New Website Look! www.krystalbooth.com

Disclaimer: I am not a computer programmer or web designer...

However...

I managed to revise the look of http://www.krystalbooth.com

Thank goodness, I live to tell.

Seriously, I did not realize that in order to be an artist in the 21st Century, one needs to be a website developer, print specialist, media guru, brilliant record keeper, accountant, branding agent...

The list goes on, I'm sure, but I just haven't realized it yet. I have to admit that when I went to the CAA Workshop last weekend, I felt horrible for a few of the older artists who were extremely intimidated by anything having to do with computers. I could identify. The intimidation is not a generational thing. I did not have internet access in my home until this past February. I used the Gateway computer that my parents purchased in 1995 throughout my college career to type my papers, and saved them onto floppy disks. I would get laughed at by my friends as I took the floppy disk on campus to print them out. "I haven't seen one of those in forever! Let me see it! hahaha!" As if it was a ancient relic. My PARENTS even laughed when they realized that I was still using that well built monster they gave me all those years ago.

The thought of websites, blogs, and even social media like facebook were intimidating. Overwhelming. I realized that I had a lot to learn and accomplish if I ever stood the chance of being able to share my art with the world via web.

I have come a long way, baby, and still learning. I'm not going to even try to pretend that I understand all that goes into websites, blogs, and social media networks. I just experiment until I get it right, afterall my computer is not going to explode if I site something wrong. There is no big red button. THANK YOU COMPUTER DESIGNERS for no red button.

Now, enough of this computer stuff- need to get back to the studio! I have paintings to begin and finish in a last push towards the show!

Revision and Sharing the Information

I am going through the process of revising my website(www.krystalbooth.com), and when I say "revising" I am actually saying that I am redoing the whole thing! Every aspect! This is why:

I went to the CAA National Professional-Development Workshop for Artists on September 25th at Oregon College of Art and Craft. The day workshop was titled "Marketing and Entrepreneurship for Artists: Maximizing Your Practice". I really enjoyed this workshop and the panel of people who presented. What a wealth of information on putting together artist packets, and marketing on the internet. I will briefly list some tips and information that I learned that day. If you would like more information about anything, please post the question or email me at krystal@krystalbooth.com and I'll be happy to help if I can.

* Everything you do, or say should reflect your work.
* The Artist Packet: (Place all of the following neatly inside a folder)
1. Letter- Be specific in who you are addressing and their gallery.
2. Artist Resume
3. CD- 10-20 images labeled with: artist name, title, materials,dimensions
PLUS: Include a physical annotated works list with thumbnail images & same
label information. Number them so that it is easy for the viewer.
4. Printed Images: Print out 5 different images of your work. Preferably 8x10"
with caption on cardstock, or put labels on the back of the print outs. This
allows the gallery owner/curator to have easy access to your work and begin
to get familiar with your imagery immediately upon opening your packet.
5. Artist Statement
* Upon meeting the gallery owner (MAKE AN APPOINTMENT- DO NOT JUST SHOW UP), it is
important to already know the audience for your work, know your availability for
possible exhibitions, be confident and professional. Do not show everything you
have ever made, and do not go into the meeting expecting a critique (that is not
why either of you are there).
* Keep typeface the same on all forms of communication from business cards to blogs.
* Lacking in publications? Create your own catalogue or pamphlet. Blurb.com,
ShutterFly.com, and Apple.com can make creating your own catalogue much easier...
and not to mention the possiblities of ebooks.
* www.kickstarter.com offers an online place to gather funding for projects from
donations.
* Two sites that will help you personalize your website fairly
inexpensively: www.virb.com ,or http://flavors.me

Monday Madness Missed

Monday Madness has been missed around here. Must get back to it. Formally, I am only 18 minutes late of making this one a true and blue Monday Madness post...(It's supposedly Tuesday, but since I haven't slept yet- it's still Monday in my world).

Enough of my disclaimer, and onto MONDAY MADNESS!!!

Today, in light of the premiere of The Amazing Race last night, I will write about...well, The Amazing Race. I will pretend to interview the woman who exploded a melon on her head (accidently) via Chris Farley interviewing style.



