Friday, February 28, 2014

Social Media and Double, Tripple.... Posting?!




Here is what I do - Tell me your thoughts?

For the last year - Oh wait! Happy Blog Anniversary to Us! - I post on this blog once a week. THEN I post a link to this blog in a couple of Linkedin groups, Twitter, Facebook, a Facebook Group, Google+, AND Pinterest.

I didn't start out doing that cuz I know that I have a lot of the same followers on all those sites. I was/am worried about the 'annoyance factor' when one of my fabulous followers comes across a repeat post. BUT after mustering up some courage, I posted in all those previously mentioned places and my traffic went up. To me that says I am reaching more people who didn't happen to catch it in the other places I posted...

NOW I have even re-Tweeted, re-Facebooked (you get the idea) about mid week to all my social media sites. Traffic goes up again. Clearly I am reaching new people.

Are any of you annoyed with this? Numbers are NOT the only reason to blog - connecting with people IS a reason to blog. I must admit that when I check out a new follower on Twitter (or any social media site), if all I see is the same tweet over and over again, I don't follow them.

I do try to mix it all up for everyone's sake.

Seriously, let me know your experiences, thoughts - I can take it! :-) Thanks in advance.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Find, Evaluate and Act - by Kiffanie Stahle

3 simple steps to control where your images appear online.


First, tell us a bit about you.
Hello! I’m Kiffanie Stahle, the founder of Stahle Law, a law firm serving creative entrepreneurs. I’ve been taking photographs from the ripe old age of seven and this gives me the unique ability to merge art and legalese. I love that my job is to support creatives on their journey to becoming successful and thriving creative businesses. I help them grow, protect their creations, and eliminate the surprises that could cost them thousands of dollars. My goal is to allow you to focus on what you do best – creating!

Tell us about your new eBook and why you wrote it.
We live in a right-click society and your images are constantly being used without your permission. Sometimes this is just the bump you need to get your work in front of the right audience, but sometimes it’s not (and you should be getting paid a licensing fee).
My new eBook is designed to put the control back in your hands. So you control where your work is being used – not other people. The eBook will give you:
    •    The tools to find where your work is appearing online
    •    The knowledge to evaluate what you can, can’t, and maybe shouldn’t do about it
    •    An action plan for how to act, when you choose to do so.

A lot has been written about how to conduct a reverse image search and those tools are important to the process. But I really think that the core of this book is the method that I teach you to evaluate what to do about the things you find. And since I love to boil things down in a visual manner, this method is centered on a chart I created with a kraft pad and Sharpie markers.

How can people get it?
You can purchase it through my website for $39. However, as a special thank you to your readers, I’m offering them 20% off through the end of February with the code: DOODLEBUGZ. https://www.stahlelaw.com/protect-work-ebook/

Anything else you want to share?
Yes! My favorite event each month is my Office Hours, which I host via Google Hangouts the 4th Wednesday of each month at 11am Pacific. Since it’s limited to nine participants a month, it’s a great chance for you to ask me questions and to learn from the struggles and challenges that other creative businesses are facing. I’m always amazed by the ideas, suggestions, and knowledge shared each month by the participants. If you are interested in joining you can email me at: kiffanie@stahlelaw.com or check out my Google+ page where I post the invite each month. https://plus.google.com/+KiffanieStahle/

Are you an early riser? or night owl?
Total night owl. I try not to schedule appointments before 10am. I need my morning infusion of coffee before talking to people.

What is your favorite food?
If I have to pick one, then pickled items of all kinds: pineapple, grapes, carrots, garlic, peppers, and of course the original pickled item, the cucumber. But dark chocolate is a close second.

Where can people find you?
I’m @kiffaniestahle pretty much everywhere, but as a visual person, Instagram is where I’m most. You can also reach me through my website at: http://www.stahlelaw.com.
Link to Google+: https://plus.google.com/+KiffanieStahle/
Link to Instagram: http://instagram.com/kiffaniestahle


Thanks Kiffanie for doing this spotlight! - I have learned so much from you :-)
Hey doodlebugerz, make my day and follow my blog!

Friday, February 14, 2014

FREE Photoshop seamless patterns!


Free for commercial and personal use - Have fun!

Hey everybody, I got this idea to share a few seamless patterns of mine from the cool people on the Art Licensing Network Facebook group :-) Who doesn't love FREE and no strings attached! Woop!

