Kesha Bruce Studio

That's a Wrap!

2011-12-21T08:24:00.004+01:00

At least for 2011 anyway.

After today this blog will be maintaining radio silence until April 2012.

I'll be spending most of my time in the studio finishing new work and preparing for my 2012 New Collection Preview on April 16th.

(Click here if you haven't signed up for your preview invite yet.)

Stuff I Will Be Doing For the Next 3 Months

Instead of Writing This Blog:

Studying French verb conjugations and reading Alexandre Dumas.

What better way to brush up my French grammar and vocabulary than to spend a few months doing verb drills and passing an hour a day reading a fantastic French novel? Weighing in at nearly 1000 pages, La Dame de Monsoreau should pose quite a challenge for the next few months. (I’m even an over achiever in my leisure time!)

Catching up with Ira Glass.

I stopped buying books in 2010 because my bookcases are overflowing with books I haven’t yet had time to read. Now my Audible.com download manager is over-flowing with audio books I haven’t had time to listen to, and I can’t remember the last time I heard an episode of This American Life. I plan on getting an earful for the next few months.

Rockin' out on my gee-tar.

I've been taking guitar lessons off and on for two years now. How is it even possible that I'm still so dreadfully awful at it? Like really. I suck at it. I can't even play one Bob Marley song. This must be remedied immediately.

Giving my running shoes a real work-out.

I used to hate the winter months. But I quickly made peace with the long, cold, dark winter months by focusing on staying physically active. There’s nothing like a swift brisk work out to lift your spirits. I have 2 pairs of running shoes. If you’re extra quiet, and listen very carefully, you will actually hear them screaming my name.

Spending a week lounging on a beach in Thailand.

If the brisk work-out schedule doesn’t do its job, I have a back-up plan. In February I'll probably spend a week lounging on the beach in Phuket, which from what I hear, is beautiful enough to lift anyone’s spirits. I just renewed my passport last week, so with a bit of luck, Thailand will be the first stamp!

Getting my hands dirty.
It's been an amazing year. Perhaps one of the best I've had in a very long time. I love blogging and I love working with artists, but the part of my life that’s focused on the actual making of art is the fuel for everything else I do.

Never forget--The work always comes first.

See ya in April!

BIG Expansive Ginormous Love,

-Kesha★

UPDATE: I won't be blogging here, But I'll be posting bite-sized updates and work-in-progress photos over on my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/keshabruce

And if you REALLY miss me, you can always come chat with me on twitter:
https://twitter.com/keshabruce

What keeps you motivated and on track? Are you fueled by external validation?

2011-12-14T12:32:00.002+01:00

Art Basel/ Miami Beach is said and done, and by now almost everyone has chimed in with a response to Charles Saatchi’s scathing review of the contemporary art world, but I still find myself in plenty of discussions about the state of affairs in the current Art market.

All these discussions have me thinking about the Louise Bourgeois retrospective I saw at the Centre Pompidou Paris a few years back. The retrospective presented 200 sculptures, paintings, drawings and engravings Bourgeois produced between 1940 and 2007.

What really struck me was how playful Bourgeois was in all of her work. She was willing to try, explore, and talk about anything. She pushed and worked with an idea in as many different ways as possible. The diversity of materials and forms was breath-taking and her work ethic was nothing short of astounding.

She was absolutely fearless. (Or perhaps just very, very brave.)

Here is an artist that started studying at the Sorbonne when she was 15 years old and then never stopped. Ever! For two decades, after her professional debut, she as wholly ignored by the art world powers that be, but she just kept making art! She just kept working.

Questions to consider:

What keeps you motivated and on track?

Could you keep making art for two decades without any professional validation?

How much of your self worth as an Artist is tied up in winning the right award, grant, residency, or fellowship?

How do praise, recognition, or external validation (or the lack there of) factor into the way you make your work or feel about your art career?

Leave your thoughts, opinions and two cents in comments.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this dicussion interesting, hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.

...But you already know that.

Above photo of Louise Bourgeois courtesy of Maplethorpe Gallery

Is the Contemporary Art World "Hideous"?

2011-12-06T14:23:00.000+01:00

I’ve been finding myself in numerous conversations about the state of contemporary art lately. Most of them are in response to all the dust that’s been kicked up surrounding celebrity British art collector Charles Saatchi’s recent comments about the current art world.

A few of Saatchi's juiciest quotes:

“Being an art buyer these days is comprehensively and indisputably vulgar. It is the sport of the Eurotrashy, Hedge-fundy, Hamptonites; of trendy oligarchs and oiligarchs; and of art dealers with masturbatory levels of self-regard.”

"...I don't actually believe many people in the art world have much feeling for art and simply cannot tell a good artist from a weak one..."

And my personal fave:

"Few people in contemporary art demonstrate much curiosity. The majority spend their days blathering on, rather than trying to work out why one artist is more interesting than another, or why one picture works and another doesn't."

Ouch! Click here to read his full tirade.

So what do you think?

Do you agree with any of Saatchi's opinions?

Is the contemporary Art World "hideous"?

Can the Art world tell a good artist from weaker one?

Art Buyers: How do you make your purchasing decisions?

Artists: Where do you place yourself in all this?

Leave your opinions and ideas in comments.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this discussion interesting, hit the re-tweet button, then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.

...But you already know that.

Let's Be Honest---Are You Insane?

2011-12-01T18:46:00.001+01:00

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again

and expecting different results.”
- Albert Einstein

I will be the first to admit that I have suffered from insanity.

(The drawing above is a self-portrait as per my mental state circa 2002-2005.)

Over the course of my art career, I spent years trying the same “so-called” marketing techniques time and time again even though it was obvious that I wasn’t seeing a return on my investment.

Some forms of insanity I have participated in:

Paying for expensive “prints” of my work, hoping I could sell them at a lower price point---even though I had no mailing list or existing collector base to even try to market them to.

Spending hundreds of dollars applying to and shipping artworks to random, poorly publicized and poorly attended juried exhibitions or competitions just because I was panicky about not having enough lines on my resume.

Investing an enormous amount of money in framing a body of work, even though I had done ZERO marketing and had no exhibitions lined up for said body of work.

Spending time in Linked-In groups complaining and moaning about how my art sales sucked, when I should have been out at art openings meeting new people, or taking workshops to get better at my craft.

Blindly sending “gallery packets” year after year to gallery directors that I had never met or to galleries I’d never even visited.

Paying good money for software to send out incredibly boring and poorly designed e-mail newsletters.

All of these things involved a considerable amount of time, money, and emotional energy, yet even though I knew these things weren’t getting me anywhere I still continued to do them---for years! After all---I had become quite good at them. (Especially the complaining and moaning part.)

Are you currently "insane"?

Have you ever suffered from “insanity”?

What bad habits are you ready to get rid of in the upcoming year?

What will you do differently in your Art business in 2012?

I'm looking forward to reading your replies in comments.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this blog post interesting, hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.
...But you already know that.

What Activities in Your Life Deserve to be Given the CHOP?

2011-11-21T11:43:00.001+01:00

One of the questions I get asked most often is “You have so many things going on! How do you manage to get everything done?”

The answer: I don’t.

The truth is that I have no magic recipe for packing more hours into the day. My to-do list often over flows onto 2 or even 3 pages, I don’t have a full or even part-time assistant to help me get things done, and I have just as many work and family obligations as the next gal.

The only reason that I’m able to be so productive, work on so many fun projects, and take all of my exciting, last minute weekend getaways is because I have learned to say “No!”

Every errand, so-called obligation, or activity that has no significantly positive, long-term impact on my life has been banished. I simply give them the “CHOP”.

“I’m having a boring dinner party Friday, can you come?” Thanks! But Nope.

“Hey, we’re gonna see the new Justin Timberlake movie. Wanna come?” Nope.

“Can you donate an artwork to our annual fundraiser….?” Uhm, Hell No.

Chop, Chop, and CHOP!

I don’t have spare time. All of my time is accounted for and filled with high-value and high-reward experiences that truly increase the quality of my life.

---Note here that I said life, not art career.

Learning to say “no” easily and often, will not only allow you to make advances in your art career, but will ultimately improve the over-all quality of your life.

My question to you:

What can you start saying “No” to TODAY?

What do you have a hard time saying "No" to?

What everyday activities in your life deserve to be given the CHOP?

What low-value activity can you completely eliminate from your schedule until you’ve reached some of your more rewarding, meaningful goals?

Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Why Don't Artists Make Any Money?

2011-11-10T18:49:00.002+01:00

One of the most powerful parts of being in New York City for the past two months was the sheer amount of time I had to actually spend talking with artists every day.

Over the course of six weeks I had the chance to talk with painters, photographers, sculptors, video and performance artists, designers, web designers, jewelry designers, and even a few people working in the fashion industry.

I’ll be honest with you here. I left each and every one of those conversations very, very, very ALARMED!

We as Artists are in BAD shape.

Some of the things I’ve been hearing a lot of lately:

“I just don’t have enough time.”

“I’m totally overwhelmed by all this marketing stuff.”

“I don’t get the whole social media thing.”

“I hate networking!”

It seems that many of us know what we need to do, have most of the information we need, and for sure, we have the ideas and the creativity, but some THING is in the way of us putting all those puzzle pieces together.

So let’s get down to brass tacks here, art people:

#1 What fears, problems, obstacles are holding you back from reaching your goals?

#2 What do you need to get over those hurdles?

#3 What pieces of the puzzle are you missing?

Leave your thoughts in comments.

Let’s get to work!

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this post interesting and want to be part of more discussions like this one, click here to get on the ARTFIX list. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.

...But you already know that.

Thank You for Making Us Rock Stars!

2011-11-08T17:45:00.000+01:00

"Honey, I'm home!"

Yep. I'm finally back in France, back in my studio, and back to battling a crippling case of jet-lag. On October 20^th, Baang and Burne moved out of it's temporary gallery space in Chelsea, marking the final day of our EPIC endeavor, 6×6, logging in a total of 16 events in 6 weeks.

6×6 was an incredible experience:

To see the realization of a curatorial vision.

To have the honor of presenting 12 incredible artists’ work, some for the first time in NYC.

To hear the overwhelming positive responses to this new model of an art gallery.

To sell incredible art to enthusiastic collectors who will cherish it and live with it.

At the end of this 6 weeks, we were exhausted…. but we also felt like total Rock Stars.

And for that, we want to say thank you.

Thank you to all of our dedicated interns: Ariel, Panida, Randy, Steve, Kate, Sophia, Aulden, Erin, Ashton, Raul, Julianna, and Sara.

