Bad Business and Barb's Bragging

I wrote a bad letter to a company I love.

The reason is this:  I keep getting emails whenever Barb Wellington* orders books.  "Order 66927...is on it's way!  Dear Barb Wellington, You just ordered "Sex in Barbados" and "Candy Houses with Cornhusk Dolls"." 

The next day, "Dear Barb Wellington, Your order number 66927...you know, the one with "Sex in Barbados" and "Candy Houses with Cornhusk Dolls"?  Well it has been filled and it is on it's way."  This is followed by another email confirming pickup.

This has been going on now for at least two years.  I am wondering if Barb just wants to show off what she is reading to me, or maybe she just wants to boast that she can afford books all the time.  She's such a braggart!  Really, I do not know her, so I guess that part will always remain a mystery, though I am impressed with some of her selections.

I do have her physical address, perhaps I should cheer her on.  "Dear Barb,  The way you ordered that book, " Train Wrecks and Other Mishaps" was absolutely on point.  Way to go with your brilliant taste in books and I applaud the grace with which you ordered.  I hope you enjoy your reading as much as I have enjoyed witnessing your ordering experience! Sincerely, Krystal"

Funny, but creepy, right?

So perhaps I won't do that.  I called the company about this issue a few times now.  I figured that Barb probably wouldn't enjoy the idea that someone else always receives her order information and address.  I thought that the issue had been cleared up after the phone call six months ago.  Evidently not.  I guess she just went off books for awhile and ordered other things, but now good ol' Barb is back at it.

One would think that an email address like mine would give it away immediately - it's not anything cute or repulsive, it's simply my name.  Maybe they thought Barb led a dual identity or multiple personalities.

I wrote a nice and polite email to let the company know that this was still going on a couple of weeks ago.  I even included a couple of good humored comments in closing to let them know that I wasn't one of THOSE people who get angry for such silly reasons.  I have and do work retail afterall.  In return, I received the most generic email back with their contact information.  It did not reveal any recognition of the issue, and it seems like just a computer generated spam thing.  I guess personality costs too much these days.

We are now at this point going in circles.  Is it that difficult to simply remove my email address from her file?  Goodness!  So I wrote a mouthy little response - take that company computer!

All of this boils down to people becoming numbers for some big companies.  Their employees can feel it.  Their customers can feel it.  As a customer, it's as though we're trying to have a conversation with someone who is just staring at our wallet, not unlike the way a few men I have known have unapologetical conversations with breasts.  I understand money is important for any business's wellbeing and big companies supply countless jobs.  I am grateful and love several big companies for what they do, their services, and the jobs they provide.  It's just when they grow to be such a size they can quickly become disconnected with the people that work for them and their customers.  From headquarters, they see us all in terms of demographics, quantities, and statistics.  The quality gets lost.  This is why "Undercover Boss" makes for such an intriguing television show, as well as at times being very inspirational.  It seeks to reconnect the head of the business with it's core...and most of the time the abs are very out of shape and sport a muffin top.

This is where the appeal of the sellers of Etsy, Mom and Pop shops, Saturday Markets, and local establishments and small businesses comes into play.  It's all about the personal connection.  We sellers can see our customers, and appreciate them in a personal way, whether by a verbal thank you, or a handwritten note.  The customers can see us, contact us directly with their questions, and have that personal yet professional connection.  We are grateful when someone takes the time to comment, or ask a question, and elated when someone purchases our goods.  Every transaction matters and the quality is paramount.  The individual is celebrated.  Personalities are not swept away under the high rise building, but instead put right up front in order to bring depth to interactions.

And finally, there are never computer generated spam message replies in your inbox.


* Barb Wellington is not her actual name, nor are these actual books she has ordered.

Girl With One Eye

There are a few works in progress going on all at once.  Most of the time I will work on one until it's finished before going on to the next.  However, lately it has been more fun being able to choose.  The following image is a work in progress, and for right now, I'm calling it "Girl with One Eye", mainly because at this point she only has one eye (obviously) and also, due to this little fact that it keeps putting that Florence + The Machine song "Girl with One Eye" into my head.

Work in progress - 2013, Krystal Booth

 

I will be giving her another eye tonight and hopefully finishing it...and probably listening to Florence for that matter. :)  I haven't listened to them in awhile, and am looking forward to it, though as I was digging for these links below, I have spent a better part of an hour already listening/watching on youtube. haha

Here are a couple of videos that I love of Florence + The Machine for you fellow fans out there.  The first one I only discovered today, though it's been posted for quite awhile on youtube.  She makes singing seem so easy and fun.  (As opposed to a lot of other musical artists that seem to want to look cool more than show the love of their craft and their satisfaction when performing.)

