Quote of The Day

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Embracing the NEW


I am only sharing digital art again this week because my painting mojo is horrendous on hiatus right now! I think I am more in a writing digital creative stint since I've been sick!
A big thank you to Sheila who suggested " getting a grip on the new" as a subject I tackle!

The world has changed  drastically from a place I once knew. Not all in a bad way either. Somethings are very exciting. In my day, colour TV,  microwaves, a walkman, video cameras and renting movies/video games was a big deal. Something my parents never enjoyed to the extent I did!! Now social media has opened up a whole new world to everyone, young and old! A place where the  advanced style blog went viral, became a book, then a documentary. It's a place where advertisers thread together adorable youtube videos to make fun television commercials. It's where artists are found and licensed! It's a place where anyone and anything can go viral and change your life forever!!

 Some people are still out of the loop. It's a big scary change if you don't completely understand it. The world is faster now, news is captured instantly, broadcast via internet and outdated by the time it hits the television or newspapers. Tangible magazines are almost obsolete. In fact a big majority of the younger generation don't have cable. They select and watch shows on their  home computers, tablets and phones! They get news feeds and know seconds after something happens.
When I first started blogging a few friends warned that anything I posted could never be published. In  the 70's my dad said fifty thousand was too much to pay for a house!! I'm thankful I always took my own road! Houses are now several hundreds of dollars and authors are expected to have a blog or website.
Several people have changed their blog names over the year, starting new! . Which is fine if you don't care about your google credibility. One artist  had a blog for years, then let it lapse, even when you do a google image search barely any of her images are there!  You may not realize how much will show up on a google search, but a lot of your work is there!! I've  made it a habit to take my name when any new social media appears! That way I am assured to have Happytiler..... which if you don't know already...is to  honour my first love, playing scrabble.... so I am a happy tiler!! It may not suit the course I'm on now, but I've had it so long I'd not want to relinquish all I've built with that name!
A television program featured a few Canadian artists a month back, after the show I   I google searched them... disappointed I was only able to find one...I'm sure there were other interested viewers  who may have considered purchasing their work, but there was no way to locate what they do.... it's was a wasted opportunity!!

Another lbusiness owner has their instagram set to private, when she was traveling she had her photo taken with a celebrity, who then put the photo on their instagram. That  photo could have sent so many new  followers to the business owners instagram which in turn could have been some great support  and new opportunities  for her business. 
The other day I heard of a fellow with a "man bun" went viral, and is now in commercials and acting. You just never know what might click!  We saw a young singer several years ago at the local fair, she worked the local circuit over ten years  and wasn't discovered until she was seen on youtube..She's very popular now!. Guess who that is? You may want to call her, Maybe!!
Now if you want to jump ahead in life you have to play the numbers game... Instagram and twitter seem to be the rage... Facebook is completely bombarded with advertisements, half the time you don't get your friend updates! In almost any industry to do with the arts they will ask you how many followers you have before they invest in you! Sadly this is the way of the future...it can be exciting too, because that means ANYONE can have an opportunity if they work at it, or want it bad enough!
Cupcake has a very casual instagram posting her life, still she gets offered products to try because she is an influencer! Several of her photos  have landed in local news articles and the newpaper giving her credit.  Last week one of her tweets got her free tickets to Lion King production which she had wanted to attend really bad, but having seen it twice already she couldn't justify purchasing tickets once again!
A young female employee Cupcake had, has  built a very lucrative business with her instagram. She's had many stumbles and falls along the way but now she is a very successful cosmetic tattoo artist with a four to five month waiting list, she's an eyeglass model, Fashion blogger sent hundreds of dollars of products to test and review,  she is  very involved in the fashion world, just bought her first house! When she started on instagram, I'm sure she had no idea how far things would go.This week she hit fifty thousand followers!! It's a very powerful medium to get your work out there! You just never know who might be scrolling through your work!! For some of the newer artists on instagram, don't forget to use Hashtags, which is this symbol # in front of a word. More about Hashtags here!
So many new opportunities out there!! It can be a very exciting time for people, depending on how they look at it!