Thank you for every errand, every spackled and re-painted hole in the walls, every glass of wine poured, every piece of artwork unpacked and repacked, every dinner served and more. Thank you. 6×6 would not have happened without you guys and it is as much your achievement as it is ours.

Thank you to the Baang and Burne roster of artists: Ed Smith, Kris Graves, Meyer Uranovvsky, Michael Kirchoff, Cara Lynn Kleid, Jacqueline Norheim, Readymade777, Karen Rudd, Toss Squires, Stacia Yeapanis, and Jane Zweibel. Your work is so amazing that it makes our jobs easier.

Thank you to our darling friend Riegan Sage for all the delicious food she catered for our events, and for being the voice of sanity and a constant cheerleader.

Thank you to all our sponsors and partners for supporting us and helping us change the status quo!

Thank you to all of our friends who came out week after week to support the shows, the work, and our artists, and for spreading the word.

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to all of our Kickstarter backers:
Colin, Joke Aerts, Jane Zweibel, RobAtoms,Mia Cubrilo, Tom Hlas, Martha Wade, Jay Martin, Jennifer Hwa, Stephanie Lee Jackman, Christine Pensa, Kate Hers, Laura Pauline Willis, Demetri Broxton, Stephanie Rich, Wendy Dematteis, Tom Sherlock, Geri Montano, Nicole J. Butler, Lara, Natalya Aikens, Helen Klebesadel, Aaron Taylor, Sharon Crumley, David Greg Harth, Joan Sherlock, Astroduc, Daniel Sroka, Suzanne Jansson, Saron can Diemen, Kasalina Maliamu Nabakooza, Alison Harvey, Meg Leary, Anna Creadick, Carrie Crow, Demolition Man, Sir Aaron Grunwald, Bonnie Clark, Danielle Scruggs, Michael Werner, Robin Ann Walker, Desiree Adaway, Heather Lavender, Donna Kitsos, Janice Marston, Paige Wery, Ricky & Gaylynne Roach, Kortney Ryan Ziegler, Pat & ed Hamilton, Dave Conrey, Lana Kole, Heidi, Melanie DewBerry-Jones, Doug, Dan Shepherd, Mindful Mimi. Noelle Gilbert, Carolyn Hampton, Jamie Johnson, Michael Kunze, Nancy Baron, Alma Soto, Kimberly Abbott, SexyFilmFestParis, Laurie McCormick, Lola Akinmade, Lorraine Spencer, Elinros Henriksdotter, Tom M Johnson, Kimberlee Rocco, Damani K. Anderson, Callahan McDonough, MuemaPhoto, Michelle Pier, Manjari Sharma, Jenn, Carl, RabbiBen, Mark Berndt, Jim McHugh, Bdamico, Sacha Sacket, Lis Zadravec, Raymond Difley, Sharon Ross, Will Owens, Josh Haycraft, Antoinette L. Poindexter, April, Mark Robert Halper, Hank Willis Thomas, Carol Steinberg, Michael Lukas, Eunice, Adrienne Phelps-Coco, Jenna Crowder, Ms. Arliss Prass, Gwendolyn Kelly, Marion Coleman, INTERTWYNED, Angela Rockett, Margaret Waage, Brubes 1981, Stacey Pruim, Ingrid Pohl, Erin Hozack, Shari Jamieson, Linda Stranger, Tricia McLaughlin, Harold Smith Artist, Jocelyn, Susan, Jessica, Tracey Chan, Cynthia, Carol Welch, Krist Terrell, Elissa Hogan, June Edmonds, Brittanie Anderson, RuTemple, Sandie Sing, Gayle Allor Dauverd, Emily Rose, T Thorn Coyle, Brittany Svoboda, Tony Rella, Brian Nelson, Lance Ekum, Alisha K. Ard, Alexis Marnel, Barbara J Hart, Mary Gallagher Stout, NAT+NEO, Beth Hicks, Kevin Gong, Karla Mitchell, Anna Lise, Dawoud Bey, Marli Hagen, Julie, LaKesha ChoklateChild Brown, Amelia Gagne, Jkiro, Tye Green, Ashley West Leonard, Enrique Ahumada, Luis Galdamez, Aline Smithson, Steven Khan, Catherine Gwynn, Adrian Davis, Pilar Law, Garrett, Cara Lynn Kleid, Joe Kleid, Angela Bacon-Kidwell, Johanna Fateman, Chris Haston, Ann George, Heidi Richjardson Evans, Shaun SureThing, Erin Sears, Adrianne George, Allison Kirkpatrick, Lee meade, Adam Larkey, Vanessa Turner, Janella Dowell, Peter Kayafas, Jandams, Christina Mazurowski, Elisabeth Mercante, Kaz Patwa, Corrie Greening, Mike Briercliffe, Trudi, John Micheal Kearney, Ariel Murakhovsky, Wayne Stratz, Wendy Schneider, Mike Sahlman, Bashie Waggoner, Katarina Wong, Sarah Fajardo, Raymond Le Blanc, Thomas C Williams, Daniel Karp, Jessica Atcheson, Sergia Fernandez, Terry Girard, Rodney Washington, Kris Graves, Laurie Minsky, Laurie Shock, Roza Futernik, Christiane, Sharvette Mitchell, Katherine Piazza, Cathy Read, Clarence Williams, Nancy MacLeod, Keiko Hamaguchi, Jonas Yip, Glen Chandler, Mike, S. Rhett, Patricio Robayo, Joshua Yaffa.

Thank you for believing in our vision.

Charlie and I both feel like Rock Stars today because of ALL of you.

Thank you.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

Next Stop: Washington DC!

2011-10-24T09:03:00.003+01:00

I’m on the move!

Next stop Morton Fine Art in Washington D.C. where I will be showing the (Re)callingand (Re)telling series along with “The Story” series. If you missed my 6x6 exhibition, “Talking to Myself", this is a great chance to see both bodies of work in one place. Also, it’s my last Art Tour stop of 2011 before I jump continent and head back to France just in time for the Paris Photo Art Fair.

As part of the FOTOWEEK DC 2011 FESTIVAL you are cordially invited to the opening reception for

(Re)calling and (Re)telling

An exhibition of work by artist Kesha Bruce.

November 5–November 12, 2011.

Artist Talk and Opening Reception:
Saturday November 5th, 2011.
2 - 5 PM.

THAT THEY MIGHT BE LOVELY, 2008. Archival Pigment Print.
(20 x 27 inches.) Edition of 15. $350 Click here for 2011 price list.

(Re)calling and (Re)telling uses maps, drawings, found documents, and family photographs to creative new, hybrid narratives that address aspects of African-American history and experience through memory and storytelling.

Morton Fine Art
1781 Florida Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20009-2647
(202) 628-2787
http://www.mortonfineart.com

I can't wait to meet all my Washington D.C. peeps! See ya there!

6x6 Round #5: It's Getting L O U D In Here!

2011-10-12T01:09:00.000+01:00

To say the least, the past two weeks have been a high intensity whirl-wind of art and creative energy. With over 300 people passing through the gallery---It's gettin' loud in here!

A few choice picks from "Violently Happy":

We can hardly believe it, but the final 6x6 exhibition opens Thursday:

Of Faith, Power, and Glory.

New work by Michael Kirchoff and Meyer Uranovsky

October 13–18, 2011.

Opening Reception October 13, from 6-8PM

Baang and Burne Contemporary Art
547 W 27th Street suite 309 (3rd floor)
Btwn 10th & 11th Ave.
New York, NY.

If you haven't made it out to one of the openings, this is your last chance to be part of something that is truly amazing.

Power to the Art People.

Come join us.

6×6 Round #4: Please Stand By – artists Stacia Yeapanis and Readymade777

2011-10-04T15:50:00.000+01:00

A few opening night photos from Please Standy By: new work by Stacia Yeapanis and Readymade777.

Click here to see the full Flickr photo set.

Couldn’t make it to last week’s opening? No Problem! Come to the next one:

Violently Happy: New work by Jacqueline Norheim and Cara Lynn Kleid.
October 6 -12, 2011

Opening Reception: Thursday October 6th, from 6-8 PM.

Baang and Burne Contemporary Art
547 W 27th Street suite 309 (3rd floor)
Btwn 10th & 11th Ave.
New York City

See ya there!

Win, Win, Win: 3 Killer Prizes Up For Grabs During 6x6!

2011-09-30T07:15:00.014+01:00

If you’ve been following my tweets you probably already know that Baang and Burne has not one, but THREE really exciting contests going on in conjunction with 6x6. And the best part is, you don’t even have to be in the NYC area to win a prize.

So here’s the deal:

Awesome Contest#1:

At the end of 6x6, Charlie and I will choose one lucky artist at random from the Baang and Burne mailing list to receive a totally FREE Kick-Start consulting session. ( A $250 value)

Click here to make the jump over to our blog and signyourself up in the side-bar.

Awesome Contest #2:

Click over to the Baang and Burne 6x6 Contest Page and sign-yourself up to win a free seat at the dinner table at one of our Friday Night Art Date dinner parties and enjoy a fantastic evening in the company of other Artists, Creatives, and Art Lovers. (A delicious $50 value)

You’ll have the opportunity to see a special “back room” selection of artwork from the 6x6 exhibition and the chance to meet and talk with the Cara LynnKleid and Jacqueline Norheim and over a superb meal.

The next winner will be chosen MONDAY October 3^rd. Click here to enter.

And last, but certainly not least… *insert drum roll please*

Awesome Contest #3:

As part of 6x6, our friends over at Big Cartel have offered to give TWO lucky artists a free shop—FOR LIFE.

Yep, you read that right.

At the end of 6x6, two artists, chosen at random from the Baang and Burne mailing list will win their own free on-line shop from the awesome folks over at Big Cartel. (Valued at $360 per year!)

Click here for examples of how Creatives like you are using their Big Cartel shops to market their work.

The winner will be chosen on October 19^th—the last day of 6x6. So if you’re not on the Baang and Burne mailing list already---now might be a killer time to get on it.

I told you we would bring the Awesome.
Did we deliver or what?

The Art of Participation.

2011-09-29T19:59:00.000+01:00

"Willow Rosenberg" 2004. Cross-stitch. 7" X 8."
Subtitle: I love you, but this is something I just have to do.

The greatest thing about doing an Artists Residency is all the other artists you come into contact with. Stacia Yeapanis , a mixed-media artist from Chicago, lived in my house while at the Vermont Studio Center, but we really connected over episodes of Freaks and Geeks in the Red Mill lounge. Stacia was incapacitated due to a tragic water accident that nearly wiped out her laptop, and I was temporarily out of commission due to a bad case of the 48 hour flu.

