Lisa Call

Structures #43
©2005
21"x 22"
$750

Talking about Twitter on Facebook

I said a while back I’d write about how I use twitter. Today 3 things happened that made it clear today was the day to do that.

First I had the following conversation on facebook after I clicked to become a fan of twitter:

Friend: Hi Lisa, I should get this, but thanks to old age, I don’t. What do you use twitter for? Is it more than just another facebook-like status? What am I missing?

Me: As an artist (this tech thing for 40 hours a week where I see you is just a hobby) I find twitter more useful in terms of resources. Not sure about the marketing side of stuff but I have a good group of followers that are quick to help me out. Today I asked for pointers to paper sources to print thank you cards with my art and got great comments.

Lots of artists on twitter. Maybe a bunch of geeks stuff over there also but I’m mostly interacting with artists.

Some people auto publish their tweets to their facebook status - I don’t - I view them as different conversations. There is some overlap in audience but facebook is more of everyone I know - most of them in person, but not all. Twitter - I don’t know many of those folks in real life. So I write about different things.

Twitter is more everyday mundane stuff and I update many times a day. Facebook isn’t quite as interactive - so I only update it every couple days as people don’t seem to check it as often.

Friend: That makes sense: different communities, different granularity. Thanks for the explanation!

How I use Twitter

So that kind of explains how I view twitter. I view it as walking into a room full of friends and joining a conversation for a bit then leaving again. I come back throughout the day and the conversation shifts and flows as the day progresses.

It takes a while to get the hang of twitter. The @replies, which aren’t obvious, are a big part of it. Once one gets that figured out I think twitter makes a bunch more sense. An @reply is like a comment on a blog post. I write a tweet, if someone responds it puts and @lisacall in the front of their tweet back and I get to see all of those on another tab. That is how twitter becomes a conversation.

I have twitter set up so that I see @replies from people I follow to other people that I follow - which expands the conversation beyond just me and 1 person. I’ve had several multi-person conversations as a result of this. I don’t get all @replies (so I don’t see replies from people I follow to people I don’t follow) as that seems like too much to me. Setting it to see no @replies at all didn’t feel as much of a conversation. Each person can decide how many @replies they want to see.

Twitter is a never ending conversation. We all need a break from that at times. So for me the key to not letting it overwhelm me is that I don’t worry about what was said in my absence. Sometimes I go back and read stuff (like during lunch at work) but mostly I just let it slide. Although I always respond to @replies directed to me.

But again - twitter makes no sense at all to some people. Not a big deal - there are thousands of way to communicate with other people - twitter isn’t required or even necessary. Some of just find it highly entertaining.

If you want to follow me my profile is here: Lisa Call’s Twitter Profile. Or you can just go take a peek and see what I’m saying today. At some point I’ll put my most recent tweets into my sidebar. It’s on my todo list.

Twitter Articles

The other 2 interesting things that happened today were people tweeted pointers to some really great "how to use twitter effectively" articles. These said things that I might have written in this post, and now I don’t have to repeat. The articles are excellent:

How not to be annoying on twitter

What to write about on twitter

I really like that first article. I’ve stopped following some people that don’t seem to understand this.

Not everyone loves Twitter

For a fair and balanced view, I also read this blog article about twitter today:

Is Twitter Too Good?

That doesn’t paint twitter in such great light. It was written in March 2007 by Kathy Sierra, who no longer blogs. Although, ironically, you can follow her on twitter now. Hm…

Construction

I didn’t get home from work until 5:30 tonight - way too dark for photos. But it’s way cool in the backyard - the forms are down and I can see the walls. Photos will have to wait til tomorrow.

Structures #43

I’m building a webpage for a holiday art sale. Turns out it’s supposed to be for art $500 or less. Oops - I thought it was $1000. So now I have to pull a bunch of my stuff off. My fault for not reading the info again before starting.

Anyway, came across this piece while doing the page and remembered how much I love this piece. It’s over $500 (it’s $750) so it’ll have to come off the page, but decided it needed to appear on the blog today instead.

Structures #72 detail

Time in Studio vs Art Career

Last week I wrote about looking for balance between making art and the business side of an art career. I’m still pondering the issues for myself and thought taking an informal poll of other artists would be interesting.

So I asked: "question for artists: On average - per week: 1) how many hours do spend creating new artwork? 2) how many hours spent on your art business?"
on both twitter and facebook. Below is the summary of the answers (art/business).

