Category: Artist’s studio practice

How art agents help artists promote their art and career

Posted on by veronica

The contemporary art world is a dynamic space where innovation, creativity, and competition meet. With the rise of digital platforms, accessibility, competition, and global art fairs, today’s artists face an increasingly complex landscape. Navigating this world can be challenging if the artist is not social or outgoing or lacks important connections in the art world. Art agents have emerged as allies for these artists, providing services that let painters succeed faster in the highly competitive art market.

javier bellomo coria_face_art miami 2017
Javier Bellomo, Coria face, Art Miami 2017

What is an art agent’s role in contemporary art?

An art agent is a professional who represents artists in the art world, handling key aspects of their career, such as promotion, sales, negotiations, and career strategy. While art agents share some similarities with managers, they typically focus more on the artist’s presence and success in the contemporary art market. Unlike galleries, which may also represent artists but focus on sales and exhibitions within their spaces, art agents work across multiple platforms and manage various stakeholders, from collectors and curators to exhibition spaces and online marketplaces.

Art agent benefits for painters include bridging the gap between the artist and the external art world. They are adept at understanding the unique needs of individual artists and aligning these with opportunities in the broader art scene. Depending on the specific goals of the artist, the art agent can help artists with negotiation skills for better deals, networking opportunities for artists, exhibition opportunities for painters, career advice, and so on. With their guidance, artists can focus on their studio work while art agents build the business side of things, being deeply embedded in the art community.

Art agent services for contemporary artists

One of the most significant ways art agents empower contemporary painters is through marketing, networking, and promotion. In an era where visibility is crucial to success, a good art agent creates exposure for the artist in upscale venues and private circles. They often direct marketing strategies and campaigns for artists, ensuring that the right people see the artist’s work— top critics, curators, and collectors. Through art agents, painters can access media outlets, get featured in art publications, and even be invited to prestigious art fairs or gallery openings.

Art agents also create and manage the artist’s social media presence, crafting the story around the artist’s brand. By positioning the artist in the right circles and enhancing their public image, agents ensure that painters are seen and recognized as significant contributors to contemporary art. Art agent networking opportunities for artists are crucial for the connection to the right audience because that’s how new artist’s work is noticed and valued.

Peter Anton, Art Miami 2017

Art agent’s role in negotiation and representation

Art agents are experts at negotiation, particularly in dealings with galleries, collectors, and other stakeholders in the art world. Their ability to handle sales and commissions on behalf of artists allows painters to focus on their creativity. Art agent financial management for artists includes price negotiations and fair compensation for their work. They also help determine commission splits or arrange exhibition contracts.

Art agent collector connections for artists are skilled negotiations with large-scale gallery exhibitions or top art collectors. Art agents for painters manage these relationships, protecting the artist’s interests and ensuring that they’re not undervalued. In addition to securing sales, art agents provide financial management for artists that include brokering deals for long-term representation, licensing opportunities, or museum acquisitions, thus ensuring the artist’s career remains financially viable.

Art agent’s role in career management

Art agents make a substantial impact in effective career management and artist’s long-term success. Art agents work closely with contemporary painters to develop a strategic vision for their career, advising on the type of work to create, where to exhibit, and what artistic directions to pursue. Art agents maintain the artist’s reputation across multiple platforms, helping them avoid common pitfalls that can derail an art career.

Art agent career advice for painters includes long-term planning, helping artists build a lasting legacy. Whether through curating exhibitions that span several years or ensuring that the artist’s work remains relevant in shifting art trends, agents are often integral in guiding the artist toward sustainable growth. Their skills in navigating the art market help artists make decisions for critical and financial success.

Art agent benefits for painters in building and expanding networks

Networking is a key factor in an artist’s career, and well-connected art agents can excel at facilitating valuable connections. Through their established relationships with curators, art critics, collectors, and galleries, agents can open doors to opportunities that may otherwise be out of reach for contemporary painters. Art agents are the art world’s gatekeepers, connecting artists to influential figures who can help propel their careers.

Additionally, agents leverage their connections to ensure their clients are introduced to new opportunities for collaboration or exhibition. Whether it’s an invitation to a prestigious international art fair, a private showing at a gallery, or a chance to collaborate with other artists or brands, art agents provide their clients with a network of powerful contacts. By expanding these networks, art agents not only help artists gain recognition but also ensure the right eyes see their work.

Art agent financial and legal advice for artists

Artists often fall behind on pricing and negotiations. There’s not much interest or knowledge about financial management for artists. Art agents provide crucial support in pricing artwork appropriately, ensuring that the artist’s work is valued correctly based on market demand, the artist’s reputation, and the uniqueness of their creations.

In addition to pricing, art agent gives legal advice to artists, including contracts, intellectual property rights, and copyright issues. They ensure that the artist’s interests are protected, helping them navigate the complexities of licensing and sales agreements. Art agents often negotiate exhibition terms, give proper attribution of the artist’s work, and provide legal protection for artists.

abbotsford house castle library

Art agent’s fee for artists

More established and successful agents may charge higher fees than emerging art agents. As an artist, you must be aware of the provided networking and marketing opportunities, time frames and results that would determine your willingness to pay for this service or not. The scope of services the art agent offers can also influence the fee structure.

Common Fee Structures:

Hybrid model: This combines elements of both commission-based and retainer fee models. The agent may charge a retainer fee for ongoing services and a commission on any sales made.

Commission-based: This is the most common fee structure, where the agent receives a percentage of the sale price of the artwork. The percentage can range from 10% to 50%, with an average of around 25%.

Retainer fee: This is a fixed monthly or annual fee that the artist pays to the agent for their services, regardless of whether any sales are made.

Artists must be aware of many other additional costs that could include shipping, handling, and insurance costs that require negotiations with art agents before purchasing their services.

Art agent future trends in the art market

As the art world continues to evolve, so too does the role of the art agent. The rise of digital platforms and social media has significantly shifted the way art is marketed and sold, and art agents are adapting to this new environment by incorporating online platforms into their strategies. Social media, virtual exhibitions, and online galleries offer new opportunities for contemporary painters to showcase their work, and art agents are at the forefront of these developments.

Additionally, the global nature of the art market means that art agents are increasingly acting as global representatives, helping artists expand their reach beyond their local markets to international audiences. This evolution opens up exciting possibilities for the future, where art agents could have even more influence in shaping the global art scene.

Famous art agents and their artists in art history:

In the past, art agents combined their interests and served as art collectors, art gallerists, and even socialites in elite art circles. These are a few famous art agents in art history.

Chicago art institute, Georgia O’Keeffe, the white skull

Paul Durand-Ruel: Represented major Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists, including Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, and Cézanne.

Ambroise Vollard: Represented Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, and other major artists of the early 20th century.

Alfred Stieglitz: Promoted American modernism and represented artists like his wife-Georgia O’Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, and Arthur Dove.

Peggy Guggenheim: Supported and collected Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist art, representing artists like Jackson Pollock and Marcel Duchamp.

Leo Castelli: Represented major Pop Art and Minimalist artists, including Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Mary Boone: Represented major contemporary artists like Cindy Sherman, Eric Fischl, and Ross Bleckner.

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In conclusion

By handling marketing, negotiation, career management, networking, and financial support, art agents provide artists with the tools they need to succeed in a highly competitive and complex art world. As the art market evolves, so too does the importance of art agents for painters, who remain essential to navigating this evolving art landscape and achieving long-term success. Through their expertise and connections, art agents empower artists to focus on what they do best—creating impactful, inspiring works of art.

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How to Become a Master Storyteller: 5 addictive storytelling techniques to write stories, YouTube videos & essays

Posted on by veronica


Storytelling is an art form. Crafting essays, speeches, YouTube video scripts or gripping novels demands through understanding of story concepts, human psychology, and practice. Here are five addictive storytelling techniques that can elevate your storytelling prowess.

lady reading letters of Heloise and Abelard-1780-A. dAgesci

5 addictive storytelling techniques

#1. Start with a Hook

The “hook” or the opening lines of a story are crucial in capturing the person’s attention and drawing him into the narrative. A strong hook can be achieved through several techniques, such as presenting a conflict or dilemma, introducing a unique character, or plunging the reader into the heart of the action. The hook can be visual or written depending on the medium.

In literature:

  • Consider the opening of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” where we are immediately introduced to the orphaned Harry Potter living a miserable life with the Dursleys. This opening makes us curious to learn more about the boy from the start.
  • In “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins, “Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. Every day, she rattles down the track, watching the same houses, the same people. Every day, she fantasizes about their lives. Every day, she feels herself slipping away.”
  • In “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, you read: “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. I had it all. Now I have nothing.”
  • In “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides: “Alicia Berenson hasn’t spoken a word in five years. Her husband was found dead in their bedroom, and she’s the prime suspect. Psychiatrist Theo Faber is determined to get her to talk.”

Visual Hooks:

The hook can be visual before the story unfolds. If we study action films, they start with a riveting action scene to pull us in. “The Mission Impossible” and “James Bond” movies always have an opening scene with lots of exhilarating action and only later on do we find out about the characters, story, and details.

  • In “Inception,” the movie opens with a breathtaking heist sequence that immediately immerses the audience in a world of confused reality.
  • The movie “Get Out” begins with a seemingly ordinary couple driving down a dark country road, setting the stage for a chilling and suspenseful horror film.
  • In “Parasite”, the film starts with the Kim family living in a cramped basement apartment, struggling to make ends meet. This stark contrast with the wealthy Park family sets the stage for a dark and satirical tale of class and inequality.

These hooks grab our attention and set the tone for the story to delve deeper into the world of the narrative.

#2. Build unusual but relatable characters

There is no story without well-developed characters that can resonate with readers on a deep emotional level. You can create interesting characters by exploring their motivations, fears, and desires. Give them unique quirks, flaws, and strengths that make them relatable and believable to us. The audience should see parts of themselves or people they know in story characters. Also, characters must go through a transformation process throughout the story. A protagonist who struggles and overcomes difficulties naturally appeals to the audience.

To emphasize emotional connection, include scenes or moments that evoke feelings of joy, fear, sadness, hope, frustration, etc. For example, a writer explaining climate change might share a personal story of a struggling family impacted by rising sea levels. This approach humanizes the issue and makes it relatable. Today, a lot of writing and headlines are fear-based in the media. Fear is a powerful psychological tool to keep viewers engaged throughout your video, story, or article.

Unforgettable characters have unique personalities that are not black-and-white. Consider the complex character of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. His conflicted loyalties, tragic backstory, and love for Lily Potter make him a mysterious figure who comes to light only at the end of the book. In the psychological thriller, the Joker, 2019, the main character is known as a ‘bad’ guy. However, as the story unfolds, we see the enormous weight and complexity of his character through some tragic events in his life. Let’s look at this character in greater detail.

Character Development in “Joker” (2019)

This film builds character through Arthur Fleck/Joker’s transformation in a profound psychological deconstruction of social marginalization, mental illness, and personal breakdown.

how to create characters in stories

Key Character Development Techniques:

  1. Psychological Descent
  • Gradual erosion of social boundaries
  • Mental illness portrayed as a product of systemic neglect
  • Character development driven by cumulative traumatic experiences
  • Slow transformation from vulnerable individual to violent persona
  1. Societal Rejection as Catalyst
  • Character’s development emerges from consistent social exclusion
  • The mental health system’s failure becomes a transformative mechanism
  • Marginalization creates internal psychological pressure
  • Social indifference triggers progressive psychological fragmentation
  1. Traumatic Background Elements
  • Childhood trauma as foundational character development
  • Maternal relationship reveals deep psychological wounds
  • Unreliable personal history creates narrative complexity
  • Identity becomes fluid and constructed
  1. Performance-Driven Transformation
  • Joaquin Phoenix’s physical performance communicates psychological states
  • Body language reveals internal psychological shifts
  • Dance-like movements symbolize psychological transition
  • Physical transformation mirrors mental deconstruction
  1. Power Dynamics
  • Character development explores powerlessness transforming into violent empowerment
  • Social humiliation becomes the catalyst for radical identity reconstruction
  • Powerlessness converts into aggressive self-determination
  • Systemic violence reflected in individual psychological breakdown
  1. Narrative Ambiguity
  • Blurs lines between reality and delusion
  • Unreliable narrative perspective
  • Character’s perception becomes the primary storytelling mechanism
  • Creates psychological complexity through narrative uncertainty

Philosophy of the character and movie:

  • Society creates its monsters
  • Marginalization generates destructive responses
  • Mental illness intersects with systemic violence

Distinctive Character Development Aspects:

  • Rejects traditional hero/villain dichotomy
  • Generates sympathy through psychological complexity
  • Explores societal mechanisms of psychological destruction
  • Transforms personal trauma into social commentary

Psychology & Performance:

  • Phoenix’s performance becomes a linguistic tool
  • Physical movements communicate psychological states
  • Reveals inner landscape through bodily expression
  • Transforms character development into visceral experience

#3. Use the Power of Conflict

Suspense is the art of creating anticipation and uncertainty, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Conflict can be suggested through a conversation tone and rhythm. To achieve uncertainty, use these techniques:

  • withhold information
  • introduce a time limit
  • create a sense of impending doom

In your storytelling, focus on presenting challenges that characters must resolve by the end of the story. These conflicts can be internal struggles, external challenges, or even societal issues. A master storyteller introduces the conflict early and resolves it in a way that aligns with the message or goal of the story. For example, in persuasive essays or presentations, conflict can represent opposing viewpoints. In movies, it’s often a dislike for each other at the beginning of a film and a resolve in the end. In novels, characters might have different motivations to achieve one goal.

Key Storytelling Techniques for Conflict Creation:

  • Introduce multiple layers of conflict (internal and external) and establish clear stakes
  • Create obstacles that challenge the protagonist’s goals. Create tension
  • Use conflict to drive multi-dimensional character development
  • Ensure that conflict resolution feels earned and meaningful
  • Show how characters grow and change through confronting conflicts and experiencing transformation throughout the story.

Examples of Conflict Creation in a story:

In “Pride and Prejudice”, Jane Austen creates social and romantic conflict in her book. Austen creates external conflict through social expectations and personal misunderstandings. She writes about social pressures around marriage, class, and reputation that create tension. Elizabeth and Darcy’s initial interactions are fraught with misunderstandings and social constraints. Her economic and social survival depends on making the right marriage choices. Jane Austen also explores the internal conflict in her characters. Elizabeth struggles with her preconceived notions about Darcy and Darcy battles his own pride and social conditioning that they overcome in the end. The author finds a resolution to their conflict through mutual understanding and personal growth, breaking down social barriers in their marriage.
Both characters must overcome their initial prejudices and self-imposed limitations

Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, was a master at building tension through his use of camera angles, music, and pacing. His films, such as “Psycho” and “Rear Window,” are renowned for their ability to keep audiences guessing.


Writing conflict-driven narratives can be challenging, especially when under tight deadlines. In this case, CustomWriting offers quick assistance. With an AI essay writer, college students can get online help to structure their thoughts, refine ideas, and learn how to apply storytelling techniques in academic work. Such a resource improves grades and builds skills in writing stories and more.

George R.R. Martin’s conflict creation:

emilia clarke as khaleesi from game of thrones
Emilia Clarke as Khaleesi from the Game of Thrones, Veronica Winters

George R.R. Martin creates a rich conflict landscape in “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, popularly known through the “Game of Thrones” adaptation. He introduces multiple layers of external and internal conflicts. He uses unique conflict-creation strategies:

  • Personal choices have massive, often unexpected consequences
  • Power vs responsibility
  • Subverting traditional narrative expectations
  • No character is completely safe or guaranteed survival
  • Conflicts emerge from complex motivations, not simple good vs. evil dynamics

Martin’s approach to conflict-creation is different from other fantasy novels because his conflicts are multilayered and interconnected with complex characters that have shifting allegiances. He doesn’t use straightforward resolutions but rather intertwines personal and political motivations.

  1. Political Conflict:
  • Multiple noble houses (Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, Targaryen) compete for control of the Iron Throne
  • The War of the Five Kings represents a complex, multi-sided political conflict
  • Each house has different motivations: revenge, power, legitimacy, survival
  • Triggered by complex family dynamics and political machinations
  • Ned Stark’s execution becomes a catalyst for widespread warfare
  • Demonstrates how personal betrayals can escalate into systemic conflict
  1. Existential Conflict: Humans vs. White Walkers External Conflict:
  • An apocalyptic threat that transcends individual house rivalries
  • The White Walkers represent an existential challenge to human survival
  • Creates tension between immediate political struggles and a larger, more critical threat

3. Character Conflict:

  • Jon Snow emerges as a key character trying to unite warring factions against this ultimate threat
  • His struggle involves convincing people to look beyond immediate conflicts to face a greater danger
  • Daenerys Targaryen has an internal conflict between her desire for justice and her potential for destructive violence. Her character arc represents a complex exploration of power, idealism, and potential corruption
  • Tyrion Lannister’s conflict involves an internal struggle against family expectations and personal identity. He fights against being defined by his physical differences and his family’s perception. He uses wit and intelligence as weapons against social and familial prejudices

Resolution Techniques:

George R.R. Martin creates unique resolutions to conflicts, such as:

  • Moral ambiguity means that “winning” often comes with significant personal or collective cost
  • Conflicts often remain unresolved or have unexpected outcomes as system-level problems aren’t solved by individual heroism
  • Victory is rarely clean or complete
  • Characters are fundamentally changed by their experiences

Moreover, George R.R. Martin’s approach to conflict resolution follows a different strategy as he rejects classic heroic narratives where good always triumphs like in the “Lord of the Rings”. He kills major protagonists unexpectedly (like Ned Stark’s execution) and eliminates traditional hero types quickly. He also records the punishment of noble intentions rather than rewarding them. In non-linear storytelling, his characters have moral complexity and psychological dimensions like Jaime Lannister transforming from an apparent villain to a nuanced, sympathetic character. His heroes often experience brutal consequences for good actions and suffer genuine, long-term repercussions for their choices. In his story, the author demonstrates the fundamental corruption of power and treats medieval-style settings with historical realism to focus on human psychology over magical elements and settings. The author reveals the deep psychological motivations of characters who have flaws and multiple internal conflicts just as important as the external ones.

    Vladimir Nabokov’s conflict creation:

    Vladimir Nabokov‘s approach to conflict is uniquely psychological, morally complex, and linguistically sophisticated. In “Lolita”, he uses internal psychological tension as the primary driver of the protagonist. It exists in his mind. Nabokov uses unreliable narration to create moral ambiguity. He also challenges the reader’s moral boundaries through sophisticated narrative techniques making us “feel” for the pedophile. Throughout this book, Nabokov uses elegant prose to create dissonance between horrific actions and beautiful language as one of his conflict techniques.

    In “Pale Fire”, Nabokov constructs unique conflict through the narrative structure, different perspectives, linguistic complexity, and blurred lines between reality and delusion.

    His unique approach to conflict creation:

    • Conflict emerges through linguistic complexity
    • Uses unreliable narration as a primary conflict generator to create moral ambiguity
    • Creates tension through intellectual games or manipulation
    • Challenges reader’s moral and perceptual boundaries

    #4. Become a master of the language & sensory details

    Vivid descriptions and sensory details can transport the reader to another world, allowing them to experience the story firsthand. By appealing to the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, you can create a more immersive reading experience. Consider the evocative descriptions of nature in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” where the forests of Mirkwood and the plains of Rohan come alive with vivid detail. Or study the complex emotional landscapes of Nabokov’s characters.

    Examples & analysis of Nabokov’s language use:

    Russian novelist, Vladimir Nabokov was a master of language, and his prose is often characterized by its precision, lyricism, and playful wordplay. He wrote novels and short stories in 5 different languages and used innovative and complex storytelling methods. His beautiful descriptions often relied on unusual comparisons, wordplay, and symbolism to evoke feelings. His unique mastery of language becomes a microscope into the characters’ inner worlds in every story you read.

    Language is his primary tool to create complex emotional landscapes of his characters. He often uses metaphors to reveal meaning or psychological states of mind. Punctuation and sentence structure often communicate psychological tension in his stories. He uses beautiful language that contrasts with disturbing content and creates feelings through word choice.

    Here is a detailed analysis of Nabokov’s linguistic techniques using an excerpt from “Lolita” that demonstrates his psychological portraiture through language:

    Original Passage: “Dolores, my daughter. Lo, my love. Lolita. The tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Li. Ta.”

    Linguistic Breakdown:

    1. Layered Naming
    • Multiple names reveal psychological fragmentation
    • “Dolores” (pain) vs. “Lo” (intimate) vs. “Lolita” (sexualized)
    • Each name represents a different psychological projection
    • Demonstrates Humbert’s fractured perception of the girl
    1. Phonetic Deconstruction
    • Breaks name into physical sound production
    • Describes linguistic mechanics of saying her name
    • Transforms name into a sensory, almost erotic experience
    • Sound becomes a metaphor for psychological obsession
    1. Psychological Mapping
    • Language reveals the narrator’s disturbing fixation
    • Precise linguistic description masks deeper pathology
    • Creates intimacy through linguistic precision
    • Sound becomes a proxy for emotional/sexual possession
    1. Syntactical Revelation
    • Short, rhythmic phrases
    • Suggests fragmented, obsessive thinking
    • Syntax mirrors the psychological state
    • Linguistic rhythm communicates internal tension

    Deeper Psychological Insights:

    • Language as a form of control
    • Naming as a method of psychological possession
    • Sound becomes a metaphorical penetration
    • Linguistic precision masks moral complexity

    Let’s analyze an excerpt from Nabokov’s “Pale Fire” to demonstrate his linguistic psychological portraiture:

    Excerpt from “Pale Fire”: “I was the shadow of the waxwing slain / By the false azure in the windowpane”

    Linguistic and Psychological Analysis:

    1. Metaphorical Construction
    • Transforms personal experience into abstract imagery
    • “Shadow of the waxwing” becomes a multilayered psychological metaphor
    • Suggests themes of perception, illusion, and fatal misunderstanding
    • Bird’s death represents psychological disorientation
    1. Linguistic Precision
    • Each word is carefully selected for maximum emotional resonance
    • “False azure” implies deception at a sensory level
    • Windowpane becomes a symbol of perceptual barriers
    • Language creates a complex emotional landscape in two lines
    1. Psychological Mapping
    • Death metaphor represents psychological fragmentation
    • Suggests inner conflict between perception and reality
    • Bird’s death symbolizes the vulnerability of consciousness
    • Linguistic construction reveals the internal emotional state
    1. Syntactical Nuance
    • Compact, precise language
    • Each word carries multiple semantic layers
    • Rhythm suggests internal psychological tension
    • Minimal words create maximum emotional complexity

    Deeper Insights:

    • Perception as a potentially fatal experience
    • Consciousness as a fragile, easily deceived construct
    • Language as a mechanism of psychological exploration
    • Metaphor as a tool for revealing inner landscapes

    Nabokov transforms a simple image into a profound psychological exploration, using language as a surgical instrument to dissect consciousness.

    Let’s look at Nabokov’s linguistic techniques in “The Luzhin Defense” by focusing on how he creates a psychological portrait of the protagonist through language:

    Key Linguistic Strategies:

    • Depicts Luzhin as a character trapped between mathematical precision and psychological fragility
    • Uses language to illustrate his disconnection from social reality
    • Portrays his inner world through fragmented, geometric linguistic patterns
    • Demonstrates how mental obsession (with chess) shapes perception

    Psychological Conflict Techniques:

    • Language reflects Luzhin’s fracturing consciousness
    • Chess becomes a metaphorical language of psychological survival
    • Linguistic patterns mirror mathematical and chess-like thinking
    • Reveals the inner world through precise, almost clinical description

    Narrative Approach:

    • Treats Luzhin’s psychological state as a complex system
    • Language becomes a method of mapping his internal landscape
    • Demonstrates how rigid thinking creates emotional isolation
    • Uses linguistic precision to expose psychological vulnerability

    Thematic Linguistic Elements:

    • Fragmentation of consciousness
    • Obsessive pattern recognition
    • Emotional disconnection
    • Intellectual isolation

    Unique Characteristics:

    • Language as a structural representation of mental state
    • Syntax that reflects mathematical thinking
    • Emotional depth revealed through intellectual precision
    • Psychological portrait created through linguistic construction

    Core Linguistic Techniques:

    • Describes Luzhin’s perception as a series of geometric patterns
    • Language becomes a chess board of psychological movement
    • Transforms emotional experiences into abstract, structured representations
    • Uses precision to reveal psychological fragmentation

    Specific Narrative Strategies:

    1. Perception as a Mathematical Construct
    • Describes the world as a series of calculated moves
    • Emotions translated into strategic configurations
    • Personal interactions are viewed as complex problem-solving
    • Language mirrors his detached, analytical consciousness
    1. Syntax of Isolation
    • Sentence structures become fragmented
    • Short, precise linguistic constructions
    • Grammatical patterns reflect psychological disconnection
    • Words arranged like chess pieces on an intellectual landscape
    1. Metaphorical Mapping
    • Chess becomes a linguistic metaphor for psychological survival
    • Each interaction is described with strategic precision
    • Personal relationships converted into strategic encounters
    • Language reveals inner defensive mechanisms

    Example Linguistic Technique: “He saw the world as a complex chess problem, each human interaction a potential gambit, each relationship a strategic configuration waiting to be solved.”