And thus our TV watching love affair began.

"Fox Mulder" 2006. Cross-stitch. 10" X 14." Subtitle: We all have our faith.

Stacia is a mixed media artist who uses everything from TV watching to gaming and crafting as a way to explore the “psychological significance of entertainment practices”.

“Some of the most meaningful experiences in life are durational: parenting, romantic love, friendship, careers. The actual moments in which we become aware of their significance are few and far between.

From within the subcultures of gaming, crafting, and fandom, the engagement of the participants is often described in terms of addiction/obsession and religion. Participants are devotees, as well as addicts. But neither of these extremes is abnormal, Rather it is evidence of man's constant search for meaning.”

Four years later, not only am I am happy to say that we are still friends, but Stacia is one of the fantastic artists that we are proud to have on the Baang and Burne roster. Her 6x6 exhibition with Readymade777 opens in a few hours!

Not to be missed!

Please Stand By
September 29 - October 5, 2011

Opening Reception: Thursday September 29th from 6-8 PM.

Baang and Burne Contemporary Art
547 W 27th Street suite 309 (3rd floor)
Btwn 10th & 11th Ave.
New York City

6x6 Round #3: Second Nature

2011-09-28T14:02:00.001+01:00

A few pics from last week's opening of Second Nature.

We're half way to the finish line and going strong! Couldn't make it to last week's exhibition opening? No problem. Come this week:

From Cubism to Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup cans, Pop Art still holds court as one of the most relevant art movements of the twenty-first century due to its on-going dialogue with contemporary popular culture. In their exhibition, Please Stand By, artists Stacia Yeapanis and anonymous internet video artist Readymade 777 take this discussion a step further by using appropriation and transformation to reveal how viewers and users of cultural products like TV shows, movies, and video games, not only make meaning from the images they digest, but often become active participants in cultural production themselves.

Yeapanis' hand-made cross-stitches are painstaking recreations of a single frame from TV shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess, using the decorative handicraft of embroidery as a symbol of how far we have invited and incorporated these fictional TV characters into our personal lives. Similarly, artist Readymade777 cuts together everything from VHS home video footage, film clips, 50's TV commercial, to pornography turning them into disorienting and often harrowing digital assemblages that jolt the viewer into making visual and psychological connections between images and genres.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this blog post interesting, hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.97% chance that you are awesome.
...But you already know that.

3 Reasons Artists Need to be More DIY.

2011-09-23T21:06:00.002+01:00

For the past six months, Charlie Grosso and I have spent a huge amount of time helping other artists understand how important it is for them to step up and take control of their careers. Our main argument is simple:

If artists want to grow and expand their artistic careers, they need to take a much more hands-on approach to marketing and promoting the work they create.

In other words, in order to be successful, artists need to be more DIY (Do-it-Yourself). Here’s why:

Reason #1: DIY means Community
When artists work together they can create amazing events, exhibitions, and opportunities to promote their own work. Your network of creative peers is your greatest resource for finding and getting the information and support you need. Artists thrive in communities. Being a part of a community of artists means having a built in support system that truly understands the obstacles and concerns that other artists face.

Other artists aren’t your competition. They are your greatest allies. Doing it yourself, doesn’t mean going it alone.

Reason #2: DIY means More Money
Let’s do what I like to call “art math”. Let’s say you have a gallery exhibition of 30 artworks, each priced at $3000. The gallery does an amazing job of marketing and selling the work for you and you end up with a sell-out exhibition. That means $90,000 in sales. Fantastic, right?

But wait. Subtract the gallery’s 50% fee they earned for working so hard to promote and sell your work. That leaves you with $45,000. Then subtract another 15% for taxes, and another 20% for expenses. That leaves you with around $30,000. Keeping in mind that you only have a solo exhibition once every 3 years in that gallery, divide that $30,000 by three. That leaves you with roughly $10,000 a year to live on until your next solo exhibition. Congratulations!

Clearly if you really want a fatter bank account, you’ll have to learn how to do build your own collector base year round and promote the sale of your work with or without the help of a gallery.

Reason #3: DIY means Freedom and Opportunity
Sure, it’s great when you find a gallery to sell your new work, but what if you aren’t working with a gallery? Or what if the gallery’s jam-packed exhibition schedule doesn’t have room for your work until 2014? Or worse yet, what if after waiting 2 years for your first solo exhibition, the gallery goes out of business two months before your show is set to open?

When you’re the person at the reigns of your art career, it means you have complete control over how you create, exhibit, and promote your work rather than handing over the fate of your art career to someone else.

Ultimately, when artists embrace a DIY mentality, it means they stop waiting to be rescued or “discovered”. It means that instead of waiting for opportunities to arise, they go out and create opportunities for themselves.

Are you ready to become more DIY?

As part of En Foco’s Professional Development Workshop series: Join us for
“Motivation, Marketing and Moxie”.

This two-hour marketing workshop is designed for artists who are ready to take control of their careers and move towards their goals at a swift pace.

Topics we’ll cover:
• How to set concrete career goals and figure out what steps to take first;
• How to fine-tune your website and turn casual visitors into buyers;
• Strategies on saving time and money with free or low-cost resources;
• How to prepare marketing materials for approaching commercial art galleries.

Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

Time: 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Cost:
$10 for advance registration online
$20 at the door on the day of event

Location:

Baang and Burne Contemporary
547 West 27th Street. Suite 309 (3rd Floor)

(Between 10th and 11th Avenues)

New York, NY 10001

Click here to reserve your spot.

To learn more about En Foco's Professional Development Workshop series and other programs visit: http://www.enfoco.org

6x6 Round #2: "Talking to Myself"

2011-09-21T15:51:00.000+01:00

A few shots from the Thursday's opening of "Talking to Myself".

Click here to view the full Flickr photo set.

Couldn’t make the last 6×6 opening? No problem. We’ll catch you at the next one:

See you there!

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this blog post interesting, hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.
...But you already know that.

Tonight's The Night: "Talking to Myself"

2011-09-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

Every narrative involves the powerful interplay of memory and introspection that allows us to make sense of the world by defining who we are and how we fit in. In the second exhibition of Baang and Burne Contemporary's six-week art event, titled "6x6", artists Kesha Bruce and Jane Zweibel offer viewers a contemporary entryway to the rich tradition of storytelling in art.

The narratives Bruce and Zweibel present in Talking To Myself are composed of a mysterious mix of elements culled from the intimate terrain of memory, personal mythology, and the mundane remnants of everyday life.

From Zweibel's large format figurative paintings on canvas that pay homage to Caravaggio to Bruce's small delicate works on paper that render character and place through the use of minimalist text, each work in the exhibition speaks and relates to the next like non-linear chapters of a novel that doesn't easily settle neatly into a comfortable beginning, middle, and end.

Talking To Myself
September 15-21, 2011

Opening Reception: Thursday September 15th from 6-8 PM.

Baang and Burne Contemporary Art 5
47 W 27th Street suite 309 (3rd floor)
Btwn 10th & 11th Ave.

Gallery hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 PM
See ya there!

Inspiration: The Story Behind "The Story".

2011-09-14T07:43:00.000+01:00

The question I get asked most often about my work is: “Where do you get your ideas?”

Personally, I don't believe in “inspiration” in the sublime magical sense.

Want good ideas? Get to work.

Sooner or later you'll either come up with something or die from boredom or starvation.

All that aside, I made a deal with the Universe a few years ago that I would handle the “quantity” end of making work, and that I would leave the “quality” part up to the heavens. (insert mystical new-age wind-chime music here.) What I mean to say is that part of my art-making process is trusting myself to move in the right directions.

I created The Story, the body of work I'll be showing during 6x6, while I was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center. The series started with images taken from a group of old negatives given to me by my late grandfather, Willard Thomas. So in that sense, his work was my "inspiration".

About half of the images were taken while he was a soldier in the Korean war. The other half are pictures of unidentified people who I can only assume are friends and of course other relatives.

By trade my grandfather was an electrician, but he was also a mighty fine photographer. The photos are simple, imperfect, and beautiful.

I've now created 2 bodies of work based on my grandfather's negatives. His photographs have become a major part of my art career and the mostly anonymous people in his photographs have become major characters in my daily studio practice.

One of my favorite photos is of these girls here. Out of all the photos I have I just keep coming back to it. I just find it absolutely glorious. So much so that I made this painting:

GLORY TO HIS NAME, 2007. Mixed-Media Painting on Canvas.
100 x 120 cm (39 x 47 inches)

Since I was never able to find out who these lovely ladies were, or perhaps, are, I was able to construct my own narrative about who they are and their relationship.

Even though the many faces in these photographs are of anonymous individuals who I’ve never known, I feel an obligation to treat their images with honor and respect. In many ways I think of them as kind spirits guiding me through the completion of each work.

How's that for inspiration?

Flesh + Bone: After the Feast!

2011-09-13T20:24:00.000+01:00

A few opening night photos from the first exhibition of 6×6.

Click here to see the full Flickr set from start to finish.

Couldn’t make it to this week’s opening? No problem. Come to our next exhibition. My exhibition:

Write down the deets so you don't miss it:

Talking To Myself
September 15-21, 2011

Opening Reception: Thursday September 15^th from 6-8 PM.

Baang and Burne Contemporary Art
547 W 27th Street suite 309 (3^rd floor)
Btw 10th & 11th Ave.

New York City

Gallery hours: Mon-Sat 12-6PM

See ya there.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this blog post interesting, hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 97.94% chance that you are awesome.
...But you already know that.

Tonight's the night! Be there, or be square!

2011-09-08T07:25:00.001+01:00

At 6PM Baang and Burne will open it's doors for the opening exhibition of 6x6:

But don't forget-- in between each exhibition we've lined up some pretty cool events for both Artists and Art Lovers.

Here’s what’s we've got planned:

So much Arty goodness that I bet you hardly know where to start.

Click here for the full 6x6 Event Schedule.

Come join us!

Big Love,

-Kesha★

p.s. You have my permission to repost this to your FaceBook page or click the little green "retweet" button. if you do, there's a 98.9% chance that you are radically Awesome.

Wanna Join Me for a Friday Night Art Date?

2011-08-29T07:44:00.018+01:00

On Wednesday morning I hop on a plane from Paris to Brooklyn, but before I even arrive I wanted to ask you:

Care to join me for dinner?

