I want to share with you some very basic tips for New Zealand Artists.
If you don't have access to a computer buy one ASAP, it will open many opportunities for you, not just in your local community but all over the world.
PACE Program
Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment (financial assistance). PACE was launched by Minister's Maharey and Tizard on 9 November 2001 and became effective from 12 November 2001 (I was one of the first on the PACE program). The aim of PACE is to assist job seekers willing and able to pursue a career in the arts and creative industries to move to wards sustainable employment and self-sufficiency. To find out more visit workandincome.govt.nz and search 'PACE'.
If you don't have an email address I recommend using Gmail. Gmail offers you to store larger amounts of data. Make sure you keep all your emails to clients as a reference to look back at from time to time.
Visit: gmail.com to sign up for a free address. When making an email address make sure it is something you can send to clients.
Photo Software
It is important to have a photo editing software on your computer. Check out Goggle's free photo software called Picasa. It is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Picasa makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips.
Visit picasa.com to download this software.
Artists Support
The websites listed below are great support website when you become a member. You will gain some great information, support and opportunities.
thebigidea.co.nz - The Big Idea
This is a New Zealand website for 'The Arts' They have a weekly newsletter that keeps you up to date with jobs, competitions, news and so much more! Get registered today for free!
artistsalliance.org.nz - Artist Alliance
This also a great organisation but it costs to be a member. They send you an artist workbook and a bimonthly magazine which keeps you up to date with many things! If you are on the PACE program they give you a special price.
creativenz.govt.nz - Creative New Zealand
Creative NZ is this country's leading arts development organisation. Staff based in offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Central Region - Wellington
Old Public Trust Building
131-135 Lambton Quay
P O Box 3806
Wellington 6140
T: (04) 473 0880
F: (04) 471 2865
E: info@creativenz.govt.nz
Northern Region - Auckland
Third Floor
Southern Cross Building
Cnr High and Victoria Streets
P O Box 1425
Auckland 1140
T (09) 373 3066
F: (09) 377 6795
E: northern@creativenz.govt.nz
Southern Region - Christchurch
Old Chemistry Building
Arts Centre
Worcester Street
P O Box 2932
Christchurch 8140
T: (03) 366 2337
F: (03) 366 9199
E: southern@creativenz.govt.nz
Business mentor
It is good to have someone to talk business to. I suggest you visit your local Biz Info Centre, I'm sure they can help find a mentor right for you. When I was starting my business I found my mentors to be very friendly and helpful! businessmentor.org.nz
Composing a statement
An artist's statement is a short piece written by the artist to accompany a particular painting or group of paintings. An artist's statement shouldn't be dismissed as insignificant or dashed out in a hurry as it's a vital selling tool, promoting and explaining your work to people looking at your paintings, whether they're potential buyers, exhibition curators, critics, fellow artists, or casual browsers.
At its best, an artist's statement reads easily, is informative, and adds to your understanding of the artist and the painting. At its worse, an artist's statement is difficult to understand or rambles on, is pretentious, and irritates rather than informs (or, even, provokes laughter). Aim at around 100 words or three short paragraphs. An artist's statement should be an explanation of your painting style and subjects or themes. Add a bit about your approach or philosophy if you wish. Mention your education, specifically if you've studied art, which artists have influenced you. Mention any significant awards you have won, exhibitions you have participated in, collections your paintings appear in or significant sales you may have made, and painting organisations or societies you belong to. Remember, though, you're aiming to create professional credibility by highlighting your achievements, not providing a full resume. You're unlikely to produce a polished artist's statement the first time you try, so be prepared to rework it several times.Write your artist's statement in first person ("I work ..."), not third person ("Mary works ...").
Websites available to promote your work
There are many free websites that you can create a page to promote your work here are a few:
paintpit.com
This is a website I created to help promote artist and to create a network of people to make connections with people alike. Become a member for free today. You will receive monthly newsletter, forums, exclusive resources and the opportunity to be promoted through the website.
The NZ Art Guild is a nationwide group of New Zealand artists. Their members are diverse in genres, styles, mediums and career stages, ranging from full-time accomplished artists to part-time emerging ones. There is a fee to become a member.
loads of New Zealand Artists are using this website to promote their work, they do have a fee to join them.
Showcase your art to thousands of visitors every day.
deviantart.com
Join the largest art community in the world! As a member, you can collect favourites, submit art, and track your friends and favourite artists.