- 20/20
- Some weeks 40/0, others 0/40
- 25/30
- 10/30
- 10-25 / 20-30+
- 25-30 / too much time promoting and organizing.
- ideally..20/20..lately 5/15
- 5-15 / 15
- 6 / 10-12
- 7-12 / 2
- 30/20
- 2/3
- 0/0
- 1/2

I pulled out just the numbers and deleted the comments, which were quite interesting, but didn’t feel it was appropriate to repost them here. If you go to search.twitter.com and search on @lisacall you can read the full replies to my query on twitter.

The info I glean from this is that the business side of art is a major commitment. Now that I’ve made that commitment it is no wonder I’m feeling the need to readjust.

Thanks to all the twitters and facebookers that answered the question as it was most helpful.

How about you, blog reader? How much time do you spend in the studio vs. the office?

More PFD Fabric for Sale

I sold 220 yards of fabric but have a bit more Prepared for Dye Fabric (PFD) Pimatex Fabric I’d like to sell. I wrote a post about this fabric here: Kaufman PFD Pimatex Fabric . I’m selling this fabric to keep my account at Kaufman open (they have a minimum purchase amount per year to order from them directly - I’m very close to meeting that minimum).

I’m selling the fabric to those with US shipping addresses only for $4.50 a yard + shipping. Total cost for different amounts including shipping:

5 yards - $30
10 yards - $55
20 yards - $100
25 yards - $125

If you’d be interested in purchasing some fabric please send me email the amount you’d like to purchase. I accept checks and paypal.

Structures #73

In addition to a couple hours of art business work, I’ve managed to get in 3 hours in the studio today. The first time in months and months I’ve been so focused on art making on a workday. Woohoo. Course it’s an hour later than I would like to be going to bed but I’m making good progress with the surface stitching on Structures #73. It takes me about an hour per square foot so I have maybe 6 or 7 hours left.

The above photo is another detail show of the textile painting.

Why More on Twitter

Clint Watson offered for me to write a guest post on his blog over at Fine Art Views after my previous post about twitter.

This is that post - I’ve sent it to Clint to post but am also posting it on my blog, which is probably against some blogging etiquette rule but I write best in wordpress after all these years of blogging (I know - kinda weird huh) and it seems silly not to hit publish for my readers, as my experience is few people actually follow links in a post. Although I do recommend Clints blog as he as some interesting opinions about marketing art. So check out his blog here: Clint Watson’s Fine Arts View Blog.

Why Tweet

My top 10 List of reasons I might think writing a tweet for twitter is a better use of my time than creating art in response to Clint’s comment on his blog:

Why ANY artist would think that sending a “Twit” is a better use of their time than creating art is totally beyond me.

My list:

1. As an artist if I made art 24/7 and never marketed it I would eventually run out of room in my house for the art. I spend a full 50% of my time running my art business. I think Clint knows this as he advocates blogging, so I will assume his comment meant "why would an artist tweet vs. doing any other marketing activity".
2. I do not view what I do as "selling" my art. Instead I look to just be me. Authenticity is my goal in marketing myself and therefore my art. For me this means having a conversation, not selling. Making a connection is what I’m interested in, not doing the hard sell. Even if not connecting with a real live collector every minute on twitter, it is all a wonderful opportunity for being authentic and writing openly about myself and my art.
3. Twitter gives me a chance to be authentic in a different way than with my blog. With my blog I put a lot of thought into my posts. They tend to get long and can take a few hours to compose as I edit and re-edit a lot. My tweets are much quicker thoughts dashed off in a few moments. It’s basically me, uncensored. Very authentic.
4. I think with twitter, at least the people that are using it to connect and not sell, you get to see the real person behind the art. It’s a fine line to walk between being boring, giving too much information and too much self promotion. I find myself dropping the feeds that are only about selling - it annoys me and adds zero value to my life. I want a conversation with someone that feels like a real person. I don’t watch tv, I block ads on the web via adblock in firefox, I rarely listen to the radio, read no newspapers and few magazines - my tolerance for advertising is very low - if I feel all I’m getting is an ad - I’ll turn it off.
5. I believe social media could likely become a more effective method of communicating with ones tribe than email. I think we are all completely overloaded with email. There is simply too much of it and we need a more efficient way to communicate. I find myself emailing less and less the more I use twitter. I can’t see into the future but I see the present and I see a lot people not liking email so much. At my day job as a software engineer, email has been rendered virtually useless as noone has time to read it anymore. A very common theme I hear from artists is that email takes up way too much time. I don’t view twitter just as addition to email, but hopefully a way to reduce that email so it takes less time.
6. I’ve been online since 1983. Admittedly I’m a geek. For me, one of the most natural ways for me to communicate is online and I’m very comfortable in public chat type forums. This is absolutely authentic for me. I think some people communicate well this way, others don’t.
7. I can completely relate to Steve Pavlina’s comment on his latest blog post about facebook:
   

