Required Reading for Working Artists
You can earn a living as an artist. Really.
If you’re not a happy, full-time artist earning at least a good living in art, here’s the most important thing you can do:
Subscribe to Art Calendar.
Here’s what I recently wrote in my Squidoo lens about Art Careers.
If you want to earn a living as an artist, there is one magazine you must subscribe to: Art Calendar.
I’m not kidding. You can’t just stand at the magazine rack of the art store and browse it. You need to have your own issues as soon as they come out and read them. Then, re-read them.
The reason you want to read it is for art marketing advice, career tips, news about grants, gallery opportunities, fairs & festivals, and so on.
The reason you want to subscribe is so you get the magazine before it’s on the newsstands. That way, when you apply for grants, fairs and festivals you’re at the front of the line. That can make all the difference in the world.
How to Register a Domain Name
Registering a domain name is easy. Choosing the right registrar is important.
There’s no reason to pay $150 or even $15 to register a domain name. In fact, some higher-priced registrars don’t offer the same features or security of the less expensive ones.
I’ve had my own domain names since the 1990s, and I’ve learned what to do (and what not to do) when registering a domain. Here are my best tips when you’re ready to register a domain name.
LOOK FOR AN ICANN APPROVED REGISTRAR
First of all, be sure your registrar is ICANN accredited. Anyone can say they’ll register a domain name for you… but some of them are fly-by-night companies that will take your money and vanish.
If the registrar is ICANN accredited, you have somewhere to go if you need to file a complaint. (Of course, I hope you never need to, but… well, just in case, work with an ICANN-accredited registrar.) You’re looking for an ICANN symbol like the one on the right side of this article.
The company I usually use, NameCheap.com, and GoDaddy.com are among those with ICANN accreditation.
DON’T REGISTER AND HOST YOUR DOMAIN WITH THE SAME COMPANY
If you register a domain name and host your website at the same company, there can be problems if you want to move your hosting to another company. Frankly, the company can make it very difficult to move the hosting, and it can feel as if they’re holding your domain name hostage.
So, although many people really like companies like GoDaddy.com
for hosting, either register your domain name there or have them host it… not both.
(I often recommend GoDaddy.com to artists who are setting up their first websites. I just think it’s smart to use them for your domain name registration or your website hosting. That’s a matter of principle for me, and shouldn’t reflect badly on GoDaddy.com.)
LOOK FOR A GOOD PRICE… BUT NOTHING TOO GOOD
Some companies lure you in with “free first year.” Then, their prices soar when it’s time to renew the domain name.
I had an unpleasant experience with one domain registrar, and — as I’m writing this — they’re advertising $0 to register your domain name the first year.
When I wanted to move my domain name registration to another registrar — one that offered me a far better deal on renewals — my “free for the first year” company dragged their feet for so long, I ended up losing three domain names altogether.
Avoid that nightmare. Online, as much as anywhere else, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
WATCH OUT FOR AUTOMATIC RENEWALS
If you’re really forgetful, automatic domain name renewal may be a good idea. However, it can also be a rude surprise if your renewal costs 3x as much as you paid initially, and you don’t discover that until after you see it on your bank statement.
I use NameCheap.com for most of my domain names. They send me notices ahead of time when my domain names are expiring, so I don’t forget to renew them.
(And, if I do forget, they often offer me a “reactivation” for 30 extra days, at no extra charge. However, don’t count on that. In addition, some registrars charge 10x their basic fee, just to reactivate a domain name that you forgot to renew.)
SEE WHAT BELLS & WHISTLES THEY OFFER
One reason why I use NameCheap.com is their price, usually around $10 for a full year of domain registration, and they include privacy protection, free.
However, I also like them because they offer lots of freebies with that.
For me, the most important one is free privacy protection for the first year. (Additional years are super-cheap, as well.)
If you check their site, you’ll see other freebies they give you when you register a domain name, and some may be important to you.
GET PRIVACY PROTECTION
When you register your domain name, almost everything on your registration form is available for the public to see. That includes your name, your address, and your phone number.
(Go ahead and look. You can use any “WhoIs Lookup” service. For example, go to Namecheap.com and then click on the link that says “WhoIs Lookup.” It’s on the left side of the page, near the top.)
Unless you’re okay with that information being available to spammers, telemarketers, and anyone else who could make use of your personal information, get privacy protection.
Don’t think you can cheat by using a fake name, address or phone number. That’s illegal. If someone figures out that you’ve done that, they can say that the domain name is registered illegally… and they can lay claim to your domain name, themselves.
So, price privacy protection before you choose a company to register your domain name.
RENEW ON TIME
Though I’ve mentioned how gracious Namecheap.com is about reactivating some domain names that have expired (and DirectNIC does the same thing), always renew your domain names before they expire.
Otherwise, there are services that offer — for a fee — to grab a domain name as soon as it expires. That’s called a domain name “backorder.” You pay a fee and the domain name is grabbed within minutes of being released by the previous registrar.
