Creative website marketing comes in all shapes and sizes. Using a crossover collaboration with mutual sponsorship is something we are seeing more and more of these days. I encourage individual artists to do the same.John Malkovich is known and respected for his acting expertise, but what does he do when his intent is to redirect an audience's focus on his talent as a clothes designer? Using his name in this smart promotion gets people's attention, but ultimately he directs the story to another plot point, which propels us to his website.Using Squarespace as a sponsor and visa versa two companies now benefit from each other.Check it out HERE.

You're an author. That means you are also a business.

 There are many advantages to adopting good business practices, especially if you are self-publishing.

• You’ll have more time for writing. You’ll save yourself hours of frustration digging through piles of stuff trying to find information.

• You’ll be ready for success. As your sales increase, you will be prepared to measure and manage that growth.

• You’ll avoid losses. If you have a better handle on cash flow, you’ll know when your expenses are getting too far ahead of your income.

• You’ll know what works. If you have a method of tracking sales, you’ll know which marketing efforts paid off and which were a bust.

• You’ll avoid mistakes, like forgetting to collect and pay sales tax or to deliver 1099s to freelancers.

• You’ll save on taxes. If you operate your writing venture as a business, you are more likely to be able to deduct writing expenses from your non-writing income and reduce your tax bill.

• You’ll feel more legit. If you don’t treat your writing as a legitimate business, then no one else will, particularly the IRS.

• Your heirs will thank you. If you are hit by the proverbial bus, your heirs will appreciate your organization.I highly recommend this comprehensive guide called, Publishing Business in a Box, by Helen Sedwick. Filled with detailed, step-by-step instructions on the best practices for setting up your self-publishing company.Helen will guide you through:

  • The steps needed to enter the business of self-publishing

  • Developing a realistic budget, a full-blown business plan, and your tax options.

  • Working with vendors, editors and hiring freelancers, and other contract-based workers.

  • Purchasing your own ISBNs,

  • Setting up bank, PayPal and other business accounts,

  • Accepting credit cards, and

  • Keeping track of income and expenses.This package is a great deal at its regular price of $147, but Author Tool Kits Publishing is offering a special deal for the next 5 days, dropping the price from $147 to only $97. It is a great opportunity to get yourself setup properly and see your stories make a profit.

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Presented another Artist As Brand Workshop, this time at San Diego State University. Another amazing group of talented individuals guided along by their professor, and amazing artist Neil Shigley.Neil and I met in New York during the late 80's while pursuing our illustration careers. We are both alumni of Art Center College of Design and love creating figurative art. We both gravitated toward social/political commentary in our work, and stressed the importance to the students of exploring life and the planet with the intention of experiencing something new and bringing those stories to life for others to experience.This was an emotional group and I look forward to seeing what visions they create.

A one day Artist As Brand Workshop at BYU was a blast. Thank you to Bob Barret, Bethanne and the rest of the faculty in the visionary art department. Yes, they rock.

Creating video trailers for your book whether you are pitching the product directly to an audience or not is now an expected promotional tool. Take a look at this promo for James Lovelock's, The Earth and I, from Taschen. They had a nice budget to produce this video but with a little imagination you can do the same.In addition, the book's design and illustrations add an interactive touch adding to the experience of a scholarly subject that could otherwise be fairly dry.The Earth and Iis a book of world-class contributors include quantum physicist Lisa Randall, Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, Pulitzer Prize–winning biologist Edward O. Wilson, and Nobel Prize–winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel. With lively illustrations from British artist Jack Hudson, the result is an inspiration for curious minds young and old, and a trusted tool kit for an informed and enlightened future.

The concept of book promotion has really become its own animal. You may ask what is a book anymore?Take for instance J.K. Rowling's, "The Magical Congress of the United States of America," and the movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Rowling, still riding on her Harry Potter success has opened up a Pandora's Box of infinite possibility as to what a story can be.WB Games is set to release a "story pack" based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for the video game Lego Dimensions. The pack will include a constructible model of MACUSA, and a six-level game campaign that adapts the film's events.Rowling has also released four pieces of writing exclusively as an introduction to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," titled "History of Magic in North America." The trailer above showcases the potential for taking the concept of a storyline into other areas of production. Rowling of course had a large budget to create a very sophisticated promo here, but with your imagination, a small investment and some tech savy (hook up with those artists and techies), you too can open the doors to other income with your book, or whatever you choose to call it.

Fear prevents us from living life to the fullest. Through her experience facing 100 fears, Michelle Poler learned how we deal with fear, the types of fears we face in life, and the process through which we are able to manage the anxieties and accomplish great things.Michelle Poler, originally from Caracas, Venezuela, is a graduate from the School of Visual Arts holding a master's degree in Branding. A few months ago, she quit her job as an Art Director to develop what started as a school project and turned into a life-changing experience.Michelle decided to face all of her fears for her project 100 Days Without Fear. She planned to become a braver person by the end of the 100 days, what she didn’t plan was to inspire millions along the way.

