Never really occurred to me....

After reading another artist's blog about how her artwork was used without her permission, I thought perhaps I would use this public forum to bring to light (or shine more light on) this all too common occurrence.

While it has been brought to my attention that my artwork has been used for online forums and such, that doesn't bother me quite as much as when someone actually commissions me for work and then refuses to pay me.

Here's the story:

Last year, I did the Landmark Holiday Bazaar as I have done for the past 6 years. I was approached by a man who was very enthusiastic about my work and my design abilities and asked me if I do my artwork full-time. I said that basically yes, it is a full-time job, but to make ends meet I have a part-time job at a retailer. He asked me if I ever considered contract work and I said that I do design work from time to time. He gave me his card and said he would contact me. After about 10 minutes, he rushed back into my booth and said, "This is a completely inappropriate question, but what do you make per hour at (the retailer)?" I hesitated but told him, and he left.

I was very excited as it sounded like a great opportunity to get some consistent design work and possibly leave my retail job. I followed up with an email saying it was a pleasure to meet him and that I hoped to hear from him soon. I got a phone call a few days later requesting a meeting. He told me that he worked best by email (as do I), so I thought it would be a great working relationship.

After meeting with him, I found out that he had another designer on board, someone who was an intern who was hoping for a full-time job with this company. His intentions were to bring me on as somewhat of an art director and have this intern do much of the "grunt work", so to speak. Copy editing, clipping paths, that sort of thing. I was a little confused by it, but decided that I would proceed. He threw an enormous amount of work at us with a deadline of approximately a week. Completely unprofessional, to say the least.

I followed up with an email regarding pay since I thought it wasn't the best idea to discuss pay in front of another designer, not knowing what his situation was. I outlined my design fees and that I would be invoicing from my time.

I never received an email. And we had another meeting. And they piled on more work. And I said I would be sending an invoice (which I did). And email, after email, after email. With no response. And no payment agreement. Which was really starting to worry me.

He kept saying that as soon as sales came in, that we would be paid. I finally had a one on one meeting with him. I stated that I don't work for free and that my payment is not contingent on his sales. The work is done, I get paid. Period. He said that he would get me what I make at said retailer. I said that my wages there are not my design fees. He shrugged me off. So I stopped working.

I received a phone call from him that said he would pay my invoices and that he was trying to set up a photo shoot of his product with this other person involved in a company that is linked to his. He told me that they really wanted to use me as a photographer and that the job was mine, etc. etc. etc. So I started work again. Then I followed up on the phone call with the person at the other company and learned that they had no idea what I was talking about and that while they might be looking for a photographer in the future, they would have to sit down and look at my portfolio.

So I stopped work. And I started threatening. And finally I said that if I didn't receive payment by a certain date that I would take him to small claims court.

And I didn't receive payment. He claims that I agreed to be paid at the retailer's wages (I never did). I can't afford to file the paperwork to take him to small claims court. So now it sits. And it's approximately $1100 worth of my time and work (that he did use, by the way) that I can't collect on because I'm too bogged down in bills to have the extra money to proceed with legal action.

Lesson learned: if you have a gut feeling about someone, believe it. And always, ALWAYS before any work is done, have a signed agreement. Up until this point I've never had any problems and have always been promptly paid for work done. But now I know better.

"Live blogging" (otherwise known as totally random thoughts)

While I'm waiting for folks to show up to the Art Crawl, I thought I'd take the opportunity to blog since I fell behind on it on Wednesday and know I need to try to keep my schedule as much as possible or I'll let the whole thing slide.

Hopefully I get to see more folks this evening...it hasn't started raining yet! But unfortunately it's on its way. :( I'm dangerously close to the bowl with the Dove chocolate in it. This can only lead to unneeded chocolate consumption.

Just added a link to my Facebook fan page, so come on by and become a fan!

I'm VERY VERY excited to go to an artist's workshop in Colorado next weekend, held by Alyson Stanfield. I believe that she last tweeted that there were still spaces available, so if you're interested in learning more about how to utilize the web as an artist, SIGN UP!

Okay, back to being attentive to my studio, though there's still no one in it! Hrm.

Patience is a virtue that I don't have very often

I'm VERY excited about my new vintage ad art pendants. I've posted my vintage ad art on Etsy, and when my pendants are done curing (more on that in a bit), I'll have those up for sale there as well. They'll of course be available at my studio during the Saint Paul Art Crawl, and I've started contacting several retail locations as well!