As part of 6x6, Charlie and I have organized a series of fun, cozy, at-home

dinner parties hosted by the artists in each exhibition. Every guest is in for a real treat, or rather, a feast!

The Menu:

- Sevillian Marinated Carrots
- Mediterranean Salad with Manchego, Olives, and Almonds
- Chicken, Saffron Onions and Couscous with Dates
- and for dessert: Golden Olive Oil Cake that's so delicious it may make you weep.

I’d love to meet you at my dinner party on Friday September 16th, 2011.

Sure we’ll talk about art and you’ll get an exclusive sneak peek of my new works on paper, but mostly it will just be great food, great people, and great fun!

Interested? Click here for all the yummy details.

Yum + Yum + Big Love,

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

p.s. Can't make it to my dinner party on September 16th? Check the full 6x6 event schedule to reserve your seat at the dinner table for one of our other scheduled dinner parties. I'll see ya there!

10 Ways to Build a Craptastic Art Website.

2011-08-22T10:28:00.002+01:00

1. Make Me Hunt For Information
I love treasure hunts as much as the next gal, but every website needs clear and easy navigation. Your navigation bar can incredibly simple, but it MUST be there. The navigation bar can be horizontal or vertical, but it absolutely must be on every page and in the SAME location on every page. I should be able to navigate your entire website without ever using the ‘back” button.

2. Make me “e-mail to Inquire about pricing":
Even the flagship Hermès store on the Rue Du Faubourg St. Honoré in Paris has price tags on their merchandise, so if you don’t put prices on your website, I assume you’re even more expensive than a $8000 Birkin bag. That or I assume the item isn’t for sale. Either way—you lose. I’m not going to risk feeling like a dork by e-mailing you to ask for a price. I’ll just go buy something from another artist who has her prices clearly marked on her website.

3. Don’t Introduce Yourself or Let Me Contact You:
I arrive on this website, the artwork is interesting, but the artist herself is nowhere to be found. Now, why would I buy from this anonymous artist? If you don’t have a photo of yourself on your art website, you are missing a valuable opportunity to connect with a potential collector.

Stop hiding behind your art.

You don’t have to give people your home phone number, but you do need to give an e-mail address. Don’t make me fill out a form to contact you. Because I won’t. I’ll just leave. Again, stop hiding! Encourage people to drop you a friendly ‘hello” e-mail or to ask you questions about your work.

Come out and meet the people who are interested in what you do. Let people see you and your work together, so they can decide to buy.

4. Use Low Quality Images
You cannot un-do a bad first impression. If there is one thing you splurge and pay to have done professionally, it should be the photographs of your art artwork. If your images are not top quality, the rest of your marketing is useless. Poor or unevenly lit, un-cropped, slightly out of focus images are simply not acceptable. Only put the absolute best images of your work on your art website.

5. Don’t Include a Sign-up Form
One of the biggest reasons to even take the time to build an art website is to grow your mailing list. If you don’t have a sign-up form on your website, visitors come and go and they may never come back. You absolutely need a short and simple opt-in form so that you can turn visitors into clients. Ask for their name and their email address, and tell them exactly what they will be getting and how often. Simple as that.

6. Tell Me Your Entire Life’s Story
You will be tempted to include every work you’ve ever made, and write about every idea or thought you’ve ever had. A professional art website is no place for this though. That’s why the internet Gods created personal blogs. When it comes to art website text--Keep it simple people.

You can build a totally brilliant website with just these 4 pages: Home, artwork, about, contact. Give me enough information, but get to the point. Your artist statement needs to be a sexy piece of sales copy, but it doesn’t need to be 5 paragraphs long. I will likely stop reading half-way into the second paragraph, so why not just end there?

7. Make it Flashy!
All that sexy flash is a perfect way to draw attention away from your work. I can tolerate a flash website for an entertainment industry site, but for artists, it’s annoying. I want to get in there, see the work, learn a bit about the artists and the work, sign up for their newsletter and then get out of there. If I have to wait more than 5 seconds for your flash website to load—I’m gone. Buh-Bye.

8. Add Some Music
How do I say this in the nicest way possible: When I click onto an artist’s website and music starts blaring at me, it makes me want to karate chop them in the neck.

Unless you are a rock band, don’t put music on your website.

The focus on your website should be on your VISUAL art not on Metallica’s latest hit or whatever Kenny G song you have rockin’ on repeat in your iPod.

Having music on your art website is the internet equivalent of having a mullet.

9. Tell Me to Leave
You just spent ages convincing me to click over to your website, and now that I’m here you invite me to leave? Don’t include a bunch of links to your friends or favorite websites. That isn’t appropriate for a professional art website. Also, it's very 1997.

The goal of your website is to get a visitor to stay as long as possible, decide that they like you, and then sign up for your mailing list. Never send a visitor away from your website. It’s like inviting a potential customer into your store and then immediately telling them to go buy from the store across the street. Why would you do that?

10. Let Your Art Website Collect Dust
Building a website isn’t a one-time event. They need regular maintenance. When was the last time you added new artwork to your site? Is your artist’s résumé up to date? Is the last event listed on your “events” page from 2009? An out of date website says “Nothing new to see here…might as well move along.” Nobody wants to hang out in a ghost town. Aim to update your website at least 3 times a year.

So now that I’ve told you what NOT to do, let me offer you a solution:

During 6x6 Baang and Burne will be hosting an all-day Website Bootcamp for Artists and Creatives. Show up with your laptop, artist statement, bio, and a few jpegs of your work, leave with your slick new art website built under the knowledgeable guidance of a team of Rockstar web designers from Bizwall.net.

You can read all of the juicy details and to reserve your spot here:
http://artwebsitebootcamp.eventbrite.com

Before the workshop you will receive a detailed list of exactly what text and images you will need to bring with you in order to jump in and get to work building your website. You will leave this workshop with a completely functional, professional art website and a smile on your face!

Click here to your website whipped into shape.

Kickstarter Confidential Part 2: Lessons Learned from a successful $10,000 Kickstarter Campaign.

2011-08-16T00:11:00.002+01:00

Kickstarter and other crowd-funding platforms have forever changed the game in terms of possibilities for creatives to raise money for their projects, but it takes more than a good idea to launch and push a project across the finish line.

Just over a week ago we successfully used Kickstarter raise $10,000 towards funding 6x6. Here’s a few tips you might use on your own campaign and the goods on what we learned along the way:

Everything starts with a story.

No matter if you’re trying to raise money to develop a product or if you’re trying to fund a project—everything begins with the story. You need to have a clear and honest message to share about why you feel so passionately about what you’re trying to create.

When we crafted the 6x6 kickstarter campaign we tried to give an over view of hard facts and figures, but we also wanted to tell the story of how the idea came about. Between Charlie and myself, we each did about 20 different video takes to come up with our kickstarter video. It was exhausting, but we wanted to get it right and we wanted potential backers to hear it directly from us. People don’t connect with budget outlines. People connect with people.

Don’t be a slacker. Get your sh*t together.

The first two things you need to establish when you launch a project on kickstarter is that one, your idea is totally awesome, and second, that you’re credible, organized and competent enough to actually pull it off.

I estimate that Charlie and I did about seven hundred re-writes of our project description. (Give or take.) In fact, we even tweaked it a few times after the campaign launched. We wanted to be clear about what we were going to do with 6x6 and exactly why we were doing it.

We wanted to show potential backers that we’d spent a lot of time thinking and planning how we were going to complete the project once it was actually funded. Also we wanted them to know how incredibly awesome it was going to be so that they could get excited about it too.

You Need a Platform.

Our marketing plan for 6x6 included a series of blog posts on 3 different blogs, twitter updates from several accounts, scheduled Facebook updates, and the sending of more than 3000 individual personal emails. Oh, and did I mention I did about 30 interviews and guest blog posts as part of the 6x6 summer blog tour?

Between Charlie, myself, and the artists on our gallery roster we estimated our potential “reach” at 15,000 people. We even did a “soft launch” and started telling people about 6x6 and getting the word out months before we launched the actual kickstarter campaign. That said, we still had to work our asses off to raise the $10,000.

You Need a Plan.

You absolutely need to have a clear marketing plan for getting people over to your kickstarter page. An unrealistic “if you build it they will come” mentality will totally sabotage your campaign. If you think that you can put up a project, send a few emails to your friends and family about it, and then sit back and watch the cash roll in, you’re in for a rude awakening.

You need to reach out to your blog and e-mail list subscribers, twitter followers, facebook friends, and family members to reach your fundraising goal. If you don’t have a blog, only have 200 twitter followers, and don’t really have a mailing list, perhaps you’d better focus more on taking the time to build your platform ( i.e. blog following) and fan-base (i.e. mailing list subscribers) before you launch a kickstarter campaign. Which brings us to our next point…

Set a Realistic Goal.

Before you launch your campaign you’ll be tempted to look at your 600 Facebook friends and your 2000 twitter followers and do a calculation that follows along the lines of: “Wow, if I can just get each of my friends to back me for $2, I can easily raise __________ to fund my project!”

Using this simple equation, Charlie and I should have been able to easily raise about $40,000 for 6x6, but that isn’t what happened. The awful truth: Even though your friends love you and you can count on them to have your back in real life, you probably shouldn’t count on them to fund your kickstarter campaign.

It would be easy to dwell on this fact if it weren’t for the boat-load of complete strangers who were more than willing to open their wallets to back 6x6. Every morning I would wake up and find e-mails from complete strangers who had not only backed the 6x6 campaign, but wanted to know how they could help. These people were the fuel that kept us going and ultimately gave us that final push across the finish line.

And for that, I'm super duper grateful.

Kickstarter Confidential Part 1: Lessons Learned from the Crowd Sourcing Experience.

2011-08-08T08:44:00.002+01:00

As crowd sourcing has become a popular form of fund raising in the last 18 months, and since we just completed a 90 day Kickstarter Campaign to help raise funds for 6x6, we thought we'd share a bit about our experience.

Kesha Bruce: So I'll just start of and be really honest. This was one of the most challenging and most stressful parts of planning 6x6. It was a great learning experience, but I couldn't be happier that's its finally over.

Charlie Grosso: Seriously! The last 48 hours of our campaign was entirely UNPRODUCTIVE! I sat at my desk hitting refresh non-stop, doing the math and then shouting it out across the office "$350 more to go!" --- then back to the computer to shout it out to all of our social media outlets to drum up more backers! It felt like Election Night!