Okay. Here is the link to the patterns above. The files are 5"x5 ",  300 dpi, Photoshop CS6.
CLICK HERE to go to the download page.

How to use:
In Photoshop open up one of the patterns you just downloaded.

Go to the menu bar, click EDIT: scoll to DEFINE PATTERN, click OK.

Now, open a new file in Photoshop. To keep it easy, make it 10" x10" at 300 dpi.

Let's fill it with the pattern you just defined!

Go to the menu bar, click EDIT: scroll to FILL...
In the dialogue box that opens (see image below) choose PATTERN in the drop down menu
in the Custom Pattern option - choose the new pattern you just defined, click OK!

TaDa! It filled your space with the pattern - Cool Beans!


Play with the size to fill and the resolution to see how that affects your results. You can also play with the other options in the dialogue box above and see what they do :-)

You can create your own custom patterns in any square size you like.

Would you rather see a video on how to do this? Here is the link - you can google more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL3cQy6cmsw
This link is also listed on my Useful Stuff blog page if you want to find it again.

So Doodlebugerz, What cha think? Like the freebies? Could you understand how to do it?
Make my day and follow my blog - Thanks!





Friday, February 7, 2014

Artist Spotlight - Ronnie Walter

Be sure to scroll down to see samples of Ronnie's art!

 

Tell us a bit about yourself: Did you go to school for art? Are you self taught?

I was fortunate enough to attend a technical high school in Erie, Pennsylvania that had a commercial art program, so I had a pretty great foundation of drawing and painting before I went off to art school at the Columbus College of Art and Design. I only managed two years at Columbus due to my sad little budget, but I eventually ended up getting a BFA from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. But I was also one of those kids who had to draw all the time. Like in math class, social studies, history…yeah, one of those.

What inspires you / where do you get inspiration from?

I am inspired by life, really. I find that humans are an ever changing source of inspiration due to our quirky and complex natures, plus, we are not particularly good at expressing ourselves emotionally--and as long as this is true, the world will continue to need artists and writers! I’m inspired to develop products that have meaning and I like the idea that something I do can make someone feel better, or could help mend a relationship, or just add a smile to somebody’s day. I know that sounds kind of schmaltzy but it really is something I bring to each new concept I work on.

Do you work in just one medium? Several?

I have always worked in watercolor with line art accents, but now by combining Photoshop with some other graphic programs I can replicate mediums that I am not necessarily proficient in for  real---and that’s pretty cool! I have also discovered a love for type since many of my new collections over the last few years have featured my original writing as part of the design.

What are you working on now? 

Since my husband Jim Marcotte and I are also agents, we’ve got a number of irons in the fire right now. We have several concepts that are going to see the light of day as a result of our efforts in Atlanta last month so they need final touches and art delivered. I just finished a grouping of personalized products that I’m pretty excited about, we are working on the upcoming refresh of our Life is Country® brand products plus we’re revamping our Two Town Studios website to better reflect the direction we’re going. We always have something happening—and if we don’t? We make it so!

Anything else you want to tell everyone?

I’m working on some follow-up materials to my book, License to Draw - How I built a fun career in Art Licensing and you can too!  (say that three times fast!). Writing the book has been a fantastic experience and I hope that my story of a humble start and continued success in this market can help others who might be trying to find their place in our world. My intent was to deliver the information in a friendly style that wouldn’t scare anybody (well, not too badly anyway!) but still give the readers a solid understanding of the business along with a little “you can do this!” as well.  I’ve gotten great feedback and it has really ignited my interest in following a new path creatively. I can’t wait to do more!

Are you an early riser? or night owl?

Definitely an early riser, always have been. My ideal day starts around 6:30 with some writing, drawing and the first of several large cups of tea.

What is your favorite food?

Can I please pick more than one?  I guess dark chocolate would go the tip top of the list but I love really good hearty bread, bacon (duh), coconut cake, and actually since I love to cook there are very few things I don’t like. I’m perfecting my Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe right now so that’s a fave. Oh, and is red wine a food?

(Click images to view larger)



















You can find Ronnie:

Website and my blog:
www.ronniewalter.com

Two Town Studios website and Jim’s blog:
www.twotownstudios.com

Email:
ronniew@twotownstudios.com

Buy Ronnie's  book at Amazon

THANKS for stopping buy! Make my day and follow this blog :-D
Email me if you would like to be spotlighted anntroe@cox.net

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