Be Engaged
Oct 5 Presentation Notes with Recommendations & Resources
I had the honor of presenting material to the Corvallis Art Guild here where I live in Corvallis, Oregon.
My topic of choice: Be Engaged
As I noted in the meeting, Recent events in our world have upended life as usual, creating an artistic disconnect, from a loss of in-person events and opportunities to a disruption in our creative process… [so] How we can be more engaged with our creative process and [find] ways to continue reaching out with our work?
I sincerely hope that my presentation was helpful to the Art Guild artists (and also, now, to YOU!)
May the following list of ideas and resources that I have been using these past few months to keep myself engaged with the making and sharing of my art also be helpful to YOU in some way as you follow your own creative journey. And if YOU have ideas to share, please continue over to my “Engaging in YOUR Art” discussion thread!
Happy Creating! ~ Jennifer
Be Engaged: List of Referenced Resources from Oct 5 Presentation with the Corvallis Arts Guild - Corvallis, Oregon
Two of the most difficult aspects of being an artist right now are at the beginning and end of our traditional creative process. (1) the beginning: inspiration (2) the end product: showcasing our finished creations.
The beginning may be difficult for many reasons - emotional, physical, and financial stressors due to our current situations; reduction in free-time due to new obligations (participating in home-schooling, for instance); loss of our usual communities to provide support; and the list goes on…. All these factors can make it immensely difficult to rekindle that creative spark.
The end of your usual creative process may be difficult because our traditional venues are no longer available to share and show our work.
Grounding yourself through engagement
Fully engaging in each moment more purposely thereby taking greater notice of our environment, connections, communities, and the opportunities we may have overlooked before or are newly available is a part of the slow process of re-engaging with our creative selves.
In my discussion with the Corvallis Arts Guild I mentioned the following resources which helped me overcome some of the hurdles I encountered as I worked to be and stay engaged in the making and sharing of my art these last few months.
Using & Building Community Resources
Community Inspiration - Try using Art Prompts!
Inktober (It’s not too late - now’s a great time to join in the fun!)
try using Google Earth images for inspiration
(there are MANY more - please add your favorites to the discussion thread!)
Find Artist Calls1 (Side note: I did forget to mention this during the CAG discussion…)
(Local - Oregon) The Arts Center of Corvallis, Oregon
(Regional) Call for Entry (CAFE)
(Nationally) EntryThingy
for Art Fairs: In person shows (when safe to do so) - and virtual (a few shows have switched to being Virtual in the meantime).
zapplication.org / JuriedArtServices.com
Artist Groups2 - Find a new group or create your own!
#SundayStoriesArtWalk (on Instagram Stories) was started by Alexandra Schaefers, an artist friend of mine, and we’re using it as an opportunity to share new work to our followers, network with each other, and have some motivational fun!
11IndependentArtists is a collection of artists I asked to join me in sharing our work and thanking our supporters via YouTube.
MeetTheMakerBox.com - a local artist collected a group of makers to create subscription boxes to offer collectively using Paypal subscription tools, and I’m honored to be a part of this group.
ArtShow-Artists.com - a group of festival artists banded together to create a curated online art show. I am not involved with this group but they are a great example of what you can do if you work together to support each other.
There are many other artists creating communities and groups right now. Please share your favorite groups or inspirations in the discussion thread!
New Tools I’m Trying/Learning & Using
Selling Tools3
SquareUp Weebly Website (for sales of original & featured art - introducing new work to email subscribers first. I’m also using it for creating Subscription Services. Other popular options for creating subscriptions are Paypal and Patreon).
Etsy (I’m a long-time user, but am now using it more for merchandise and home items instead of originals and prints - making use of Printful4 for on-demand printing)
Other options5 I’ve tried include: Squarespace (for full-service web-building tools and templates with a storefront, which is my website and online store home as of 2023), Shopify (for a full-service online shopping experience), Paypal (to enable payment options on other platforms).
Marketing / Education / Organizational Tools6
Creating / Keeping a Dot Journal (or Bullet Journal): I was inspired by “Dot Journaling A Practical Guide” by Rachel Wilkerson Miller
Notion (the online project organizational system I currently use)
Creating a user-friendly list of your web links: I use Squarespace for my main JenniferLommers.com website which allows me to have customized pages where I’ve created a link list for my most popular links to help my customers easily find what they want. You can also use LinkTree for a FREE easy alternative, popular with Instagram users. Other options are also available out there - take note of what your favorite Instagrammers are using!
Instagram LIVE (I’m using for more personal and informal updates)
YouTube LIVE (I’m using for demonstrations - still getting the hang of this!)
Substack (THIS right here - for more personal stories, inspirations, and interactions with YOU)
MailChimp (My traditional marketing e-newsletter provider)
Keynote (Apple presentation software - I’m using for enhancing video content. Find the tutorial I used to get started by Shelly Saves the Day HERE)
Adobe Animate (I’m learning a TON using amazing tutorials by TipTut and maybe someday I’ll finally put together a little animation! Fingers Crossed)
Adobe Premier Pro (In 2023 I switched to using Premier Pro for video editing. It has a learning curve, but I’m determined to figure it out.)
Inspiration is all around us! Here’s a few of my recent sources of inspiration…
Currently reading: How to Meditate by Pema Chodron
Favorite Podcasts of the week: ArtCurious - Was Van Gogh Accidentally Murdered?
A few of my recently favorited artists: Lucha Rodriguez, Delita Martin, Han Cao
Recent (in progress) knitting project: Cassapinka “The Secret Handshake” Cowl MKAL
5/13/2022 Update: I’ve added Fiber Art Now, and Submittable to my list of resources.
5/13/2022 Update: These groups are no longer active.
5/13/2022 Update: I no longer sell on Etsy and instead sell my Printful made items on my Studio Website: JenniferLommersFeaturedArt.com. I also now have my own Patreon Page.
Edited 6/4/2021 to reflect my move from Printify.com to Printful.com due to their ability to integrate with my JenniferLommersFeaturedArt.com website and the availability of more of the products that I wanted to offer.
Added 11/18/2024 to reflect updates to my website and online store - now combined into one entity via Squarespace. Also to reflect the additional resources I’ve used in the past (i.e. Paypal).
5/13/2022 Update: I am currently transitioning to using bio.site (a Squarespace resource) for my shortcut list of important links. (11/18/2024 update): I also changed to using Adobe Premier Pro for my Video editing.