Kesha Bruce: It's funny--I feel like the campaign started that way, and ended that way. The day the campaign went live was so exciting...and not surprisingly the first backer was a NYC independent artist---a musician in NYC. That pretty much set a precedent in my head. If we were gonna pull this off, we'd need artists on our side. And it turned out to be true.

Charlie Grosso: Our first backer is a friend of ours, Colin Huggins, and he became our FIRST backer within 20 minutes of us posting the campaign on our Facebook page, asking our friend and network to support us.

Kesha Bruce: Exactly, but the key thing here is that we ASKED him to give us money. That's quite a mental hurdle to get over. It's like asking someone to buy your work. It can be pretty scary. But the reality is---most of the people that backed our Kickstarter campaign for 6x6 were people we asked to back the project. You don't ask--You don't get.

Charlie Grosso: This goes back to the "If you build it they will come" mentality. Yes, if you build it they will come, but not without you doing your share of the leg work.You really have to put yourself out there when you do something like a Kickstarter. Your success and failure is entirely public for all to see. It can sound scary but I think as soon as you accept that paradigm, then the goal is to succeed....which means you push that much harder and really solidify your project.

Kesha Bruce: Very true. Actually the process of submitting the campaign to Kickstarter for approval was really helpful. It forced us to get really concise and really clear about exactly what we intended to do. It was the perfect way to form an "elevator pitch" for 6x6. By the time we'd finished we really had that down to a science.

Charlie Grosso: The campaign also became great advertising for 6x6. Not only did it broaden our platform and scope of our reach but it made a lot of new connections for us as well.

Kesha Bruce: In the process of asking people to back us, I met a ton of people who were really excited about the project. Those people were then more than happy to share our links and video with their people. So in the end the fundraising actually ended up being advertising & promotion--kind of a two for one effort.

Charlie Grosso: I tripled my twitter followings over the course of the campaign. The process of sharing your project with people and asking them to be a part of it did not alienate like some would suspect but it drew people to us instead.

Kesha Bruce: I totally agree. My follow rate skyrocketed about mid-campaign. And I know it's because I was talking and meeting more people and being introduced to more people. As stressful as it was, the "asking" part turned out to be the real key to crossing the finish line. Because let's face it, although some of the rewards were great, most of the people that backed 6x6 did it because they believe in what it stands for.

Charlie Grosso: Exactly. The rewards offered at each price level are excellent but I think how sexy the rewards are is only 50/50 in people deciding on if they wanted to become a BACKER or not. I think our backers really are more excited about what we are doing than the trade object they would get!

Kesha Bruce: And what really surprised me is who gave and what amounts. I have to say---some of my friends and colleagues that I thought would be most supportive only gave at the lowest level if at all, and people who I had only known through twitter for less than 48 hours didn't blink an eye at backing us for $100. That part really amazed me! It was such a lovely surprise.

Charlie Grosso: It was easy to get hung up on who supported us and who didn't. It’s tempting be disappointed by those of our friends who claim to support us in spirit, but when it came down to the wire, not in actual dollars. But --- we were supported from all around and it has been an exciting process to connect with new people who believe in this revolution we are staging. Focus on the positive.

Kesha Bruce: Next week we'll give you concrete step by step break down of our own personal tips of how to run a strong Kickstarter fundraising campaign. And to learn how to be more affective in your social media marketing join us on September 12 for our social media panel thing.

Charlie Grosso: Would you do another Kickstater campaign?

Kesha Bruce: If I don't hear the phrase "Kickstarter campaign" for another 10 years, it will be too soon.

Charlie Grosso: LOL. I think this Kickstarter has primed me for a Congressional Election!

Kesha Bruce: Next stop: Shakin' hands with farmers in Iowa and kissin' babies. (disclaimer: I'm from Iowa.)

STAY TUNED for Next week's Kickstarter Confidential Part 2: Concrete tips for launching your own successful kickstarter campaign.

When You Bet on Creativity, You Never Lose!

2011-08-04T11:46:00.002+01:00

Thanks to everyone who helped us make it to the $10,000 mark!

This feels like an amazing triumph and we are so excited to get ready to kick this thing into high gear!

So here's the deal:

Even though we reached our kickstarter goal, we have have no intention of resting on our laurels. To make 6x6 run like a well-oiled machine, we could REALLY use another $2000 in the production budget. So with that in mind:

New Goal: $12,000

by midnight Saturday August 6, 2011!

Hey, if the US government can raise the debt ceiling past 14.2 trillion, I don’t think it’s too over-the-top to raise our funding goal so we can rent extra lighting, pod-casting equipment, and comfortable chairs for workshop participants.

You know what I'm sayin'?

Plus—We still need to cover costs for printing and shipping of postcards and t-shirts so we can get your righteous rewards into your hands as soon as earthly possible.

Click here to add a few more bucks to the 6x6 budget.

But before I get back to work, I want to say one more time:

Thank you all for your amazingly enthusiastic support!

You totally ROCKED it!

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

p.s. And just think, this is only the beginning. Victory is ours!

Art School Confidential with Lulu Kitololo

2011-07-29T09:12:00.025+01:00

Tell us a bit about when and where you studied art, your school’s program, and your thoughts on the whole Art School experience.

I studied at Pratt Institute in New York. I earned a BFA in Communications Design with a major in Advertising Art Direction. The most important thing I learned from art school was how to be resourceful. Whether through exercises that forced me to push my boundaries and my thinking or, from the fact that there were several systems at the time that didn't work as well as they could have. Art school was exhausting – speaking to and observing the experiences of friends who had gone to "normal" schools, my education definitely seemed to be much more demanding. I have no regrets though. It took a while (years after graduation!) for me to fully appreciate what a useful experience those 4 years were.

What did your Art School experience teach you, if anything, about the business of art? Do you feel you were prepared to become a working artist when you completed your studies?

When I was at Pratt, almost all of my instructors were practicing artists and designers. As such, they constantly incorporated in their teaching their experiences regarding the business of art. The highs and the lows! Another thing that significantly prepared me to become a working artist, was observing how many people who graduated in the years before me, who were struggling to make a living. It was a case of "That is the picture of where I DON'T want to be”. I think any school can only prepare you for so much. There's a point where your own initiative takes over … or doesn't.

What do you wish you’d learned in Art School about what it takes to make a living as an artist?

The day-to-day administrative tasks that come with running a business or being self-employed. Taxes, accounting, insurance, project management and so on. These are things that I've had to learn by myself or on-the-job. I've worked for other people so that's helped me with these areas – I can't imagine what it would be like if I had attempted to go it on my own from the beginning. The learning curve would have been tremendous.

Do you think Art School programs have a responsibility to teach art students to market and sell their work?

Absolutely. It's all well and good creating beautiful work that fuels your passion and inspires you to get up in the morning but, there's the small matter of how you're going to buy the necessary supplies, pay the bills, eat … If art schools are truly invested in championing and promoting art and design, then they are responsible for providing a complete set of tools to help their students get that art and design out there. "Responsibility" is the key word: it's not a nice-to-have, it's not an extra - it should be an integral part of the education.

What advice would you give an Art School student or a recent Art School grad?

Students – take advantage of your time in art school to explore as much of what's offered as possible. Take classes that are outside your concentration, use the facilities and studios that may seem to have nothing to do with your specialism. Don't think these things aren’t available to you. Ask, insist, try. Do not limit yourself. You have an opportunity that you might not ever experience again.

Grads – it's not time to rest just yet. In fact, that time may be several years to come! Your degree is not your ticket. Your attitude and your drive are. Don't stop working. Even if you have to take up some other job to make ends meet, don't stop practicing your art and building relationships with people, around your art. And never stop exploring and finding ways to improve.

Have realistic expectations (e.g. that you may not immediately get that dream job) but don't restrict your vision (i.e. always aim high). Can't find a job that suits you – make one. The beauty of the path we've chosen is that it's one we can pursue independently. In this day and age, it makes more and more sense to do so.

You can learn more about Lulu Kitololo and her work at:

www.lulukitololo.com

www.weareasilia.com

www.afri-love.com

If you found this blog post interesting, hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.
...But you already know that.

Is Your Art Website Killing Your Art Career?

2011-07-25T09:02:00.003+01:00

Some clichés are true.

You have one shot at making a first impression with visitors to your art website. Visitors will land on your website, take roughly 3 clicks around, and then determine whether or not they will stay.

Whenever I get an email from a potential consulting client, the first thing I do is go to their website. Within the first 5 seconds I have a pretty clear snapshot of how their art career is going. Messy website = Messy career. And the most common mistake I see is poorly photographed artwork.

You cannot afford to have mediocre or low quality images of your artwork on your website. If your images aren’t fantastic, having a website is probably doing more harm to your art career than good.

So now I want to show you an example of an artist who really understands the importance of having top-notch images. I met Serena Kovalosky not too long ago and I immediately liked her “take charge” ideas on how artists could run their careers. But when I visited her website, I knew I was dealing with a true professional—someone who clearly practices what she preaches.

Aside from her delightful over-all website design, the images of her artwork are divine:

Serena has her work photographed by McLaughlin Griffin Photography and Design based in Queensbury, New York. The results are stunning. I rarely see images this rich and saturated with color. Every aspect of her work’s texture and form is captured in a way that makes me want to see and learn more.

So what about the photos on your website?

Does every image on your art website show the rich color and texture of what you’ve created?

Does every image function to draw a viewer deeper into your work?

You’ve dedicated years to learning to create your work. Don’t sabotage everything you’ve built this far by using low quality images on your website.

Your work deserves better.

BIG Love,

Fact: You Need More Art Friends. So Go Find Some.

2011-07-18T16:18:00.032+01:00

This week I want to introduce you to some of the Art Stars that have been kind enough to let me “gig” on their blogs during the 6x6 Summer Blog tour.

Click here to see the complete 6x6 Summer Blog tour schedule.

Now that I’ve introduced you to all these lovely artists. I want you to:

-Subscribe to their RSS feeds

-Sign up to their mailing lists

- Leave a comment on their blog (Play nice. Don’t be spammy.)

- Repost links to their blog posts on Facebook

-Re-tweet links to their site on Twitter

-Send them an e-mail and invite them to visit your website or blog

In other words— Go make friends.

You need more art friends! Frankly, I can’t live without mine: When I need new business cards, I ask them for referrals to designers. When I need to build a crate to ship a piece of work, I ask them what shipper and insurer they use. When I want to get the inside scoop on how a gallery treats their artists, I go to my artist friends and ask around.

Bottom line: Other artists are an endless resource and your greatest allies. They are the support system you need in order to keep both your art career and your spirit running strong.