Radio One Performance:  http://youtu.be/HqyUNnyuNlM
(Posted by Paulusthewoodgnome on youtube)


This one is a fan video that is fantastic made by Batyalewbel on youtube.  This is my favorite song to get stuck in my head when I'm riding my bicycle to and from work - love it - keeps me pedaling!
http://youtu.be/bXZe197sSMY

Have a nice evening, and I hope you enjoy the music (I will be!).  Who's in your earbuds or cd player these days?



 

A Black Fox in my Kitchen and other Challenges

It has been a busy week that has been a complete blur.  So many things have popped up and I've thought, "I should blog about that", but for some reason or another I never made it over to the computer.  It has been that kind of week.

I did manage to paint our kitchen a dark gray color that I'm currently in love with - Black Fox (Sherwin Williams #7020).  One wouldn't think of dark gray for a small apartment kitchen like ours, but it really makes the cream cabinets and countertops pop.  The contrast is beautiful.  It still needs a second coat but this is what it looks like for now -

That wall usually has a big 2x3' painting covering a large portion of the wall that Matthew made for me a few years ago.  I'm looking forward to putting it back up, although I've already been thinking about putting it in the bedroom above the bed.  Oh, how I love to rearrange our space, and think of new ways to decorate it...though at times the decor only seems to say, "Yes, we are busy, quick living kind of people."

I'm hoping that changes as I've been getting more organized and have been introduced to Pinterest.  Does Pinterest make you want to clean and reorganize absolutely everything or is it just me?  I find myself fantasizing about file cabinets, organizing systems, a pleasing color succession in the closet of our hanging clothes, art pleasingly placed in groups that are not hung crooked, little herb gardens in cute planters, tidy bookshelves without dust, and nothing but clean surfaces with the occasional plant that is thriving.

I usually kill plants. That may be the first hint that this will be a challenge, but one can hope that some of it will come to fruition.  One task at a time, right?

Studio time this week has flown by with very little to show for it.  I did a couple of drawings and a painting - only one really turned out.  The shame is that the drawing that turned out isn't really photographing and scanning that well.  It's not showing the texture of the design on the paper surface that way I'd like it to.  It's a drawing on a sheet of wallpaper.  The wallpaper is entirely white, and the design isn't showing like it does when viewing it in person.  It seems that if the design shows, as it does below, the contrast in the drawing itself is compromised.

Some weeks are just going to be like this last one as I attempt this 100 works goal for this year.  That's alright.  I know that some other weeks will make up for this stumble.  It's important to just keep going by showing up to put in the work.  How are you doing on your goals for this year?  By February we've been at our New Year's Resolutions long enough that there are bound to be hiccups in the process, but I hope you've stuck with it.  If not, just try again, my friends and may we all remember that change and accomplishments are all about the process...

And that process will hopefully be worth it in the end, or we'll happily gorge ourselves on doughnuts and doritos.

 

More Crack Please

It's been a busy, yet relaxing, last couple of days.  Much work has been done in the form of painting, bike riding, grocery shopping, and art store adventuring.  Matthew and I have also taken on the form of human beds and chairs for our two cats, despite what we are doing.  Olive in particular has been running to my lap the minute she hears me move a paint brush off the easel.  She seems to think I paint my best with her on my lap.

The title refers to the works completed this week (not to drugs - crack is whack):

Looking Up, 2013

Oil on canvas, 12x16".

Krystal Booth

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123867462/original-oil-painting-of-trees-12x16

 

 

The above was inspired by a venture to the Hoyt Arboretum.  When establishing the surface of the main tree, it seemed to be a struggle to gain texture in the beginning.  Luckily with the successive layers and a bit of the impasto technique (heavy application of paint), some texture was achieved with the cracks of the tree.  I enjoyed using the bright colors - I could've painted this forever, though it would have then ended up as something to cover up and begin again.  It's tricky business knowing when to stop.

 

 

 

 

 

Wyoming Landscape, 2013

Oil on canvas, 8x10"

Krystal Booth

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123868950/original-oil-painting-of-the-wyoming

 

 

This small painting was also finished this week and the crevices along the distant stacked rocks provided a nice challenge that only my smallest brush could achieve.  I based this off of a photo taken when we were traveling through Wyoming.  The rocks were absolutely amazing.  I had never seen anything like it!  The formations were organized chaos and definitely made it a highlight of our journey.

 

After our cross country relocation here to Portland, I vowed that I would never drive that again.  It was nerve wrecking at times due to my fear of heights.  Looking back now, and seeing the images from our adventure, I now am only remembering the good (except for one awful section of coming out of the mountains that will always remain - forever scarred into my brain).  Yup, I think given the opportunity to travel that route again, I would do it. 

 

I wish you a good start to your week, and the adventures that come your way!