How are you finding navigating the new world of social media?

41 comments:

Unknown said...

First I love your artwork!! i'm trying to loosen up and be more spontaneous. Social media is tricky. I have an instagram and facebook but it's easy to get lost in a sea of artists. I'm trying to keep sharing my work and have an open mind. Very nice post!

GlorV1 said...

Enjoyed your post Sherrie. I don't do FB don't really care for Pinterest. I have Twitter but rarely use it and also have Instagram but rarely use that. I pretty much stick to my blog and Flickr.com and do have videos on You Tube. Just a few home garden videos. Glad you are enjoying the "new" things this world has to offer. Love your drawings as always amiga. Take care.

Valerie-Jael said...

Great post! Hope you are soon feeling really better! Hugs, Valerie

Tracey FK said...

Great post and I am hey to see you on Instagram more often... I love Instagram and it and Pinterest have been huge factors in the way my work has gotten out there and I love both for the opportunities they have created... Nice to see you starting the conversation...xx

Jeanet said...

I figure that as long as you are sharing something that is true (honest, near to your heart etc) it can't be all that bad that it stays there forever and forever.

Clare Lloyd said...

Hope u find your mojo soon! Fab digital art. Happy PPF

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts I always love to read and think about it ;) Hope you will be fine soon! Best wishes to you and warm greetings

Unknown said...

Splendida la tua arte digitale!!

Unknown said...

Splendida la tua arte digitale!!

Paper rainbow said...

I am not excited by Facebook or twitter both to me seem far too time consuming. I would rather talk to my friends than twitter casual messages. I often am amazed that people share experiences at the time on twitter instead of actually enjoying the moment. Digesting it and then perhaps blogging it. I've not got instagram although both my daughters have. A picture without words doesn't really speak to me. I was so pleased to hear what Happy Tier meant ! Of course!!! Scrabble I love scrabble! Here was me thinking you enjoyed tiling bathroom walls! :) silly me :)

PaintingWrite said...

I never realised what happytiler meant - I thought it was to do with tiling walls!! I really like these abstract paintings this week - super colourful. I think social media is a necessary evil nowadays and there are success stories but I find it frustrating when I post something on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest and it gets very little likes or repins or whatever it happens to be - it is hard to work out just what the successful folk with huge followers do to get to that point!

kat said...

A great post! Always full of your wonderful musings and bright art work. Blogging is my only thing, I'm not into anything else, I agree with Morag, all far too time consuming and just not for me. As I've probably told you already I don't even have a mobile phone, I like to be free from all these things as much as possible. Still I do love this blogging community of like minded souls, so am very grateful for this!

sheila 77 said...

Great theme!
Sometimes new websites can be easy, others are more difficult, but once we've mastered them, we wonder why we took so long to get in. Instagram, for example, is a complete doddle, but it's the initial jump that makes the new seem scary to some of us.
Just like Blogging, we have to interact with others to encourage them to interact with us, which can take a lot of time (to reply to Nic's comment above) and of course the content has to be good too.
Your illustrations are fantastic, so cleverly illustrating your theme, the lady has certainly learned how to bend.
I didn't know why you called yourself "Happy Tiler" either, for some reason I thought it was something to do with a previous interest in pottery.
Your painting mojo has just decided to try something new and has gone digital for a while!
Great post, as always.

My name is Erika. said...

Great digital art again this week! And you're right. When you are out there on the "internet" you just don't know who is going to come your way. It is exciting but scary too, because not everyone out there is very nice. Have a great weekend!

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

You are right on target. I am on all the latest social media, but with work, don't invest enough time on them. Blessings!

denthe said...