So, get out on the playground and go make some new friends, kiddo.

What’s Your “End Game"?

2011-07-12T17:54:00.004+01:00

First things first: You can’t possibly know what steps to take to move your career
forward until you know why you make the work you do, and how you define success.

How will you know when you have “arrived” if you’ve never taken the time to think about what success actually looks like to you?

Does success mean selling 5 paintings a month? Being represented by a major gallery in a big city? Does success mean having your artwork in a few museum collections?
A review in the New York Times? Making $300,000 a year?

Obviously, there are no right or wrong answers here. There isn’t one correct path to becoming successful and no one can define success for you. What’s important is that you understand what you want and why you want it.

If you don’t get this part right from the very beginning, you’ll spend your time chasing the proverbial carrot that’s always just shy of attainable. And it will be exhausting!

Your clarity on this one issue is the foundation for every other element of your career.

What do you really want? Where do you want to end up? What’s your “end game”?

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this blog post interesting, hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.975% chance that you are awesome.

...But you already know that.

Are You Thinking Big Enough?

2011-07-06T20:19:00.000+01:00

I like to buy my shoes from this adorable little French boutique, but I also order shoes on-line from Zappos. I buy my shampoo on sale at the grocery store, but I also buy my fancy hair gel from a supplier in London and have it shipped by Royal Mail. My favorite butcher shop is just down town, but I’m also a true fan of Rocky Mountain Organic Meats who will ship me gorgeous juicy organic steaks all the way from Powell, Wyoming.

All this to say: I am a global buyer. So is your next art collector.

The internet has completely democratized the way people search for and buy the things they need. Artists should be the first people taking advantage of this fact.

Sure, I’ve sold a few pieces of my artwork to people who live within driving distance of my studio, but the bulk of my sales come from people who I’ve never even met and who live on a different continent. The truth of the matter is, there just aren’t enough local art buyers in my neck of the woods to keep me supplied in paints, brushes, and fancy British hair gel. Sound familiar?

It’s great to think local, but for your art business to be a success you need to think globally.

Are you thinking big enough? Are your self-imposed limitations holding you back?

Are you focusing on sales from your local gallery or recent exhibition while neglecting the Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or people on your mailing list that are just a mouse click away?

It’s time to redraw your boundaries.

It’s time to think BIG.

Announcing The 6x6 Summer Blog Tour

2011-07-01T10:17:00.006+01:00

July 1st is the official kick-off of the 6x6 Summer Blog Tour. From today until August 8th you’ll be able to read a whole slew of fun articles and interviews with Charlie Grosso and I that will be appearing on a host of fantastic Art Blogs.

A few topics we’ll cover:

- What’s 6x6 all about and why do artists need it?
- Why all Artists should be more “DIY”.
- Ways artists can work together to promoter their work.
- Making a living outside the traditional gallery structure.
- How artists can recreate their own version of 6x6 in their own communities.

I hope you’ll come along for the ride so you can discover a fantastic group of Art bloggers:
Click here for the Official 6x6 Summer Blog Tour Schedule.

It’s time to Rock’n Roll. Are you ready?

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

p.s. Help us, by helping yourself. Don't miss out on our Portfolio Review +Strategy Session PROMO!

You'll thank me later.

Trust me.

Reality: Your Artwork Does NOT Speak For Itself.

2011-06-27T21:47:00.001+01:00

The first time I ever stepped in front of a video camera was for the making of our 6x6 Kickstarter video.

I won’t lie. I hated it.

But I did it because I knew it was the easiest most effective way for me to tell everyone about the project and share just how damn excited I am about 6x6. Three double espresso shots and about 10 takes later, I sent the footage off to the editor. Done.

Two weeks ago I finally worked up the courage to try it again---this time for my own work. Why did I decide to give it another try even though I feel like a total dorkface in front of the camera?

Because no one can explain my work better than I can.

When you step out into the spotlight, you create a deeper, more meaningful connection with your audience. That connection can foster a greater understanding and demand for your work.

Are you hiding behind your work?

If you can't summon the courage to be a champion for your work, who will?

Reality: Your work does not speak for itself. That’s your job.

So are you doing your job, or not?

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

Did you find this blog post interesting? If so, then hit the re-tweet button and then click here to get on the ARTFIX Invite List. You'll thank me later. Trust me.

Plus, if you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.

...But you already know that.

Are You Selling Your Art or Just Spinning Your Wheels?

2011-06-21T12:29:00.002+01:00

I’m not sure what’s going on in the Art Universe at the moment, but my past week has been filled with conversations with artists about how to get their work “out there”, how to find more collectors, and how to get into a gallery.

But the more I talked to people, the more I realized that although many of us know what we want, we have none of the tools necessary to get there.

In fact we may not even know what steps we need to take to get moving in the right direction. The result of this, of course, is a lot of spinning our wheels and kicking up dust. And when the dust settles we aren’t any closer to our goal than when we started.

A few examples of wheel spinning I’ve seen lately:

Artist #1 spent $500 framing a new series of drawings even though she has no exhibition opportunities lined up nor has she even spent time looking into possibilities. Meanwhile she has no website to even display or sell said newly framed artwork.

Artist #2 paid a company $200 to design his custom Twitter background---but he only has 30 followers and only tweets twice a day. Meanwhile his website is well…a hot mess and he hasn’t written a blog post in three weeks.

Artist #3 is fresh out of Art school and has no resume, and only has 10 finished paintings, but spent two days on Google researching New York City galleries to e-mail to ask for exhibitions.

You don’t have to be a marketing expert to see that the ROI, Return On Investment, for all of the above activities will be low. Likely Zero.

Wouldn’t it just make more sense to invest your time and your money in something that would actually get you closer to your next career goal rather than doing a bunch of busy work and then hoping for results?

If you’ve been following my tweets you know about this already: As part of the Kickstarter campaign for 6x6, Charlie and I are offering our consulting services at a discounted rate ONLY for Kickstarter backers. The offer comes in a “Charlie+Kesha Combo” --which means you get the benefit of both of our know-how and years of experience.

Charlie and I started offering consulting session late last year through Baang and Burne because we started getting so many e-mails asking both for representation and for help. More importantly, we were tired of seeing our friends spinning their wheels and getting absolutely nowhere with their marketing efforts.

Here’s the thing: The notion that Artists aren’t good at marketing is utter and complete nonsense.

There is nothing wrong with you. Artists aren’t deficient in some way.

The main reason you aren’t selling more of your artwork is because you haven’t been taught how.

What we're offering:

The Portfolio Review Session is perfect if you need a no nonsense way to zero in on your strongest work for submission to exhibition opportunities, awards and grants, residencies, galleries, or even for Art school applications. Regular Price: $175-- Kickstarter Price: $145

The Portfolio Review + Strategy Session goes one step further. It’s all about creating a plan for your career based on concrete actions you need to take in order to find more buyers for your work. Plain and simple. Regular Price: $250-- Kickstarter Price: $210

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again:

Struggle is over-rated. It doesn’t make you stronger---it just makes you TIRED.

So the way I see it you have two options:

You can try the trial and error method of marketing, like I did, and in about 10 years from now you’ll probably have most of the bugs worked out and start making a decent living. Or you can get smart, stop smackin’ your head against a brick wall and just hire us to help you.

Life is all about the choices you make, darlin’.

BIG Love,

How One Simple E-mail Can Transform Your Art Career.

2011-06-13T15:00:00.005+01:00

Every one of my consulting clients comes to me for advice on how they can increase their sales by putting themselves out there. But often when I ask them to explain exactly what “putting themselves out there” means, I get dead silence on the line.

If you think that putting yourself out there simply means getting more exhibitions, you’re jumping the gun. There are actually quite a few action steps that need to take place before you end up in an exhibition.

The first step to getting your work into an exhibition is meeting new people.

Getting your work “out there” means you need to work every day to meet new people and make new connections.

Selling your artwork is about building relationships.

To illustrate this point, I’m going to tell you two stories about how I have used this fact to my advantage in my own art career.

Kick-Ass Story #1

Last year I decided to write an awesome little guide called Art Buying For Art Lovers. I also decided to conduct a series of interviews to include as one of the chapters. My reasons for doing this were two-fold: First, I wanted to include other ideas and insights besides my own, and secondly, I knew it would be a great way to meet and have conversations with other really interesting Art world “insiders” that I admired.

I sent out about 25 emails to interior designers, gallery directors, art dealers, and independent curators in the US and Europe. About half agreed to be interviewed for my guide.

One Washington D.C. gallery director I interviewed was especially interested in my guide and clicked over to see my work. Over the course of a few e-mails we really hit it off in terms of ideas about art and art collecting. She told me she liked my work and asked to see more of it. I promptly sent her my info packet complete with images, price list and other information.

Within a matter of weeks, I had gone from complete stranger to being included in a group exhibition at her gallery and being offered a solo exhibition.

Are you listening now? Good. Here’s another story:

Kick-Ass Story #2

A few years back I was researching galleries in Europe that might be a good fit for my work. I found one Brussels gallery in particular that I thought would be a good fit. I decided to introduce myself to one of the artists on the gallery roster whose work I really admired.

Within 24 hours the artist replied, that not only was she an artist, that she was also the OWNER of the gallery and she very much liked my work and would I please forward her more images and a price list. Within a few months my work was scheduled for a two-person exhibition at her gallery.

I bet I have your attention now, huh?

Now I’m challenging you to step out of your comfort zone. You're going to have to be extra brave for this next task.

Your mission should you choose to accept it:

1. Make a list of 5 people you admire for whatever reason.

2. Contact them in the least creepy way possible and simply introduce yourself.

Not sure who to contact? Click here to download my book and use the “People I Should Know” worksheet to brainstorm ideas.

Not sure what to say? Cut and paste my dorky template:

Dear Super Cool Art Person,

My name is ______. I’m a __________ artist. I have admired your work for many years and I just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you how much you have influenced and inspired my work.

Best wishes,

Insert your name here.

3. Cut and paste this text. Fill in the blanks with honest sincere comments

4. Hit the send button. (Very important step. No point's for almost e-mailing them.)

That’s it. Short sweet and to the point.

Don’t ask for anything. Don’t ask a question. Just introduce yourself and tell them why you think they are awesome and admire what they do.

5. Repeat 5 times.

Done.

Feeling a bit hesitant? That's totally normal, but ask yourself:

How else can you possibly grow your art career if you can’t even summon up the courage to reach out and meet new people?

What opportunities could you be missing out on right now because you haven't connected?