   No doubt some people will question how Facebook could help me with my business. The truth is that I don’t really care. My modus operandi is to pursue growth experiences and mold my business around that, not the other way around. So all I’m looking for on Facebook is to make new connections that can lead to interesting growth experiences. I don’t center my life around a profit motive.

   There is more to being an artist than making cash from the art. Connecting with other artists is incredibly valuable on both a personal and professional level. Where will it lead? Let’s find out.

8. I find some really great information on twitter that helps with with my art career. References to articles and tools that other artists are using. While this might not be a direct sale of art to a collector, who’s to say that an opportunity I learn about via twitter doesn’t? It’s networking at it’s finest for only a few minutes a day.
9. My 16 year old son tells me only old people email. Kids text, they use social media. Email is too heavy weight for them. My son assures me I am far from cool, but at least I’m willing to give this new thing a try.
10. I buy art. I’m on twitter. I found art on twitter I liked. I bought it. I do not believe I am the only artist that buys art. And if I am, well so be it. Hopefully someday I’ll buy one of my own pieces and twitter will pay off.

My Thoughts Without Numbers

Okay - truth in advertising here - this isn’t really a top ten list. It’s just a random list of the things I thought of in no particular order and I attached numbers to the paragraphs because I always wanted to write a top 10 list.

I have no idea what the future of twitter might be and what type of value I might get out of it in the long run. And honestly, I don’ really care, which is why it has taken me over a week to finally sit down and write the article I promised Clint.

The short answer on why it is not beyond me to understand why an artist (me) might tweet instead of make art: Making art is a solitary activity. As a full time software engineer and full time artist, my opportunities for getting out are fairly limited. Twitter is a way to connect with my tribe in a very immediate way. It’s a fairly new way for artists to connect and I have no doubt I am making all sorts of "mistakes" that I will cringe or laugh about in the future, which is a large part of the appeal - testing it out and seeing where it will take me.

A final note. This is my experience. I’m not saying other artists should or shouldn’t hop onto the social media bandwagon. I think everyone needs to evaluate it for themselves and determine if it will fit into their art career. I’m happy to see Clint is actively using twitter now and his opinion in the future will be based on experience.

Still More

After writing this I can see I might have another post about twitter in the future. About how I actually use it. I think that might be of help of those that want to try out twitter but aren’t sure what to write about. Look for that post some day in the future. Not sure when.

 
PS - You can follow me on twitter here: Lisa Call’s Twitter Profile.

PSS - You can friend me on facebook here (just note in the request you read my blog): Lisa Call’s Facebook Profile.

PSS - Clint always does a PS so I felt I should follow the tradition for this post.

ACEO #12
3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″
sold

 
A few unrelated topics…
 

Twitter

A series of articles I’ve read related to social media:

1) In a recent post, titled A Spectacular Way to Avoid Doing What Really Matters, Clint Watson definitively states:

Unfortunately, I keep seeing artists who seem to think that Twitter is some sort of revolutionary marketing tool that will help them sell art. It won’t.
…
Why ANY artist would think that sending a “Twit” is a better use of their time than creating art is totally beyond me.

 
2) A recent post by Seth Godin titled The small-minded vision of the technology elite:

"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home."
—Ken Olsen, ceo of DEC,

Only 31 years ago. DEC was one of the leading computer companies of the day, but not for long.

Take a look at the geek discussion boards and you’ll see an endless list of sharp-tongued critics, each angling to shoot down one idea or another.
…
PS the marketing elite have precisely the same problem.

 
3) An interesting point of view by Bill Weaver is presented in an article on his new blog The Artists Center: What’s up with social media.