    Psychological Revelations Through Language:

    • Intellectual defense as emotional protection
    • Mathematical thinking as a shield against psychological vulnerability
    • Language reveals profound social disconnection
    • Precise description masks deep emotional trauma

    Philosophical Underpinnings:

    • Consciousness as a structured, calculable system
    • Emotional experiences can be mathematically interpreted
    • Human interaction as a series of strategic maneuvers
    • Intellectual precision as a survival mechanism

    Nabokov transforms language into a diagnostic tool, using linguistic precision to map Luzhin’s fractured psychological landscape.

    #5. Use symbolism to tell the story’s meaning in the end

    Sacrifice oil painting
    Sacrifice, 18×24 in, oil on canvas, Veronica Winters

    By paying attention to the subtle details and recurring motifs used as symbols throughout a story, viewers can uncover the hidden layers of a story and gain a more profound understanding of its themes. By using objects, characters, or events to represent abstract ideas, you can create a relatable and unique narrative. Consider the symbolism of the scarlet letter in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” which represents Hester Prynne’s sin, shame, and eventual redemption.

    Examples of used symbolism to reveal the story’s meaning in famous movies:

    1. The Matrix:
      • This iconic choice of the red or blue pill symbolizes the decision between reality and illusion, between waking up to the truth or remaining in a comfortable lie.
    2. Inception:
      • Each character has a personal totem, a physical object that can be manipulated in a dream state to distinguish reality from dream. It symbolizes their identity and their struggle to maintain it.
      • The spinning top becomes a symbol of doubt and uncertainty, as its continuous spin leaves the viewer questioning the nature of reality.
    3. Arrival:
      • The alien creatures represent the concept of time and language. Their circular writing system symbolizes the interconnectedness of all moments and the idea that the future can influence the past.
      • The glass of water becomes a symbol of the fragility of life.
    4. Her:
      • The AI companion, Samantha, represents the evolving nature of human connection and the potential for love in the digital age.
      • The sprawling metropolis of LA symbolizes the loneliness and isolation of modern life, contrasting with the intimacy of the protagonist’s relationship with Samantha.
    5. Moonlight:
      • The water is an element that symbolizes the fluidity of identity, the passage of time, and the cleansing power of emotions.
      • The moon represents the hidden depths of the characters’ desires and fears.


    A weak ending can undo the impact of an excellent story. It must end with a message or purpose of the whole story. In stories and novels, the conclusion should resolve conflicts, tie up loose ends, and leave a lasting impression. In academic writing, conclusions often summarize key points and highlight implications. A well-crafted conclusion ensures the story feels complete, emotional, sincere, and thoughtful for the audience.

    Freedom-psychedelic art-Veronica Winters artist
    Freedom, 22x30inches, colored pencil drawing by Veronica Winters

    Applying Storytelling Techniques to your YouTube Videos to create the best content

    YouTube videos, like written stories, can benefit immensely from effective storytelling techniques. Personally, I write scripts to produce any new video I upload to YouTube.

    Here’s how you can apply the five storytelling techniques to your YouTube videos:

    1. Hooking the Viewer with a Compelling Beginning:
      • Engaging Intro: Start with a captivating question, a surprising fact, or a visually striking scene.
      • Strong Thesis Statement: Clearly state the main point of your video within the first 30 seconds.
      • Intriguing Teaser: Promise a solution to a problem or a unique perspective.
    2. Creating Memorable Characters:
      • Relatable Characters: Use yourself as the main character, sharing personal experiences and emotions.
      • Distinct Personalities: Develop unique characters within your videos, whether they are guests, actors, or animated avatars.
      • Character Arcs: Show character growth or transformation throughout the video.
    3. Building Suspense and Tension:
      • Cliffhangers: End segments with a cliffhanger to encourage viewers to watch the next part.
      • Mystery and Intrigue: Tease information or reveal it gradually, building anticipation.
      • Visual and Audio Cues: Use dramatic music, sound effects, and camera angles to heighten tension.
    4. Using Vivid Descriptions and Sensory Details:
      • Visual Storytelling: Use high-quality visuals, including close-ups, wide shots, and dynamic camera movements.
      • Audio Immersion: Employ immersive sound design, including background music, sound effects, and voiceovers.
      • Sensory Language: Describe sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures in a way that evokes emotions.
    5. Unveiling the Story’s Meaning Through Symbolism:
      • Symbolic Imagery: Use objects, colors, or locations to represent deeper meanings.
      • Metaphorical Language: Employ metaphors and similes to convey complex ideas in a relatable way.
      • Subtle Themes: Embed underlying themes throughout the video, such as love, loss, or redemption.

    Additional Tips:

    • Tailor your storytelling style and content to your target audience’s interests and preferences.
    • Maintain a clear and concise structure, avoiding unnecessary tangents.
    • Engage with your audience through comments and feedback, using their insights to improve your storytelling. reply to your comments with questions!
    • Try new storytelling techniques and learn from your mistakes.

    Here are some top YouTubers who are masterful storytellers:

    • Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell: This channel uses animated, fast-paced visuals and narration to explain complex scientific and philosophical concepts.
    • Sam Dawson uses an unusual editing style to communicate his stories.
    • Vice: This channel produces a wide range of documentaries, from investigative journalism to cultural explorations, often featuring immersive storytelling and strong character development.
    • Casey Neistat is known for his cinematic style and honest storytelling, Neistat shares his emotions through personal experiences, travels, and creative projects.
    • Life of Riza: This is a very talented, young YouTuber who vlogs about her daily life experiences through beautiful, cinematic footage and simple stories.
    • Gawx Art: This young artist is a YouTube sensation who built his channel on his artistic approach to storytelling through movie-like videos.
    • National Geographic has well-produced videos about ancient history and more.

    Check out one of my videos where I tell a story about the symbolism of white in art history and life:

    Shop:

    AI Image Generation: pros, cons and amazing tech for the future of humanity

    Posted on by veronica

    I don’t know about you but I find the subject of AI image generation fascinating. It’s a new realm of technological advancements, creativity, and ethical issues that many artists grapple with today. AI Art Generators like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Deep Dream Generator, and Dall-E 2 are popular tools, allowing users to create stunning images from simple text prompts. Although I’m not a scientist or software engineer, I’m interested in learning about this groundbreaking technology of AI image generation.

    There is a growing concern about the use of AI. Joe Rogan often expresses his fear of humanity being taken over by machines. As AI art becomes more sophisticated, there are serious concerns about copyright infringement, the potential for misuse, and the impact on us, real artists. While these are valid concerns, I think this topic is more nuanced and each question might have a different solution.

    Joe Rogan fan art
    Joe Rogan, oil painting, 16x20in, Veronica Winters

    Advantages of using AI art generators:

    As a creator myself, I think that the AI image generation has several unique advantages that are not obvious. First of all, it’s a great tool to explore your creativity. Just like by looking at original art, you may feel inspired and hopeful by looking at generated images. There is quick satisfaction from the image generation process as you type in a text and see the immediate result on the screen with your participation. Therefore, AI image generation can offer instant psychological help when needed. I often render images when I feel down and need positive energy. To create art, you must dedicate considerable time to learning the skill, while AI image generation takes a few seconds to give instant results.

    Other obvious advantages include the low cost of image creation for small businesses, increased productivity for creators and video editors, a tool for the movie creation process, and a new income stream for companies selling generative AI models. Overall, it’s an exciting evolution in human development!

    blue lily dream-veronica winters colored pencil
    Blue lily dream, 20×30 inches, colored pencil on art board by Veronica Winters

    I believe that Ai won’t replace us, humans and artists in terms of creativity, emotions, and intelligence. The reason is simple. We have a Divine Spark of the Creator or Higher Consciousness inside us that the algorithms and machines don’t possess. Is it possible to program emotions into the AI model to make it feel joy, excitement or suffering? Is it possible for AI models develop attachment, sense of meaning and time, or feelings of passion or loss? Can it become self-aware? Even if a complete awareness is possible for it, will AI models search for their true meaning or experience a crisis like a human being? It could probably learn to see the beautiful but unable to appreciate the miracle of life. What’s real is the legitimate fear of misuse and biased training of the AI-generative models.

    Drawbacks:

    I understand that many artists are frustrated with the use of AI art. It’s already tough to make a living doing art and this AI art generation idea feels like an assault on our creativity and job security. Sometimes, I get angry comments about my rare use of AI-generated images in videos to illustrate concepts. Other times, artists lash out at other artists who use AI to create digital art.

    Besides legitimate ethical concerns about copyright infringement of original art taken without the artist’s permission to train the models, artists lose some freelance jobs that usually help us offset studio costs. For example, many writers self-publish today and don’t need to hire an artist for their book and cover illustration anymore. Music album covers, posters and marketing materials can be done with the AI image generators, leaving real artists scrapping by or searching for other paying gigs. Freelance photographers may be undercut doing product photography gigs as these images can be rendered. It takes many years to master the artistic skill, yet it passed by for a shiny object of AI image generation.

    Also, AI image generators need a constant stream of new, quality data to create better imagery. Therefore, original art gets scrapped from all major social media platforms and image databases without the artist’s permission. Artists are not paid to “give” their images as we normally see in licensing agreements, yet these AI companies generate revenue by selling their services to us. I think this issue would be resolved legally at some point.

    Finally, as humans program the models, we can see social biases in the generated images. Remember, the first images generated by Google’s AI? These were black Nazies, popes, Vikings, and the Founding Fathers!

    AI-generated Image in Deep Dream Generator

    Brief History

    Deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) imaging have evolved significantly since their inception. The origins of AI trace back to the mid-20th century, when Alan Turing’s 1950 paper, Computing Machinery and Intelligence, laid the foundation for machine learning concepts. In the 1950s and 1960s, pioneers like Marvin Minsky and John McCarthy developed early AI models, and coined the term “artificial intelligence” during the 1956 Dartmouth Workshop. Deep learning, a subset of AI, gained traction in the 1980s with Geoffrey Hinton’s revolutionary backpropagation algorithm, which allowed neural networks to adjust their weights through feedback. Hinton, along with Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio, is often regarded as one of the “godfathers of AI” for his contributions to deep learning. The modern renaissance of AI imaging began in the 2010s, fueled by advances in deep neural networks and datasets like ImageNet, developed by Fei-Fei Li, which enabled machines to surpass human capabilities in image recognition by 2015.

    Deep learning’s impact on AI imaging has been transformative, enabling innovations across diverse fields such as medicine, biotech, art, and entertainment. Techniques like convolutional neural networks (CNNs), introduced by LeCun in the late 1980s, revolutionized image processing by mimicking how the human brain interprets visual information. Today, tools like GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks), popularized by Ian Goodfellow in 2014, create hyper-realistic AI-generated images. For those delving into the technical depths of these advancements, resources like course notes provide invaluable insights into the concepts and methodologies that drive this ever-evolving field. As AI imaging continues to evolve, it remains a testament to decades of innovation, collaboration, and curiosity in the pursuit of intelligent machines.

    The process of AI image generation

    AI image generation is a complex process. It involves training the Model and then using Image Generation.

    To train the Model, companies collect a massive dataset of quality images and their corresponding text descriptions. Feature learning involves the AI model analyzing the images and text descriptions to learn patterns, styles, and relationships between visual and textual elements. The model training consists of deep learning, specifically using neural networks. This training process involves adjusting the model’s parameters to minimize the difference between its generated images and the real images in the dataset. The model needs a constant stream of quality data.

    To generate the Image, the user enters a text prompt or description and the AI creates the visual result. It’s fascinating to learn that the AI starts with a random noise image, which is essentially a matrix of random numbers. The model iteratively refines the noise image based on the text prompt and its learned knowledge. It adjusts the pixels in the image to match the desired features, styles, and objects described in the prompt. After multiple iterations, the model produces a final image that aligns with the user’s input.

    Types of AI image-generation techniques:

    1. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): This technique involves two neural networks, a generator and a discriminator. The generator creates images, while the discriminator evaluates their realism. This competition between the two networks leads to the generation of increasingly realistic images.
    2. Diffusion Models: These models start with a noisy image and gradually remove the noise to reveal the underlying image structure, guided by the text prompt.
    3. Transformer-Based Models: These models, inspired by natural language processing, are tools for understanding the relationships between text and image.

    The simplified process of AI image generation:

    1. Text Encoding: The text prompt is broken down into smaller units, or tokens. Each token is mapped to a numerical representation (embedding), capturing its semantic meaning.

    2. Image Encoding: The AI model analyzes a vast dataset of images to learn visual features like shapes, colors, and textures. These features are compressed into a latent space, a mathematical representation of the image’s essence.

    3. Text-to-Image Translation: Text embedding guides the generation process, directing the model to create an image that aligns with the prompt’s meaning. The model iteratively refines the image, starting from a random noise image and gradually shaping it into the desired output.

    4. Image Generation: The latent space representation is decoded into a pixel-level image. Techniques like super-resolution and noise reduction may be applied to enhance the final image quality.

    The Mathematical Underpinnings:

    AI image generation relies on:

    • Matrix Operations: To manipulate and process the numerical representations of images and text.
    • Gradient Descent: To optimize the model’s parameters and minimize the difference between the generated image and the desired output.
    • Probability Distributions: To model the uncertainty in the image generation process.
    • Loss Functions: To measure the discrepancy between the generated image and the ground truth.

    What does latent space look like?


    A latent space is a high-dimensional mathematical space where data, such as images or text, is represented in a compressed form. It’s a bit like a hidden world where similar data points are clustered together. It’s difficult to visualize this latent space. However, techniques like t-SNE (t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding) and UMAP (Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection) can reduce the dimensionality of the space into 2D or 3D representations. These visualizations can provide insights into the structure of the latent space and how different data points relate to each other.  

    A simplified visual analogy of the latent space can be a city map. Each point on the map represents a specific location. The map itself is a 2D representation of a 3D space (the city). Similarly, a latent space is a multidimensional representation of data, where each point corresponds to a specific data point (e.g., an image or a text document).

    As a result, latent spaces often have many dimensions. Data is compressed into a lower-dimensional space, capturing the essential features. Similar data points are clustered together in the latent space, reflecting their semantic similarity. By manipulating points in the latent space, the model can generate new data points – images, and text. While we cannot directly “see” this hidden, latent space, understanding how it works is crucial for developing advanced AI models.

    https://www.ai.codersarts.com/multivariate-analysis

    Neural networks & deep learning

    Neural Networks

    A neural network is a computing system inspired by the biological neural network of the human brain. It consists of interconnected nodes, or neurons, organized into layers. These layers process information in a sequential manner, from input to output.

    How Neural Networks work:

    1. The input layer receives data.
    2. The input data passes through the hidden layers, where each neuron applies a weighted sum of its inputs and activates if the result exceeds a threshold. This is called propagation.
    3. The final layer produces the output, which can be a classification, a regression value, or another type of prediction.
    4. Backpropagation is a learning algorithm that adjusts the weights and biases of the network to minimize the error between the predicted output and the actual output.  

    Deep Learning

    Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks with multiple layers to learn complex patterns from large datasets. The “deep” in deep learning refers to the multiple layers of neurons in the network.   In essence, deep learning leverages the power of neural networks with multiple layers to tackle complex problems that were previously difficult to solve.

    How Deep Learning works:

    1. Deep learning models learn features at multiple levels of abstraction which constitutes hierarchical learning.
    2. The models automatically learn relevant features from the data without explicit feature engineering (feature learning).
    3. Deep learning models can learn end-to-end mappings from raw input to output.

    How Deep Learning is used:

    • Image and Video Recognition: Object detection, image classification, and video analysis.
    • Natural Language Processing: Language translation, sentiment analysis, and text generation.
    • Speech Recognition: Speech-to-text conversion and voice assistants.
    • Autonomous Vehicles: Self-driving cars and drones. Deep learning enables autonomous vehicles, such as drones and self-driving cars, to navigate complex environments and make real-time decisions.
    • Robotics: Deep learning can be used to develop robots capable of performing tasks in dangerous or inaccessible environments, such as bomb disposal or search and rescue operations.
    • Military & Security applications: Image and video analysis, signal intelligence, and cybersecurity. Deep learning algorithms can analyze vast amounts of satellite imagery, drone footage, and other visual data to identify patterns, anomalies, and potential threats. Deep learning can be used to analyze intercepted communications, such as phone calls, emails, and social media posts, to extract valuable intelligence. Deep learning can detect and respond to cyber threats, such as malware attacks and data breaches, by analyzing network traffic and identifying malicious patterns.
    • Predictive Maintenance: Deep learning can predict equipment failures, allowing for proactive maintenance and reducing downtime. Deep learning can optimize supply chains by predicting demand, reducing waste, and improving efficiency.
    • Training and Simulation: Deep learning can create highly realistic, individualized simulations for training soldiers and pilots.
    • Surveillance and Security: Deep learning can do facial recognition to identify individuals in real time, enabling law enforcement to track suspects and monitor public spaces. It can also detect objects of interest in surveillance footage, such as weapons or suspicious behavior.

    Core Technical Skills:

    If you are interested in getting a job in this field, these are some of the requirements. A deep understanding of machine learning concepts, including supervised and unsupervised learning, neural networks, and deep learning. Proficiency in deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch to build and train complex neural networks. Strong programming skills in Python, as it’s the primary language used in machine learning and AI. A solid grasp of linear algebra and calculus is essential for understanding the underlying principles of neural networks and optimization algorithms. Also, knowledge of data cleaning, preprocessing, and analysis techniques is crucial for preparing datasets for training. Plus,

    Specialized Skills:

    • Generative Models: Familiarity with generative models like GANs, VAEs, and diffusion models, and their applications in image and text generation.
    • Latent Space Manipulation: Understanding how to navigate and manipulate latent spaces to generate new data, interpolate between existing data points, and control the style and content of generated outputs.
    • Computer Vision: Knowledge of computer vision techniques for image processing, feature extraction, and object recognition.
    • Natural Language Processing (NLP): For text-to-image generation, a strong foundation in NLP is necessary to understand and process text prompts.

    Updating the Model with datasets:

    AI image generation models require regular updates with new, quality data to improve their performance and generate more diverse and realistic images. These updates can involve adding new images and text descriptions to the model’s training data that can help it learn new styles, concepts, and techniques. It also improves the diversity of image generation capabilities. Regular updates lead to better image quality, style, faster image generation, coherence, and accuracy.

    What Happens Without Updates?

    If an AI image generation model doesn’t receive regular updates, it may experience stagnation of image generation. Image quality declines and the model becomes biased towards the original dataset it was trained on.

    Publicly Available Datasets include:

    • ImageNet: A large database of images organized according to a hierarchical taxonomy.
    • COCO (Common Objects in Context): A dataset containing images with object annotations and scene captions.
    • LAION-5B: A massive dataset of images and text descriptions scraped from the internet.

    User-generated content includes social media platforms and online forums like Instagram, X, Reddit, 4chan, etc. Proprietary Datasets include companies’ private datasets that they use for AIgenerative training.

    In this podcast episode about the AI model named ‘Claude’, Lex Fridman interviews Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, a public benefit corporation dedicated to building AI systems. They discuss the fast-paced development of AI systems, datasets, ethics, model training, etc. Amodei earned his doctorate in biophysics from Princeton University as a Hertz Fellow and was a postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He was a VP of Research at OpenAI and worked at Google Brain as a Senior Research Scientist.

    In his essay, Machines of Loving Grace, Amodei sees great potential in the development of AI systems, especially in biology. He predicts that AI-enabled biology and medicine will compress the progress of 100 years into 5-10 years! In his essay, Amodei discusses a lot of different applications for AI models to help people live up to 150 years. Can he do it?

    Who invented the AI image generation?


    While many researchers and engineers have contributed to the development of AI image generation techniques, Ian Goodfellow seems to be the first figure who made a significant breakthrough in the development of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) in 2014. GANs revolutionized AI image generation by enabling the creation of highly realistic and diverse images.

    Who invented facial recognition?

    The pioneers of facial recognition technology were Woody Bledsoe, Helen Chan Wolf, and Charles Bisson. They began their groundbreaking work in the 1960s, focusing on teaching computers to recognize human faces.

    Their early experiments involved manually marking facial features on photographs and feeding this data into a computer. While the technology was primitive by today’s standards, it laid the foundation for the advanced facial recognition systems we have today.

    I found this fascinating episode about the early history of facial recognition technology. Karthik Cannon co-founded a facial recognition and computer vision startup called Envision. They make AI software with glasses for visually impaired people. The glasses read text, recognize objects, and do voice descriptions of the surroundings. He also has programmed the glasses to recognize and describe human faces! This project has built on the research of Woody Bledsoe, an obscure mathematician and computer scientist living in 1960s America, who did a lot of mathematical research about facial recognition.

    While his body was ravaged by ALS and he couldn’t speak, Woody left his research papers in the garage for his son to discover. He left tons of images of people’s faces marked with math equations. Also, thousands of photos of marked-up, rotating faces he studied while he worked at the University of Texas. Woody had worked in a start-up in Palo Alto before his university career began, where he and his friends explored crazy ideas, among them pattern recognition. To sustain his company financially, Woody got support from CIA companies to work on facial recognition research over the years. The podcast episode discusses the complex facial recognition process Woody went through. When his company went out of business, he received a project to work on facial recognition for law enforcement, matching mug shots with potential criminals utilizing computer software that cut on time 100-fold!

    Because of the CIA’s sponsorship of his company & research, Woody couldn’t publish any of his findings to make them public. As a result, it fell into obscurity for decades before interest in this subject re-emerged.

    veronica winters colored pencil drawing
    Create, a colored pencil drawing, 19×25 inches

    How much power does it take to generate one image?

    The amount of energy required to generate a single AI image can vary significantly depending on several factors, including:

    • More complex models, like Stable Diffusion XL, consume more energy than simpler ones.
    • Higher-resolution images require more computational power and energy.
    • The number of iterations the model goes through to refine the image affects energy consumption.
    • The efficiency of the hardware and software used can impact energy usage.

    Generally, a single AI image can consume anywhere from 0.01 to 0.29 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy. Because of energy use, big techs like Amazon and Microsoft are exploring new options for building or reopening nuclear plants to support their AI systems.

    What computers are used for AI image generation?

    AI image generation is typically performed on computers with powerful graphics processing units (GPUs). These processors handle complex mathematical calculations and parallel processing. Common computers used for AI image generation include High-Performance Computing (HPC) Systems. These are large-scale systems with multiple servers often used by research institutions and big tech to train and run complex AI models. High-end gaming PCs with GPUs can be used for AI image generation for small projects and personal use. Popular GPUs for AI image generation include NVIDIA’s RTX series. Cloud computing platforms like Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure provide access to powerful computing resources, including GPUs. This allows users to rent computing power on demand.

    Similarities and Differences in Logical Processes Between AI and Humans in Image Generation

    While AI image generation has made significant strides, its underlying logic differs from human creativity in several ways.

    Similarities:
    1. Both AI and humans excel at recognizing patterns. AI models are trained on vast datasets of images, allowing them to identify recurring patterns like shapes, colors, and textures. Humans, too, learn to recognize patterns from their experiences and observations.