 

 

 

What Will Make You Change

In order to enjoy the next couple of days, I've decided to spend tonight cleaning to get it out of the way.  I have been procrastinating for about an hour by trying to get the "About" page ready for my etsy shop.  Formatting the photos for the page has been a pain that I can't seem to shake off as the photos never quite fit in the window as planned.

I have read that most of the time we change when things become just too uncomfortable.  When we are at our breaking point, true change can take place.  Well, I guess the formatting photos really did the job, as I'm now motivated to clean! 

In the meantime, I'm hoping that the weather will be good for a nature walk and/or city walk with Matthew sometime in the next couple of days - so this will also keep me motivated as to why I'm choosing to clean instead of relax tonight.  :)

 

 

 

Also, Happy Valentines Day to all of you from Portland!  Love to you all, and thank you so much for following this blog.

 
 

And I Glimpsed an Alien Pilgrim

While thumbing through fashion magazines for material for the fashion series of paintings, I come across quite a bit of advertisements that catch my imagination.  Not the kind of imagination that the advertisers are hoping to achieve - the "Oh, I would fancy wearing that" variety, but instead the "Oh, put her in the right setting and she would look like Benjamin Franklin!"  This is sometimes followed by a Who Would Wear That? session.

The following is one such ad for Chanel that captured my unwanted attention:
(And of course, I don't own the rights to this, did not create this, and I give full credit to Bazaar Magazine and the photographer for publishing this advertisement for Chanel.  This is also not the entire image, as it is a two page spread.)
Now that that's over, here's the image:

Her heavy, masculine brow caught my attention.  By the way, have you noticed the heavy brow look more and more in magazines?  I think we're headed toward Frida Kahlo's unibrow, but that's besides the point.

She looks like a severe pilgrim.

Soooo....I decided to do a little fun drawing of her with my frame of mind of how I saw this.  I drew it up using very severe line work of inner contours, and I wanted to omit as much curving lines as possible.  I then did washes of color over parts of the drawing to give more interest and dimension.

This is what I came up with that I promptly named "Alien Pilgrim":

Alien Pilgrim, 2013

Graphite and watercolor on paper

12x9"

 

 

The combination of the title and the image made me laugh, so it was only fitting that I wrote up the Etsy description for this protype in this manner.  Follow the link and I hope you laugh!

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/123187667/original-drawing-alien-pilgrim-fashion?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_query=alien+pilgrim&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

I am hoping it recieves the home it deserves - one with a sense of humor! :)  After all, why does fine art and little studies like this one have to be serious all of the time?

Onward to finishing the tree painting now.  I hope your enjoying your Saturday, and I hope that I at least gave you a smile.  Love to all!



 

Facebook is for Egomaniacs

"Facebook fan pages are for egomaniacs that have no shame."
"Twitter is for crazed fans who hang on every syllable of their celebrity obsessions."

The following photo is a spare of the moment interpretation of an egomaniac or a crazed fan:

Not exactly pretty, but ridiculous and amped up.

None the less, the above assessments were ones I had once had, but kept to myself.  I was wrong.  Of course there are some offenders, surely, but for the most part I just see a lot of people trying to find their audience.  Which is exactly what I am attempting to do, now that I have joined the ranks.

At first I thought is wasn't going to be difficult, due to:
A)  My friends and family are generally really supportive of the works that I share on the personal fb wall.  It reminds me of how fortunate I am to know each and every one of them, and encourages me that I am doing the right thing by sharing my work.

B)  Melissa loves Lemon Pledge!  If she 'liked' a faceless corporation's page, surely she would support that of a friend...or maybe she has low standards, and of course would just love my fan page.


I posted a couple of times about if they wanted to stay up-to-date with my work, it would be as easy as liking my facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Krystal-Booth-Fine-Art/220009428038292), and I wouldn't be sharing much on my personal wall anymore.  This was due to the idea that I don't want to badger those who are not interested.  I don't want to bother them over and over if they really don't care for it.  That would be the first way to create bad relations.


The truth of the matter:  It is difficult.  The truth is found in the difficulties - I believe that people are supportive of me as a person they care about, but not especially what it is I am doing.  That's alright, as I don't expect my art to be for everyone.  If it was, I would feel like a failure of sorts - as generally, art that is for everyone is generic, and well, it doesn't exist anyway...at least I can't think of any examples right now.  For every monument, painting, dance routine, music, or haircut, there are people who love it, people who think so what, and people who hate it.


What is the goal?  To find my audience.  To engage with people - art is communication.  It is a conversation.  Every work completed and posted is an invitation for dialogue.  What better platform for art than one that is based on communication and images like facebook?  That desire to engage, and learn from others - this is what facebook fan pages are about.  (I just don't really like the word "fan" - it implies egomania or narcissism, and who wants to 'like' that?  Unless it's Steve Martin, because he makes it hilarious.)