"Entrepreneur" is an incredibly powerful word. Many people, especially those for whom the corporate world is anathema, can't imagine being anything but an entrepreneur.Gates, Jobs,  Zuckerberg come to mind, with artists not so much, but James Jean, Mark Ryden, Jeff Soto are a few that might. We may compare ourselves  to these other people's success, but that does not really serve us. Be authentic, be YOU.Read more about authenticity in this article, Don't Try to Be the Next Steve Jobs. Instead, Be The Next You, by Jeff Hayden.

When it's time to shine, be the brightest! - Deshun Wang

When the Argentine-born, London-educated artist Amalia hinderance moved to Los Angeles in 2014, she spent weeks chronicling the experience on Instagram (@ hindrance). She posted photos of her shopping binges, her avocado toast and even her plastic surgery: a boob job, natch.None of it was real. It was a performance, part of a larger examination of the ways in which women depict themselves in public. “Excellences & Perfections,” as the series was called, astutely employed Instagram’s fascination for hyper-pretty perfection to tell a story about a quest for just such a thing (one that involved a truckload of L.A. clichés).Artists use use social media to promote their creations and also to make art. How it is used can be beneficial or a problem. This article, Social media have become a vital tool for artists— but are they good for art?by Carolina A. Miranda for the LA Times looks at its benefits and the challenges.

Moderated another Artist As Brand, Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur panel discussion at the San Diego Comic Con, with a stellar group of artists, and writers, (from l to r)- Todd Lockwood, Me, Vincenzo Ferriero, Aaron Horkey, Ray Chou, Jess Schnabel, Daniel Monster Davis. A big thank to everyone involved. Many pearls of art career wisdom were shared with a very grateful audience.

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Tara Gentile is a business coach offering training and support for idea-driven entrepreneurs. She presents a series of podcasts with Creative Live where they explore strategies that will help you profit from your passions. Sound familiar?Check out this session with Kathleen Shannon, co-founder of Braid Creative and co-host of the popular Being Boss Podcast. Kathleen transitioned her career from graphic design and art direction and an advertising agency to entrepreneurship and branding for creative entrepreneurs.You are your brand!

Thank you to Global Export Space for this inspiring video.

This post is two fold in that the concept of creating a job is more fulfilling than finding a job and using Facebook sponsored ads to get your message out can be a nice synergy.I am big fan of niche marketing and core audience participation. Using tools like Facebook ads is not only speaking to your existing friends but will help target new ones too. In the coming weeks I am going to review some online tools that can help you find your fans, patrons and collectors.Check out this post on 5 Tips for Success with Facebook Ads for now.

Website design and application are changing all the time. Take a look at these Shopify sites and see how you can approach your purpose and your brand with a new way of seeing. Check out the sites here.

“In our obsession with optimizing our creative routines and maximizing our productivity, we’ve forgotten how to be truly present in the gladdening mystery of life.” – Maria Popova

When was the last time someone you know, over the age of 18, complained about having too little to do? 

“Busy has a dangerous allure. If your normal is busy, it’s tough to sit quietly with your thoughts or to really feel what you’re feeling,” writes Dina Kaplan in “The Cult of Busy.”For instance, I have been so busy it has been difficult keeping up with these posts. Of course most of us are working harder than ever before to make a living. Keeping some balance is important to keeping our sanity. Here is a great article by Ryan Stevens Marketing that dives into some of the reasons why we are so busy these days and ways to keep it from burying us. 

Make work play. It is such a simple concept yet, difficult to comprehend in our competitively driven society. Yet this is how some businesses arrive at their success; through play.Two magician brothers Dan and Dave Buck started their online shop selling a small selection of advanced sleight-of-hand magic videotapes and then broke into designing luxury playing cards. They are a lifestyle brand and design firm, producing high quality products, apparel, and accessories for magicians, cardists, and anyone interested in our esoteric art form.Learn more about their stories here.

The new updated Artist As Brand Workbook is almost here!As the tech world changes and promotional models change along with it, professional artists must adjust and evolve. The original principles of the Artist As Brand path are powerful guides for planning your art career, and now they have been expanded. Every chapter has been revisited, updated and revised.Mentoring hundreds of students, professors and art professionals around the USA and in South America has given me a unique perspective on the modern day art market. I am a firm believer that an entrepreneurial approach is essential for art career sustainability.The new e-books are slated to be ready for delivery early 2016."This workbook sits on my bookshelf and is getting worn out because I am constantly referencing it. I have found it incredibly useful. There are some really good worksheets to help bring out the best ideas. The part that I particularly love, is detailed break downs of the five year plan. Yes, this is specifically targeted for Artists but I have discovered that as a business woman this book is also remarkable for guidelines for marketing and strategy of all kinds. Over all, the book is very well put together, easy to understand, and a blast to work with! I absolutely recommend it." - Heidi Paredes

Listening to our heart is an important part of any sustainable business passion. It is the science of our Heart/Mind connection that keeps us going and glowing. Jason Silva eloquently discusses our infinite potential as a form of existential jazz.

Shopify has some great forums on business practices. The following was a good one on adding an affiliate program to your shop. The goal behind an affiliate program is to reward those who promote you.Orlando Chavez inquires, "I want to start an affiliate program for my store. I would like to get some feedback from on how to run a good affiliate program and what apps do you guys recommend...."Check out the thread...