    2. Both AI and humans learn from experience. AI models improve their image generation capabilities by training on more data and refining their algorithms. Similarly, human artists learn from their mistakes, experiment with different techniques, and refine their skills over time.


    Differences:
    1. AI relies heavily on data to learn patterns and generate images. It lacks a deep understanding of the world and often struggles with abstract concepts. Humans can generate images based on abstract concepts, emotions, and imagination, even without specific visual references.
    2. AI struggles with understanding context and nuance in prompts. It may generate images that are technically correct but lack the emotional depth that a human artist can convey. People can interpret prompts with subtle sensitivity, considering culture, and history but most importantly, personal experiences and emotions that are channeled through original art.
    3. While AI can generate creative and innovative images, its creativity is limited by the quality of data it’s trained on. Artists are unique and can think outside the box and feel and process their emotions to generate original art.

    Moonlight, 22x30in, closeup, colored pencil on art board, Veronica Winters

    How does this technology generate revenue for companies?

    1. Companies sell AI-generated art to consumers as art prints or digital downloads.
    2. Companies can license AI-generated art to other businesses for use in advertising, marketing materials, or product design.
    3. Companies can offer AI art generation services to clients, charging fees for creating custom images based on specific prompts.
    4. Many companies develop and sell software tools that allow users to create their AI-generated art. Other companies, incorporate AI image generation into their final product.
    5. Companies integrate AI Art into other products they offer, like video games, virtual reality, and design software.
    6. Companies also collect data from user interactions with AI art tools, which can be used to improve the technology and generate insights for future products and services.

    Potential future applications of AI-generated images for companies to make money:

    1. While content creation and marketing might become dominated by AI-driven art to cut costs and raise efficiency, human creativity, and emotional and thought processes can’t be replaced with AI. Thus, I believe that humans will always be in charge of originality but have AI models as a tool to speed up the creative process and deliver results.
    2. AI can generate high-quality product images, reducing the need for expensive photo shoots. Some products we see in magazines and ads feature extreme close-ups. These are often 3D renders, not real pictures, like images of diamonds, watches, jewelry, etc. AI might generate similar images much faster being cost-efficient.
    3. AI image generation will be used in game development and virtual reality experiences.
    4. Product visualization is a natural extension of the online shopping experience.
    5. AI can generate initial design concepts in architecture and design projects. AI can create realistic visualizations of interior design concepts, helping people visualize space.
    6. AI can generate realistic simulations for training purposes, improving safety and efficiency.

    In conclusion:

    I think humanity will benefit greatly from AI systems, just like from having computers or automation. While AI can generate creative and innovative images, its creativity is limited by the dataset quality it’s trained on. Artists are unique and can think outside the box and feel and process their emotions to CREATE original art. Art is always based on layers of personal experiences and feelings that the machines don’t possess. Also, artists create tangible art while AI pictures exist in digital format that can be printed, of course, but AI art lacks the physicality of paint or other art materials used in the art creation process. We’ve already seen plenty of bad movies probably based on AI writing ( the 2nd season of Locki, the latest Marvell movies, endless series on Netflix and Amazon that lack originality, etc).

    We won’t see the birth of innovative artists inside the AI models because only our reality can give rise to such creative people. True innovators like the facial recognition trailblazer, and mathematician Woody Bledsoe were way ahead of their time but paved the way to a better future. And while all innovative applications can be used for good and bad, I hope AI tech will end up in good hands, letting societies flourish.

    • Tech parts of this article were written with the help of Gemini.
    visionary art for sale
    https://veronicasart.com/shop/

    Top 5 Christmas gift ideas for content creators, artists & photographers

    Posted on by veronica

    Christmas time is the best time of the year. We want to give something special to our family and friends. I’d like to include unusual gifts for him and her here that are more than the art supplies section, although getting a box of great art supplies is a big Christmas gift!!! In this post, I’m going to include artful gifts for artists and photo/video enthusiasts, content creators, and alike. These products are not cheap but of good if not excellent quality and can serve you for years to come. You can buy them all on Amazon. Links are included below. Let’s dive in.

    Must-have Photo & video art studio equipment on a budget:

    #1 FTF Gear Compact Aluminum DSLR Camera Tripod and Monopod

    I like this tripod because it’s stable. There are so many tripods out there that are flimsy and not suitable for a DSLR camera. This one is. I also love that it’s so compact and portable! It fits in a very small bag that comes with it that I can take with me whenever I travel. It loads up to 20 lbs of weight and comes with a mount for your phone as well. It’s made of aluminum and weighs under 3 pounds. Center support can be converted into a stand-alone monopod. There is a hook under it that allows for the placement of additional weight like a backpack if you’re hiking and want to add more weight to the tripod to stabilize it even more. It stretches much higher than a regular tripod and can sit super low, almost at the ground level if you want to shoot something from a different perspective.

    The only thing I don’t like about this tripod is that it does take longer to set it up because of all the adjustable points in it. It takes a while to learn what knob to screw or unscrew. Otherwise, I’m glad I bought it for my studio. I can see that I’d been using it for many years.

    If FTF Gear Tripod is sold out on Amazon, I think that this one, K&F Concept 72″/184cm lightweight Camera Tripod, looks very similar to mine. It’s a bit cheaper too!

    #2 SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card

    Even if you’re not a photographer, you can use these memory cards with your computer for storage. Just plug in, drag, and drop files from your computer to those cards. They come in different sizes and price varies quite a lot. 128 GB is under $25 and 1TB is $139. You can pick the size of the card on Amazon. SanDisk Cards work very well and I often travel with them. Just be mindful that they do stop working in a few years because of solar flare damage and other issues.

    Photo & Video Lighting:

    #3 Newkana LED Lamp

    This lamp will elevate your lighting experience because it features adjustable brightness, high-quality design, LED lifespan of up to 40,000 hours, gesture control, occupancy sensor (lights on when you sit down, off when you leave), night light, timer off, and auto-brightness adjustment. The desk light can be positioned at multiple angles. It can be placed way above the head to give a nice and even illumination. It has a stable base and is ideal for work at the desk, doing small painting, crafting, jewelry-making, or nail art.

    I made a separate video review of the Newkana LED desk lamp.

    #4 Lume Cube Bicolor Panel Mini LED Light for Professional DSLR Cameras

    This is a very small but powerful LED light lamp that fits in your pocket. It also mounts to a DSLR camera or any other mount that you have in your art and content creator studio. You can use it both inside and outside. It has a very nice, adjustable brightness and color temperature ranging from 3200K to 5600K. Its battery lasts for several hours but for extended use, simply plug it in and continue creating if you are out of battery time. This portable LED light comes with an extra light panel diffuser and shoe mount, designed for seamless integration with your LED video light. It charges via a USB port. I usually use it to have an additional light on my face or as a light for my Nikon to shoot outdoors at dusk.

    #5 VILTROX LED Photography Tube Light

    This is a very versatile colorful light that you can use all around your studio and beyond. The light is bright but adjustable. There are many settings and colors to choose from and I have lots of fun using it in my video and photography. It charges via a USB port and it can be mounted if needed. Its length is about 22.7 inches (57.8cm). It’s light to carry around in a soft bag. You can use it with the app but I normally set it directly. 

    Bonus: colored pencils box & art instruction books

    Prismacolor Premier colored pencils, I recommend a box of 36 or 72 colors. This is an official store page on Amazon where you can pick your favorite box.

    The Colored Pencil Manual is an art instruction book

    colored pencil manual veronica winters
    https://amzn.to/3xoJjbi

    How to Color Like an Artist is a coloring book that teaches you some awesome colored pencil drawing techniques.

    This wraps it up for now. I hope you just have found your favorite art gift!

    Check out art shop here: https://veronicasart.com/shop/
    How to use Instagram for artists & creatives

    What every artist needs: create with KraftGeek adjustable art easel

    Posted on by veronica
    KraftGeek easel review

    The moment I sit down at my easel to create art is magical. Time flows into numerous strokes of color to tell a story of hope, loneliness, and my inner need to capture the divine nature of the Universe.  We all have the light and dark inside us, but our will or choice to do anything in life is real. Some unknown forces or mysteries don’t guide us. We are here to do what we set out to create ourselves.

    KraftGeek art easel review

    If you love artistic expression as much as I do and enjoy painting outdoors or in your studio, a stable but portable easel is necessary for every artist.

    The advantages:

    The easel is adjustable and unfolds up to 65 inches tall. It measures 2.2″D x 3.9″W x 19.87″H and is available in 3 colors: oak, black, and walnut. I like functional things. The art easel weighs under 4 pounds and can fit in carry-on luggage. Made of lightweight aluminum alloy, it can be folded to just 20 inches. The easel is easy to set up, carry around, or store in a closet.

    This plein air easel requires no assembly. Just take it out of your box, unfold it, and set it up for a painting session or a gallery presentation.

    It can fit on a table. It can also be used as a floor easel because I can adjust its length between 20 and 65 inches.

    https://youtu.be/nmCTHH7I3Wc

    How to unfold it:


    1. Unfold the front legs of the tripod
    2. Unfold the back leg
    3. To unlock the rod, turn it clockwise, pull & turn counterclockwise
    4. To unlock the clamp extension, turn the knob counterclockwise. Turn it clockwise to fasten it.

    The most important thing about art easels is their stability.  This one doesn’t disappoint. The easel has locks and non-slip silicone pads on each leg to hold art up to 11 lbs.

    It can also level your canvas on uneven surfaces, which is useful if you paint outdoors.

    The easel can hold a variety of canvases up to 3/4 of an inch wide. It holds canvas sizes up to 10.5” in width, and 24” in height. It’s NOT suitable for small panels like 5×7″, 8×10″, or 9×12″. So you can use it for art gallery displays,  outdoor painting, and studio work.

    This easel has a pleasantly surprising additional feature. If you need a tripod for your phone, camera, or light, it comes with a mount to hold the phone while recording. 

    To activate a 2-year limited warranty, scan a code attached to the easel inside the box.

    KraftGeek easel review

    The disadvantages: 

    1 Some parts are made of plastic and I don’t know how long they would last.
    2 It cannot hold big and heavy art but no foldable easel can.

    3 It doesn’t hold small canvases horizontally like 5×7, 8×10, 9×12.
    4 Also, It’s not cheap. But I’m tired of crappy stands that fall off and can’t even balance small canvases. I figured it’s more valuable to buy one solid easel instead of 2-3 cheap ones that end up in a trash bin anyway.

     Enhance your creativity with this steady and functional easel sold by KraftGeek.

    To Shop:

    If you’re interested in purchasing this beautiful easel on Amazon & supporting my channel, please use the link https://amzn.to/4esAigS . Or buy it at their store online: https://bit.ly/4fdcRJO Use the discount Code: VERONICA to get it at a better price.

    Thank you!  I hope you enjoy the creative process using this easel!

    Exploring the Role of AI in Educational Image Generation & Writing

    Posted on by veronica

    Emerging artificial intelligence is quickly changing our perception of reality. While the full potential of AI language models is yet to be discovered, the most straightforward application of emerging AI language models is education. Numerous pieces of information are sorted out, organized, and presented concisely. Children and teachers have instant access to information along with image-generation capabilities like we have never seen before.

    New approach to education for better or worse

    AI image generation is becoming a novel tool for creating educational materials. With the ability to generate high-quality images using AI models, teachers can now illustrate abstract concepts with visuals. Hard-to-find images otherwise can quickly be generated to explain history, math, or bio diagrams. As AI language models take hold in our society, many start-up companies have emerged offering writing services to students of different age groups. All students need to master writing skills to be successful in the future, and these companies seem to have a new approach to essay writing. In this context, Papersowl can be called the best essay writing service. Thanks to its writers, you can quickly get professional help when writing texts with any difficulty. This may save you time in preparation for exams or other school activities.

    Here are some creative essay topic ideas for school:

    Fantasy and Sci-Fi:

    • If you could invent a new superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?
    • Write a short story about a world where animals can talk.
    • Imagine a future where humans have colonized Mars. What challenges would they face?
    • Create a new myth or legend about a mythical creature.

    Personal Experiences and Reflections:

    • Write a letter to your future self.
    • If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

    Social and Cultural Issues:

    • What is the most important issue facing our world today?
    • If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

    Creative Writing Prompts:

    • Write a story from the perspective of an inanimate object.
    • Create a new holiday and describe its traditions.
    • Write a poem about a specific emotion or experience.
    • Write a short story that takes place in a dream world.

    William Sergeant Kendall, art interlude, 1907, oil on canvas, American Art Museum at the Smithsonian
    William Sergeant Kendall, art interlude, 1907, oil on canvas, American Art Museum at the Smithsonian

    Benefits of Using Image-Generative AI in Education

    AI image generation can be a valuable tool in educational settings, offering several benefits:

    1. Enhanced Visual Learning: AI can create custom images that illustrate complex concepts, making them easier to understand and remember. AI-generated art can be adapted to suit various needs, including those of students with visual impairments. Artificial intelligence makes complex topics easier to understand through detailed visual simulations.
    2. Limitless Creativity & Inspiration boost: Students can feel inspired and interested in learning by actively participating in image generation that includes fantastic, never-before-seen imagery.
    3. Efficient Content Creation: Teachers used to spend hours searching for appropriate visual content. AI can quickly generate images, reducing the time and effort required for teachers and students to create visual materials for varied subjects and topics.

    Technology Solutions for Teachers

    Various platforms offer the integration of AI education tools for creating educational images. They facilitate the creation of diagrams, maps, or even realistic three-dimensional models that can be used in classroom and online courses.  Here are some examples.

    • Canva AI, software allows you to create infographics with the help of AI.
    • DALL-E specializes in generating realistic images from text descriptions.
    • ThingLink creates interactive visualizations that can be adapted to different topics and age groups.

    Google Gemini’s top text prompts for AI image generation that can be used in a school classroom:

    History

    • “A medieval knight fighting a dragon in a realistic style”
    • “A futuristic city with flying cars and skyscrapers”
    • “A historical reenactment of the American Revolution”

    Science

    • “A microscopic view of a cell”
    • “A solar system with realistic planets and stars”
    • “A diagram of the water cycle”

    Math

    • “A visual representation of the Pythagorean Theorem”
    • “A 3D model of a geometric shape”
    • “A graph showing the relationship between two variables”

    Language Arts

    • “A fantasy landscape with a magical castle”
    • “A character from a book, illustrated in a specific art style”
    • “A scene from a famous novel, depicted in a realistic style”

    General Education

    • “A diverse group of students working together on a project”
    • “A teacher explaining a concept to a class of students”
    • “A student reading a book in a library”

    Tips for Effective Prompting:

    • Be specific: The more specific your prompt, the better the results. For example, instead of “a dog,” try “a golden retriever puppy playing in a park.”
    • Use keywords: Use keywords that are relevant to the image you want to generate. For example, if you want a historical picture, use keywords like “historical,” “medieval,” or “ancient.”
    • Experiment with different styles: AI image generators can produce images in a variety of styles, from realistic to abstract.
    • Use negative prompts: Negative prompts can help you to exclude certain elements from your image. For example, if you don’t want a specific object in your image, you can use a negative prompt like “no object” or ” no signature.”

    By using these tips, you can create more accurate images to enhance learning in the classroom.

    Ethics & Challenges

    1. Intellectual property issues: copyright issues arise from artists whose art is taken to train the AI models. The use of AI images can cause disputes over who owns the rights to content, the algorithm developer, the platform, or the user.
    2. Representation issues: AI does not always generate historically or culturally correct images and teachers must be aware of the model’s biases in image generation.
    3. Dependence on tech: excessive use of artificial intelligence can lead to interest fatigue and a decrease in creativity among teachers and students who try to cut corners in favor of quick results. Tech can’t replace passion for the learning process, it can only complement it.
    4. Cheating by students using AI-language models.

    Conclusion

    The development of artificial intelligence, particularly in education, gives new opportunities to improve the learning process and make it engaging, interactive, and personalized. However, technology can’t replace human effort, passion, genuine creativity, and willingness to learn.

    Written by Linda Crouse & Veronica Winters

    Shop original visionary art & prints:

    How to use Instagram for artists & creatives

    Posted on by veronica

    I’ve been using Instagram for several years to see it change and evolve. I spent hundreds of dollars on Instagram courses claiming to help me build the audience. While I don’t have a crazy following like so many artists out there, I did learn a thing or two about it with lots of sweat and tears. In 2022, I decided to share some simple truths about the social platform that you can apply to your account today to see some growth and hopefully cut on the frustration Instagram can give us. I updated it in 2024.

    Overall, I like Instagram for art. It’s my favorite social network mainly because it’s so visual and easy to present art and connect with others in the art community and beyond. Perfect for us – artists because it’s still free! I must say that there are plenty of couches who claim to grow your account if you “follow their steps and strategies”. While it could work for them, it doesn’t mean it will work for you because you’re a different person with different art, ideas, and presentation. I saw couches that simply lied promising growth, and selling their silly programs. This is not me being negative about others, rather be mindful of all of this as you work on your account’s growth. Observe, what other top art accounts are doing now to incorporate their strategies into yours.

    This video became viral on YouTube but I didn’t do anything special or different from my other reels on YouTube. I think sometimes it’s really just luck.

    How to fix Instagram’s storage space

    This is one of the major problems I often have with Instagram and other apps like Spotify. At some point, my Instagram takes up all the space on my half-empty Android phone! The size of the app gets bigger and bigger despite my limited use of the app. So, I tried different things to share what works for me.

    1. You must remember your account name and password before you do the reset! After that,
    2. Open the Settings tab on your phone. Click on Apps —All Apps—and you’ll see a list of all your installed apps. Pick Instagram (or Spotify or any other app you want to downsize).
    3. Click on Instagram app—Storage & Cache–‘Clear cache’ first & click on ‘Clear Storage’. It will ask you ‘Delete app data?’ Click ‘Delete’.
    4. This action will reset the app and recover the storage space on your phone. You must open the Instagram app to enter your login information again to use it.

    Why you need to be on Instagram

    1. Every art professional, gallery owner, curator, artist, and art writer is on Instagram. You can connect to or reach out to people in a very informal way. Something that was totally impossible to accomplish a few years ago!
    2. If you have no website, no worries! Art professionals check your Instagram account first, and your website second!! You can host your art portfolio on Instagram for free.
    3. You expose your art to new audiences every day showing your inspiration and behind-the-scenes footage. In other words, you find your audience, opportunities, and art collectors on Instagram.

    How to use Instagram effectively

    • The name of your account must include your artist’s name. If it’s taken, expand on it some more by adding art/painting/sculpture, etc. The word that describes your expertise the best.
    • Treat your Instagram account like your portfolio. This means deleting photos showing what you ate or where you bathed. Think of it as your professional portfolio with the best images of your artwork available to sample. People are very quick to judge. So when they get to your account, they must see the consistency in style and theme.
    • Include yourself in some of the shots. My photos perform a lot better when I’m standing next to my painting or I’m actually painting… This is important and makes IG different from regular, clean product photography. People want to connect to real artists, not just our artwork. Let them see your art, studio, and the creative process! We’re always very interested in the process of making something (hint: make short videos and reels. More on that later).
    • Show your WIP shots in a carousel placing your finished piece first. Shots of art with supplies in them work well. I think that you can experiment with wip shots in a video format since the reach is declining quickly posting photos only.
    • Use description space to write a story about your process and art. How did it come together? What challenges did you have? Focus on inspiration, rather than art supplies. Although sometimes it can work as well.
    • Follow your favorite artists, curators, and art brands on IG. Leave meaningful comments to engage and befriend them like you befriend people in real life… This is a long-term strategy. You can’t expect to see them liking or engaging with you but there is a chance that you can develop a meaningful connection this way. Don’t pressure people to like you. It’s annoying. Rather try to connect to someone you admire or like… I recommend doing this with people whom you love as a fan.
    • Use dm’s to connect with people as well. There are no rules here. Don’t be obnoxious but think how you can be helpful or inspiring to others.
    • Beware of spam! Don’t respond to messages stating they can help you grow your account for a certain amount of $$ you spend with them. Also, there are big art accounts out there as well that promote you for $25-100 per post. Most of these accounts are scams. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on these strategies. Some take the money and give you a following that disappears in a couple of days or a couple of months. If you see that the engagement is low on big art accounts (500k-million), it means these are not real. Some large, legit aggregate accounts post the best artists on their feeds. Most of the time posting on their feed is not free, while the best artists can get a free post, which translates to considerable following to the artist’s account. I think the best strategy with big accounts is to use their branded hashtag, so when they look for art, they can spot your video or image. I think that this strategy is about to die off completely… You can read about a whole list of scams I’ve received, here: https://veronicasart.com/top-scams-to-avoid-on-instagram-other-social-platforms/
    • Your Instagram account will grow not only because of your daily engagement with other users but also because of what you do outside of Instagram. This is important. You have to be social and proactive showing your art and personality elsewhere and the Instagram following becomes a byproduct of your main publicity efforts that include art shows, publications, guest posting on big sites, and podcasts…
    • Getting shares with reels is the most important factor right now. It’s not likes, it’s shares.

    Reels

    Your Instagram account won’t grow by posting pictures only these days. So posting reels is a must! Look at suggested art reels to understand what becomes viral. Oftentimes, it’s not the beauty of a painting, rather it’s about tape peeling or varnishing videos… Most videos are entertaining, not educational these days…

    This is the only viral reel I had on Instagram, although there were a few others that were high in views as well.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by 💫Veronica Winters, M.F.A. (@veronicawintersart)

    • Reels. Yes, you have to deal with them. All my courses went out of the window because Instagram is having a new tantrum (strategy) in place. Have you noticed a decline in reach when you just post a photo? Instagram wants to become a video app to compete with TikTok. (I’m rolling my eyes here:))
    • My top tip on reels is to treat it as a very short demo of your drawing/painting process that’s super entertaining. The first 3 seconds of your vertical video are very important. I’ve experimented with reels quite a lot to understand what does and doesn’t work. My actual painting/drawing reels used to do well and now they don’t.
    • Posting time matters but not to the extent as the quality of your reel. Show mini-tutorials and behind-the-scenes that are snappy and unusual. As Instagram often shows you top reels in your feed, study them for inspiration and ideas. There must be a reason why it’s performing so well.
    • Frequency. In my experience, posting reels every day doesn’t do much for my account growth. I did test this for many months. It seems that the second reel would get less reach and interaction and sometimes it performs just as badly as a regular photo post. Play with your reels and timing to see if it’s the same for you or different. Let me know how it goes! https://www.instagram.com/veronicawintersart/
    • The immediate post engagement is very important for your reel to rank well. So reply to your comments instantly. Don’t delay.
    • keep reels under 30 sec.
    • Post the BEST content.
    Tip: Click on three stripes button located at the top right corner and go to your settings and then click on' upload at the highest quality' to upload your reels with max quality. If you have the creator account, you can also see Insights to understand how your videos perform.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by 💫Veronica Winters, M.F.A. (@veronicawintersart)

    Hashtags

    Hashtags are still important. However, not all hashtags are good for your business. Pick the relevant ones to your artistic practice. Avoid using large hashtags that have over 500k posts with them. The reason is that if your account is small, your chance of being seen with a big hashtag is a fraction of a second. If you do your research and pick medium-size hashtags in your niche, you increase you chances to be noticed.

    Facebook

    What about Facebook, you may ask? I think it can be a powerful platform that has a different, much older demographic. Due to some privacy changes, a lot of targeting is gone. Many people have Facebook accounts they haven’t used for months. There seems to be no algorithm showing your stuff.. However, you’ve got to understand where your customers are, and what platform they prefer to engage on, so you spend more time there. I think Facebook groups can be useful to build friendships, which is not possible on IG. I hope it’s helpful.

    In conclusion:

    To wrap up, pick one platform to be active on it almost every day. Be professional by posting your art, inspiration, and story. Don’t obsess with the numbers, rather build real relationships with people who follow you and find inspiration and opportunities by being present and social there. Respond to your fans. Add location to posts and reels. Tag yourself in reels. If you make your own audio, name it. I don’t do it because I don’t do well speaking but it might work for you. Enable ‘Upload at highest quality.’ Enable close captions. Enable “recommend on Facebook.” Post the BEST video and post a call to action in every post!