It is their intention to create the most powerful outlet in the world for known and unknown artists alike.
myspace.com
MySpace is an online community that lets you meet friends, share photos, journals and interests with a growing network of people!
myartspace.com
Myartspace is a community-based website for young aspiring artists and photographers; more established artists and members of the art world - teachers, collectors, curators, museums, galleries, and art buyers. Members will be able establish their presence in the community, build and display galleries of their works, promote their works and career, participate in dialogue, competition and events, and build an online store to sell products.
I love Facebook as you can connect with so many people that you would never bump into in real life. You can create a fan page to promote your work then link it to your own website, twitter and Myspace. So with one post you can reach all of your audiences.
Offers a social networking and microblogging service, enabling its users to send and read other users' messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the user's profile page. Tweets are publicly visible by default, however senders can restrict message delivery to their friends list. Users may subscribe to other users' tweets-this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers.
Free online sites you can upload images and videos
Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.
flickr.com
almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world - has two main goals: They want to help people make their photos available to the people who matter to them and to enable new ways of organizing photos and video.
slide.com
flickr.com
almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world - has two main goals: They want to help people make their photos available to the people who matter to them and to enable new ways of organizing photos and video.
Slide is the largest personal media network in the world, reaching nearly 120 million unique viewers every month. Slide makes widgets that help people express themselves and tell emotionally engaging stories through personalised photos and videos created on Slide.com and viewed anywhere on the web or their desktop. Slide shows, Guest books, SkinFlix, FunPix and others enjoy tremendous popularity with the users of major social platforms including MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Xanga, Tagged and Blogger, reaching more than 65 percent of the total widget viewing audience.
Woophy stands for WOrld Of PHotographY, a website founded by a Dutch collective of photo aficionados and internet designers who believe navigation on internet can be more visual, logical and associative. The goal of Woophy is to create an accessible, visual, current, democratic and collective work of art comprised of a database picturing our remarkable world.
Users upload their photos for free into a personal account protected by a password, or download pictures in high quality for personal use.
Users upload their photos for free into a personal account protected by a password, or download pictures in high quality for personal use.
Blogs - I love my blog.
Blogs are becoming a very trendy for all ages to have an online diary. It offers a place for people get to know the artist, therefore your work becomes a whole lot more interesting. I recommend getting your free blog from blogger.com
Blogs are becoming a very trendy for all ages to have an online diary. It offers a place for people get to know the artist, therefore your work becomes a whole lot more interesting. I recommend getting your free blog from blogger.com
Websites
Eventually you will want your own website to make connections, have credibility, and to market your work
What makes a good artist Website? Clean design in keeping the style consistent with your work, Artwork should be the FOCUS, take good photographs! Artists websites are only as good as the photos. Stay away from hard to read fonts or complicated graphics/animations, and have a neutral colour background.
Your website should contain your portfolio, contact details, CV or resume and artist statement. Limit personal information. Approach your site like a job application have up to date information, current artwork, artist statement and resume, events and news.
Make sure you get a website you are able to edit or upload new information yourself. Do your homework and make sure you choose the right kind of site, experiment with templates, ask for advice from artists, designers, and from non artists. Take lots of photographs and take classes to help learn how to take, crop, resize images if you don't know how to already. A Website is a dynamic entity and it will evolve.
Don't forget to link your social networking tools eg: Facebook, linkedIn, MySpace.
My clever husband Shaughan has an exciting artsite package. This package has many features including a customisable gallery and content management system. He will install it, host it and provide all the support you need. Prices start from $450.00 for the design, $150 hosting per year, and $45 per domain name per year. You can get up to 5 email addresses per domain. Contact Shaughan at tizarddesign.com if you are interested in having your own website.
Add your website URL (Link) to these websites:
google.com - Add your URL to Goggle
artstuff.co.nz - Art Stuff Online Resource
finda.co.nz - The best NZ Online Directory
nzpages.co.nz - NZPAGES Network
nzsearch.co.nz - NZSearch Web Directory
yahoo.com - Yahoo Search
nzwebz.co.nz - Free NZ Web Directory
finditonline.co.nz - Find it Online Directory
nzsearch.co.nz - NZSearch Web Directory
yahoo.com - Yahoo Search
nzwebz.co.nz - Free NZ Web Directory
finditonline.co.nz - Find it Online Directory
Check out these handy websites
Here are a few of the website I use and find very handy.
Order prints online using their amazing print wizard. Real photo quality printing from a modern digital processing centre. Prints delivered to your door or pick-up from any of our 500 retailers throughout New Zealand. The photo books are a great way to show people your work.