This is big business. If you’d like to backorder a domain name — such as your own name, dot com, that someone else is using right now — expect to pay hundreds of dollars before it’s actually yours.
We’ll talk about how to do that in another article. For now, all you need to know is: Never let your domain name registration expire.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
My favorite domain name registrar is NameCheap.com. Don’t ask how many domain names I’ve bought there… I’m a domain name junkie!
I’ve been a happy NameCheap customer for years. Good prices, great service, and no headaches.
I also like (and have used) GoDaddy.com and DirectNIC.
(However, DirectNIC costs almost twice as much as the others; I only use them for sentimental reasons, since that’s the first registrar I ever went to.)
Over 90% of my domain names are registered with NameCheap.com. Though you can register your domain name anywhere you’d like to… I like and trust NameCheap.com.
In another article, we’ll talk about hosting. However, if you’re in a hurry, I host most of my websites (including this one) at HostGator.com and I’m 100% enthusiastic about them.
At the present time (May 2010), their hosting starts at $4.95 a month, and they offer lots of one-click, super-easy ways to create your website.
How to Choose a Domain Name
You can learn how to choose a domain name. It’s easy, even for a beginner, if you know a few basic rules.
WHY YOU NEED A DOMAIN NAME
Every professional artist — and any artist who hopes to earn fame and fortune from his or her art — needs a website.
You can start with a free website from sites such as Blogger.com and WordPress.com. However, check their terms of use. Often, free sites don’t allow commercial websites of any kind… and they can be picky about that.
It’s really annoying to put a lot of time into a website, and then have the entire account shut down without warning.
To look professional, you need at least one website that has your own domain name and is professionally hosted. In this article, we’ll talk about domain names.
CHOOSING A DOMAIN NAME
Your first domain name should be your own name.
For example, if your name is Jane Doe, you’ll want the domain name JaneDoe.com.
If that’s not available, JaneDoe.net or JaneDoe.org is okay… but not as good. Dot-com domain names are by far the best. (Obviously, Aisling.com was already in use by the time I wanted an art website. So, I have Aisling.net — my best-known art website — and AislingDart.com.)
Don’t think about using a .info domain name, or a .me or a .tv, etc. First of all, people won’t remember it.
Secondly, most search engines don’t rank those extensions very well… and if people can’t find you easily at Google, Yahoo, etc., your website may receive few visitors.
Though mine is “just” a dot-net domain name and it’s “just” my first name, Aisling, I still rank well at Google. This morning, I searched at Google for just the name, “aisling.” I’m in the #3 spot.
Usually, I’m in the top three, and I can show you how to do the same with your website… but we’ll talk about that in a later article. Your first step is to get a good domain name. Start with your own name… usually, your full name.
If you have your heart set on a dot-com domain name, but your professional name is popular, the dot-com version may already be in use.
Consider adding a descriptive word. For example, JaneDoeArtist.com, JaneDoeSculptor.com, or JaneDoeDollmaker.com.
SYNONYMS
Need more ideas? Here are some wide-ranging synonyms for artist:
Creator, maker, master, craftsman, artisan, illustrator, calligrapher, sketcher, crayonist, pastelist, cartoonist, painter, colorist, oil painter, watercolorist, landscapist, portraitist, photographer, shutterbug, sculptor, figurer, modeler, carver, whittler, ceramist, ceramicist, potter, printmaker, graphic artist, enameler, lithographer, silk screener, silk screen artist, lipidary, designer, stylist, styler, decorator, ornamentalist, and decorator.
HYPHENATED NAMES
You can also consider hyphenated names: Jane-Doe.com or JaneDoe-Artist.com, or, if all else fails, Jane-Doe-Artist.com.
Keep in mind that one hyphen can be okay; two or more starts looking “spammy” (like junky advertising) to the search engine robots.
Some people say that even one hyphen is a bad idea.
In my experience with hyphenated domain names, it’s okay to have one hyphen, but it slightly increases the difficulty of achieving a good spot at Google and other search engines.
So, decide on your first and second choices for a domain name. It should be your own name (or your pen name, if you use one professionally) or your own name and a descriptive word.
You may have a business name. It’s important to own that as a domain name, too. However, your very first domain name should be your own name, dot com, or something similar.
If you’re new to this, start with just your own name. Go through the simple steps of registering the domain name and setting up a simple website. After that, you’ll have the confidence to repeat the process with your business name.
REGISTERING A DOMAIN
First of all, no one “owns” a domain name, though we may use that expression. In fact, people only own the rights to use the domain name for however long they’ve signed up for it.
You will register the domain name for one year or more. At the end of that term, you’ll renew the domain name, extending your registration of it.
There are three important things to know when choosing a registrar. We’ll talk about that in the next article, How to Register a Domain Name.
In a hurry? If you’re ready to register your domain name right away, here’s where I register mine: NameCheap.com.
Magpie logic
I’ve been completely redesigning my office/studio this week.