Me: Do you remember last night's show?

Melon Woman: Yes.

Me: Remember when you were flinging the melons to hit that knight costume?

Melon Woman: Yeah, Krys, I was there.

Me: Remember when you accidently exploded the melon into your head?

Melon Women: Yes.

Me: Did that hurt?

Melon Woman: Yes, yes it did.

Me: I thought so. Alright...remember when....

We Are Fragile VIII & IX

Mmmmm...Bread Pudding

This is hands down the BEST bread pudding I have ever tasted!

Inspiration comes in all forms. I do not blame Wayne Thiebaud for painting wonderful images of desserts. The Beaverton Bakery is such a place that would inspire such works. It is beautiful- especially the fruit tarts that are bold in their color with the fruit perfectly placed in a circular composition. It's the overlooked objects in life that give the most visual satisfaction.

Hello My Name Is

I am now on Twitter! After attending a CAA workshop at the Oregon College of Art and Craft, I was finally convinced to succumb to the Twitter madness. I have to confess that it is pretty easy, though I do not have it all figured out yet.

In other news, when I finally reached home yesterday after the workshop I realized that I still had on my nametag...after walking for a mile to the train, riding the train for 15 minutes, and then walking another mile to my apartment. I was the unknowing dork. lol

First Solo Show Preparations

Painting, painting, painting, and honestly, I have lost track of what number I am on in my series...13? 14? But there is great reason for my neglect of the blog, and spending as much time as possible in the studio-

I am having my first solo show in about 2 weeks!!! The show is going to be at the gallery space at "Pints" in Old Town Portland on October 7, 2010 (First Thursday) and will be on display for the rest of the month. As of right now, the show is being titled "Fragility".

I am extremely excited and there is much to do! Finish the artist statement, mount the hanging hardware to the pieces, catalogue the works, photograph the rest that I haven't photographed yet, plenty of other things that I have not thought of yet, and of course continue to push my painting into fast forward to get as many done as possible for the show. I am loving every minute of this! I am extremely happy to be so busy!

Tomorrow I will be going to a workshop- I'm sure that I will post some info afterwards.

Cheers to Monday Madness beginning again in a couple of days!

#6 & #7 Finished

What Not To Wear

This is the day before my Portland debute- "The Tribute Gallery" group show themed "Transition" is tomorrow night from 6-9pm. After watching quality programming such as "America's Next Top Model" and "Plain Jane", my mind is swarming around my wardrobe with the frantic question of what I am going to wear tomorrow night. It seems so shallow to be honestly consumed by this. Of all the things to be thinking about, I am concerned with what I will look like. Part of me has the disdainful attitude of Janeane Garofalo by equating my clothes with tea party members and not giving a damn, while the other half is feeling like some sort of fashionista trying to convince me that my image is everything. Sell my image, and then I'll sell my art. What crap.

But honestly, I am well versed on books for emerging artists and I am always surprised to find the topic of what to wear to openings in them. They always seem to say the same thing- look the part. Want to be taken seriously in the art world? Then look like an artist- be outrageous if necessary. Stand out from the onlookers. Do not look like "Joe Public" but instead create an image for yourself as "The Artist".

So, when I read this- someone who does not have much fashion sense since I have never really thought it to be of extreme importance- I see "wear clown shoes, a scarf, red lipstick for eyeshadow, and a tutu. Look as senile as possible. The crazier the better. Be as loud as Chuck Connelly is drunk with your wardrobe. Let's buy into the stereotype that all artists are crazy, unstable, and socially dysfunctional."

Anyway, I find this advice lame and dishonest. It seems fraudulent, and disgusting. I want people to look at my art, not me, and I want to be approachable- not a freak of nature. All fashion is a projection of image to present to others. Every piece of cloth we put on our bodies is a costume. A disguise. An advertisement. Though I want to be myself and honest in who I am to the public, I do not want to show up naked and have my 15 minutes of fame (one of which was spent already by my appearance on Happy's Place) spent behind bars for public indecency. So again, I ask myself, what am I going to wear?