After you’ve emailed your 5 people report back here for your next mission.

p.s. I wanna know: Who’d you email and why? Was it scary? Did it nearly give you a panic attack? Did you break out in hives? Did you get any replies?

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this blog post interesting, hit the re-tweet button.
And if you really liked it, you should definitely be on my ARTFIX Invite List.
Click here to get on it. You will thank me later. Trust me.

If you do this, there is a 99.99% chance that you are awesome.

But you already know that.

Art, Commerce, Kitsch, & Dirty Sexy Money.

2011-06-02T09:10:00.006+01:00

Yesterday an Anonymous commenter left a comment on my post "Sometimes You Gotta Make Some Noise & Raise a Little Hell" that was so good, that my ~~rant~~ reply was so juicy and long I just had to turn it into its own blog post.

Anonymous said...

To play devil’s advocate - the young lady did have a point, as do you. YES artists deserve fair money for the work they create, and yes, when artists become too aware of the market it can hurt them.

Following market trends for money is common and often leads to generic and boring art, which is not art for arts sake and thus the boring artists who have a calling and make little money for pushing the boundaries they push are ultimately giving more to art world than commercial artists.

There is a difference between kitsch and art. Let's not forget that Thomas Kinkade makes a fortune every year.

The day he is recognized as a legit ARTist is the day art really is dead.

I see where Anonymous is headed with this, and I definitely understand the sentiment, but I find it hard to side with him/her. And here's why:

1. We Can't Afford to Be UN-Aware of the Market:
First things first ---The idea that if artists are “aware” of the market their work suffers is insane. By what logic is this a fact or in ANY way possible to prove?

This is exactly the type of “Money is dirty” thinking that keeps artists BROKE. If the fact that money exists makes your art worse…whose fault is that? Isn’t your dysfunctional thinking about money really the true source of the problem?

You can't hate all that dirty sexy money and then turn around and complain that you don't have enough of it.

Try this instead: Why not work on coming to terms with your fears/hang-ups/ ideas about money?

Then go make some.

2. What Art Market?
Being AWARE of the market and trying to cater to it are 2 different things. And even then---you’d be hard pressed to prove which “bad art” had been created specifically in order to cater to the market and which art… just sucks because it’s “bad”.

Also---why blame the artist? Why not blame the market? And which market are we talking about because there are several. And who creates the market?

Hmmm. Chicken or the egg?

3. The Question of Taste:
“Following market trends for money is common and often leads to generic and boring art.” In What reality? Examples or evidence please? And common? And who gets to decide what's generic or boring? Me? You? My grandma?

4. “…Art For Art's Sake…” I don’t believe in "Art for Art’s sake” and here’s a little excerpt by Christopher L.C.E. Witcombe that explains my reasoning exactly:

“Art for Art’s Sake was a rallying cry, a call for art’s freedom from the demands of tyranny of meaning and purpose….

However, Art for Art’s Sake was a stratagem that backfired. The same middle class whose tastes and ideas Whistler was confronting through his art, quickly turned the call of ‘Art for Art's Sake’ into a tool to further neutralize the content and noxious effects of progressive modernist art.

From now on, art was to be discussed in formal terms — colour, line, shape, space, composition — which effectively removed the question of meaning and purpose from consideration and permitted whatever social, political, or progressive statements the artist had hoped to make in his or her work to be conveniently ignored or played down.”

On other words-----colossal FAIL. (My words, not Witcombe’s.)

5. Sometimes Kitsch Rocks.

“There is a difference between kitsch and art.” Ok, sure. But again---who decides this? Me? You? My grandma? Clement Greenberg?

6. Hater’s Don’t Get Paid.:
“Let's not forget that Thomas Kinkade makes a fortune every year.” So? That fortune didn’t come out of my pocket, so I'm not mad at him. I’m still making a ton of cash. There’s enough to go around. Never forget these wise words: “Hater’s Don’t Get Paid.” Remember this the next time you make a Damien Hirst joke.

7. You can’t have it both ways.
“The day Thomas Kinkade is recognized as a legit ARTist is the day art really is dead.” The day Art dies it will be because of the Art Snobs who try so hard to defend the separation between “high” and “low” that they alienate the very people they need to fund and support the arts.

You can’t make fun of the market for liking Thomas Kinkade, and then turn around and ask them for their tax dollars to support the arts. That’s basically where things stand right about now.

*jumping off my soap box*

Special thanks to Anonymous for playing devil’s advocate! It gives us some good points to hash out here.

So what do you think?

What's the deal with artists and money?

Should Art only be about color, line, shape, space, composition?

How much do you hate Thomas Kinkade? Is he ruining your life?

Does your grandma understand your art? If not, who's to blame?

Damien Hirst: Love him? Hate him? Sick to DEATH of talking about him?

It's all good.

BIG Love,

-Kesha★

If you found this blog post/rant interesting, I'd love it if you'd take a moment to hit the re-tweet button. And if you really liked it, you should definitely be on my invite List. Click here and get on it. You will thank me for it later. Trust me.

If you do this, there is a 99.95% chance that you are awesome.

But you already know that.

ARTFIX Podcast #3: Stop Worrying, Start Doing.

2011-05-30T16:36:00.009+01:00

In the third ART FIX podcast I cover:

-How to keep your money worries from killing your creativity so you can get back on track and get back to creating your best work.

-The ONE Art Marketing action that has had the greatest impact on my Art career.

-Ways to fight insecurity and doubt before they have the chance to throw you completely off track.

Click here to listen in.

Keep sending in your fantastic questions!

E-mail them to artfix[at]KeshaBruce.com.

-Kesha★

If you found the podcast helpful, I'd love it if you'd take a moment to hit the retweet button. And if you really liked the podcast, you should also share my blog link on Facebook, and send it to your best art buddy. She will thank you for it. Trust me.

If you do this, there is a 99.95% chance that you are awesome.

But you already know that.

What Would Make the Art Viewing Experience Less Passive and More Engaging?

2011-05-25T19:47:00.002+01:00

My Baang and Burne co-conspirator director Charlie Grosso and I were invited to participate in the Affordable Art Fair with Kris Graves Projects in New York City as part of Art x Women. We thought it would be cool to do a sort of "wrap up" analysis about the whole experience. The interesting thing though---instead of talking about the art, we were really intrigued by the whole set up of the fair, and most importantly the psychology of the visitors.

Charlie Grosso: We spent some time observing the visitors, the way they engage with the art, the gallery directors and how the layout of the booth affected the level of interaction.

Kesha Bruce: Or more correctly--the lack of interaction. The thing that struck me most, from the very first day of the fair, was how passive all of the interactions were. Not timid---just incredibly passive!

Charlie Grosso: Yes! Everyone walks around with their hands folded behind their backs. Occasionally they lean in towards the art and then walk on. It's almost as if that's how we've been programmed to look at art: " Look. Don't touch! Move along."

Kesha Bruce: It's funny. You can't tell whether they love an artwork or hate it. The trained response is "polite indifference". I can only think of a few handful of times where I a couple would come into the booth and discuss or talk about a work right in front of it. It all just seemed so bizarre.

Charlie Grosso: To make this all the more challenging is when the gallery directors would go up to the visitors to simply offer a "please let me know if you have any questions," the visitors seemed slightly caught off guard by it.

Kesha Bruce: I know! It's like there was some "No Talking/ Be Serious" rule in enforcement. I didn't notice it at first, but by the second day, the silence and the lack of interaction and communication was almost deafening. What's that all about? So the question becomes, how do we un-train ourselves... Or relearn ways to look at art. I mean come on! Art is about communication & interaction and ideas. It shouldn't be this....mute!

Charlie Grosso: Absolutely! After 4 days of participating and observing at AAF, the problem I became fascinated with was the problem of engagement. I think the first thing we need to realize is that art fairs are simply a trade show. It needs to be demystified. It is not a museum where the work is specifically a "look - don't touch". Art fairs are a trade show where each of the galleries are there to show their latest wares and best art works. I think we should take a look at how other trade shows and conferences are run, from auto shows to technology and music, and incorporate some of their strategies for engaging visitors.

Kesha Bruce: I couldn't agree more. But there we run into the whole hang up about art and money. You do realize that there are a few readers who will cringe or even freak out at the idea of an Art Fair being described as a "Trade Show". But in reality--I think we all know that's exactly what it is. And please understand, I mean that in the LEAST cynical way possible.

My husband goes to this enormous Auto Trade Show every year in Germany. He plans a whole day for it. He goes, looks at all the cars, grabs all the brochures and other sexy literature they give out,takes photos, and gets into all the cars and pushes all the buttons and nobs, and talks to the all sales people about the latest models.In other words---he has a GREAT time interacting and talking. Would it be so wrong if an Art Fair were more like that?

Charlie Grosso: I think one should attend art fairs and have a great time. I think the problem is with how art fairs are set up. There is nothing that encourages interaction and breaks the ice. When you're approached by the gallerist you're afraid of a sales pitch. Yet in this traditional model there lacks the third non-threatening object that would help break the ice and just get the conversation started. I think when Baang and Burne participates in our first fair as a gallery we should offer either refreshments or candy, have a lot flat file works out available for people to flip through....something for the people to engage and interact with instead of simply passively looking.

Kesha Bruce: I agree. Engagement above all else. After all, you can't build a relationship with someone if they don't feel comfortable enough to start the conversation. The day Baang and Burne does an Art Fair we'll definitely take a cue from the Auto Trade Show model. Minus the girls in skimpy mini-skirts of course. You have to draw the line somewhere. Right?

Charlie Grosso: Or maybe not....we shall see!

So what do you think?:

What art fairs have you been to?

What have you seen that actually works, in terms of engaging visitors?

What could be done to improve the whole art fair experience?

Sometimes You Gotta Make Some Noise & Raise a Little Hell.

2011-05-18T12:19:00.005+01:00

So last week I had a total freak out.

I was on twitter chatting it up with my art friends about my project this fall in New York City called 6x6, when out of nowhere some person jumps into the conversation with “Great concept, but do you really think it will work? Where I’m from, true Artists aren’t concerned with money.”

I know that as a professional I’m supposed to be prepared to answer these types of comments in a way that defends my point in an intelligent respectful way, but I hadn’t even had my first cup of morning coffee yet and I’m here to tell ya---

I let her HAVE IT.

I basically told this person that as an Art History student she had a lot of nerve to proclaim that artists should make their work without asking for support or money. I went on to tell her that the idea that artists should starve for their art was completely ridiculous. I then suggested, in a not so nice way, that she should switch her course of study because anyone with such a low opinion of artists could never be a noteworthy or even remotely relevant Art Historian.

