren, a brayer, and/or a squeegee.

And performing this printmaking can be done in the following techniques. The most popular are the woodcut, etching, lithography, and screenprinting. Other printmaking techniques include chinecollé, collography, monotyping, engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, linocut, aquatint and batik. These techniques can also be combined.

Woodcut, this type of relief print is thought to be the earliest printmaking technique, dating back to 9th century China. The artist draws a sketch on a plank of wood and then uses sharp tools to carve away the parts of the block that he/she does not want to receive the ink. The raised parts of the block are inked with a brayer and then a sheet of paper, perhaps slightly damp, is placed over the block. The block is then rubbed with a baren or spoon, or is run through the press.

Etching is part of the intaglio family (along with engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, and aquatint.) Etching prints are generally linear and often contain fine detail and contours. Lines can vary from smooth to sketchy. A waxy acidresist, known as a ground, is applied to a metal plate, most often copper. After the ground has dried the artist uses a sharp tool to scratch into the ground, exposing the metal. The plate is then completely submerged in an acid that eats away at the exposed metal. This process is known as biting. The waxy resist protects the acid from biting the parts of the plate that have not been scratched into. The longer the plate remains in the acid the deeper the incisions become. The plate is removed from the acid and the ground is removed with a solvent such as turpentine. The entire plate is inked. A wad of cloth is often used to push the ink into the incised lines. An etching is opposite of a woodcut in that the raised portions of an etching remain blank while the crevices hold ink. The surface is wiped clean with a piece of stiff fabric known as tarlatan or newsprint paper. The wiping leaves ink only in the incisions. A damp piece of paper is placed over the plate and it is run through the press.

Lithography a printing technology that dates back to 1798 when Alois Senenfelder developed a method of imaging limestone from which a print was produced. Based on the principle that oil and water do not mix, an aluminum or plastic plate is coated with a photopolymer film that is exposed to light through a photographic mask. The exposed areas are chemically กhardened,ก and the unexposed areas are dissolved when the plate is put through a chemical process, which is the next stage. When printing a page, the plate is dampened, and the water adheres only to the unexposed, nonimage areas, which repell the greasy ink that is applied to the plate immediately thereafter.

Screenprinting also known as กsilkscreeningก or กserigraphyก creates bold color using a stencil technique. The artist draws an image on a piece of paper or plastic film can also be used.) The image is cut out creating a stencil. (Keep in mind the pieces that are cut away are the areas that will be colored.) A screen is made of a piece of fabric (originally silk) stretched over a wood frame. The stencil is affixed to the screen. The screen is then placed on top of a piece of dry paper or fabric. Ink is then placed across the top length of the screen. A squeegee (rubber blade) is used to spread the ink across the screen, over the stencil, and onto the paper/fabric. The screen is lifted and the image is now transferred onto the paper/fabric. Each color requires a separate stencil. The screen can be reused after cleaning.

See how difficult it is to produce a printing material. However, nowadays with the continuous innovation for the printing technology, printing is just a click away. But the process itself is a complex procedure to follow. You need expertise and knowledge in the field. So it’s very important to appreciate and give value to the printing materials we have because life and death is at risk before it began.

About The Author

Marlon D. Ludovice

Actually I’m not fond of writing, I don’t even write at all. I am not expecting to be in this field. But nevertheless, I love to read books…almost everything interest me. Reading is my passion! And now that I am in an article writer team, writing gives me an additional thrill in myself…Before I love to read books but now I’m also in a writing stuff. I can say that I am not a good writer but I am always trying to be one.

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.aprintingpress.com

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This article was posted on April 13

by Marlon D. Ludovice

Making Your Purpose Your Business, Step#2

Making Your Purpose Your Business, Step#2

by: Heather J. Tait

Step#2 Getting From Point A to Point B

In my previous article, Step 1, we discussed the many responsibilities we have as mothers, wives, and business women. Your challenge for the month was to research where your passion lies. Based on your research you might have discovered that self investigation can lead us to two places; either we find out our answer or we realize we need to ask more questions to get that answer.

Finding your purpose takes great effort, but can be effortless all at the same time. It seems that once we begin pursuing that in which we were intended, everything falls into place. But the matter we have to realize is that time plays a great role. Sometimes people are over night successes and others have to nurture their purpose for years to come. Keep in mind though, as long as you enjoy what it is you are pursuing and the motivation you have is strong, than that alone will sustain your ambition and provide your passion longevity.