I really love your digital work! Such fun colours and the way you put your quotes there is cool. Agree with you on social media. Facebook is getting really difficult to reach anyone, and up till now I've been keeping Twitter and Instagram far away from me. I will never try Twitter, it just seems so mindless, but you might've sold me on Instagram ;-)I'll look into it, have no idea how it works to be honest...

Linda Kunsman said...

Love your colorful, illustrative art here!! I understand the social media thing and how much it is used now but at this time I just can't justify spending so much time all over social media and then missing out on the life happening in front of you.

Faye said...

I hope you are feeling better. I have had sinus congestion/cold and felt miserable part of the week. No fun. I enjoyed reading your take on the age of instant info. I don't have the Twitter and Instagram accounts. I can hardly keep up with FB and my blog. You answered a question that has been on my mind. The blog name of Happy Tiler. I like Scrabble but I'm not a serious player. I do realize that there are some really, really serious Scrabble players out there.

JKW said...

Instagram? I'm on Flickr. . .always something new. I don't jump on every bandwagon. Although I've never been a TV watcher much (bull-riding is great tho) but now since cable (which Promised if we PAID for TV no commercials) has so many commercials, no matter how good the TV show is, I turn it off. You hit the nail on the head, b/c of ads/commercials, I won't be part of it. Love the art and the article. Blessings, Janet (thanks for the visits).

Christine said...

fun digital pieces, I think the new world of social media is good for the most part.

Ayala Art said...

Years ago I decided to not visit as many networks as I got into, and many some private. Although I just joined finally instagram, I don't spend time there except for the 100 day project, so I click, share and leave.... same on all the other groups I used to visit often or moderate. It liberated me and I have time to create again. I have a love/hate relationship with fb since the feed doesn't work like before and still it is a time consuming machine.
Yes, people can be "discovered" online but that's a one in a trillion :o3 I think :oD

Pam Tucker said...

I love your art illustrations! And I can totally relate to what you are saying. So hard to keep up with the fast changing world... I just go about my own slow pace. ;)

Carol said...

FIRST...so glad you are feeling better!!! Another great post full of good information and great art :) Thanks for sharing.

Kate Robertson said...

Great digital art. I think instagram is great for artists. You get to see a lot of work in progress. I post things on Instagram that I don't post elsewhere.

Kate

froebelsternchen said...

Fabulous post with gorgeous art - hope you feel better soon!
Happy PPF!

Ginny said...

I love this post. I am on all of the social media but I know I don't use it enough to make a difference. I do like keeping up with what is available. The world is changing rapidly and I want to know what is going on.

I do agree that you can get so caught up in posting or taking a picture that you really don't enjoy the moment. That's something that I don't do. Being present is the key to happiness in my opinion.

Anjas-Artefaktotum said...

Wonderful art work, I love the compositions!
Hugs Anja

Viola said...

Beautiful colors and work! And fun also.
I'm not in so many social medias, just blogger :))
I'm not sure if all these new social media things would fit me.. Then , if so, I would not have any time for anything else than updating.. ;)

Deepa Gopal said...

Lovely and colourful works!!!
Yes, social media is a vast space...but you sure do get good contacts and some wonderful friends long the way, only one needs to be careful! There are so many new things coming each and every day, it's difficult to keep tabs!

Marianne said...

Your art always make me smile :)
Thanks for sharing.

Neesie said...

Firstly Giggles I really enjoyed your informative, thought provoking post today... secondly wow those tiles and digital work look great. I like the wording.
Thirdly, hmm... social media. Yeah it's a steep learning curve that I think I'm getting a handle on. I post on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and my blog. I must admit that Facebook is a mystery at times as I'm not too sure of boundaries or when it surprises me by doing something I haven't requested or known about. I'm a nervous user!
Fourthly... is that where I'm up to? Thanks for explaining about Happy Tiler and your advice about changing names etc. I've often thought that I might re-invent my blog and change the name to my real one but then I wouldn't want to lose all that I've posted over the years. You've made me think I'll have to give it some more thought.
I spend so much time blogging etc but I can't see me every making a penny or even getting free samples but I know many do. I don't think I could possibly do more than I do, so like life... I'm happy with my lot and will be content.
I hope you're feeling better and on the road to a full recovery. Whoops that should be Fiftly or maybe Lastly?
Anyway whatever enjoy your weekend and thanks for sharing your vibrant artwork :D

Sirkka said...