VistaPrint is making high-quality graphic design and custom printing convenient and affordable for everyone. Upload images straight from your computer or use their templates to created wonderful marketing tools like brochures, magnets, calendars, business cards etc.
New Zealand's best online book shop.
Art on the internet is mind blowing these days here are a few websites you might enjoy.
The world's premier art portal, where groups and individuals committed to arts can present their talents and capabilities, find business partners and discover benefits of enhanced global exposure!
The First Art Newspaper on the Net.
Grant opportunities and visual art-related events.
Otago Arts Guide.
The SCAPE Biennial of Art in Public Space is New Zealand's only international biennial dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary art in public space. It is organised by the Art & Industry Biennial Trust.
The Quay School for the Arts here in Wanganui.
A website full of competitions and grant etc.
Very interesting reading all government files.
Te Papa, subscribe to their newsletter.
Wellington's Wearable Arts
Another site you might like to sign up for the newsletter.
Waikato Society of Arts
My delightful unofficial website for Wanganui
The Whanganui Open Art Studios website.
The Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui.
Art News Magazine.
My favourite famous New Zealand artist.
The NZ Herald ave some great articles on art.
Here are some events that you may be interesting in submitting work for
New Zealand Art Show - artshow.co.nz
The New Zealand Art Show is a Wellington based three day visual feast for art lovers and those interested in purchasing original New Zealand Art for under $5,000. The show exhibits and sells work by hundreds of new, emerging and established artists from around New Zealand. Each year there is an enormous variety of art styles, genres and media.
Original Art Sale - theoriginalartsale.co.nz
The Original Art Sale, Auckland's largest art market, at TelstraClear Pacific, Maukau City. Over 1,400 artworks by more than 400 New Zealand artists will be available for sale at the massive 3 day event.
Taranaki Art Awards - taranakiartawards.co.nz
In recognition of the success of an intimate, creative annual art review and the appreciation of local New Zealand artists, the coastal Taranaki village, Opunake, presents the recently renamed art competition, The Taranaki Art Awards!
CoCA Anthony Harper Contemporary Art Award - coca.org.nz
COCA was established in 1880 to "promote the study, practice, and cultivation of the fine arts." The gallery values its history as Canterbury's most-established art institution, as well as its status as an organization that makes an essential contribution to the arts at a national level.
Olivia Spencer Bower Award - oliviaspencerbower.org.nz
The general purpose is to encourage and promote New Zealand artists and sculptors with particular emphasis on future artistic potential rather than financial need. It was Olivia's specific objective to assist New Zealand artists and sculptors with talent so they could devote their energies, on a full time basis for a twelve month period, to painting and sculpture freed from the necessity to seek outside employment.
Manawatu Art Sale
P O Box 207, FEILDING.
Phone/fax (06) 323 2323
Email: art@fadas.co.nz
I could go on and on but will stop here as the sun is shinning and my washing needs to be hung out, and all housework, big sigh. Be prepared not to give up as it may 10-15 years before anyone takes you seriously in the art world. Tomorrow I want to write about art marketing and a list of good books to read. I can't believe we are so close to the end of the month already, it has gone so fast! I am really enjoying writing in my blog again.
My Youtube clip for the day is Queen's Fat Bottom Girls
Which reminds me...last night I was talking to Sianshine on Skype while unwrapping a Cabury creme egg, when an email from my Grandmother came through it said....
Cadbury Chocolate warning
DO YOU EAT CADBURY CHOCOLATE?
We were raised on Cadbury chocolate as kids and even into adulthood. I will never eat it again. I hope from now on you will throw yours away whenever you are given any. It seems as though nothing is safe to eat anymore.
This is what happens when you eat Cadbury chocolate!
THIS IS A MEDICAL WARNING!!
It could happen to you, your family and friends!!
CADBURY Chocolate can cause SMALL FEET !! Made me laugh and give my creme egg to Shaughan.
My card for the day was Admit the Truth to Yourself and Act Accordingly
You've drawn this card because there's an important feeling that you've been trying to ignore. Yet trying as you might to push it aside, this feeling urges you to be honest with yourself. Facing this truth will be healing, and it will give you the direction and guidance you seek. You've tried to disregard your inner urging because you're worried about making life changes.
I really want to move back to Auckland! I went for a job in there a few weeks ago and didn't get it, so I thought maybe it was best just to stay here in Wanganui, maybe I was wrong? Anyone know of any good jobs in Auckland?
AC/DC - Its A Long Way To The Top If Ya Wanna Rock And Roll
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