The room is a normal bedroom size, about 12′ x 12′, and it serves two important purposes: I write in this room, and I create art here.
Writing
The writing requires lots & lots of reference books within easy reach. I write on a variety of topics — mostly related to art, travel, history and/or paranormal themes — and I’m well-known for my exhaustive research using obscure (but fascinating) references.
Writers need to promote themselves and their books. So, I have stacks of PR materials, including a dozen different styles of business cards, each tailored to a particular audience. I need to access them easily when I get a call from an event or a reporter.
Art
My art is all over the place, sometimes literally.
I paint with oils and acrylics. My canvases can be 36″ x 48″ or larger, and as tiny as 3″ x 3″. It’s easy to lose the little canvases and difficult to store the huge ones. They end up in boxes, behind doors, in closets, under beds, etc.
I also create fabric art, especially dolls and wearable art, plus quilts. My paper arts require considerable space, including my basic collage supplies (lots & lots of magazines) and embellishments.
Then there are the one-off assemblages that occur to me at odd moments, which — completed or in gestation — take up space.
Placing all of my writing supplies and all of my art supplies in the center of my studio floor… well, it’s been exhilarating and enlightening.
Magpie syndrome
I often think of myself as a magpie, in a way.
Sometimes, I see things that spark a project idea.
More often, that project idea is how I explain to myself why I need to own whatever-it-is. It’s how I justify the acquisition.
This is important: If I stay locked into that project idea and don’t explore other options, that collected object becomes clutter. Two years later, I have only the vaguest memory of the painting, collage, shrine or doll that I intended to make. The energy is lost, at least partly in regret.
Don’t let the guilt obliterate the energy of the object, or how it resonates — no matter how quietly — with your creative impulses.
That’s what I’m learning as I open boxes and rediscover half-finished projects and objects that never realized their greatness in completed art.
At least half a dozen paintings were in limbo, waiting for the technique I’m currently developing in my work. (The photo at right is an example. It’s barely started, but I love the glow of the houses facing the sunlight.)
Until I hauled those paintings out of the closet last night, I had no idea those paintings were such wonderful starts. With a fresh eye, I can see what works — and what doesn’t — and the energy is surging off the canvas as I admire it.
(I thought they were just bad paintings that I’d paint over, eventually. But, every time I looked at them, I wanted to cry because I could see the sparks of brilliance in them. I couldn’t bear to paint over them, and now I’m glad that I didn’t.)
Yarn intended as doll hair now sings to me as embellishment wall hanging.
Books that I purchased are falling open to illustrations and phrases that almost glow with inspiration.
This is a very cool experience.
Though I realize this can be an excuse to accumulate clutter, I think it’s vital to avoid the extremes of collecting or purging, compulsively.
I’m also mindful that — from a bigger perspective — if you’re supposed to create a particular work of art, the supplies will probably show up, almost on their own.
However, as I sit here surrounded by art supplies, books and projects, I’m astonished at how precisely my “magpie collection” is fitting into place. It’s as if I always knew that this day would happen.
It’s a concept worth considering.
My paintings: Three Trees (Bush Park, Houston, TX)
York Harbor View (York Harbor, ME) – in progress
Photo credit: Magpie – Juha Soininen, Finland
Cheap Art Manifesto
Many years ago during the hippie era, we dreamed of a free society where everyone had access to what’s important in life… including art.
The following flyer, distributed by the Bread & Puppet Theater, is a classic example of our dreams. The date on this flyer is (ironically?) 1984 — when the hippie movement was reacting to the self-serving 1980s — but the sentiments are timeless.
I wholly support this manifesto. This is one reason why I put free art online for you to print out at home, as often as I can. It’s why, in 2004, I cut my workshop prices in half, and then taught a series of entirely free art classes, too.
It’s why I protest when anyone is making an immoral profit from art and/or artists. And, it’s why those who are making immoral profits won’t like what I’m doing… though they’ll use other excuses.
However, there is one line in the manifesto that may confuse you as a professional artist: “Art is not business!”
In the hippie context, and as Bread & Puppet said, the Cheap Art movement was launched “in direct response to the business of art and its growing appropriation by the corporate sector.”
That is, it’s a mistake to treat original art like any/every other commodity. Business cannot control it. Art is unique, by definition. When it loses its originality, it’s something else; that’s a discussion for another day and another webpage.
The point is, if you try to make a fortune off art, particularly at the expense of others, you drive prices into a range where the average person can no longer afford them. And, in my opinion, that is immoral.
Even as a highly successful artist whose works regularly sell in four- and five-figure ranges, you have to make some art available to everyone regardless of their incomes or budgets.
Here is the Cheap Art Manifesto. Feel free to copy it, print it, put it at your own website, and share the message with others.
(Though the footer on all of my webpages automatically says “copyright…,” any time I say that it’s okay to copy or print something, it is. The Cheap Art Manifesto has no copyright.)