    As I’m honest I think that competition is increasing tenfold in terms of content production. Ads take up most of the space and if it’s going to continue like that we will eventually get another Facebook called Instagram with lots of empty accounts… Ads will be more expensive and will take even more space but all we can do is stay positive, mindful, and helpful. We can work on trying to make a viral reel or connecting to an art collector who loves our work despite all these factors. I know, it can be hard at times but I think people go on Instagram and some other social platforms for inspiration and entertainment as a way to relax from daily stress and work. Therefore, try to post positive and fun content to stay afloat in this busy world of social media!

    Connect with me here:

    Check out visionary art for sale

    Amazon links to art supplies I use the most often:

    Free Opportunities for artists & creatives with zero tolerance for fees

    Posted on by veronica

    These are free opportunities for artists and creatives with zero tolerance for fees. Just like you, I’m fed up with all the fees that organizations charge to support their businesses at artists’ expense. In my opinion, expenses must be covered by the sponsors, not the artists. So, I’ll be adding new, free contests, grants, and opportunities for artists on this page.

    lady reading letters of Heloise and Abelard-1780-A. dAgesci
    A lady reading letters of Heloise and Abelard-1780 by Auguste Bernard d’Agesci, oil painting, Art Institute of Chicago

    Art Contests:

    Jerry’s Artarama Art Contests: https://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-contests

    Public Art:

    N/A

    Grants & Residencies:

    The Pollock-Krasner Foundation provides financial resources for visual artists to create new work, acquire supplies, rent studio space, prepare for exhibitions, attend a residency and offset living expenses. The Foundation welcomes, throughout the year, applications from visual artists who are painters, sculptors, and artists who work on paper, including printmakers. There are no deadlines. Grants are intended for one year. The Foundation will review expenditures relating to an artist’s professional work and personal expenses and amounts range up to $50,000. The individual circumstances of the artist determine the size of the grant. Professional exhibition history will be taken into consideration. Artists must be actively exhibiting their current work in professional artistic venues, such as gallery and museum spaces. https://pkf.org/apply/

    The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free non-living studio space to 17 visual artists for year-long residencies in DUMBO, Brooklyn. https://www.thestudioprogram.com/apply

    Fellowship

    The Hodder Fellowship

    New York Foundation for the Arts

    Awards & Grants

    Other related contests:

    Swift Student Challenge by APPLE: https://developer.apple.com/swift-student-challenge


    Your opportunity must be fee-free for artists to be included on this page. Contact: nika@veronicasart.com

    Check out these art instruction books that make great gifts for any colored pencil enthusiast!

    colored pencil manual veronica winters
    https://amzn.to/3xoJjbi
    how to color like an artist_coloring book_veronica winters
    https://amzn.to/4bbYT81

    Promoting Your Art in the Digital Age: Best Practices for Growing Your Fandom

    Posted on by veronica

    Professionals in the creative sector must adjust to the changing dynamics and prospects of the digital marketplace, where skill in online marketing and sales is becoming crucial. The global online art market was valued at $9.18 billion in 2022, highlighting the significant audience and market potential for digital offerings. If your approach has mainly focused on traditional methods up to this point, like ad placement in art magazines or art contests’ participation, it would be beneficial to delve into the digital domain to greatly increase your exposure and connect with a much wider, varied audience. This transition builds stronger brand, authority, and creates new opportunities for income and creative output.

    Utilizing Social Media to Expand Your Audience

    Social media platforms, like Instagram and TikTok, have revolutionized how artists connect with potential fans. These platforms not only allow artists to showcase their creativity but also to engage with a broader audience through dynamic and interactive video content. However, the immense volume of content uploaded every minute makes standing out a real challenge, especially with constant algorithmic changes. This is where organic growth strategies become invaluable. 

    By focusing on authentic engagement—responding to comments, participating in trends, messaging and thanking people, and creating original content—you can build a loyal following. To further enhance your visibility, it’s important to grow your audience with organic TikTok growth tactics by using targeted hashtags and joining platform-specific challenges to capture the attention of those art fans who are most likely to appreciate your work. Some artists choose to accelerate this process by employing professional services that specialize in organic growth, ensuring that their interactions remain genuine and impactful. Spend some time researching such companies, looking into other creatives who used their services to make your judgment about possible collaboration.

    Establishing a Professional Online Platform

    Building your own website for showcasing your art projects creates a strong, refined presence and establishes a central location for your portfolio. It’s paramount that your website strikes a balance between visual appeal and functional simplicity, enabling visitors to effortlessly browse and complete purchases. 

    You must adapt your site for easy browsing on mobile devices. For example, if you use WordPress, pick a theme that makes automatic adaptation/ resizing of your website on different screens. Look at websites of your favorite artists to see what’s done well and can be borrowed for your site.

    To build authority, use clear, high-quality images, art in interior space, art with collectors and in collections, exhibition reviews, detailed ‘about’ page with highlights of your shows and magazine features, and contact information, like the email you check regularly.

    Fostering Community Interaction With Engaging Content

    Sustained engagement goes beyond routine art posts. Incorporating interactive features like live broadcasts, question-and-answer sessions, and cooperative projects with other creatives can greatly enhance your connection with your community. 

    Such activities show your audience that they are appreciated and give them insight into your creative process, which personalizes their experience and helps build a supportive community around your projects. Update your followers, fans and community about your new creative projects, art, upcoming shows to build the brand and create anticipation about your future initiatives.

    Harnessing Email Marketing to Maintain Audience Connection

    Email marketing remains a vital strategy for keeping in touch with your followers directly. Gathering email addresses through your website, social media or at live events enables you to build a mailing list. This list serves as a channel to distribute news about upcoming releases and special promotions. 

    Sending out regular newsletters helps keep your followers interested and engaged, ensuring they stay updated even if they do not frequent your social media or main site. Tailoring emails to address each recipient by name and writing interesting headlines and newsletters can significantly enhance open rates and strengthen the relationship with your audience. You want to write an email that you wish to read yourself without being spammy. By writing your emails, look for a genuine connection with your audience.

    Applying Analytics to Sharpen Your Audience Engagement Strategies

    Gaining insights into your audience’s preferences and behaviors through analytics is essential for refining your promotional tactics and crafting content. Social media platforms typically offer foundational analytics that reveal high-performing posts, the composition of your audience, and peak activity times. 

    By analyzing these patterns, you can segment your audience and design content that appeals to specific groups, enhancing relevance and engagement. For instance, segment artists who are interested in your teaching skills. Have a different segment for art collectors. This strategic use of data helps in customizing your communications to boost interaction and engagement rates.

    Collaborating with Other Artists and Influencers

    Collaborating with fellow creators and influencers can introduce your projects to a much wider range of audiences and bring new perspectives to your work. Forming alliances with creators who share a portion of your audience yet also reach different groups is beneficial; it presents your projects to individuals who are likely intrigued by your unique style. It should be interesting and relevant to both parties. Establish collaborations with like-minded people where you both can benefit from. Engaging in joint promotional efforts, like combined giveaways or shared events, can extend your influence and attract an even wider array of followers.

    filippo tincolini-spacesman seat-marble, art contexxt miami
    Filippo Tincolini, Spaceman seat, Marble sculpture, photo: V. Winters

    Conclusion

    The digital environment presents unmatched opportunities for those who are prepared to innovate and adopt new methods for displaying their projects. Direct interactions with followers on social media, enhancing your website’s effectiveness, or leveraging data analytics to guide your strategic choices—all these actions open doors to immense potential for those willing to leverage them. As you delve deeper into these digital channels, maintaining consistency and genuine engagement are crucial strategies for success in the constantly changing online world.

    How to use Instagram for artists & creatives
    The 15 best art museums in the world you must visit

    On imposter syndrome, sensitivity and work

    Posted on by veronica

    Below you’ll find a collection of essays I’ve written in my personal journal over the years. These essays cover topics and feelings artists experience yet rarely share.

    Can you just do? On artistic sensitivity, self-doubt, jealousy, happiness, failure and work

    As artists we’re able to fall deep in dark pits of self-doubt, uncertainty and melancholy. We question our purpose, hold on to negativity, and doubt our abilities because it’s hard. It’s really hard to work against the grit to pursue our calling – something that has been given to us at birth. Sometimes the psychological pressure we feel being a working artist is tougher to overcome than the financial burden we all face at times.

    “DO” is the theme of LeWitt’s 1965 letter written to a fellow artist Eva Hesse, who was tormented with self-doubt.  In this video Benedict Cumberbatch reads the letter that’s incredibly moving no matter how many times I listen to it.

    On comparisons, failure & jealousy

    Many artists are riddled with jealousy or a paralyzing fear of not being good enough or of not being able to achieve greatness. As a result we draw endless comparisons and feel bad about ourselves. I often see how jealous other artists are of me despite their achievements and accolades.

    I think about the mastery of others differently, although I must admit that I also compare myself to others. First, I look at the talents of others as a high bar to reach up to, as a place to aspire to and to be inspired. I find other artists’ work incredibly inspirational to me, and I also learn from art and artists a great deal.
    Second, I look at other artists I admire not to give up because they are good and I’m not. They are talented and I may fall into this trap thinking that there is no time in the universe to ever get close to their level of mastery. Perhaps, I’ll never will, but why would I give up on all the fun and joy that art brings me?! Why would I limit myself and stop painting just because someone else is better?! See, comparisons don’t move you forward, they stop you from even beginning doing something meaningful in your life, and as a result you end up achieving nothing, complaining about the circumstances you’re in. I release myself from this weird feeling of jealousy. I replace it with a feeling of gratitude I’m here to create!

    Failure takes a big part in my life. For every finished painting there are a few that end up in a trash bin. I get rejected often. I also fail in some relationships with people, and fail to communicate my boundaries that get pushed, pushed to the wildest extremes at times. Failure is intense, frustrating, hurtful. Failure paralyzes. Failure grounds me to the floor so hard I can barely breathe. Over the years it’s getting harder to recover from it. However, failure doesn’t stop me from trying to achieve what I want. Failure is a signal to do things differently, to find a new approach. And finding this new way takes a lot of energy that often rivals my desire to let it all go in flames.

    If you are a gifted person, it doesn’t mean you got something. It means you can give something away.

    Carl Jung

    On Artistic Sensitivity

    Artists are also extremely sensitive people, and react to circumstances and opinions on a much deeper level than others. That’s one of the reasons why we see so many talented actors, writers, painters and musicians self-medicating a ‘weakness’ that’s been defined as a ‘mental illness.’ I think it’s more complicated than that. I see sensitivity in young art students. What I can control they can’t yet, and those emotions often arise and confuse them.

    Yes, the sensitivity that artists have makes us different, different in having a natural gift that actually keeps on giving, if we nurture it. It can become the artist’s ‘strength.’ We’re able to see something beautiful in mundane places. We are able to move people emotionally. We go down in history as innovators in thoughts and movements. We make the world less ugly and more humane. Artists bring light and beauty into this world and it’s a wonderful contribution into this world if you ask me.

    To read more about highly sensitive people: https://veronicasart.com/highly-sensitive-people-how-to-prioritize-well-being-to-tackle-personal-crisis/

    To read more about why artists create art: https://veronicasart.com/why-artists-create/

    To read more about awareness, mental health and illusion of reality: https://veronicasart.com/mental-health-connection-illusion-of-reality/

    “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo

    On self-limitation & work ethic

    As artists we’re creative. However, we often impose limits on ourselves via dated beliefs and social norms. In the beginning of our journey we may want to conform to norms. However, those norms and limitations stifle our natural creativity. Allow yourself to experiment with new materials, play with your ideas and paint what you want to paint! Also, take art classes to learn new or different skill. Despite having all the college degrees I have, I often buy new classes online because I want to learn new skills in digital painting, illustration, business, finance, etc.

    Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.

    Stephen King

    Also, it’s super important to work through your artistic problems. If I gave up on every painting I created I’d be in the same spot I started 25 years ago. By working through my problems, finishing up every painting I learn to problem-solve and evolve. I improve my artistic skill and creativity by not allowing myself to give up on something that’s frustrating at the moment. I usually take a break from work that doesn’t look good and come back to it at a much later date. This pause allows me to see things differently and I am usually able to fix problems on canvas within minutes instead of hours or days spent on it in the past.

    “If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” — Michelangelo

    There is no cute formula for success in painting. It’s hard work every day. Other artists’ achievements inspire me to move forward, those artists become my guiding stars. That’s why I have no jealousy towards my peers, because I can see what’s possible in due time and practice. We fulfill our dreams with our own work, not the work of others.

    I believe we succeed eventually, because we refuse to quit. Although it often feels like a dead end where there is nothing to go by, when words like ‘nice work’ or ‘good stuff’ can get you only that far. But a strong will, belief in myself, and the internal love for my craft keeps me grounded.

    On a bad day 🙁

    Powered by the ruthless force of frustration, I run with a steep incline, at the speed number that meets my level of emotional pain. The soles of my worn, running shoes fly over the rotating black belt; they build endurance, the survival tactic. And I run as my legs ache and they beg to slow down, but I refuse, I flush out my hurt with tears. My heart’s stomps blow my ears, and I override it with trance beat. My face deep red, I run. I track the whooping breath in my lungs. My insides burn like fire, and I run. My skin prickles, and legs are about to cramp. I’m acid perspiration. Unstoppable I become, feel the rise of resistance to my failures, to painful words and encounters, to the insensitive world that drowns, but teaches, teaches me to survive. And that’s how it feels on a bad day. Drenched in sweat, I run on a treadmill of artist’s life.

    On a good day 🙂

    The joy of painting runs inside me like the cobalt blue river. The snowflakes dance above its glossy surface and trickle down in my limbs. I feel the rise of divine energy and melt into another place, the forth dimension. It’s there, there I create. Through the looking glass I fall, where I hear no judgement and see no stop signs. The round clock on my wall quits ticking. Like a sweet fragrance of blooming roses, my joy flourishes and invigorates me. And that’s how it feels on a good day.

    It’s one of those rare instances where you can see someone as powerful as Madonna being so vulnerable. Her speech explains so many things that underline her internal motivation for the work she has done as a female singer. She talks about sexism, misogyny, and feminism in the music industry receiving the award at Billboard Women In Music 2016.

    “Be the Hero of your own story” by Judge Judy Sheindlin is a book for every young or young at heart girl to read. It explains the importance of independent thinking, and how you can open yourself up to opportunities. It’s available as a free download at Judy’s website:  http://www.whatwouldjudysay.com/

    On Happiness

    Is happiness a persistent state? Numerous books have been written about this subject. A million coaches preach that happiness is your ultimate goal to achieve to live a meaningful life. Everyone wants to get it. And if you admit that you’re not living it, you are the one who doesn’t work on yourself. But is it that simple? Because it sounds like judgement to me.
    Happiness can be illusive. It’s just a moment in time. A moment of curiosity, connection, love, awe and joy. Those moments could be numerous but emotions are not constant if you’re a sensitive person. Changing emotions are like a river that runs, turns and shifts quite often. Every bump on the road presents a change in emotion. Happiness is just one of the emotions in a big spectrum of feelings. Yes, we can prioritize this feeling to have beautiful daily experiences but there is no guarantee to feel it even when we work on it.
    It shouldn’t be work… Recently I met a person who emanates happiness. I can see the sun rays beaming from his chest. Can he feel as deeply or understand someone else as well  as someone who experiences other states of being? I think it depends on a person… I know a woman who is always happy like a little girl. That’s  fantastic because life is easy and fun for her. But when I have a closer look at her personality, her emotional spectrum is shallow. She experiences a limited range of emotions that pass quickly for her. While she enjoys her happy days, she is unable to comprehend the other person’s point of view or emotion.

    A range of experiences makes up a person. And when peace arrives, it transforms into a state of serene happiness. Because when you’re at peace, you feel connected to yourself. Happiness isn’t permanent but becomes notoriously present inside the person to become whole.

    Omnipresent Love, colored pencil & mixed media on paper

    On dreaming big

    The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.

    Les Brown

    As a child I didn’t learn to dream. As an adult I spent two decades of my life figuring out how to dream big. It involved a lot of inner work, parting with established rules and social conditioning. I became ambitious. A word that’s attributed to successful men, ambition often describes women in a negative tone as heartless go-getters. However, a healthy dose of ambition is necessary to grow professionally. As parents we should encourage development of natural abilities of our children to form lifelong interests, and as adults we should take responsibility for ourselves to develop ambition.

    I believe that long-term success is never accidental. It’s hard work and sacrifice mixed with obsessive desire to overcome the impossible, mostly overcoming my own limitations. Some people spend years complaining and waiting for a miracle to dawn on them, but I think that’s finding excuses and not working on your fears get you nowhere. By challenging myself and accepting failures I’ve been taking many steps forward in becoming who I am today. However, what I’ve been missing in my life is a role model or a mentor. If you want to succeed in anything you dream about, find a strong mentor in your field. Mentorship helps model successful behavior. It also cuts down on frustration by doing the art business efficiently. You can waste years figuring stuff out on your own.

    I also understood that gaining the right direction is a lot more important than speed. We want to have quick results, but life is rarely quick to deliver what we want. And understanding exactly what I wanted took a lifetime for me. Goals and aspirations may change over time. It’s ok. But if you’re serious about your career, concrete goals with due dates on my calendar make a big difference for me that give measurable results.

    I often find myself in consistent hard work pushing through frustrations and failures daily, but I have also noticed that it’s not enough to break me through the ceiling. It’s not enough to have the talent. It’s not enough to work hard. It’s not enough to exhibit. You have to find greater meaning in anything you do, which benefits others and is unique to you. Now I know that the most important thing for my soul is to encourage art students to succeed professionally, and this is where you find me with my students, podcast and writing these days.

    On finding support

    When relatives and family are not great supporters of your art, search for like-minded people to support you emotionally, intellectually and professionally. Also, remember that your family’s absence of support is not because they don’t love you, but because they are also scared of your financial instability being an artist. This fear gets projected onto you and actually holds you back before you even start doing anything towards reaching your goals. Artists at heart who decide not to pursue creativity as a career often become depressed, because they remain unfulfilled and not seen for who they truly are. Therefore, it’s vital for parents to be supportive of their children’s attempts early on to give them the tools and the opportunities necessary to jump on a train on time and to encourage a positive mindset to achieve meaningful results in the future. It’s much harder (but still very possible) to establish yourself artistically later in life.

    As a person, artist and teacher, I’ve seen a lot of discouragement and criticism that brings people down before they even think of pursuing something of importance to them. Over time it creates a timid mindset where you simply agree that it’s useless to dream big, or worse, you don’t even know that you can dream. So, instead of coming to the road filled with adventure and discovery, people turn to a comfortable sidewalk of boredom and in-the-box thinking. At the same time, when children get constant praise and 10 golden medals are given to all 10 places, there is not enough improvement and attempts to pursue higher goals. This is where a mentor comes in. He or she is capable of enough encouragement, yet can give a constructive critique, passing his/her skill and wisdom to the next generation of artists. 

    Every person searches for acceptance, understanding and love. We want to be accepted for who we’re. But the truth is that there is no personal growth, if we don’t look at ourselves from all sides. Surrounding ourselves with good friends who are able to encourage and nurture our gifts often help us overcome the worst pitfalls we have. It’s a blessing. We should nurture those friendships.

    The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.

    James Baldwin

    On belief in yourself & purpose

    Sometimes it’s difficult to find meaning in life if it’s not survival. Finding your own path or purpose is a different game. When we finally find ‘it’, fulfilling our purpose becomes a choice whether to pursue it or not. We can live in a depressive state of mind because of these two opposing reasons. If we don’t do what we love, life is meaningless. When we do what we love, problems and circumstances can be so overwhelming, we end up having a depression. What’s the cure? I think it’s about finding strength inside yourself. By being yourself and not looking for approval from the ‘outside’ world is a difficult task for many. I find my purpose in capturing the most beautiful side of the Universe in my art, and I’ve trained myself not to care what others think of my creativity.

    One of the most important things in life is to believe in yourself. Don’t say you can’t do this or that. Don’t doubt your abilities. Believe that you can. And learn how to do it. This simple belief system has changed my life. Shifting my mentality, I opened myself up to learning and achieving so many things without relying on anyone else or finding excuses not to do it. Our insecurities, excuses and doubts kill our inner confidence, and if you can’t really believe in your abilities and yourself, your mind says ‘no’, people feel it, and you stay where you are. Dream big. Move mountains. Believe.

    This simple word ‘happiness’ didn’t resonate with me for years remaining elusive and meaningless. The pressure to “feel happy” hovered over me like a guillotine, coming from all corners of the universe-the TV, magazines, family. Every outlet fixated on the idea of promoting happiness… Why aren’t you happy? Isn’t it funny how our culture sets the standards? You are either in or out.

    I’m so incredibly fortunate I live a lifestyle that many cannot even dream of. I love my entire day from morning to late night. My lifestyle allows me to focus on my job-painting, and not to worry about tending gardens, providing for a large family, or simply looking for clean water, like in the African nations or Latin America. It’s my pure luck to live in a place with infinite opportunities.

    I’m incredibly fortunate that I have the talent and I’m an artist. Although it’s been a very hard road to travel, today I understand that what I actually possess sets me apart from others. I used to be upset, thinking salespeople of vacuum cleaners (no offense to all sales associates, please) didn’t have to struggle with attitude, misery, and years of hard work during and after grad school. Now I see that although every job must be respected (a good plumber is always in demand), my work is no different from the work of others, yet it makes me different.

    I contribute to society on the emotional level, not the material one. I know that my art leaves legacy, even if it looks insignificant and much less important than the invention of a light bulb or the Internet. I’m leaving a record of our time… Like any contemporary realist artist, I capture the beautiful in response to my surroundings and ideas. As I’ve learned to value myself for who I am, this blog entry is devoted to those artists who struggle to accept and value themselves. It is possible to stop the high-speed train at any moment, if there is enough willpower inside you to embrace change. Stopping my own self-destruction wasn’t easy. Thinking negatively about myself, crossing busy streets ignoring traffic, dragging one day to the next–all were unhealthy habits I couldn’t get rid of…Don’t let your memories, events or people dictate how you think about yourself. In your mind, let negative and disrespectful people go. No matter how you try to nurture your relationship with them, they won’t change their stance on life, and that will continue bringing you down (even if they don’t mean it). Stop feeling worthless by making room for people who appreciate you for who you are and value your opinion. As your outlook slowly starts to change, you begin to attract new and different people into your life; people who inspire you to create, live, and smile.

    *Originally published in 2013.

    interior space-veronica winters paintings

    What makes an artist great is the ability to access the inner world we all have but that most others can’t access.

    Rick Rubin

    How to find your artistic voice

    How long did it take you to paint that? “My whole life.”

    Jackson Pollock

    This is the most persistent question people ask artists to open up a conversation. They also want to gage the retail price of artwork to the number of hours spent working on it. Unlike the production of manufactured goods, this formula is not applicable to artists and art. It’s the fact that classically trained artists spend years, sometimes decades learning and developing a unique style and voice that can’t be measured by this simplistic formula of counting hours spent painting one artwork. Put professional artist in a room with anyone else interested in painting and ask to paint a tree. Both artists will spend equal amount of time on art creation but the result will be different. It takes years to become good, not hours spent painting one piece.

    Art is within reach. We always find what we’re looking for if we truly seek it. It takes time and effort and our willingness to change to make things work in our favor. Learning to express ourselves visually is a need. Without having this inner need the artist remains an illustrator or a good craftsman. 
    To develop your unique visual language you must dive deep inside your soul to understand your WHY. Why do you create what you create? What does it accomplish? What do you want others to see in your artwork? These are the questions that are always there inside my painting process.

    sphynx cats art-veronica winters

    When I went to art school at the Oklahoma State University back in 2001 I was lucky to have an oil painting professor who was I dare say old, probably in his early 80s. He had his convictions teaching art – painting large, having few rules, not worrying about the subject itself. His artistic belief was rooted in the American abstractionism and skillful realist figure drawing.
    He used to say, “It’s not WHAT you paint, it’s HOW you paint it.” I couldn’t disagree more with that statement back then. I thought that the subject of painting or the story behind it was vital to the very nature of painting. But I also thought that the unique way the artist handled the paint was important. I still think of the professor fondly.
    Before and after graduation with my MFA degree at Penn State, I commuted to New York taking art classes in classical figure drawing. I felt I had no talent. I pushed myself hard to learn the skills. I believed that the WHAT in painting required solid understanding of figure drawing.
    Two decades later painting full-time I believe that it’s not WHAT vs. HOW. Truly creative artists have mastered and combined both concepts in their art. So the subject is just as important as the unique handling of the paint. It’s important to experiment and innovate.
    Today I tell stories in my art using figure, color and symbols but I’m also pushing the boundaries of traditional painting techniques. While I rely on art history and skills I gained to depict the world realistically, I like to experiment with color, mixed media to create unusual surfaces and effects. So it’s not just WHAT I paint but HOW I paint it as well.