Now, as far as the curing goes, I wanted to make resin jewelry. I heard that resin was messy, smelly and difficult to use. So instead, I thought I'd go for the "glass-like" glue. Except at about 1/8" thick, it's not so glass-like. It's more like you poured a bunch of watered down Elmer's on your image. Then I read in order for it to work, you have to do it in layers. Put down a bit, wait for it to dry, put down more, wait, lather, rinse, repeat. 

Here's the thing: I hate repetitive multiple steps. I hated putting 2 coats of paint on my walls. It's like, "I did it once, it should be FINISHED." So I knew this multiple coats of glue garbage wouldn't work for me. Plus, I'm selling them. I don't want to sell glue pendants, I want to sell nice looking resin pendants.

So I exchanged the one bottle of glue that I didn't use for a box of resin. I bought all the necessary materials from the dollar store (score!): 2 measuring cups (that now I have to throw away...even at a dollar a piece, that's just wasteful. I tried to clean them, but it just made a big mess), wax paper, toothpicks (for poking at bubbles) and a huge bag of plastic gloves (that will also work with hair dye! yay!!).

So the resin comes in 4 oz bottles, which makes 8 oz. overall. That's a lot of resin for 10 pendants that each only need about 1/8" filled. So I decided I would make 2 oz. It was still WAY more than I needed, but I had no idea. Trial and error. So I got all the pendants ready, laid them out, and started to pour my VERY bubbly resin. Not cool. Naturally, started freaking out. It said that as it starts to set, the bubbles rise to the top. But, to force this, blow a HAIRDRYER on it. Okay.....

So I got out the hairdryer and started passing it over one of the pendants. pop! pop pop pop! All the bubbles started rising to the surface! Who knew? Instructions actually know something. :)

So after futzing with them for way too long, and agonizing over the little imperfections (they're handmade...gotta learn to let it go...), I made a little wax paper tent (to protect them from dog fur and other dust) and will wait for them to set! (24 hours for a soft cure, 72 for a hard cure)

And here are my pendants, waiting for their tent:

Okay, okay, iCal, I KNOW!!!

iCal keeps reminding me, like it's supposed to, that I have to blog today. And once again, I don't have a whole lot to say, but going to just make some commentary on things going on around me lately.

A great person I follow on Twitter, Cassandra Harrison (@geehowquaint), told me about this book that she reads to get her butt moving; to keep procrastination at bay. It's called "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield (link provided to save you from going through 10,000 pages of "art of war" when you search). So, one day on lunch I went to Borders and flipped through it and thought for $13, I NEED this book. It's inspiring, it's motivating, and it does it in such a matter of fact way. None of this sunshine and rainbows garbage. More like, you're the one who's getting in your own damn way and the only person you can blame for your failures is yourself. Get off the couch, tune out the chatter, and GET TO WORK. It's a very fast read because of how he's broken up the sections and again, definitely worth the money. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to start something new, follow a passion or just be a better version of themselves.

We had another visit from the trainer (Bark Busters) yesterday and Bea has been behaving. It's kind of scary because it was such a dramatic change from one day to the next. I hope she's not depressed or something. But she is being very, VERY good. I'll post some pictures of Bea sometime soon so you can see how cute and adorable she is. :)

Once again, missed Monday....

For some reason my blogging head isn't together on Mondays and despite getting 3 reminders of it during the day, I can't seem to always get it done. And I had stuff to announce as well! I'm so excited about it that I'd probably tweet about it today as well, so that's my rationalization for not having blogged on Monday. :)

Added to my Etsy account on Sunday, these new pieces are a result of my obsession with 1950s and 1960s design. Using images from various magazines from those time periods, I combined them with some handwriting, drawing and other clip art. While I was going to stop at 3, I was having so much fun I made a 4th and have more in the works. I just bought some more magazines and am thrilled to go through them!!

You can find the new artwork here at my Etsy site. For all of you in MN, they will all be available during the Saint Paul Art Crawl. You can get the dates/times and address from my website.

And of course I can't just blog about it and not toss up a picture!

Starting to sink in a little....

Last night I realized without my location collages, I don't have much art to display in Colorado. Since the popularity of the location collages in Minnesota have far outweighed the popularity of my other artwork (to the point that I've decided to stop displaying the other artwork at shows in Minnesota; no use in carrying it around if no one will buy it), I've thrown most of my effort into producing 2 or 3 new MN or other location collages a year. While great for my business here, it has really hurt my chances of having business from places other than Minnesota. Though I've been planning on traveling and collaging other cities, I enjoy the break from creating from what I've seen with my eyes and instead creating what I see with my mind.