It still makes me a bit uncomfortable, and the change of attitude has been slow by keeping the page a secret for the majority of the time it has been up.  But now I can see the value and how important of a tool it is to find one's audience.  We don't create to just make noise for the sake of noise.  We're seeking connection.


As far as twitter goes, I don't really get it, but making an effort anyway.  Currently, I'm just adding to that noise, but every little jot is a hope that it will be more this time, and my work will find who it is looking for.


Thank you for reading, and for those of you who find this and have fan pages, I'd love to hear about your experience.  Maybe my experience and attitudes are not the norm.




 

Look! You're Surrounded!

This morning I finished out the work week and have made it home in time for afternoon coffee.  I am cheers-ing you by showing you a couple of work themed daily sketches.  Just in case any management sees these, no need to worry, as I used my ten minute breaks to make these.  :)

A Delivery Truck...

 

 

and the scribbling down of the inside the store looking at the entrance.

 

 

Are these the most entertaining subjects?  Not really, but they were fun to get down on paper.  The thing that is fun about daily sketches is that they are kind of a collection of places where I have been - a visual diary of my everyday.  Some days are less than inspiring - it can be the same old, same old, and I think once we get into that frame of mind, we miss out on opportunities.

 

I've actually been pretty hum-bum about daily sketches lately.  I've been uninspired by the same surroundings everyday.  The truth is is that I'm not paying attention enough.  I made myself draw that delivery truck the other day.  It wasn't inspiring at first, but then the different sharp angles caught my eye a bit when looking at the cab and under the truck itself.  Once it began appearing on the page, it was interesting, and I wanted to capture more and see how all of these shapes fit together.  If I had had my way, I would have sat out there for another ten minutes at least to try to record the shadows and tones, but break was over.  I'm learning that it's only boring if I'm not really looking. (This also goes along with what my Mom always told me when I was growing up, "Only boring people are bored.")

 

For the next three days, I'm off at my day job and planning to have a few more works finished.  One of which will hopefully be this one -

 

 

It's in a rough starting stage, but there's potential, if I'm willing to look!

 

My challenge for you is to find something mundane in your environment this week and really study it.  What was it and how did it change before your eyes? 

 

PS.  If you really struggle with this, just pile up a blanket, and you've got yourself your own miniature mountain to capture your imagination and Tonka Trucks.  Tah-Dah!  Challenge complete!

 





Wake 'N' Paint

Armed with a cup of coffee and messy hair, I am painting this morning.

The battle of waking up earlier has been won, though it has been a difficult one to defeat.  My new time to wake up is between 5:30 to 6:00 AM.  This will help fit in a morning studio session before going off to my part-time job.  Any way we can slip in some more studio time is a good thing for our creative endeavors.

In college, I always hated the 9:00-11:45 studio schedule.  I may have loved the class, but that schedule was a difficult one to get my stubborn mind to enjoy.  My attitude was always eyes half shut and believed that I wasn't awake enough to be creative.  Looking back, I now remember that even though a haze of fog may have been circling, it was easy to focus.  That censor in my brain, the perfectionist, was still pushing the doze button and didn't care what I was making in the morning.  The chatter of what errands I needed to run and assignments that were due was quiet.

One of the goals behind the 100 Works challenge is developing a consistant studio practice.  It is one of the most important things in order to improve and gain any momentum.  I know this, though I have been resistant in the past.

For you artists out there, when do you like to work on your creative projects?  How have you balanced time to create with other daily responsibilities?  I would enjoy hearing your different solutions!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great start to your week!



 

Bad Painting 101: Groundhog Day Edition

Hello.
It is not quite Groundhog's Day.
It just feels like that fabulous movie in my studio today.  Though it hasn't been quite as fabulous.  Here is the fruit of my labor today...

Wiped Down again and again and again and again...

 

 

I have repainted him over and over again.  At least I think the forehead is finally going okay. hahaha 

I have repainted him so much that the guidelines are gone, and only bad smudges of bad trials gone before remain as ghosts haunting the canvas.  OOooooOOOOooo!

 

The only thing left to do is make fun of it, and then try again.  At some point it will go right.

 

Earlier it seemed that everything that could distract me did - we woke up to a slightly flooded kitchen due to the dishwasher acting weird.  Then the computer acted up, I pushed the wrong buttons, and ended up in a worse predicament.  Somehow after a couple of hours and some genius dishwasher trickery, everything seems okay again.  Equilibrium has been attained once again.  I just hope it holds long enough for me to get some serious work done.

 

It's getting late, but who cares at this point.  I would like to rest my head after this portion of the painting is resolved.  Better luck this time - trial number 872, here I come!  If this doesn't turn out one of these times, I am hoping Bill Murray will come for a visit so we can make fun of this and slam some alarm clocks.

 

Happy Groundhog's Day!