Thanks for sharing, great digital work and your reflections. Hugs Sirkka

Karen Smithey said...

There is definitely a lot to learn, and it keeps changing! I'm hoping I'm learning enough to keep changing with it--

I took an online class a few years ago, and when I signed in for the class discussion, the teacher (the teacher!!!) said, "Oh my gosh, you're Karen from Art in the Garage? I remember you from when I first had my blog--you were so encouraging!"

Of course, then I had to think about the fact that she was creating classes and I was still doing what I'd been doing for years... Finally I realized I was happy with what I was doing, and it was all good.

But you're right, the power of a name can't be underestimated.

Beverley Baird said...

Sometimes we just need a change, a break - love your digital artwork.
I love twitter but have never tried instagram. You made some very valid points for using it. I will definitely look into it. Thanks.
Happy PPF #63

Nordljus said...

Love your digital art work! So funny and colourful.
That's a lot of food for thought. It's a strange world, social media. And sometimes, I wonder what it is exactly, that makes some people so successful as they are. I see people on Instagram who get hundreds of likes within minutes after they posted something, and have thousands of followers while following almost no one themselves. Their work is great, no doubt, but there are a lot of other people who's work is equally great and who never get more than a dozen likes. I guess I haven't quite figured it all out yet. The important thing, though, is to do it because you enjoy it.
I've always wondered what your name refered to. I only played Scrabble for the first time last month. But definitely not the last time :)

lee said...

thanks for that great posts, and the link to hashtags, I saved and going to go and read it. I don't understand the whole hashtag thing. Thanks for telling us about all the people who made it

lee

Gloria j Zucaro said...

Hi there! Although you say you are in a black hole of non-creativity, your drawings and verbage this week are excellent. I love both the "reflecting on me, and the need to bend or others. Great colors of course. Thank you so much for info about hashtags, although I am still not sure I know how or where to put them. I am just learning to post to Instagram, and I put some paintings on today, but alas, no hashtags!

sharon said...

Hi Sherrie!, First of all hope you feel better soon. Love your digital art too. Your comments on Social Media are very timely for me. Something I have been mulling over. I suppose it depends on what you want to do with your life, art... Due to my hands deteriorating I am unable to do much art now and have been seriously wondering if I should delete my blog I even find it difficult to type. On top of it all it got hyjacked by a porn site from Russia. I got it back but have made it private for now while I decide what to do. So to me social media is not aLL roses!!!!

Victoria said...

Hi Giggles..super beautiful art, vibrant and magical...fantastic sharings as always!I worked for an magazine last year and was encouraged to have some sort of social media for work..I am very introverted-hermit-like ..so it was very new for me (blogging is m first love, I feel such a genuine community with others) so I joined twitter and to my surprise I met many creative kindreds and like -minded souls. I love the talent on instagram,would love to play in the photo-prompst they have etc.. but I don;t have a phone( have never had one yet!) so maybe one day. too bad they didnt make it for non-phone users. I am a contradiciton aren't I. ha ha/...on the internet/a blogger but never had a cell phone in my life yet..too funny as i type this! I think all in balance..all brings harmony.it is a different journey/experience for everyone. I think if used in a positive way..it is a great.I will always blog though...it is my first love and how I have met all creative poeple like you.. that have helped me open up to the world!

Thanks for you wonderful sharings and your beautiful art.
hug

Felicity said...

love your colors, so expressive!

Jo said...

Wow! I'm glad I caught up on reading your posts tonight... just when I needed to know "stuff." A wealth of information. Thanks for all the sharing you do.

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