    Artist’s path can be thorny, most unpredictable and definitely complicated. People avoid living such a life, many artists never make it in the profession, choosing stable comfort instead, working jobs they dislike. But true artists at heart are artists at every aspect of their lives. We can’t resist the thrill of adventure, self-discovery and limitless learning. We love to capture beauty in ordinary places, of seeing beyond the obvious, of expressing emotions without words. And that, my friend, is a blessing. Musicians, poets, writers, painters and other creatives often live in a tormented reality that eventually bares the fruit of labor.

    If you’re interested to learn about video courses, please go here: https://veronica-winters-art-school.teachable.com/ or visit art shop

    The art of donation: is it worth it?

    Posted on by veronica

    Over the years I’ve donated close to two dozen pieces, including my donations to CSN (the Community School of Naples), State College high, the Seeds of Learning, the humane society of Naples and many others. They were nice works, the artwork that had the potential to sell, yet I chose to let them go. In this post I’d like to share both sides of the coin for other artists to consider before donating your art.

    In my opinion, it all boils down to your motivation, standing behind the very act of donation. Many artists feel sour and often become negative talking about the art donations they made in the past. Why?

    #1 Artists feel used donating art.

    Artists feel used. First, all fundraisers ask artists to donate their art for free. There is absolutely no profit going to the artist, only the promise of “getting your name out there,” or getting “exposure.” In my experience, name recognition or a promise of exposure is not worth it. I had zero contacts coming in from my donations.

    #2 No real tax-deduction for artists.

    Second, although it’s said that your donations are tax-deductible, they are, but not for the artist. Say you bought a piece for $100. If you donate it to a charity, you can write $100 off as your tax deduction. If the artist donates his artwork, he or she can deduct only the cost of art supplies used to manufacture the piece. The deduction sum doesn’t include the artist’s labor, level of expertise, tuition loans, years spent learning, etc. Therefore, when the artist donates, he or she gives it away for real, which looks unfair to the artist at times, because the institution seems to “make money” using the artist. Moreover, in my experience only half of organizations that sold my art for their purposes sent a “thank you” note to me. And none of them shared the information on price it went for or the client’s name without me asking about it.

    #3 Devaluing of art.

    Third, many think that your art donation devalues your art because it can sell for any price and you have no control over its pricing. It’s also a sign that you are a “weak” artist since you donate art instead of selling it. Therefore, if you aim to make money via donations, don’t do it not to get disappointed with meager results.

    Most artists paint no matter what, walking against the grit of economic problems. The financial pursuit via donations is not the right path to take. Let's become financially successful in other ways, dear artists :)

    Now I’m going back to my original idea: your inner motivation  is the whole point of donation. I donate because I feel good helping others. It sounds cheesy, but I feel fortunate I live in a place where I can create, and I’m able to share my gift with purpose at heart. I feel that my art can change the world for the better, even if it looks like a drop in the ocean today. Like most artists, I’m proud of the fact that I’m not motivated by greed or a lucrative business to paint. However, making money is absolutely necessary for the artist to continue doing his or her work! 

    If you decide to donate a piece, work out the mutually-beneficial agreement with the organization. My tip is to set the base auction price and require half of that base price as payment to you if the art sells.

* This article was written back in 2015 but nothing has really changed in favor of artists.

    Check out visionary art for sale!

    Mental health, connection & illusion of reality

    Posted on by veronica

    On unique perception of reality, emotions and judgment

    Have you experienced talking to someone trying to explain your point of view only to hear these words back – ‘you’re being crazy’, ‘you’re wrong’ and ‘you’re overreacting.’ You try to prove your point but the other side needs a hearing aid to even listen to your opinion. Many people don’t want to hear another side because it will violate their perception, beliefs, order and views of the world. Most people protect their views and can’t stand contradiction because otherwise their way of life can crash down like a card house… 

    Some people don’t want to consider a different point of view because it will destroy their reality or perception of themselves. They don’t want to understand that we all have unique perception of reality and the way we see ourselves isn’t the same as people see us. It turns into endless judgment and debate of your feelings instead of finding mutual understanding and love.

    Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.

    Friedrich Nietzsche

    On Awareness

    Every person has a unique perception of the world. Therefore, the same daily experiences have different interpretation of reality. One human sees the glass half-empty and another person half-full. If you’re a highly sensitive person you’re able to perceive the world on a much deeper level than other people which affects the level of hurt you experience in childhood and adult life. While most beliefs and perceptions form in childhood, some do change. It depends on your desire to be open to it. Awareness isn’t something that grows quickly and automatically. You have to be open to see beyond your daily experiences and be accepting of the opinions of others. You become more aware of your actions, causes and reactions. You learn to take control of your reactions by having a thorough understanding of your inner life, triggers and pain points. The more you know yourself, the more you understand others.

    blue lily dream-veronica winters colored pencil
    Blue lily dream, 20×30 inches, colored pencil on art board by Veronica Winters | Breath in. Become aware of your feet touching water. Give yourself permission to feel what’s alive around you. Become aware of cosmos that’s inside you. Feel the infinity in a single moment. Step into the river of a creative life force that’s always there. Let your emotions come to the surface to become open to receive guidance. Breath out. Experience all emotions with intensity. Painful. Joyful. Sincere. Allow yourself to let go what’s holding you back in daily life. Discover your true self.

    Being fully aware of our thoughts, actions, feelings, body, intentions and everything that happens around us is being fully conscious. It may be difficult to gain full awareness of a situation or a person we interact with for quite some time until further information comes to light. As time passes fuller awareness emerges with more details and unaccounted points of view that either change the situation some or totally disrupt our understanding of reality.
    People often project their personality and way of thinking onto others. All of us do this. It’s common to act in a certain way expecting the result based on your perception, beliefs and thinking. But the catch is that the other person is not You. So their perception of reality, inner motivation, values and beliefs may be the opposite of yours. What does it mean? It means that we can’t project our character, ethics and morality onto others expecting reciprocity or a positive exchange of energy. The other party would take your actions and deeds to interpret them through their prism of personal beliefs and values. Therefore the final outcome of any interaction is unknown and often not what you would expect to see…
    That’s how we can hurt others and not be aware of it. That’s how others can hurt us and not be aware of it. But that’s also how we can bring something special into someone’s life, enriching our mutual existence with positive energy.

    On YouTube: https://youtu.be/z7bFUwyNXRY

    If you are depressed you are living in the past.
    If you are anxious you are living in the future.
    If you are at peace you are living in the present.

    Lao Tzu

    On mental illness

    I believe mental illness is grossly misunderstood. The very definition implies that people must be shamed because they are considered being crazy although mental illness is a lot more complicated and nuanced than that. “Mental illness” is a brain-heart-and-body response to adversity, emotional or physical abuse. It’s a distress signal, not craziness.

    blooming heart colored pencil drawing by veronica winters-15.5x25
    blooming heart colored pencil drawing by Veronica Winters | Check out visionary art for sale: https://veronicasart.com/


    Depression, PTSD, anxiety and some other disorders happen to intelligent and talented people who function in our society the way ‘normal’ people are expected to behave. “Illness” develops inside a person’s mind and heart because of traumatic conditions. These include emotional and physical abuse in the family as well as traumatic events like car accidents, fire, failure at work, military combat, rape, etc. People learn to suppress their emotions when they served in the military or were raised in families that didn’t care much for child’s emotional well-being. When children are deprived of love and acceptance by parents they grow up starving for those feelings, still trying to conform to norms and expectations set within the family unit. Many people hide their emotions not to be shamed or called crazy because what they feel is not joy. These are thoughts of death, grief, and feelings of loneliness, emptiness, abandonment, worthlessness and numbness. Is it really crazy to feel what was perpetuated by others? Pain comes from rejection, disregard, shame, submission, disconnect and absence of love.


    There are moments when depression happens to “happy” people because of personal failure at work, cheating of a spouse, death in the family, childbirth or divorce. Are those people mental or simply confused by life’s challenges? Reasons can be very different but the end result is the same. Depression.
    Why are you mental if you were abused as a child, harassed as a teen or ignored as an adult? While it’s important not to be stuck in a victimhood mindset, you shouldn’t be marginalized, named or punished some more for the injustice that has already been served to your heart.

    How to take control of your life

    It’s important to become aware of these challenges to take control of your life because it’s you who changes the game. You need to grow new, green brunches in your heart to replace the dead ones. We all want to be loved but we need to learn to love ourselves first. Suffering can end with you taking small steps towards learning to love yourself, paying attention to your needs and finding support in circles, books, podcasts, music, dance, martial arts, yoga, drawing or whatever else that helps you heal and grow. Have an activity that helps you feel joy. Do it daily even if it takes just a few minutes of your busy day. Record your progress and thoughts in a notebook or in art sketches. Find new friends and activities that nurture your soul. Repeat. Repeat until the day you begin to feel joy and love.

    It’s also a beautiful experience to find someone to love. When you’re in deep pain, it’s hard to get out of a dark pit to love anything or anybody. However, by becoming aware of your shadow and trying to take control over your daily routine, you can slowly change that. Giving love to somebody is a transformational experience that makes you feel warm and fulfilled. This is how you find connection to your soul and light. Also, be mindful of your thoughts and aim to replace or dismiss the negative ones. If you become aware of your angry, self-diminishing thoughts about yourself, would you direct them at your best friend? Probably not. So, why are you telling those thoughts to yourself? We are often more cruel and unkind to ourselves. By learning to be kind to our own heart and mind first, we can be kind to others. Over time we can spread our joy and laughter and help others heal as well.

    I framed this colored pencil drawing using a real wood frame without the mat. It also has UV, non-glare plexi and acid free backing
    How to improve art skills by taking great pictures for colored pencil drawing and painting

    How to take great pictures for colored pencil drawing and painting

    Posted on by veronica

    If artists paint in figurative realism style, most rely on photography these days. Model fees, time constraints, lighting and studio conditions – all add up in a puzzle we have to organize and manage, if we paint from life. While painting from life is a must for realist artists to get the skill going, perfecting photography is also a necessary skill. Because colored pencil drawing is such a slow medium to work in, almost all artists rely on their references to create art as opposed to drawing from life. Sometimes it takes weeks to complete one colored pencil drawing, and we have to rely on our photo reference to capture story, composition, design, color, and details. That’s why great photography becomes key to artistic success. Let’s master it!

    How to take great pictures suitable for colored pencil drawing and painting

    It took me years to understand how to see the light turning the form and how to pick pictures, capturing that light. I used to play with pictures from fashion magazines that looked incredibly beautiful, yet they were missing something I couldn’t quite figure out what. Some were OK for black-and-white drawing but none of them were good for oil painting. Why?

    All magazine pictures are Photoshoped heavily, getting rid of important information necessary for artists to capture the form realistically. First, the Photoshop filters and presets get rid of warm/cool balance in skin tones, objects and even backgrounds that we normally see in nature. Second, copyright is a big deal, and we can’t use such images for our art to create the originals. Thirdly, a lot of times the “connection” between the subject and artist is missing. We have no emotional attachment to the photo that’s not ours that results in unfinished or poorly executed art.

    Photo equipment:

    My greatest investment into my studio equipment is my camera Nikon D500 with the interchangeable lenses. The quality of lenses is even more important than the the body itself. The higher the quality, the better the outcome. Over the years I bought several lenses for different tasks.

    • Nikon 105 mm- micro lens for extreme close up photography
    • Nikon Nikkor 85 mm – for portrait photography (that gives no distortion)
    • Sigma 12-24 mm – for interior photography (that has a wide angle with no distortion)
    • Nikon Nikkor 18-200 mm zoom lens – for general photography ( while it’s my heavy duty use lens, it gives the most distortion and requires extra work in Photoshop to even out the perspective, etc. Zoom lens have the most distortion especially noticeable in cityscape photography).

    I also have an inexpensive Westcott reflector kit with multiple colored surfaces (silver, gold, white) that I use for portrait photography at times. I use the reflector to bounce the natural light back onto my model or object that removes harsh shadows or adds more light into the shadows.

    You can also consider buying a backdrop equipment that I don’t need personally because I shoot models in natural environment, and when I do still life photography I make my own light box set up that you’ll see in the article below.

    Besides having excellent equipment you also need to have a good eye to take great pictures, which you develop by studying the art of others and practicing your photography skills.

    Pixabay image

    Advantages of Mastering Photography:

    • It develops your originality and vision.
    • It forces you to extrapolate and focus on what’s important in busy environments.
    • It teaches you to see how light shapes the form
    • The artist is the sole designer and creator of artwork beginning from the very first step of photography.
    • It’s a forgiving medium, giving you many chances to practice at all times. You become attuned to cropping and balancing techniques that artists traditionally use in their paintings.

    Disadvantages of Using Photography:

    • It often flattens out the form to such a degree that you have a hard time re-creating the volume. That’s why it is best to start taking pictures with one directional light source that gives you definite lights and shadows.
    • Camera makes its choice. Even the best cameras don’t capture what you see as an artist, which involves emotion. By working from a picture, artists analyze the subject rather than respond to it freely.
    • There is a lot of distortion in the images depending on the lens and camera you use that is obvious in cityscape photography or in pictures of geometric objects. The same distortion is present in pictures of people or fruit, or whatever subject you have, but our eye doesn’t catch those distortions as quickly as we notice those in linear and geometric forms. Those “unseen” distortions will travel to a student’s drawing when the artist transfers the outlines rather than learns to sketch freehand from his reference.
    • You may have problems with exposure. Use the HDR (high dynamic range) function on your phone to level out the exposure. HDR combines two or three pictures into one automatically, giving you a single balanced shot. HDR function is very handy when the sky looks too bright or the background is so light that it makes your subject appear too dark. • You can take good pictures with your phone, although the quality won’t be the same as shooting with a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera. If you shoot with your phone, zoom in on your object as closely as you can. That will blur the background, giving your subject a boost in color and texture.
    colored pencil manual veronica winters
    You’ll find sample photos and more information on mastering the photography in The Colored Pencil Manual as well my Colored Pencil Video Course

    Subjects

    leopard, how to improve art skills
    This image is taken from Pixabay, a free resource for artists to use!

    First of all, decide what you favorite subjects are, and isolate them from busy environments. Here are some ideas for your photography. Close-ups of textured subjects—these can be the most fun, unpredictable subjects for your photography and art.

    They can be reflective surfaces and reflections, fabric patterns and lace, rusted door locks, wood grain, colorful feathers, candy, sliced fruit, marbles, flowers, kitchen utensils or tools, and even mechanical parts of clocks. Other popular subjects are glass; portraiture; animals, birds, and pets; food; florals; seashells and sea life; trees and landscapes.

    Properties of light

    Your goal of shooting in the “right lighting conditions” is to beautify your subject and to bring the best out in it. Ask yourself what attracts you to this object. It could be a specific texture, transparency, color, or an abstract pattern of light and shade that you see. You need to figure out what you love about your subject and how you can highlight its most attractive qualities in a specific light. If your subject looks boring in a picture, chances are that the lighting conditions were boring at the time it was shot.

    Light temperature:

    starfish, how to take good pictures
    In this picture the evening light is warm (yellow) and the shadows are cool (blue).

    The light can be either warm or cool. In the beginning it may be difficult to spot the difference, but if you ask yourself if it is yellowish or bluish, it makes more sense. Fluorescent lights tend to be cooler, while the tungsten lights are warmer. In nature, you see a beautiful golden light twenty minutes before the sunset. The light temperature affects how you see the colors and how they unify everything in the image. You also use the light temperature to understand the color on your subject: if the light is cool, it gives cool lights and warm shadows. If the light is warm, it gives you warm lights and cooler shadows.

    Quality of light:

    This picture has a soft, diffused light throughout. While the picture looks like fun to draw, it would be much harder for a beginning artist to create volume and to turn the form using this kind of lighting. (Pixabay image)

    Natural light is the most beautiful light we have as artists. While the soft, diffused light may give the artist beautiful, soft skin tones in portrait photography or a dream-like mist in a landscape, this light is difficult to master for a beginner who is shooting pictures of glass, fruit, or flowers. The glass loses its sparkle and reflections, the fruit doesn’t have the volume or shadows, and flowers appear quite bleak. That’s because the diffused light gives you very soft, almost unnoticeable shadows and highlights, which, in turn, are difficult to reproduce in art for a student. Whatever the light temperature is, the goal is to avoid getting monotonous images that often happen in diffused light situations when you have an overcast sky.

     

    Light direction and shadows:

    how to improve art skills
    This teapot has one directional light set up on the right at night. Such light gives strong highlights and shadows that are easier to re-create in a drawing.

    The most effective way to study the light on a form is to have a singular, strong directional light source set up at 45 degrees, which is often called Rembrandt lighting. This light direction creates beautiful highlights and shadows that will add dimension to your objects.

    If you go to an atelier school of classical painting, you’ll see students draw from plaster casts and still lifes set under a single directional light that doesn’t change direction for the entire drawing process. Such setups are vital to an artist’s understanding of how to turn the form. So when you take pictures inside, find and focus on one primary light source, like a table lamp, and consider its strength. Look at your subject and find definite highlights and shadows on and under it because it will give you this 3-dimensional quality you want to re-create in your drawing.

    Set up a strong directional light drawing people. In this example the David’s Eye sculpture looks very three-dimensional because of the directional light that makes the forms pop.

    In my video course I teach how to take your colored pencil drawing to the next level including set up and photography. Watch a video preview here:

    Depth of field:

    Shallow depth of field allows you to capture your object in a sharp focus, blurring the rest of the image. A soft background supports the focal point rather than competing with it. When you have a high depth of field set at f16 on your camera, everything is in focus, and oftentimes the image will look too busy and indistinguishable from other elements in the background where everything competes with each other. Always think what you’d like to focus on, then make it your priority by zooming in or fixing the depth of field.

    Zoom in, keep it simple & use negative space as a design element:

    crystal pitcher colored pencil drawing
    This is a crystal pitcher colored pencil drawing. The background (negative space) becomes part of the design in the artwork.

    Background affects the edges and creates abstract shapes. As a beginner, stick to plain backgrounds to isolate your subject and to show contrast. After a while you can start playing with the color and complexity of your negative space as well.

    Use backgrounds and boxes for staged photography:

    light box still life set up
    Light box still life set up

    If you don’t want to buy a light box, you can make a very simple setup next to your window. Use colorful but plain matboards, fabric, or paper as your choices. The result is a single image with a beautiful, natural directional light, a shadow, and a white or color background all around it.

    Avoid flash photography:

    Flash destroys the natural flow of light and its shadows. It flattens out the object and gives you strange, unnatural colors. Professional photographers know how to rotate their flash unit to get the right position of the flash, but most of us don’t!

    Prioritize values over color:

    When a student is learning to draw and paint, it is difficult to translate hues to tones. Convert your photos into greyscale to see values. Most students end up with middle-toned drawings because of weak contrast.

    Well, I hope this article helps you to shoot beautiful pictures as references for your art!

    video courses by veronica winters
    Check out free previews of my video courses here: https://veronica-winters-art-school.teachable.com/

    5 great art supplies to use in your art studio

    Posted on by veronica

    In this article you’ll find reviews of art materials I use a lot in my painting and drawing practice. These art supplies make a big difference in the final result of my art presentation.

    5 art tools to keep in your studio:

    #1 The color shaper set

    5 art tools for your studio
    These are great tools for oil painting, pastel painting and even colored pencil work (if you work on the Icarus board to blend the wax-based pencils).
    1. When I paint, they help me clean a sloppy edge.
    2. Its easy to take the extra paint off the area I put in by accident.
    3. I can “carve into” the freshly applied paint to make a specific pattern or texture. 
    4. You can create an entire underpainting by applying the brown paint first and then lifting out some of the paint with the color shaper creating a drawing!
    Made of silicone, the shapers have unique property of not absorbing the paint. Rather the paint comes off their tips easily and doesn’t need washing. Just wipe the color shaper off with a paper towel. Besides moving the paint around, removing or carving into it, the color shapers are great to blend the oil pastels or wax-based colored pencils (Prismacolor Premier) when heated, using the Icarus Art board. The color shaper set has several tips that you can buy separately or as a complete set. I find that I mainly use the taper point (round tip) size #2 in my art.

    You can buy the color shapers at any art supply store online like Jerrysartarama or use this link to buy it on Amazon.

    #2 Gloves in a bottle

    gloves in a bottle review
    This is a truly unique product that I love! I especially use it when I paint since the lotion provides relief from a very dry skin, making a protective layer between the skin and the chemicals. A modest amount of lotion works like gloves I use while painting. Its unique formula bonds with the upper layer of my skin and creates the invisible protection from harmful chemicals. It’s waterproof and doesn’t wash off, rather it comes off naturally shredding the dead skin cells. The bottle comes in two sizes. Give it a try!

    Gloves in a bottle is a lotion https://amzn.to/3SxSE93

    #3 Luminance, professional colored pencils

    luminance review
    Swiss-made, Luminance colored pencils is the Cadillac of professional colored pencils. All colors have supreme lightfastness rating. They’re very durable, highly pigmented and have the softness I love. The price tag is very high. Please don’t be tempted to buy them in strange places because they could be the fakes. Buy these from the established art supply companies only like the jerrysartarama. You can buy them in sets or as open stock.

    #4 Professional panels for oil and acrylic painting

    gessobord review
    These are durable, archival and acid-free surfaces that are great for oil painting. Remember, paintings of the old masters have survived through the centuries because they were painted on panels, not canvases. If you paint professionally and want your art to last, paint on panels.
    The cradled gessobords provide much greater support against humidity as the panels resist warping.  Gessobords have a very slightly textured surface making them perfect for oil painting because the oil paint needs some tooth to adhere to to create a permanent bond with the surface. Avoid using panels that are too smooth or cheap canvases because the paint doesn’t adhere to the surface properly.
    I also use gessobords for my silver gilding. I do sand the surface some with a 800 grit sandpaper but the silver leaf goes over the panel perfectly.
    Toned, neutral gray surface of Richeson panels is great to begin painting without any additional preliminary work needed but I find their surfaces too smooth and thus questionable if the paint makes the bond with its surface.

    #5 Grumbacher final fixative for drawings and scratchboard art

    This is a really great product that’s different from cheaper brands. It makes a very nice, even sheen, eliminating the surface’s unevenness, finger prints, and other imperfections in scratchboard. Colors look nice and bright. It works great on paper too. And I use 2-3 coats on my colored pencil drawings.
    Like other sprays, the final fixative protects your artwork from the UV-rays, moisture, smudges, and humidity.
    The only downside is its smell. It’s not a product to inhale. So spray it in a well-ventilated area or outside in low humidity environment.

    Don’ confuse the fixatives with the varnishes as the varnishes are used in oil and acrylic painting.

    educational books, drawing instruction books, travel books
    Art Lessons in Drawing, Painting & Beyond, 2014 | This is an art inspiration book filled with creative and technical advice coming from contemporary realist artists. Realist artists share their painting and drawing inspiration in the Art Lessons book available in print, on Kindle and as a digital download (pdf file) from: https://veronicasart.com/product-category/art-instruction-books/
    colored pencil manual veronica wintershow to color like an artist_coloring book_veronica winters
    These art instruction books are on sale on Amazon!
    Video courses

    Art supplies:

    17 tips for artists to sell their art

    Posted on by veronica

    I’ve decided to write this article because many artists want to find answers to this dilemma and think of sales as some sort of miracle that needs to happen. The advice you’ll find here is based on my experience being a full-time artist since 2005. While I’m always on a look out for new art marketing ideas as I need to improve my art sales, I’ve realized that I figured out a lot of things on my own that I can share with other artists today. It took me many years to understand the business of art, and if I had a mentor or the right person to talk to, setting up and advancing my career wouldn’t be as difficult as it’s been for me thus far. So this post is a note I could have given to myself 2 decades ago.