OUCH!

Sure I could have handled it better.

Sure I could have just bitten my tongue and let it go.

But you know what?

If there’s anything I’ve learned from making it this far in my art career it’s that sometimes you have to stand up for yourself and raise some hell.

Sometimes you gotta stand up and make some noise!

To hell with the nay-sayers. We don’t need them. We have each other.

And we are a mighty powerful force to be reckoned with!

And on that note, click here to see the debut of the Art Hero video, created by anonymous video artist and YouTube celebrity Readymade777. Thanks to everyone who made and sent in their videos.

We literally couldn't have done it without you.

Now, let’s go make some noise.

Big Powerful Love,

-Kesha★

p.s. Click here to help me silence the nay-sayers. Your $10 pledge means you mean business.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/849806275/6x6-an-art-version-of-a-music-festival

First New York City, next Chicago, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Melbourne....This is just the beginning.

What If There Were No More Art Galleries?

2011-05-12T19:11:00.001+01:00

What if there were no art dealers, no “art reps”, and no commercial galleries to sell our work?

What if we summoned the courage to take full responsibility for our careers instead of placing our future in someone else’s hands?

What if we used our creative abilities to think up new and exciting ways to market our work?

What we embraced the very real fact that artists are entrepreneurs?

What if we stopped making excuses, and started making choices?

What if we stopped trying to find "collectors" and worked harder at building relationships with people who have shown interest in our work?

What if we were less afraid to step into the spotlight and stopped hiding behind our work?

What if we stopped expecting our art to “speak for itself” and became the passionately vocal champions of our own work?

What if we stopped worrying about accumulating lines on our resume and focused our energy on building relationships with would-be buyers?

What if we told everyone we met that we are artists and confidently invited them to see our work?

What if we stopped blaming the economy?

What if instead of spending money on entry fees, we invested in marketing classes?

What if we stopped waiting for external approval?

What if we worried less about “the art world” and focused more on creating a productive and consistent studio practice?

What if we finished what we started?

What if we stopped searching for a quick fix?

What if we developed discipline?

What if we stopped treating out profession like a hobby?

What if we talked less about what we want to do, and skipped right to the actual “doing” part?

What if we stopped apologizing for being artists?

What if we asked for help when we needed it?

What if we stopped feeling afraid/ashamed/nervous about making money?

What if we learned to price our work in a way that doesn’t under-valued our skill and experience?

What if we stopped comparing ourselves to others?

What if we were less afraid?

What if we spent just as much time marketing our work as making our work?

What if we reached out to help other artists instead of seeing them as competition?

What if we stopped waiting to be rescued?

What if we rescued ourselves?

Big Love,

-Kesha★

p.s. Are you on my Invite list? If not, you're missing out on all the good stuff, like studio sneak peeks and exclusive content like marketing tools and members only podcasts. Sign up here now before you forget.

If you do, there is a 99.8% chance that you are awesome. For. Sure.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself."

2011-05-09T09:23:00.001+01:00

If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time then you know that I am ALL about getting things done. And sometimes when you need something done right, you have to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to meet another artist who agreed with that idea, and in 2010 Artist Charlie Grosso and I put our heads together and formed Baang and Burne Contemporary Ar t.

Within 6 months of teaming up, we'd rounded up a group of the best artists we knew and bulldozed full speed ahead with producing two art events in New York City. We aren't ashamed to brag about how hard we've worked to bridge the gap between artists and art buyers.

This year, with your help, we’re gonna kick it up a notch. Big Time.

Starting on September 8, 2011, Charlie and I are going to produce a monster art event called 6x6 (pronounced “six by six”). It’s a series of six, back to back, one week only art exhibitions in New York City.

6x6 is the art version of a music festival, highlighting a line-up of twelve international artists, plus a bunch of totally rock star events and programs for art buyers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs.

6x6 is about innovation and creating a new world order in the art world:

No more gatekeepers.

No more snobbery.

Just real people and amazing art.

We know the idea is solid, we know the artwork is bad-ass, but we need the support of our community to transform this idea into a reality.

Combined, we have over 3000 twitter followers and more than 1200 Facebook Friends. If each of you pitch in as little as $10 each—6x6 will be beyond awesome.

Fact: When a small army of creative people get together---magic happens.

Let’s go make some magic.

Click here to be part of 6x6.

Art Heroes: This is your chance to shine.

Join us.

Big Love x 2,

Kesha Bruce + Charlie Grosso

p.s. Love the idea for 6x6? Why not take a minute to repost this on Facebook or Twitter?
If you do this, there is a 99.7% chance that you are awesome.

But you already know that.

Art School Confidential:Tracey Chan

2011-05-03T17:00:00.002+01:00

Tell us a bit about when and where you studied art, your school’s program, and your thoughts on the whole Art School experience.

I was a late bloomer and I never liked school. Incidentally, I value education. After high school, I took a break, worked, and waited to go to a “proper” art school. Being from a small island, the only way I could see an “out” was to go to a famous school. That didn’t happen, so in 2003 I grudgingly enrolled part-time in the University of the West Indies, St Augustine.

The Visual Arts (B.A., Special) program is a three year program with a similar foundation structure to many art programs, but still in development. There were no specialties like printmaking, etc., so for final year we had Art Studio (fine art, painting) and Design Studio (objects, installations). I also opted for a practical project instead of a thesis, which was a Festival & Event Management course.

My degree took five years, but I was able to learn things I wanted to, rather than what was ordered. Art school gives you another perspective and is a great stepping stone. The people and interactions are priceless even in a less-than-internationally-renown program – it’s still learning, plus you’re responsible for feeding your brain. It’s about what works for you and what you make of it.

What did your Art School experience teach you, if anything, about the business of art? Do you feel you were prepared to become a working artist when you completed your studies?

I was a working student and was aware of the intrinsic value of being independent career-wise. There is now a focus on the cultural industries in Trinidad, so I had an advantage in the arts business aspect. Most of my electives were in the Cultural Studies, Carnival Studies and Social Sciences. With few business courses geared towards artists, I consequently did courses I hated. My classmates were befuddled. “If you’re an artist what are you doing in Economics?” It was worth it no doubt - learning about other types of businesses encourages a rounded view of the world and how things work.

I left with a stockpile of information in my fried brain and a dash of practical experience. In theory, I should have been ready but was scared! It’s an overwhelming feeling no matter how prepared you think you are, especially if you work in a different environment, or never at all. It’s ultimately a personal journey for each person.

Do you think Art School programs have a responsibility to teach art students to market and sell their work?

The world’s arts business/technology dynamic is evolving rapidly so it’s imperative for schools to encourage students to explore options and see what works for them. This may involve starting portfolio development and marketing studies from the first year as mandatory courses.

What advice would you give an Art School student or a recent Art School grad?

Do everything! (Advice from a former lecturer.) It's important to be well-rounded in your knowledge of the world. Don’t allow yourself to be cut off. Step out of your comfort zones. Even if I think pop culture kills brain cells, it's a natural part of my art and business to explore. Talk to people, be a hermit, work hard, and slack off.

You can learn more about Tracey Chan and her work at:
http://traceychan.com and http://inspiritus.org

You're invited: NYC Meet & Greet.

2011-04-27T11:29:00.005+01:00

One of the best parts of being an artist actually happens after the artwork is done. It’s the part where I get to leave my studio to meet and talk with people. By the time you read this I'll be on a flight across the Atlantic headed towards Brooklyn! Wait---it gets better:

I'm thrilled to invite you to come out and meet me in person at The Affordable Art Fair in New York City.

WHAT: Art Hero Meet & Greet with Kesha Bruce.

WHEN:
THURSDAY, MAY 5th, 6PM - 8PM (free admission)
SATURDAY MAY 7th, 1PM - 3PM

WHERE:
The Affordable Art Fair
7 West 34th Street (at Fifth Avenue)
New York, NY 10001
Kris Graves Projects - Booth A6

Click here to visit the AAF website to download a floor plan, fair hours, directions and other arrival details.

THAT THEY MIGHT BE LOVELY. Archival Pigment Print.

9 x12 inches. Edition of 15. $350.

I’m especially excited because Kris Graves Projects will have the entire print portfolio of the (Re)calling and (Re)telling series on display and available for sale in their exhibition booth along with a few framed prints.

For those of you who have been waiting for the chance to meet me in person and to get your hands on a 9 x 12 print from the R&R series, this is an excellent chance to do just that! If you're nice I'll even even sign it to you and write a little love note on the back.

So grab your Metro card, get yourself on the subway, and make your way over to AAF.

I can’t wait to finally meet you!

Big Love,

-Kesha★

p.s. Want to introduce me and my work to a few of your friends?
Why not take a minute to repost this on Facebook or Twitter?

If you do this, there is a 99.5% chance that you are awesome. Definitely.

Create Like Your Life Depends On It.

2011-04-25T08:48:00.003+01:00

The first requisite for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly without growing weary. –Thomas Edison

The In-House Residency Challenge has come to an end I am sitting here at my keyboard typing away next to the cutest, curliest pile of drawings I’ve ever seen. I made them on extra lightweight paper so they are all huddled together in a pile on the table waiting patiently to be ironed. There are 15 little lovelies in total.

Not for nuthin’, but they are beautiful, and I am feeling well pleased right about now.

The feeling of completion is a powerful thing.

I’m feeling especially happy with myself because this round of work didn’t exactly come easily. I wrestled with these little buggers every step of the way. Not a single day was easy. There was a stretch of days where my hand simply refused to do what my brain told it to. I spent entire days wincing, pouting, grumbling, and I even had one brief temper tantrum that resulted in the tragic and violent deaths of 3 lesser drawings.

In short, I worked my ass off.

So, I agree with the above Edison quote, but I would change it slightly:

I truly believe the requisite for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly in spite of growing weary.

Because, to be sure, you will grow weary. That much, you can bet money on.

The question becomes what actions do you take when you arrive at that point?

Wrestling With The Angel #whatever, 2011. 9x12 inches.
Watercolor, gouache, pierre noire, tusche on paper.

Your path, your career, your future will be decided by what actions you choose to take in that moment.

Even when it’s difficult, you have to find a way to keep showing up.

You gotta create like your life depends on it.

Keep. Showing. Up.

Big Love,

-Kesha★

Art is for sharing. If you've enjoyed looking at my new work here, why not take a moment to share them with your art buddies on zee Twitter or on zee Facebook?

If you do this, there is a 99.83% chance that you are awesome. Really.