I was able to sketch up some ideas for a few new collages and I'm definitely looking forward to starting the search for imagery on those. Love that vintage stuff!! :)

Watching time pass

Since I started photographing signage and locations I've begun to notice a disturbing trend. Sometimes, but hardly always, after I photograph a place it goes out of business. Sometimes I go to photograph a place after learning that it is going out of business because I feel for some reason or another that I have to document and try to preserve the memory of our changing landscape. It makes me feel a little like an ambulance chaser of signage. 

I have always admired this small "corner" grocery store about 2 blocks from my apartment. From the signage at the top of the building I would say that it is a family owned business that has been around for 50 or 60 years. They only carry the staples: milk, bread, cereal, candy, soup, etc. No fancy vegan or organic items, just the basics. Every time I go there, which has only been a handful of times since I moved in to my place a little over 2 years ago, there's the same elderly gentleman behind the counter, listening to local talk radio. The shelves are stocked immaculately. Everything is perfectly faced, straight as an arrow. It was like walking back in time when I entered, which felt good to me. I'd grab what I needed, go up to the counter and pay. He doesn't take credit; the fees are too high, he said. He'd package up my purchase, and then pull on a rope behind the counter that he had on a pulley system that was connected to the front door. The door would swing open, and I could walk out without having to grab the door. An automatic door before automatic doors were invented, no doubt. 

Last week I noticed that the little "open" tent sign that would be propped out front on the sidewalk every morning wasn't there. Earlier this week I saw a freezer being loaded up onto a truck, the elderly man standing behind it. Today I walked past the windows with my dog and peered inside, bracing for what I had expected. There was very little left of the store. All of the product and most of the shelving was gone. There were a few fixtures left, but not much. It had been all but gutted. My heart sank.

There had been no big "going out of business" hoopla. No closing announcements, not even signage on the door. Just here one day, gone the next. And as I walked past today I realized that a few months ago I decided that I needed to photograph this amazing place that seemed to have been frozen in time. I never got the courage to ask the owner if I could take a photo with my camera, so I snuck a photo in the back of the store with my iPhone. I really wish I would have just asked so I would have more and better photos. And now it's gone. And I wonder if somehow my documenting it made it happen, since it's happened to me before. It's a preposterous thought, but it still makes me wonder.

To give, to help, to share....pass it along

The design/art community is truly a wonderful place to be. Granted, there are always folks that ruin it; that steal ideas, undercut prices, underbid jobs, all in the name of getting ahead. But at the heart of it lies people that just want to share their passion with others, that want to give as much as they get, that love their job/craft and just want to let everyone know.

I've started some great communication with awesome people on Twitter that really inspire me. People that have nothing to gain by telling me that they like what I do but do it anyway. They don't have to share their techniques, what they've learned, what they've discovered; but they do. They make me laugh, they make me think and they make me realize the world is really small when you get down to it. I'm appreciative of all of my followers on Twitter and by no means are these the only people that I think are great, I just wanted to pull out a few that have taken the time to DM (direct message for you non-Twitter folk) or reply to my tweets; people who know the name of the game of Twitter, and that's to build connections. 

I truly believe that what you give comes back to you, so today's blog isn't about me, what I'm selling, what I'm advertising, what I'm doing. It's about those people who have taken the time to share their thoughts, ideas, and artwork with me and I'd appreciate it if you'd take a look at what they do. I've included their Twitter ID's if you'd like to check out their tweets but please don't follow them if you have something to sell or something to spam. The last thing Twitter needs is more people pitching the promise of 15 bazillion followers overnight or the ability to make someone into a "social media expert". 

Dead Pan Alley

@deadpanalley

Sarahndipitous

@sarahndipitous

Laura Timmins

@goheadoverheels

Lisa Stewart

@ecstewart

Melinda Wyers

@jetgirlart

Miss Destructo

@missdestructo

Alyssa Meadows

@alydesigns

Kim Woodbridge

@kwbridge

Shannon Grissom

@shannongrissom

Once again, no big news

Still working on solidifying my art fair schedule for the season, and the Saint Paul Art Crawl will be upon me sooner than I'm prepared for!

Getting started on new work and keeping up with custom collage business.

Speaking of custom collages....Mother's Day is coming up!

Consider giving your Mom the gift of memories with a custom collage. Go to www.customcollagesbyinkblots.com to find out more info. :)

Nothing all that new...

I'm behind again on writing my blog and have another blog to write tomorrow. Today I succeeded in taking a new photo so I could send it in to the Telluride art fair and I also included it on my blog since the other photo was taken with Photo Booth and isn't very acceptable.

I was accepted into the Powderhorn Art Fair, so my art fair schedule is coming along well!

More updates tomorrow. :)