    A lot of artists start doing art marketing by approaching the art galleries from the get go because selling art is not easy, and while it can work, there is a lot you can do to advance your career without gallery representation. Galleries close left and right, and the established galleries would take your art, if they’re sure they have the clientele to sell it to.

    Don’t quit your day job that brings you mental and financial stability but try to pursue your artistic career with more purpose, so when the time comes, you’re able to quit your job without hesitation. In my case, I have several income streams and the most reliable one comes from teaching privately.

    visionary art, cosmic dancer
    cosmic dancer 18×24-oil painting on panel, https://veronicasart.com/product/cosmic-dancer-oil-painting/

    So here are the top 17 steps to sell your art:

    1. Be confident & believe in yourself

    This is the most important thing to master in any career, especially art. The only substitute for talent is confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself and feel unsure about your own artwork, people won’t buy anything from you. You must be eloquent talking about your art in words people can relate to. Talking about ideas and feelings as opposed to materials and techniques makes sense to most people. I know artists who sell really well not because of quality art but because of their confidence. Watch a documentary about Jean-Michel Basquiat. He began his career as a homeless person in New York and ended up selling his art for thousands of dollars while being in his 20-s. Amazing!

    2. Help others and network

    This is the second most important step to find sales. I find it to be the hardest to pursue, but I also have to admit that Networking is incredibly important! It can propel your career fairly quickly, if you’re able to socialize in the right circles and sell your confidence to others. But it’s also important to know that not every event is yours and that selfishness won’t get you far. Help others. Take time to know the other person before asking for something in return. I think long-term relationships are friendships. And friendships are not easy to acquire and maintain for many of us. Be honest, authentic and giving, even if it doesn’t work out, but stay away from negative people who bring you down every time you see them.

    3. Find a mentor!

    Find a mentor who is a successful artist in your field. This is a giant building block I’ve been missing in my career. It’s so incredibly important to find this person who can be supportive of your talent, and teach you everything you need to know to become successful. Sometimes college teachers take on this role, but I think in order to build a real career, you must connect with the artist who does sold out shows, exhibits nationally and internationally and just knows ins and outs of art business. Mentorship will also keep you accountable if you get sidetracked. If you connect with the right person you admire and respect, please don’t waste his/her time on small tasks. You need to be proactive and independent, work in his/her workshop/studio and learn from that experience!

    how to draw glass

    4. Always be in growth mode mindset

    A lot of artists get frustrated and stuck after receiving a rejection. I agree it’s very hard, but I also learned to accept the fact that my art is not for everyone and any art contest is a gamble. I always look at the winners to understand if I can improve my craft. Also, I’ve learned to be picky about the art contests and shows themselves. A lot of them are not worth your time and money because they’re like vanity galleries. They make money on your paid fees. To participate in good and relevant contests, your art must be good to plow through competition.

    5. Publicity must be consistent focus

    Every artist hopes to get discovered somehow. This is a silly hope, considering how much noise we have in this world. I submit my art to publications regularly and always get excited when it gets noticed. It’s also a gamble but a lot of opportunities are free in comparison to art contests, and can actually help you sell art. If you’re an emerging artist, begin making submissions locally, and also consider free online publications. The larger the magazine, the harder it would be to get into it, but its readership brings new clients and opportunities. What I discovered by looking at opportunities in the Submittable database, many obscure literature magazines actually pay a publication fee to the artist. It’s not huge and runs between $25-100 for one artwork but it’s a lot better than nothing or worse, paying the fee to be published.

    6. Working on your craft is a must

    Well, if you’re satisfied with your work 100% all the time, it leaves very little room for improvement. Be excellent in your art form. It attracts serious art collectors to your art and it builds your own confidence!

    7. Define what you do and what makes you different from everyone else

    This one is not as easy as it sounds. It took me years to find my voice: to understand what I wanted to paint, why and how. Come up with a two-sentence elevator pitch to describe your art. This process of thinking to describe your art in just one line helps a great deal to narrow down what you can paint and what makes you excited to produce as an artist. I used to be all over the place, painting everything that came along my way. While I don’t regret it because I’ve learned so much, I wish I cut on years spent wondering around the bush. This is where clarity in your goals and strategy comes in handy.

    8. Dream big, but also remain realistic in your goals

    Your dreams must be big. You must be ambitious if your art career is important to you. At the same time, your goals should be doable, measurable and manageable not to get overwhelmed with tasks. I have a timeline and a calendar writing down jobs and events I must do to be on time.

    9. Have a strategy, goals and sub goals that have due dates on your calendar

    I have one strategy for a year, one big goal for a month and 4 sub goals to achieve that monthly goal. All of them are written down in my calendar.

    10. Organize your work schedule that includes 1/3 to 1/2 of your time spent on marketing

    Calendar your tasks. I’m a very organized person naturally but I still write them down to stay on top of things. We all have one thing in common-24 hrs in a day. So if you have no time to do what’s important to you, you must prioritize and re-organize your days.

    Yes, unfortunately, a lot of time must be reserved for art marketing and that includes writing your newsletters, calling and meeting people, following up, posting to social media regularly, and submitting art to opportunities to be noticed. If you just sit in your studio painting, no one is going to knock on your door. Sorry!

    11. Stay focused

    Don’t sidetrack yourself with other tasks and opportunities that don’t lead you to your final goal/destination. This is very hard to do because we balance tons of art jobs and family. If you feel overwhelmed, just go back to your board and review your goals and strategy. Sometimes they need adjustment too!

    12. Be prompt answering all correspondence and follow up with people yourself

    Sometimes I contact artists whose art I could of bought but because they don’t find time to reply to their emails, I move on to another artist. Sometimes I email to artists to write about their art, and get no replies. Of course, it means that they also prioritize what deserves attention and what doesn’t, as we get tons of emails and messages daily. But in my experience, many opportunities came to me because I was quick to reply with answers. I also think it’s a good practice to follow up with people once. It’s very annoying to receive unfocused, unspecific messages from people who don’t value my time, and just keep messaging me for no particular reason. So if you write to someone, please be prompt and specific in your request and always address that person by his first name.

    13. Follow other successful artists to understand what they do differently from your routine to increase exposure, publicity and sales

    I keep learning every day by reading business books, subscribing to memberships, and following other artists to pick up on their strategies.

    14. When you make a sale, under promise and over deliver

    Don’t make promises you cannot keep. If you take on a commission, say you’ll be done in 2 months and deliver it in one. If you sell a piece, say you ship it in two weeks but deliver in one week. You get the idea.

    15. Avoid scams and ‘for exposure’ venues and opportunities

    I can’t even tell you how many scam emails and phone messages I get. These people have become very creative! Don’t pay for wall space, representation or shows. They have no incentive to sell your art because they’ve already covered their costs and made profit at your expense! Hang your art in a local cafe, spa or a bank instead.

    16. Collect emails of your art collectors and supporters

    Don’t include everyone into your email list, don’t share your list with others, and don’t bother people on your list every day. Communicate to build anticipation about your new projects, share free and relevant information and announce special events, etc.

    I reach out to my past art collectors in personal communication and send real cards on special occasions.

    17. Live in a fairly big place

    While it can be managed, living in a remote area is not great, unless you’re an established artist. If you’re serious about your art career, get out of your small town. Why? It all comes down to networking and networking happens in the city art galleries, events, parties, and art museums.

    I’m thinking of inviting other artists to share their ideas and art sales strategies. What do you think? Would you be interested in that? Write to nika@veronicasart.com and let me know your thoughts!

    green eye & leaves, psychedelic art mandala, 6×6″ scratchboard, resin & glitter
    video courses by veronica winters
    Check out free previews of my video courses here: https://veronica-winters-art-school.teachable.com/

    Art supplies on Amazon

    Top scams to avoid on Instagram & other social platforms

    Posted on by veronica

    As I’m fed up with daily scams reaching my inbox, I’ve listed some of the most annoying ones here. When you’re new to these messages, it’s easy to get scammed but when you get several similar ones in a day, it becomes much easier to spot, report, and block them on Instagram! Below you find the screenshots from my direct messages and comments scammers leave on my Instagram account . The sad part is that these scammers target artists they want to take advantage of because we’re naïve and trusting and want to sell our art.

    #1 Buying followers scams.

    instagram followers scam

    There are two kinds of scams. They either sell you followers for your money or provide you with a service selling “real and engaged” followers. The result is that you spend your money and all new followers disappear from your account amazingly quickly. In the first instance, you buy ‘engagement’ but the engaged followers come from bots of India and Pakistan. It’s a scam that won’t give you real followers.

    top art scams on instagram

    In the second instance, Instagram scams involve service companies. Service companies like Trusy Social masquerade as legit companies but they are not. Trusy Social claims to provide a service to accelerate Instagram growth by delivering “real and engaged followers that are not bots or fake accounts” with ” hyper niche targeting”. This service claim was written on the front page of their site. I tried their service in February-March, 2022. After I started a 2-month subscription to their service I did see a boost of activity on my posts. However, these were done by fake accounts. Trusy also added fake followers, not the real ones as was promised. Those new followers began to disappear daily from my account when I stopped monthly payments. Every such account stated that the “user is not found”. In a few months, I was free of all fake followers losing all the money I paid for zero real followers. While I thought I paid for a plan to get real engagement, accounts, and followers, I got a bunch of fake accounts that left as quickly as they appeared. Btw there is no expert advice or hyper-niche targeting of users either. None. The only true promise was a responsive account manager so that my emails were answered quickly. I paid using PayPal, opened a case, and lost it because their policy said that the company ‘provided me with service’. So don’t fall for something that can’t be true. Don’t pay for followers.

    #2 Art collectors interested in purchasing your art as the NFTs.

    These are incredibly annoying scams. They offer you good money to purchase your art as NFTs. They send you to a website where you need to make your NFTs either paying for them so they can purchase the nfts from you or connecting your wallet and they steal your money. Block and Report such accounts! The NFT is the real thing but the market crashed last year with the stock market crash and now Instagram is flooded with these NFT art collector scams.

    There’s another version of the same scam. They invite you to a crypto trade.

    nft scams
    top nft scams on Instagram

    #3 PR firms selling you PR service writing an article on a big news site like LA Weekly.

    The problem is that their writers don’t really work for the company and at best, you’re buying an expensive spot in an article that may appear as a sponsored ad. My guess is these articles don’t stay up for long either. The cost of the spot is over $600 according to Mogul Press’s outreach specialist! But ‘if budget is an issue’ it’s just $450.

    mogul press scam

    #4 Buying art as an anniversary gift

    I’m also getting emails that look like so:

    “Hello There,
    My name is Stefany Lee from Miami Fl, i actually observed my husband has been viewing your website on my laptop and i guess he likes your piece of work. I’m also impressed and amazed to have seen your various works too, you are doing a great job. I would like to purchase ” Blue Lily Dream, colored pencil drawing $2,300 ” as a surprise to my husband on our anniversary. Also , let me know if you accept CHECK as mode of payment.
    Thanks and best regards. Steffany Lee    “

    These are fishing scams. They want to send you big checks for your art. To make it short, you won’t be able to cash this check because it will bounce, and you might spend around $200 paying for shipping to a non-existing shipping company they ask you to ship through. That’s how they make money…Collecting $ from artists…

    I’m also getting messages from ‘lightworkers’, palm readers, Illuminati people, etc. All of them try to scam you out of your hard-earned money!

    #5 Hacking your account

    Finally, I’d like to warn you about various apps that ask you to log in using your Instagram, Facebook or Google accounts. Many of these apps take your login information and hack your account! Be super careful because you can lose your account in no time and these social companies don’t restore them. Install a two-step verification logging in. At least you decrease the chance of the account hacking this way.

    My Facebook account got hacked because I logged in to INShot photo editing app using my Facebook log in. I had to change my log in several times a day being notified of suspicious activity after that. They broke into my account in the middle of the night anyway, took my money, and posted and advertised on Facebook on my behalf. The scam doesn’t stop here.

    Hackers who hack your account pretend that they are you and try to scam your followers via direct messages. I got messages from a few accounts I followed and they asked me to go to a specific site or give them my phone or vote for them on a weird site. These messages sounded strange to me because I knew the people whose accounts got hacked. It’s easy to get caught in this if you’re not vigilant about the scams.

    I’m going to update this post with new scam alerts in the future. My hope is that you avoid falling into a web of horrible people who prey on artists to scam. If you’d like to share your scam alert, reach me on Instagram.

    If you’d like to check out my work, go here: visionary art for sale.

    https://veronicasart.com/shop/

    Copyright law for artists: rules to protect and avoid copyright infringement of original art

    Posted on by veronica

    In this article you’ll find some basic information on copyright law for artists. While I’m not an attorney, I have researched this topic quite a bit to give you some clear guidelines for copyright protection for art and what you need to consider doing as an artist painting, digitizing your art and giving images to art magazines. As I worked with various publishers, I didn’t pay attention to the copyright law for artists and I didn’t ask questions where I should of asked them. Also, I had no idea where fan art ended and fair use began. I hope that this article helps you understand what rights your have to protect your art, how to use photos for references, what fan art and fair use of original art means, and so on. Let’s dive right in.

    veronica winters colored pencil

    What is copyright protection for art?

    Copyright protection for original art is a legal framework that grants creators exclusive rights over their original works of authorship, including art. It provides creators with the ability to control how their works are used and allows them to profit from their creations. Copyright protection arises automatically upon the creation of an original work in a fixed and tangible form, such as a painting, sculpture, or drawing. No registration or formalities are generally required to obtain copyright protection, although registering your work with a copyright office can provide additional benefits.

    Here are some key points regarding copyright protection for original art:

    1. Scope of Protection: Copyright protection extends to a wide range of original art, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, digital art, and more.
    2. Exclusive Rights: Copyright grants certain exclusive rights to the creator or copyright owner. These rights typically include the right to reproduce the work, distribute copies, publicly display or perform the work, and create derivative works.
    3. Duration of Protection: Copyright protection generally lasts for the creator’s lifetime until his death plus 70 years after the artist’s death in the US. The exact duration depends on various factors, including the country where the copyright is sought and whether the work was created by an individual or a corporate entity.
    4. Copyright Infringement of Original Art: When someone uses a copyrighted work without authorization, it is considered copyright infringement. This includes copying, distributing, displaying, or creating derivative works based on the original art. Copyright owners have the right to take legal action against infringers and seek remedies such as damages and injunctions.
    5. Fair Use in Art: Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright owner. Fair use is determined on a case-by-case basis and considers factors such as the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount used, and the effect on the market for the original work. Fair use is a complex concept and often subject to interpretation. More on this topic of fair use of original art later.
    6. International Protection: Copyright protection is recognized internationally through various international agreements and treaties. While specific laws and regulations may differ between countries, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) are two international agreements that establish minimum standards for copyright protection.
    7. Copyright Notice and Registration: While not mandatory, it is generally recommended to include a copyright notice (e.g., “Copyright © [year] [name]”) on your art to inform others of your rights. Additionally, registering your work with a copyright office provides certain advantages, such as the ability to sue for statutory damages and attorney’s fees in case of infringement.

    What’s the copyright duration after the first publication of original art in the U.S.?

    In the United States, copyright protection for original art begins automatically upon the creation of an original work fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Since March 1, 1989, registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is not required to secure copyright protection, although it is beneficial for enforcement purposes. The Copyright Act of 1976 went into effect on January 1, 1978, which means that any original art created after this date is automatically copyrighted by the creator and lasts for 70 years after the artist’s death.

    This copyright law for artists has undergone some amendments and updates since 1976, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in 1998 and the Music Modernization Act (MMA) in 2018. These amendments have addressed emerging issues related to digital media, internet, and other technological advancements.

    The copyright duration of original art depends on several factors, including the type of work and when it was created. Here are the general guidelines for copyright duration in the United States, based on the current copyright law (as of September 2021):

    For works created by an individual artist:

    • Original art created on or after January 1, 1978: The copyright duration is the life of the author plus 70 years after the author’s death.
    • Anonymous works or works created under a pseudonym: The copyright duration is 95 years from the year of first publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever expires first.
    • Works created before January 1, 1978, but not published or registered by that date: The copyright duration is the same as if they were created on or after January 1, 1978 (life of the author plus 70 years).

    For works created by a corporate entity or “works made for hire”:

    • Works created on or after January 1, 1978: The copyright duration is 95 years from the year of first publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever expires first.

    These guidelines are subject to various exceptions, extensions, and specific circumstances. For example, certain works created by the U.S. government, copyright restoration for foreign works, and copyright terms under previous copyright laws may have different durations. Copyright protection for art and its duration varies in other countries as each country has its own copyright laws and regulations. It is crucial to consult the copyright laws of the specific jurisdiction in question to determine the applicable copyright duration. For up-to-date information on copyright duration, consult an intellectual property attorney or refer to the U.S. Copyright Office website.

    blue lily dream-veronica winters colored pencil
    Blue lily dream, 20×30 inches, colored pencil on art board by Veronica Winters

    Does copyright protection for art in the U.S. work in other countries?

    Copyright protection for art in the United States does not automatically extend to other countries. Copyright is primarily territorial, meaning that it is granted and enforced based on the laws of each individual country. So, while your artwork may be protected by copyright in the United States, it does not guarantee the same level of protection in other countries.

    However, there are international agreements and treaties in place to facilitate and harmonize copyright protection across borders. The most significant of these is the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which has been ratified by a large number of countries worldwide. Under the Berne Convention, member countries must provide a minimum level of copyright protection to works originating from other member countries, treating them in a manner no less favorable than their own nationals. Other international agreements, including the Universal Copyright Convention (UCC) and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), also help establish standards and mechanisms for protecting copyright internationally but it will depend on country by country basis. Son don’t count on this! Here is the case of a famous artist-photographer Jingna Zhang whose photography was stolen yet she lost her case in a European court because of differences in law of two countries.

    copyright for artists-zhangjingna-zemotion case
    This is one of the Instagram posts made by a well-known photographer-Zhang Jingna (zemotion on Instagram). The artist stole her picture by copying her photo to create a painting. All he did, he reversed the image. As you can see it’s copied 95%. What’s more incredible, the artist wins not only the art contest getting prize money, but also wins the case in Luxembourg court!! The artist ripped off her work, won a prize of €1,500 from the government of Luxembourg and Ministry of Culture, and had it presented to Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Princess Stéphanie.

    When art is in the public domain in the United States?

    In copyright law for visual artists the image enters public domain depending on a year of first publication. In the United States, original art published before 1923 is considered to be in the public domain. Art can be freely used, reproduced, and modified without permission from the original creator. So to avoid the copyright infringement of original art is not to use art imagery created after 1923.

    Art published between 1923 and 1977: The copyright duration for these works varies. If the copyright was properly renewed, the copyright term is 95 years from the year of first publication. However, many works from this period have fallen out of copyright due to failure to renew or comply with other formalities. Determining the copyright status of works from this period may require further research.

    Works published from 1978 onwards: For original art created by individuals, the general rule of life of the author plus 70 years applies. After this duration, the work enters the public domain. However, different rules may apply to works created by corporations or works made for hire.

    Determining the public domain status of a specific artwork can sometimes be complex. Copyright protection for art can vary between countries. The public domain status of an original painting in one country may not necessarily apply globally. For works from other countries, the copyright duration and public domain criteria should be checked according to the laws of the respective country.

    What are copyright law renewal rules in the US?

    Copyright renewal rules in the United States were applicable to works published between 1923 and 1977. Prior to the current copyright law, which went into effect in 1978, copyright owners had to follow specific renewal requirements to extend the duration of their copyright protection.

    Pre-1978 Copyright Law: Under the Copyright Act of 1909, which was in effect until December 31, 1977, copyright protection initially lasted for 28 years from the date of publication. At the end of this initial term, copyright owners had the option to renew the copyright for an additional 28-year period. To renew the copyright, the copyright owner had to file a renewal registration with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of the original copyright term. This renewal registration had to include specific information and be accompanied by a fee. If the copyright owner failed to file a proper renewal registration, the copyright expired at the end of the initial 28-year term, and the work entered the public domain. Renewal requirements varied depending on the year of publication. Before 1964, renewal registration had to be made with the Copyright Office. From 1964 to 1977, renewal could be accomplished through either actual renewal registration or by virtue of a publication with a proper copyright notice.

    Subsequent Copyright Law Changes: The copyright renewal requirements changed with the enactment of the Copyright Act of 1976, which went into effect on January 1, 1978. Under the current law, renewal registration is no longer necessary to maintain copyright protection for art. Works created after 1977 are granted copyright protection automatically upon creation, and the duration is based on the life of the author plus 70 years. Determining the renewal status of a specific work published between 1923 and 1977 can be complex. The renewal requirements were subject to various rules, formalities, and deadlines, and not all works were renewed.

    pomegranate heart oil painting, 5x7, visionary art by veronica winters
    Pomegranate Heart, oil painting, 5x7in, Veronica Winters

    What is copyright protection for art on movie stills and publicity photos?

    Copyright law regarding movie stills and publicity photos is generally similar to copyright protection for other types of visual works. In the United States, movie stills and publicity photos are considered creative works, and they can be protected by copyright if they meet the requirements of originality and fixation in a tangible medium of expression.

    Ownership: The copyright in movie stills and publicity photos is typically owned by the person or entity that created them. In most cases, this is the photographer or the studio/company that commissioned the photographs.

    Duration: Copyright protection for movie stills and publicity photos is governed by the same duration rules as other visual works. For works created by an individual, the general rule is that copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after their death. For works created by a corporate entity or as “works made for hire,” the copyright duration is typically 95 years from the year of first publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever expires first.

    Fair Use: The fair use doctrine can apply to movie stills and publicity photos, allowing limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright owner. Fair use is determined on a case-by-case basis and considers factors such as the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount used, and the effect on the market for the original work.

    Licensing and Permissions: Using movie stills and publicity photos without proper authorization may infringe upon the copyright owner’s rights. To legally use these images, it is generally necessary to obtain permission from the copyright owner or their authorized representative. This may involve negotiating a license, paying a fee, or complying with specific terms and conditions.

    The copyright law on movie stills and publicity pictures is complex, plus other countries have their own copyright laws.

    Iconic Movie stills & copyright infringement of original art

    Movie stills from iconic movies like Star Wars, Mission Impossible, the Dune and alike are generally subject to copyright protection. As creative works fixed in a tangible medium, movie stills are considered original expressions and are typically protected by copyright law. This applies to stills from well-known movies. The copyright in movie stills is typically owned by the photographer who took the stills or the studio/company that commissioned the photographs. The duration of copyright protection for these stills follows the general rules mentioned earlier, typically lasting for the life of the author plus 70 years or a specific period based on corporate ownership.

    Using movie stills from iconic movies without proper authorization or a valid legal basis may infringe upon the copyright owner’s rights. To use movie stills legally, it is generally necessary to obtain permission from the copyright owner or their authorized representative. This may involve negotiating a license, paying a fee, or complying with specific terms and conditions. Unauthorized use of copyrighted material can lead to legal consequences, including claims of copyright infringement. If you intend to use movie stills from Star Wars or any other copyrighted work, it is advisable to consult with a copyright attorney or seek permission from the copyright owner or their representatives for specific guidance and permissions tailored to your intended use.

    Fan art & copyright infringement in art

    Fan art refers to artwork created by fans that is based on characters, settings, or other elements from existing copyrighted works such as movies, TV shows, books, or video games. Fan art is a complex area of copyright law, and its legality depends on various factors.

    Fan art is generally considered a derivative work because it incorporates elements or characters from existing copyrighted works. Copyright law for artists grants the original copyright owner the exclusive right to create derivative works based on their original work. Creating and distributing fan art without permission from the copyright owner may infringe upon their rights. It involves copying, displaying, and distributing copyrighted elements without authorization, which is generally considered copyright infringement.