Remember you are making a commitment to yourself. You should treat that commitment the same way you would treat a marriage or devoted friendship. The key is to value yourself the way you value others. Having a good attitude from the very beginning can make the difference and not only affect your career, but the people around you. Self dedication does show and the commitment will be reflected in your professional life and relationships.

Assuming you now have a general idea of what you would like to do, now you need to visualize how to get from Point A, where you are now, to Point B, where you would like to be. Sometimes it is easier to set up a structure for your business if you look at the large picture of your purpose and where you intend to be in the future. Granted your ideas and goals change as you change, but your general purpose will usually remain the same, it just branches out.

Now that you have researched what you want to do, take the time to research what others in your area of interest have already done. Conducting market research will allow you to get a feel for the industry you are entering. It’s important to see what is out there. Look up trade journals and magazines. Really put some effort into getting involved with your career and learning about it. Every career has an abundant amount of resources available and a lot of that information is free. If you see a trade journal or magazine that you like, sign up for their newsletter. This will help keep you updated on industry events and trends.

Reading and researching can be one sided tasks. Sometimes it is easier to learn about your career by actually interacting with others in the field. This can be done on your own time instead of regular business hours thanks to the internet. Now you can find chat groups, users groups, and forums and you are not limited by time zones or borders.

One of my favorite resources is Yahoo Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/. You can look up any particular subject and find a group where you can discuss some of your career objections. This is an excellent way to network with your peers and experts in the field. It is not uncommon to find a lot of other ขnewbiesข in these groups as well as professionals. The most important thing is to not be afraid to ask questions. If you don’t know what questions to ask then reading over the archives of a group is a great place to start. Groups vary in size and subject so what I suggest is to join a couple to see which ones fit your personal needs.

Another resource you can use is ListServ lists http://www.lsoft.com/catalist.html. Typically you subscribe through your email client to a discussion group within your field of interest. You can also do a search for ขlistservesข or ขuser groupsข on the internet to pull up a vast amount of sites that list an array of groups. Not all lists are treated equal so again use your own judgment when joining.

I also personally like forum communities. You can often search for ขforumsข online to find one in your career field. It’s a great opportunity to share your discoveries as well as learn from others. Not to mention you can do several searches within a forum and read old posts. This is a great way to see other member profiles which often reference their personal or business websites. Some forums even have a ‘members’ section that lists all their members profiles. Any profile with a ขwwwข by their name usually has a live link to their site. Be sure to take the time and visit these sites for reference.

When you are visiting other people’s websites in your field, I advise you to check and see if they have a links page. I have found so many great resources through other people’s links pages. Also it helps you get an idea of what sites you can possibly request link exchanges from in the future.

By networking with others and conducting your own market research, you will gain a better sense of direction and get an idea where it is you want to be in the future with your career. If you see a website that you like, bookmark it. Then once you have collected enough information, go back and review your favorites once more. Ask yourself what do you like about it? What information was useful to you? Was the site visually appealing? Was the site easy to navigate? If not, what would you change? What information would you add? Take notes, write your thoughts down and remember… patience plus perseverance, equals purpose.

By Artist & Inspirational Writer Heather J.Tait

About The Author

Silence Speaks http://www.silencespeaks.com

read more articles from this author at Silence Speaks Inspirations

Artist and inspirational writer Heather J. Tait began her career as a professional artist back in 1997 in Morgan Hill, CA. Her style combines simplicity and complexity. She uses bold lines with the aid of her Sharpie Marker and completes the process with splashes of bright watercolors.

Her work can best be described in its entirety as inspirational. She has over 160 pieces of all original works with inspirational quotes that correspond to each piece.

Her art as well as articles are syndicated internationally. Her work has been featured in the Spire Press (New York, NY), the Gutenburg Litegraphic Society (Salt Lake City, UT), Tony Awards (Atlanta,GA) and the FOX Theater (Atlanta,GA) to name a few.

She was also recently inducted into the Who’s Who of American Women 20042005the definitive biographical resource featuring the most accomplished women in all areas of human endeavor.

She is also the founder of Silence Speaks International Artist Association and Intrigue Magazine which works to promote artists and writers.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 13, 2004

by Heather J. Tait