I recommend the entire article and here’s a small bit:

So last year when I found out about Twitter I joined but really didn’t get it until the last few months. Coupled with my Facebook toolbar for Firefox I now get regular little blurbs that pop up on the bottom of my screen whenever one of the people I am connected with has something to say. That very action has allowed me to get to know what used to be pretty close to complete strangers. As a result, I have several potential partners for workshops or seminars each having a strong skill I am lacking in. I hinted above about communities, again this is one of the things social scientists have found occuring more and more as a result of staying connected with each other.

 
4) My twitter profile: twitter.com/lisacall (guess that makes it clear where I fall in the conversation).
 

PFD Fabric For Sale

As I’ve mentioned before I purchase the PFD (Prepared For Dye) fabric directly from Kaufman. I love this tight weave, high quality, 100% cotton pimatex fabric. It’s very dense and in my opinion some of the best fabric out there for making quilts (definitely a matter of opinion). I wrote a post about this fabric here: Kaufman PFD Pimatex Fabric

Kaufman has changed their rules for keeping my account active and I need to purchase more fabric than I can use each year. Would anyone be interested in purchasing some of this fabric from me? The cost would be around $5 a yard (including shipping). Unfortunately I don’t have the time to investigate shipping out of the US so currently this offer is for US residents only.

If you’d be interested in purchasing some fabric please send me email and I’ll see if there is enough interest to pursue this. I sure hope so cause I LOVE this fabric and don’t want to lose my account.

ACEO #12

Last night I didn’t get to my studio until about 9:00pm. I finished construction of Structures #99 before work so the next step was to piece the back and baste the quilt. I was in no mood for that so instead I decided to make an ACEO. This artist trading card is a combination of the bright colors from Structures #98 and the more somber dark gray/browns from Structures #99 as they were jumbled together on my cutting table.

If you are interested in purchasing ACEO #12 please send me email. It is $21 US and includes shipping to anywhere (I accept payment via paypal or check). It’s sold.

ACEO stands for “art cards, editions and originals”. Originally known as ATC, Artist Trading Card, and are traded between artists. When sold to the public they are referred to as ACEOs. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they be 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ - the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone.

Backside:

Fall in Colorado

The weather is Colorado is beautiful this time of year. Warm days, cool clear nights (well except for the recent rain). It’s beautiful. This is the view from Jim’s deck up in the mountains. Visiting my boyfriend is better than going on vacation. I love living in this state (I know I said this same thing just the other day - I’m very grateful for my life!).

Lines #4    ©2008    8.5" x 11"

A New Project

The above drawing was made during my day job [looks better if you click the image for a larger view]. Each time we start a new project at work my job description is "Go To Meetings". Lots of talk about what the project is about, how are we going to organize and then all the technical blah blah blah. I listen, take notes, think brilliant thoughts, etc.

And I draw. Mostly lines. I’m really good at drawing lines. I used to draw things but I’m not as good at that and I can’t do that and pay attention at the same time. Drawing lines helps me pay attention, because it ensures I’m awake, which is a key feature of paying attention.

Are You Social?

The current work project is interesting. We are looking at social networking. Hence me finally caving in and going to twitter. We are encouraged to have a social networking presence to understand the space. I think they intend for it to be work related. I have, well, zero interest in that. So facebook and twitter and all that - for me it’s mostly art related.

Twitter has been interesting. Kinda fun. It’s a disjointed conversation but more entertaining than I expected. At some point I’ll figure out how to put my tweets in the sidebar (see that Pam - I said tweets). And more importantly I’ll figure out what the true value of the thing might be.

Be My Friend

Here are a few of my social networking profiles. You are welcome to friend me or follow me or whatever the phrase might be.

Lisa Call on Facebook

Lisa Call on Twitter

Lisa Call on Linkedin

All Over the Place

I have a myspace account but completely ignore it as I’m not a musician nor am I 12 years old. I have some accounts on some ning communities but they haven’t taken off yet either and I don’t really have time for them so we’ll see how that goes.

I have a squidoo lens on art quilts with ideas for a more and now we have google knols (I have the outline for one on textile paintings with no content yet).

One of the things on my todo list (ie I have a user story for it) is to get a handle on my web presence and bring some kind of structure and understanding as to the value of each piece and the effort needed to maintain or enhance that value.

What’s your online presence like? Which pieces bring you the most value?