    Fan art & fair use

    Fan art may potentially qualify as fair use under certain circumstances. Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright owner. The determination of fair use depends on various factors, including the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount used, and the effect on the market for the original work.

    However, the legality of fan art under fair use is a complex and context-specific analysis, and each case is evaluated individually. Merely labeling something as fan art does not automatically qualify it as fair use. It’s a fact-specific determination that requires considering the specific details of the artwork and the relevant legal principles. For example, images of Star Wars movies, including promotional stills and other related materials, are not in the public domain. Star Wars is a highly copyrighted and trademarked franchise owned by Lucasfilm Ltd., which is now a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The original Star Wars films, as well as subsequent releases and associated materials, remain protected by copyright. As a general rule, copyright protection lasts for several decades after the death of the author or the creation of the work, depending on the applicable copyright laws. For Star Wars movies and associated images, the copyright protection is held by the copyright owner, typically the production company or studio.

    Some copyright holders may tolerate or even encourage fan art within certain limits. They may allow fan art to exist as a form of fan expression and promotion of their original work. Some copyright holders may establish guidelines for fan art or grant licenses for its creation and distribution.

    Many artists use pictures of famous people for their art or create art based on famous artist style. Depending on the amount of modification of the original, such new, created art can pass as a new creation because it's been modified enough to count as a new artwork. Some artists paint in the style of Picasso or Vermeer but they don't infringe on the copyright because of a considerable modification of the original. There is a debate about the AI art trained to create pictures based on some famous artists and art. Some artists are furious about this but the thing is, the copyright for art may fall into this category of 'created in the style of'' or modified enough to pass as a new artwork. It will be interesting to see how the copyright law changes with the introduction of AI-generated images.

    Fan art & Commercial use

    The commercial use of fan art, such as selling prints or merchandise featuring the artwork, can increase the likelihood of copyright infringement claims. Commercial use typically carries greater risk because it can impact the market for the original work and may be seen as exploiting the copyrighted material for financial gain.

    Copyright law for artists can vary between countries, and the legal status of fan art may differ accordingly. If you plan to create or use fan art, it is advisable to consult with a copyright attorney who can provide guidance based on the specific circumstances and applicable copyright laws in your jurisdiction.

    What is fair use of original art?

    Fair use is a legal doctrine in copyright law that allows for limited use of copyrighted material without obtaining permission from the copyright owner. It is a flexible and context-specific concept that aims to strike a balance between the rights of copyright holders and the public’s interest in accessing and using creative works. While fair use is primarily based on the U.S. legal framework, similar concepts exist in other countries, although they may be referred to by different names or have different criteria.

    The four factors determining fair use under U.S. copyright law are:

    1. Purpose and Character of the Use: This factor examines the purpose and character of the use of the copyrighted material. Transformative uses, where the work is modified or used in a new or different context, are more likely to be considered fair use. Nonprofit, educational, or critical uses are also often favored under this factor.
    2. Nature of the Copyrighted Work: The nature of the copyrighted work is considered, such as whether it is factual or creative. The fair use defense may be stronger for using works that are more factual or published.
    3. Amount and Substantiality of the Use: The amount and substantiality of the copyrighted material used in relation to the entire work are evaluated. Using small portions or excerpts of a work may be more likely to be considered fair use, especially if it does not affect the market value of the original work.
    4. Effect on the Market for the Original Work: The impact of the use on the market for the original work is assessed. If the use of the copyrighted material negatively impacts the market potential or potential licensing opportunities for the original work, it may weigh against fair use.

    Fair use is a nuanced and fact-specific analysis. No bright-line rules exist, and courts consider each case individually, weighing these factors and considering other relevant circumstances. Fair use determinations can vary depending on the specific facts and context of the use, and the outcome may differ between different cases. In the context of art, fair use may be relevant when artists incorporate copyrighted material into their work for purposes such as commentary, criticism, parody, or transformative expression. However, each case must be evaluated on its own merits with legal advice from a copyright attorney.

    Sacrifice oil painting
    Sacrifice, 18×24 in, oil on canvas

    How to register a copyright for original art?

    Copyright law for visual artists is clear on one thing. Copyright registration for original art is not a requirement for obtaining copyright protection. Copyright protection begins automatically upon the creation of the artwork. However, registration offers certain benefits, such as the ability to sue for statutory damages and attorney’s fees in case of infringement. It also serves as public evidence of the copyright claim.

    To register a copyright for original art in the United States, follow these steps:

    1. Create the Artwork: Copyright protection arises automatically upon the creation of an original work in a fixed and tangible form. Before registering a copyright, ensure that your artwork is complete and fixed in a physical or digital format.
    2. Determine Eligibility: Not all works are eligible for copyright protection. Generally, original works of authorship, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, and digital art, are eligible. However, facts, ideas, and common symbols or designs may not qualify for copyright protection.
    3. Complete the Application: Visit the website of the U.S. Copyright Office https://copyright.gov/ and navigate to the Register your Works system. Create an account and follow the instructions to complete the online application. Provide accurate information about the artwork, the author, and the copyright claim.
    4. Submit Deposit Materials: As part of the registration process, you’ll need to submit deposit materials, which typically include copies of the artwork. The specific requirements may vary based on the nature of your art (physical or digital). Follow the guidelines provided by the Copyright Office for submitting deposit materials.
    5. Pay the Registration Fee: There is a registration fee associated with copyright registration. The fee amount depends on various factors, such as the type of work and the method of submission. Make sure to pay the fee as required by the Copyright Office.
    6. Wait for Processing: The processing time can vary, but it generally takes several months for the registration to be completed. You may receive a certificate of registration once the process is finished.
    Registration of a claim in an original work of authorship copied from the Copyright Office
    Electronic filing:
    Single author, same claimant, one work, not for hire$45
    Standard Application$65
    Paper Filing (Forms PA, SR, TX, VA, SE)$125
    Registration of a claim in a group of unpublished works$85
    Registration of a claim in a group of published photographs or a claim in a group of unpublished photographs$55
    Registration of a claim in a group of works published on an album of music$65
    Registration of a claim in a group of serials (per issue, minimum two issues)$35
    Registration of a claim in a group of newspapers or a group of newsletters$95
    Registration of a claim in a group of contributions to periodicals$85
    Registration of a claim in a group of short online literary works$65
    Registration of updates or revisions to a database that predominantly consists of non-photographic works$500
    Registration for a database that predominantly consists of photographs and updates thereto:
    Electronic filing$250
    Paper filing$250
    Registration of a renewal claim (Form RE):
    Claim without addendum$125
    Addendum (in addition to the fee for the claim)$100
    Registration of a claim in a restored copyright (Form GATT)$100
    Preregistration of certain unpublished works$200
    Registration of a correction or amplification to a claim
    Supplementary registration
    Electronic filing$100
    Paper Filing for correction or amplification of renewal registrations, GATT registrations, and group registrations for non-photographic databases (Form CA)$150
    Correction of a design registration: Form DC$100
    Registration of a claim in a mask work (Form MW)$150
    Registration of a claim in a vessel design (Form D/VH)$500
    Registration fees as of 7/15/2023

    The benefits of copyright registration for original art

    The specific benefits of copyright registration for original art may vary between countries, and the advantages mentioned below primarily apply to the United States.

    Legal Evidence: Copyright registration provides a public record of your copyright claim, serving as evidence of the validity of your copyright and the date of creation. This can be crucial if you need to enforce your rights in court, as it simplifies the process of proving ownership.

    Statutory Damages and Attorney’s Fees: If you register your artwork with the copyright office prior to infringement or within a specific time period after publication, you may be eligible to seek statutory damages and attorney’s fees in a copyright infringement lawsuit. Statutory damages can provide compensation even if you cannot prove the actual damages you suffered, and attorney’s fees coverage can significantly reduce the financial burden of litigation.

    Presumption of Ownership: Copyright registration creates a legal presumption of ownership and the validity of your copyright. This means that in case of a dispute or infringement, the burden of proof may shift to the opposing party to challenge your copyright claim.

    Enhanced Remedies: Registration allows you to seek additional remedies in court, such as the possibility of obtaining an injunction to stop the infringing use of your art. It also opens up the potential for higher damages in some cases.

    Licensing and Commercial Opportunities: Copyright registration can enhance your credibility and make it easier to negotiate licensing agreements and commercialize your art. It provides a clear demonstration of your commitment to protecting your work, which can be attractive to potential licensees or buyers.

    International Protection: Copyright registration in your home country may also facilitate copyright protection in other countries. Many countries recognize and respect the registration of copyright in other jurisdictions through international treaties and agreements.

    Copyright law for visual artists in art magazines

    Leisure Painter, February 2023

    The ownership of copyright in a scenario where an art magazine prints an artwork depends on the specific circumstances and agreements involved. Generally, the copyright ownership remains with the artist who created the artwork unless there is a transfer or assignment of rights in a written format. Also, in general, images belong to the artist but the writing may not!

    Here are a few possibilities:

    1. License or Permission: The artist may grant the art magazine a license or permission to reproduce and publish the artwork in the magazine. In this case, the artist retains copyright ownership, but the magazine has limited rights to use the artwork as specified in the license agreement.
    2. Work Made for Hire: If there is a contractual agreement stating that the artist created the artwork as a “work made for hire” for the magazine, then the copyright ownership may belong to the magazine as the employer or commissioning party. However, specific requirements must be met for a work to be considered a “work made for hire” under copyright law.
    3. Assignment of Rights: The artist may assign or transfer their copyright ownership to the art magazine through a written agreement. This means that the magazine becomes the new owner of the copyright for the artwork.

    The default assumption is that the artist retains copyright ownership unless there is a clear agreement to transfer or assign rights. The specific terms and conditions should be outlined in a written agreement between the artist and the art magazine to clarify the ownership and usage rights of the artwork. If you are a visual artist and you are approached by an art magazine or any other publication to feature your artwork, it’s advisable to review any agreements or contracts carefully, consider consulting with a copyright attorney, and negotiate the terms to ensure that you retain appropriate rights and receive fair compensation for the use of your art. I would ask the editor directly about the copyright ownership before agreeing to give art or write a specific article.

    Ai-generated art & copyright infringement in art

    visionary art-veronica winters art blog
    https://veronicasart.com/what-is-visionary-art-themes-style-and-artists/ | AI-generated image

    The application of copyright law to AI-created images is evolving as technology advances. Here are some key considerations regarding copyright law for visual artists and AI-generated images:

    1. Authorship: In traditional copyright law, authorship is typically attributed to human creators. However, when it comes to AI-generated images, determining authorship becomes more complicated. If an AI system autonomously creates an image without human intervention, the question of who qualifies as the author may arise. Different jurisdictions may have different approaches to this issue, and legal frameworks may need to be adapted to address the unique aspects of AI-generated works.
    2. Human Involvement: If human input, creative choices, or interventions are involved in the AI-generated image, the law may consider the human as the author or co-author, depending on the extent of their contribution. For instance, if an artist utilizes AI tools as a tool to assist or enhance their creative process, they may retain copyright over the resulting work.
    3. Originality and Fixation: Copyright protection generally requires that a work be original and fixed in a tangible medium of expression. If an AI system generates images based on pre-existing works or data without adding sufficient originality, the resulting images may not meet the threshold of originality required for copyright protection. However, if the AI system creates novel and original images that are fixed in a tangible medium, they may qualify for copyright protection.
    4. Ownership: Ownership of copyright in AI-generated images can be complex and may depend on various factors, such as contractual agreements or specific laws in the jurisdiction. It is important to consider who owns or controls the AI system, as well as any agreements or terms of use associated with its usage.
    5. Derivative Works: If an AI-generated image is based on pre-existing copyrighted works, it may be considered a derivative work. Creating and distributing AI-generated images based on copyrighted materials without permission may infringe upon the original copyright owner’s rights.
    6. Fair Use and Transformative Use: The fair use doctrine, which allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission, may apply to AI-generated images under certain circumstances. If the AI-generated image is used for purposes such as criticism, commentary, parody, or transformative use, it may be considered fair use. However, fair use is a fact-specific analysis and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

    I hope that this article helps you protect your original art and make informative decisions about the copyright law for visual artists moving forward.

    One of the helpful books about art law, corruption in the art market and other issues can be found in this book- “Art Law in a Nutshell” by DuBoff-King.

    SHOP visionary art for sale now!

    7 income streams for artists to make money

    7 Income streams for artists to make more money today

    Posted on by veronica

    We must make money to make more art! It’s difficult for artists to think like a business because our motivation is not to make money rather to create something beautiful. But life is expensive these days and we must make money to make as much art as possible! We must make art to fill this world with emotional beauty, which shouldn’t come at our own expense and endless sacrifice.

    Most artists want to sell in a gallery so we don’t have to deal with the art sales. But small and mid range galleries barely cover their costs. I worked with several art galleries locally that disappeared because their overhead costs were way over their revenue. If you find a good commercial gallery, you must consider it as a partnership not to undercut the owner if you’re approached to sell the represented art direct to your customer.

    Art doesn’t sell on its own when you start out. Don’t wait to be discovered! Have a very active presence both online and offline to sell your art direct to your clients.

    Veronica Winters

    Income streams for artists

    Promotion

    Always assume responsibility to promote your art online, offline and anywhere in between. Use local and national magazines and newspapers to put your art in front of people. You must be of interest to the writer or magazine, so pitch an engaging story on a particular topic instead of writing ‘hey-look-at-my-art’ email. Newspaper journalists like to print artists who have a strong connection to the local community. They usually cover local events that benefit the community. Write a short email with a paragraph how your art benefits others.

    Fan base

    Focus on building your fan base or community around you – people who like, support and buy your art or service from you. This is not about begging, forcing or making them to buy. It’s about finding real fans who enjoy your work on their wall and, want to support you.

    Passive income streams

    Now let’s look at some income streams for you to consider to make money as an artist. There is passive income as well as income coming per hours spent working on a job that can be compare to having a regular job.

    #1. Selling digital products

    You can be selling books and digital products/downloads explaining your painting techniques, or sales strategies or grant writing knowledge- something of interest and value that other artists need to know and you’re good at. You can sell these digital products on Amazon kindle, your web store, Instagram or other social platform.
    These digital pdf downloads can sell on its own without active promotion but these sales would be small and inconsistent. Writing time can vary greatly to create a digital asset. In my case it takes up to a year to write one book).

    Printed books industry is declining rapidly along with digital books and art magazines. However, if you create and manage a successful book launch, your book may become a bestseller. I learned about this strategy many years later so I didn’t have a chance to implement it.

    colored pencil manual veronica wintershow to color like an artist_coloring book_veronica winters
    These art instruction books are on sale on Amazon!
    Video courses

    Launch strategy to sell books on Amazon

    The strategy is to have a strong base of at least a hundred top fans who write a book review at the launch day when the book goes live on Amazon. You must collect as many reviews as possible on the launch day to boost the algorithm and sales of your book. You must give something in return to people who write reviews (digital book file or something else). I didn’t know about this strategy when I began selling books on Amazon a decade ago. I simply listed them on Kindle. The sales were going well on their own years ago but this industry declined sharply and I get less than $300 a year from it now. This doesn’t count for my royalties coming from my latest two books published by Dover. I’m paid in royalties direct from this company every 6 months and it’s 4 times more than my sales on Kindle.

    #2. Selling courses

    It’s a booming industry. I think the decline of the printed book industry relates to the boom in this one.

    Let’s look at your investment of time vs. the benefit of having your video course up and running. I spent an insane amount of time creating my first comprehensive course in colored pencil drawing. It took me almost a year to record, edit, narrate and put it all together. I probably overdid it because most courses are between 1-2 hours long and I made 18 lessons of 1hr classes. So it depends how much time you want to invest into your course design. You must know how to record and edit your videos. Outsourcing is possible of course and in this case you have to set a budget for that.

    Let’s look at your expertise vs. a quick way to make money. Today we can pick from thousands of courses. Why? Because anyone can make a course. The quality of the course varies greatly. Usually the reviews can spot strengths and weaknesses of the creator. It doesn’t mean you can’t make your own course. Think what value you give to your customer to design your video course. If you’re not sure, pay attention what people ask you about most often and consider making the course on this topic.

    A course won’t sell on its own without marketing if you list it on your own platform. Some aggregate platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, Domestika already have students and traffic and the companies spend their money advertising to bring more students in. So if you upload your course to these platforms (which is free), you’ll get reasonable traffic to your course, which would very monthly. These companies take a substantial cut from your sales. But you can upload your course to all these free platforms and get paid from all of them producing just one class.

    To list your course with a full control over its price and sales, you can use teachable platform. However you pay quite a lot in yearly fees up front $348-$3000 /year for maintenance of your courses. That’s regardless your sales or profit. Plus they take a cut from every sale you make, which depends on your payment plan. You do have an option to start with a free plan listing 1 course. I love this platform because customer service is great and they take care of all transactions, taxes and other issues that may arise especially selling courses internationally. An alternative to Teachable is Samcart or Thrivecart. Pricing starts at $49 per month. And I’m sure there are many more platforms available for creators now.

    To sell courses in volume you must have some form of marketing in place or active following to promote it. Otherwise your sales would be small and inconsistent. A sales funnel should be in place to attract new customers to buy your courses.

    Lambent Space Art Poster

    #3. Selling merchandise printed on demand

    Selling merchandise printed on demand is trickier than you think. Everyone talks about how great it is to sell prints and get paid but it’s not that simple. No one talks about it. Despite the ease of opening your store and uploading files, you’re stuck with the same problem – low or zero traffic to your store front when there’s no active community around you.

    Let’s look at time spent to open your print shop vs. the traffic problem.

    Again your success in sales of prints relates directly to your marketing effort, engagement and your following on social platforms. New people can find you via SEO to buy commercial art listed on third party platforms like Society 6 or Red Bubble. To be successful, you must do a lot of research first. Research long tale keywords for the product you want to make using Ubersuggest. You need to understand what’s popular and trending in your niche (use Google trends) to create a commercially successful product. That’s one of the reasons why some artists sell prints like hotcakes and others don’t. Look at top products selling on Society 6, Red Bubble, Etsy to figure out what you can offer that’s better. Price point matters selling merchandise. Start researching your competition to see what they’re doing and how they are pricing their work.

    All content on my site is copyrighted but you’re welcome to share this entire article with your friends!

    Check out my art shop here: https://veronicasart.com/shop/

    veronica winters colored pencil drawing of cosmic buddha in frame

    Active income streams

    These are major passive income streams. Now let’s look at the active income streams. The following strategies require your ability to communicate and connect with people, offering something of value to them.

    #4. Teaching art

    As artist you’re in a unique position to to teach art online, off-line, in private lessons, and group classes even if you don’t have a college degree. You can organize lucrative cruise workshops or workshops in a beautiful vacation spots to boost your art income. That’s always been a lion share of my work and income that’s fairly consistent and can be compared to having a full-time job. All these teaching opportunities are totally possible and pay well when you ask for it. You must manage time, schedule and students progress. So if you’re disorganized or can’t set boundaries with people, it could be a problem. But if you enjoy teaching and love to see your students grow, it becomes a very beautiful and rewarding job to have as an artist!

    #5. Working with brands

    Let’s look at brand sponsorships. Brands are interested in your following numbers and active community. Brands can either give you products to use and promote or they can actually pay you for your work promoting their products on social media and YouTube. You need to have a rate card (price list) to negotiate payment for your service as opposed to receiving no money but art supplies.

    #6. Collaboration

    It’s great to collaborate with other artists or organizations that are a step ahead of you. This leads to more opportunities down the road and creates friendships. Connect with other artists (who are ahead of you) and participate in group shows with them.

    Selling art is a very social skill where you have to meet a lot of people to socialize first. You don’t want to be that salesy rep. You want to genuinely connect with people building a relationship over time. Connect with local community, restaurant business owners to display your art. Business people are interested to collaborate with you when they can make money. Think what you can offer in exchange for the use of their space. What makes artists cringe is that we are the opposite of business people. We are here to create something beautiful and money making is not our goal. It’s the purpose of every business person however.

    • Connect with local Interior designers.
    • Connect with spa owners.
    • Connect with people at your local art museum
    • Connect with health care & insurance industry
    • Connect with businesses that don’t relate directly to art so you benefit them by bringing additional traffic or offer other value to display and sell your art. Framing store, art supplies store, musical instruments shop, gift shops in museums, botanic gardens, etc.

    Connect. To speak eloquently about your art for their benefit!

    https://instagram.com/veronicawintersart

    paintings on sale, veronica winters painting, fine art, art painting
    paintings on sale, veronica winters painting, fine art, art painting

    #7. Meet art collectors at art museums

    This idea comes from Brainard Carey (you can find him on YouTube and at the Praxis Center). Buy a membership at your local art museum to meet art patrons at special events and show previews. Ask them about their interests & invite them to your studio to build a relationship with them without asking for sales! This builds trust and friendship. They’ll want to buy from you when you establish a relationship with them.

    Other important things to consider for your art business:

    • List building
    • Publicity efforts
    • Social media growth
    • Connection and service to others
    • Underpromise and Overdeliver
    • Ask for reviews or testimonials from your past collectors and fans to build more trust
    hooked on art podcast with veronica winters artist
    Leave a review of my podcast on Apple & Spotify, send me the screenshot of your review and I’ll give you access to my video mini course for free!
    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hooked-on-art-podcast/id1578503310
    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/601b3tkDmePVnsFPCRrDTm?si=cded1d145ffd4c7a

    Learn from your mistakes

    Learn from your mistakes not to get discouraged and quit, rather to be able to pivot and adjust your strategies. The case of Netflix is clear. Once a disruptor and innovator no more. Life changes constantly and we must be able to adapt and change with it.

    Pick a strategy that’s easy to implement in accordance with your personality at first. Then add another strategy to your action. You must take action on 1-3 strategies to see the results. You need to implement them. Without taking action, it’s just the information without its proper use. Good luck and let me know what you think of this article by messaging me on Facebook or Instagram. 🙂

    P.S. Study great art marketers of our time – Jeff Koons, Kinkade, Warhol.

    Art supplies sold on Amazon:

    You can find me here:

    Because you’re interested in art sales, you might be interested in this article and video here: https://veronicasart.com/the-quality-of-your-art-makes-no-difference-in-sales-what-you-must-know-as-an-artist-selling-art/

    How to promote your art and advance your career to sell more art

    Posted on by veronica

    How to Promote your Art and Advance your Art Career

    The following article is the advice I’d give myself over 25 years ago when I began drawing. I was shy, clueless and too naïve to believe that someone would see me or discover my art after I have my college degree. If you think like me, stop it. There’s a very slim chance of this happening unless you’re super lucky. Instead focus on cultivating your ability to promote yourself shamelessly. Yes, shamelessly. You must feel good about it though to sound confident and sincere talking about your art.

    Stop asking for permission to do what you want. No one can give you the advice that feels right for you. Only you know what’s genuine to your soul and what feels off. Give yourself permission to feel and dream. Let yourself be free to express who you’re! Be unique.

    interior space-veronica winters paintings


    One thing no successful artist shares with others is his business know-how. Here’s one of life-learning lessons from me…Success in artist career strongly correlates to the artist’s personality.. No strategy or marketing advice will work for you if you’re not extraverted and confident, or you don’t attempt to adapt to your circumstances and pursue your goals with relentless passion. If you avoid people (my case), your sales are very limited because guess what? You sell art to people around you or with whom you develop a relationship.

    Money affirmation from Bob Proctor:
I am so happy and grateful now - that money comes to me in increasing quantities through multiple sources on a continuous basis.

    There are several effective ways promoting your art:

    1. The most effective way is to work on publicity efforts that include both local and national magazines, newspapers and presentations. Aftercall, that’s the reason why PR firms exist. They promote artists heavily. The artist must lead with a story and emotion to generate interest in his/her work. This strategy must be ongoing reaching out to top publications with lots of potential for bringing relevant traffic. The subcategory in this strategy is to be active in relevant groups on Facebook to help others, befriend, and generate genuine interest. Local media likes the community aspect in artist’ press releases meaning that your event needs strongly correlate to you local scene (is it a show with a community outreach? A donation for cause? or something else?)
    2. Have strong, professional presence online via your site, Instagram and possibly affiliations with art organizations.
    3. Collaborate with pro artists on special projects or shows and events who are a few steps ahead of you. It’s useless to run after people who don’t care what you do but you must continue reaching out, maintaining social presence to find those who are supportive of your vision.
    4. Find a successful mentor who might not be available for free but learning from such a mentor can cut on years of frustration and disappointment for you.
    5. Work with curators. Curators place your work in museums raising value of your art.
    6. Teach art or art-related subject either online or locally or both. This way you constantly attract new people and build the customer base for your services. You’re getting paid consistently if you manage your time and clients well.
    7. Be very social on all social events generating interest in your art and personality by talking about your ideas and mission instead of explaining that you are an abstract artist or a portrait one.
    8. If your goal is to be represented by a gallery, befriend many artists showing at that gallery.
    9. Write step–by-step demonstrations for specialized publications.
    10. Win a big award. Win more awards. This is not an effective strategy for most artists but those who win big awards or residencies attract attention and advance their careers.
    11. Apply to residencies, especially those in or near New York, LA and other cultural centers. Curators walk through non-profits picking their stars.
    12. Live in a big artistic place to network and connect with art professionals. This is essential to art promotion. This outreach should be constant like brushing your teeth.
    13. Work with interior designers, especially if your art is abstract. Take them out for lunch to understand size and color specifications to create art that they want. Think of it as commissioned work.
    14. Use Facebook ads to sell a low-entry print or course to attract attention and build customer base to sell higher-priced items later on.

    You kind of have to work on all of this simultaneously building strong foundation and relationships with people and think of it as your business that must have all the legs in a stool, not just one or two.

    Veronica Winters

    Becoming a successful artist can be a challenging and complex process, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. So in addition to what I wrote above:

    1. Develop your skills: Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, musician, or writer, honing your craft is essential to becoming a successful artist. This may involve taking classes, practicing regularly, and seeking feedback from other artists or mentors. It depends what art style you choose to pursue. For instance becoming a realist artist is a lot of work to put in no matter how you slice it.
    2. Build your portfolio: Your portfolio is your calling card as an artist, and it’s important to showcase your best work in a professional manner. Consider creating a website or online gallery to showcase your best art, and make sure to keep your portfolio up to date as you create new work. Be as consistent as possible in size, style and subject. Instagram is a good alternative to show your process videos and art in space. It’s also a virtual place to network.
    3. Be original and creative: The art world is constantly evolving, so it is important to stay ahead of the curve by being original and creative. Experiment with different styles and techniques, and don’t be afraid to take risks. Listen to interviews with contemporary artists. While business secrets remain as such, some artists do share good tips in networking.
    4. Network: Building relationships with other artists, curators, collectors, and other professionals in the art world can be crucial to your success. Attend art shows and events, join artist groups, and use social media to connect with others in the industry.
    5. Develop your brand: As an artist, you are also a brand, and it’s important to develop a clear and consistent message about your work and your identity as an artist. Consider creating a logo or tagline that reflects your style and personality.
    6. Be persistent: Success as an artist often requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and persistence. Don’t be discouraged by rejection or setbacks, and continue to work on your craft and promote your art. With time, effort, and a little bit of luck, you may be able to achieve your goals as an artist.
    Check out my art on Instagram or YouTube. I also host Hooked on Art Podcast

    Check out visionary art for sale

    The quality of your art makes no difference in sales: what you must know as an artist selling art

    Posted on by veronica

    First, the quality of my advice would make a difference for you depending on your career level as well as your personal experience. I’m going to talk about my experiences being a fine artist for many years.

    • Don’t waste your time procrastinating with perfectionism.
    • We all have the same amount of time.
    • Not taking action or implementing something you’ve learned makes all your acquired information useless. Take action.
    • Stop sponsoring competitions to find your self-worth. Just think who makes more money artists or art magazines or galleries collecting those art contest fees?
    • Look at the quality of your art presentation (frames & images)
    • Pick one platform to drive traffic to you art. Platforms like Ebay, Etsy, Saatchi art, Fine Art America, etc. have customers’ trust, but you must promote your page to give away your profit margin of 20-40%. Customers can buy art from these platforms because they trust the companies. Also these platforms don’t promote you. In fact, only top-notch galleries really promote their artists, growing their careers. If you list your art with a small gallery or on an art aggregate website, don’t expect having lots of sales. Most of them do nothing for your career and promotion, yet you keep doing all the work instead bringing traffic to their site. Think long term and pick one platform to appear in front of your followers and customers by building trust with them.
    • Social media. What value do you bring? It’s about your followers, not you. Be social & helpful whenever time permits.
    • Use affiliate links when it makes sense for your business. Don’t drive your hard-earned traffic away from your site unless you’re well compensated for it.
    • Art collectors? Work on one relationship at a time. Repeat customers buy from you many times over if they like you, your product and your offer.
    • Be aware of people who say they know everything and how to do this or that. What works for one person may not work for a thousand others trying to replicate the success.
    Video courses

    So website is important. Social media presence is important. Professionalism is important. However, I can put all this advice into a trash bin to replace it with a single point I want to make here. Many artists want to ignore it including me. Your ability to approach & connect with people matters the most in building your artistic career. Network as much as you can to create a web of supporters, writers and promoters.

    Art supplies I often use sold on Amazon

    Passion

    Posted on by veronica

    “A picture is first of all a product of the imagination of the artist. It must never be a copy.”

    Edgar Degas
    fine artists-oil paintings for sale
    Focus, 38inches, oil painting on canvas by Veronica Winters

    Dedicate your time to your passion. People have a lot of potential but they don’t know that because they limit themselves with negative thoughts and pursuits of perfection. Excuses make a lot of people procrastinate to do something positive in their life.

    I often hear, “I like drawing,  but I have no time”. I want to say that we all have 24 hours a day. When you have “no time”, you are fearful of something and find excuses not to do it. Common fear is a fear of failure… The second one is fear of judgement. 

    I often hear,” I want to paint, but I have no talent”. I laugh at this one because if you saw my art two decades ago you’d be laughing too. You become good by failing often and working through those failures instead of giving up. You must love something you are passionate about deeply to go through challenges and arrive at your desired outcome.

    Dedicate your life to your passion and everything will fall into place for you over time because the only thing that we can control is our willpower. Willpower and passion are fuel to create art of heart.

    Check out visionary art for sale

    11 reasons why art matters for your mental health

    Posted on by veronica 
    Written by Dr. Abhishek Allam, Psychiatrist | Alma Mater: Sri Siddhartha Medical College | Abhisheka@sunshinebh.com

    How Does Creating Art Help Your Mental Health?  

    If you are facing mental health challenges, you may find that creating art can significantly influence your mental state. Sciencetimes.com states that through creative processes, “People grow to manage their emotional well-being and at the same time develop new coping skills.”

    A Wide Variety of Activities:

    The creative arts may include many different activities. A few examples are:

    • Visual Arts
    • Performing Arts
    • Digital Arts
    • Fabric Crafts
    • Wood Craft
    • Pottery
    • Traditional Crafts
    • Creative Writing
    • Instrumental Music
    • Vocal Music
    • Filmmaking
    • Cooking
    • Gardening
    • Decorating

    11 Benefits of Creating More Art

    Let’s consider just a few of the benefits that creating art may accomplish for your mental health:

    #1 Creativity and Problem-Solving

    Artistic expression stimulates the parts of your brain that control cognitive activities. That means that as you are being creative, you are exercising your ability to learn, solve problems, and remember facts. You will naturally make mistakes in your creative work and then look for new ways to fix or edit them. These are all skills you need to deal with mental challenges.

    #2 Stress Reduction

    Creative work can also distract you from depressing thoughts or memories, and it can have a soothing effect on your brain. Sciencetimes.com states that making art lowers your brain’s stress hormone (cortisol).

    #3 Healthy Expression of Emotions

    As you deal with the ups and downs of mental health, your emotions may fluctuate, or you may become stuck in anger or depression. Creative expression gives you a safe outlet for these emotions. As you express yourself, you may find that other people identify with and understand your emotional state. This gives you a sense of community, which is especially helpful if your mental state leads to loneliness.

    #4 A Sense of Accomplishment

    Mental health challenges can seriously lower your sense of self-esteem. Creative activities can boost your confidence in yourself as you are able to see and touch the results of your work. When you are facing a long-term mental journey, you can find a sense of accomplishment by engaging in short artistic projects.

    #5 Mindfulness

    Mindfulness, sometimes described as meditation, is simply being aware of your thoughts and your mental condition without judgment. According to The Washington Post, “Creating art is a type of meditation, an  active training of the mind that increases awareness and emphasizes acceptance of feelings and thoughts without judgment and relaxation of body and mind.”

    #6 Anticipation creates excitement

    If you’re coping with mental health challenges, you may feel that you have nothing to look forward to or anticipate. Adding creative activities to your calendar can make a big difference. The National Library of Medicine has found that anticipating a positive event can be a powerful way to produce a positive emotion. 

    #7 Feelings of Joy

    Creative expression is fun. If you’re bored, anxious, or depressed, you’ll need to plan activities that give you a sense of joy. Creative projects can be a great source of pleasure. Researchers at Greensboro, North Carolina, summed it up this way: “Happiness and creativity go hand in hand,” adding that “everyday creative behavior is both a cause and an effect of positive psychological processes.”

    #8 Stimulate Memories

    A study at Harvard found that drawing and painting can stimulate memories. This can be valuable for those who are struggling with dementia. You may also find that creative endeavors help you release some of the pain of traumatic memories.

    #9 Create Community

    Mental health challenges can cause feelings of loneliness. Getting involved in an artistic activity can bring you into contact with others who share your interests. This can be especially true for seniors who are coping with the limitations that aging can bring. You may also find new connections with people who appreciate your creative expressions.

    #10 You Don’t Have to Be a Professional

    Using artistic activities to cope with mental health challenges doesn’t require a degree or even a huge talent. The process is more important than the product. If you are already a professional artist, you may find it helpful to experiment with a new branch of the arts or a new art medium during this time.

    #11 Art and Recovery

    Creativity can be a recovery tool if your struggle with mental health involves substance abuse, enhancing your recovery treatment. Ask your therapist or behavioral health center about how you might seek artistic opportunities and how they might affect your mental state.

    Sources:

    Apa.org – The latest research on creativity and the arts

    Frontiersin.org – Art Therapy: A Complementary Treatment for Mental Disorders

    Harvard.edu – The Healing Power of Art

    National Library of Medicine – Well-being and Anticipation for Future Positive Events: Evidences from an fMRI Study

    Sciencetimes.com – 5 Ways Art Helps Mental Health

    Sunshine Behavioral Health – Treatment Centers

    The Washington Post – Why making art is the new meditation

    Dr. Abhishek Allam is an active research scholar in
    Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Arizona, Tucson and a writer and editor for Sunshine Behavioral Health.

    Is there freedom in art?

    Posted on by veronica

    Freedom to paint

    I don’t paint what I’m told to paint. There’re a couple of reasons that you may or may not understand depending on your art career timeline or a difference in profession.

    Art is about having a total freedom to express yourself. Have you noticed that commissions never look as beautiful, free or accomplished? That’s because of the mental pressure artist feels to create something to please someone. Sometimes it turns into a mental block. Sometimes there is no creativity left in ordered art. Sometimes people who commission art boss the artist. A lot. The result is neither beautiful nor what people wanted…Art is the opposite of repetitive, mechanical work. Art is not a graphic design project.

    Painting what the artist wants, feels, thinks and desires is the most creative, beautiful and emotional work.
    Some paintings may not speak to you, while others may bring you to tears or let you feel inspired. That’s the essence of art. We like different things and that’s okay! 

    My art has changed a lot over the years as I’ve changed a lot inside. Art is a personal experience and self-expression. I do appreciate all of you who have followed and collected my art over the years. It’s important for me to see that my art resonates with you.  I hope you’ll continue following my journey.

    the infinity of human soul-24x36-veronica winters-oil paintings for sale
    The infinity of human soul, oil painting on canvas, 24×36, veronica winters

    If you’re an artist, stand up.

    STAND UP. Stand up for yourself and people you love when you feel the weakest. Stand up  when the world is crashing down in front of your eyes. Stand up when you’re alone. Stand up when you want to give up.
    Stand up to move into the light from darkness. It’s always a CHOICE. Stand up to learn who you’re. Stand up when your family members are not your friends. Show up at your desk, your studio, your office. Have the courage to show up for yourself. Yes, you’ll still face betrayal, pain, disappointment, tough memories but you’re getting stronger to deal with all of that. Stand up to be the light force in the Universe. Stand up.

    Check out visionary art for sale.

    The difference between art college and atelier art education and what you need to know to succeed as an artist

    Posted on by veronica


    How to become a successful artist: pros and cons studying art in college and atelier

    In this article I’d like to talk about the difference between college and atelier education for visual artists. I also want to explain what parents should consider doing when a child decides to pursue art as a career.

    art for sale-veronica winters painting


    College Education

    Advantages:

    • You may learn to defend your work and to make it more consistent. Professors like to do critiques about concepts and ideas, not the technique of painting. Some foundational courses may be really good if art instructors show skill in their art. There are more foundational courses available when you study for your BFA, but if you continue studying for your MFA degree you take advanced classes with freedom to do what you want and very little technical instruction. If you study for the BFA you take classes and graduate. If you study for your Master’s degree you learn to present and defend your work in front of a committee. Ideally, you develop a consistent body of work that shows others your artistic personality.
    • Diploma gives you a pass to teach art at the college level with a completion of your Master’s degree, not a Bachelor’s one. BA in Graphic design is a very good choice money-wise. However, if you’d like to be a fine artist and be able to teach at a college level, you must get your MFA. (There are circumstances when artists with the BFA degree get teaching jobs in colleges because of their value to the department). Even if you get your MFA degree, getting a teaching job in college is not guaranteed because there are few job openings available. Also, intro salary will be quite low although you’ll get stability and insurance as an artist.
    • College offers really good art history classes. In-depth art history classes cover many epochs, countries and movements especially when you study for your Master’s degree. Art instructors could go deep explaining art from various points of view including politics, economy and history.
    • College education can be great if you come across knowledgeable and supportive art instructors who can help you with the development of your unique ideas, painting skills, and business strategies. If you’re able to develop this special relationship that I call a mentorship with a professional artist, then a college degree will pay for itself tenfold. In addition, seeking assignment assistance can be particularly useful when navigating challenging course loads, helping you manage your academic responsibilities effectively. You must be proactive and interested in your career as an artist to connect with your mentor.

    Disadvantages:

    • College education gives little technical skills, especially if you want to study realist painting techniques. Some colleges may offer good foundational drawing classes but oil painting is not taught well in general. In my personal experience I went through several colleges where professors didn’t know how to teach traditional painting techniques, which was incredibly frustrating.
    • What you learn in terms of technical art skill depends on your professor’s art portfolio. Look at his/her work to determine if his art is something you’d like to learn.
    • Art education in college doesn’t include art marketing or business classes, which is not good no matter how you look at it. Colleges give zero business skills or understanding how to get into galleries or how to write and talk about your art confidently. Personally, I couldn’t even put an effective resume after graduation and went to a college art association conference to do it over 20 years ago.

    Tip: So when you pick your college to study art, also consider location, professors’ associations with galleries and their artistic level. When I went to college over twenty years ago, I assumed that I’d get good technical instruction with art history, art marketing and creative development as well. It wasn’t what I expected. If I go to study art in college today, I’ll look at art portfolios of professors to see if their work inspires me to create or I can learn from them. I’ll pick an artistically rich community like New York, LA, maybe Denver or Santa Fe. This will give me proximity to go to receptions, make contacts with curators, gallery people, and learn from professional artists the ins and outs of art business.

    head study from Indian Girl by Palmer_veronica winters artist
    Head study drawing from Indian Girl sculpture by Palmer, Veronica Winters


    Selling art is a lot more than just being a good painter. It’s all about networking and communicating your story well.

    Atelier art education


    What is it? Atelier is a workshop or studio of an artist. Atelier art education or academic art education means studying art with a few master artists in a tight circle of students. It’s the most direct way of learning the craft of painting, drawing, sculpture, glass-blowing, etc.

    Aphrodite plaster cast


    Advantages:

    • Such schools teach a very structured approach to classical drawing and painting that you must follow to learn realist painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. After a-4 year program you have a very clear understanding how to draw and paint realistically.
    • Learning the anatomy by drawing and painting from life informs your painting accuracy. It’s your critical foundation to become a realist artist.
    • Art instructors have strong technical skills and most of them are very good, even exceptional realist artists known today.
    • When you’re in class you start by drawing from plaster casts. Then you draw and paint objects, which is called still life painting. After that you spend a lot of time mastering human anatomy painting and drawing nude figure from life. You get daily drawing and painting instruction looking at a nude figure and studying proportions, anatomy, composition and so on. You also go out to do plain air sketches/ landscape painting outdoors.
    • Ateliers are often located in artistic communities where you can build relationships with other artists..

    Disadvantages:

    • No art history classes or any other ‘general education’ classes. The focus is classical painting and drawing only.
    • May not offer a diploma qualifying you to teach in college.
    • Give no business education either but working artists many become invaluable to understand their daily practice and how they approach art marketing and networking. Mentorship is crucial to your success.
    • Some people complain that when they see works of students coming out of the ateliers, they all look the same. I think this is totally normal because this type of education is about getting your skill going first. It takes a lot more time and practice to develop artistically. The atelier school takes care of the technique and the artist takes that knowledge and applies it to his vision. If you study art in college, you’re almost guaranteed not to acquire the skill and it really depends on college to see the development of vision in students.

    oil painting techniques color mixing


    Great atelier schools are:

    • Nelson Shanks’ school in Philadelphia called Studio Incamminati ( web: https://www.studioincamminati.org/ ),
    • The Grand Central academy of art in New York with Jacob Collins the founder of the school and realist movement here in the US (web: https://grandcentralatelier.org/ ),
    • The Art students League of New York (web: https://theartstudentsleague.org/ ),
    • Anthony Ryder’s school in Santa Fe (web: http://www.theryderstudio.com/ ).
    • You can also get similar education studying with artists in their studios such as at Adrian Gottlieb’s studio in California. A number of prominent realist artists who studied under Jacob Collins include Michael Grimaldi, Colleen Barry, Ed Minoff, Joshua LaRock . They all teach academic painting at their studios.

    Tip: Decide what your goal is and pick the school in accordance with your goal. Do you want to know how to paint realistically or you’re more interested in art theory and teaching opportunities at college level? Or say if you want to work at an art auction house like Christie’s and Sotheby’s, I think it’s a good idea to research their education system that prepares you to work at these institutions. In other words, your goal must be specific to determine the educational venue. I also want to say that college-level art education is not enough to become an artist with unique voice. It takes a lot more time to nurture and develop this voice visually through art. That’s why any kind of school is just a school to get the basics going and build connections but becoming the artist with your unique vision takes a lot more time, work and passion.
    Your personality and willingness to work through challenges will determine your creative and business success.

    Sir Joshua Reynolds The Ladies Waldegrave 1780_detail_scottish national gallery
    Sir Joshua Reynolds The Ladies Waldegrave, 1780, closeup, Scottish national gallery

    For parents:


    As parents, we want our children to receive prestigious degrees from established universities. We may think that studying art in prestigious university will help the child succeed. It may, in terms of networking building relationships in the right circles but few college art departments in the US give artists structured education in realist painting and drawing (if that’s the goal). Some classes and instructors could be great but the approach to teaching art in college resembles the art education in high school. There is some ‘do what you like’ attitude and studio classes could be a hit or miss. It really depends who the professor is.


    If your son or daughter wants to become an artist showing talent and desire to learn, you shouldn’t stop him or her from doing this. Instead, help your child with your positive and meaningful support. Artists become successful when they go to the right school, receive great art education, and have positive mindset and a mentor.


    Don’t let your negative thinking with a ‘starving artist’ mentality interfere with your child’s desire to become one. If you don’t believe in your child, he or she will internalize it studying in college for any other profession, arriving at a job he hates having low-self-esteem. There are a number of accomplished artists out there who are making a living with their art. It’s a disservice to derail a teenager from art to go and get a different degree. What happens is that precious time is lost, mistakes are made and the adult feels unhappy and unfulfilled. Teach your child to communicate well with people and to get out and learn art with passion. If a person is gifted, he has a passion and will succeed. Give her the tools to do that, not the limiting beliefs about artists or even yourself.


    Usually artists have a second gift or personality trait that often becomes a money-making opportunity to rely on while making artistic strides. For example, I’m a gifted teacher and I’ve been teaching art in organizations, my studio and online for many years. I know many artists who are super entrepreneurial and this is a great combination to explore so many possibilities being an artist and a businessman. I also know artists who love to work at the museums because they enjoy administrative work. Most importantly, if the goal is to become a really good artist knowing how to paint, academic education is a lot more fulfilling than going to college wasting precious resources such as time, money and opportunities. If you pursue atelier art education full time, you’re on your way to have a real career as an artist you want to be.
    Finally if you follow certain artists and you love their work, figure out where they studied art. Listen to their interviews on podcasts. Ask them about their experience directly. This will help you decide if college or academic art education is right for you.


    If you find this information helpful, share it with those people who really need to understand their options studying art today.

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    veronica winters with art

    9 words of advice in painting and drawing that could change your life

    Posted on by veronica

    In this article I’d like to talk about the importance of positive mindset for artists and what I learned in my artistic career. I would give these words of advice to myself two decades ago when I decided to become an artist.

    1. Know your WHY

    1. Decide on your creative direction. Figure out what makes you do one thing day and night . Forever. Understand who you’re as a person and WHY you do what you do. In other worlds, find your PASSION.

    2. Have manageable goals

    Be clear on your specific goals. And break them down to small, manageable goals that can be written down in your calendar.

    3. Believe in yourself

    Believe in yourself and what you can achieve in your life. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one would. If you don’t believe in yourself, figure out why it’s the case and find solution to this problem.

    4. Connect with many people.

    Network. If you’re serious about your artistic career, don’t assume you can do it on your own. Help others. Help others to create reciprocity and friendships. Help doesn’t have to be big. Just give your time once in a while.

    5. Practice your craft daily!

    Practice your craft daily! There’s always room for improvement to polish your skill and vision. Never get lazy or complacent with your art. This is where magic really happens.

    6. Assume complete responsibility for your finances

    Assume complete responsibility for your finances. Figure out how to make money consistently as an artist. If you just keep an unrelated job, it will be hard to jump on the wagon to do art. What you can do is to find a job that relates to the arts. For example, if I wanted to be a museum specialist at some point, I’d find a job in the art museum. It helps in two ways. First, you get experience working there. Second, you get to know people and how the system works.

    Also, create multiple income streams that could include teaching, print sales, art sales, etc.

    7. Value your time

    Value your time and value yourself for who you’re. You can’t help everyone. Some take your gifts for granted. Let them go but actively search for your tribe of fans and art collectors. It’s all about finding perfect balance.

    8. Find a mentor

    Figure out what you want to learn and find a successful mentor in your field of study. This includes your education and school of choice. Don’t assume that every school gives the same skill set or the skills that you’re looking for. A lot of times you could simply find a professional and “live” in his/her studio for a few years learning not only the craft but also the business side of it.

    9. Don’t economize on your art supplies

    Don’t economize on your art supplies. Yes, be conservative and don’t waste your resources on the most expensive brush or canvas. But work with good art materials that cut on your frustration and yield better results. Develop a habit of creating Quality art.

    I used to buy large canvases from Michael’s and I regret it because the oil paint didn’t adhere to the surface properly. Crayola colored pencils don’t have the pigment, saturation and softness needed to do nice shading in drawing. Cheap varnish spray will ruin your drawing. You get the idea…

    Hope it’s helpful.

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    Why are artists depressed? Natural ways to find freedom from childhood trauma, addictions & negative thinking

    Posted on by veronica
    self-portrait_facing-forty_the-dark-side-16x20_3-sm

    Why are artists so depressed? The paradox of creativity and sadness

    We experience depression at different stages in our lives. Sometimes it seems so permanent to our existence that we just learn to manage it, knowing it’s always there. Other times, it comes in unexpectedly after a traumatic event (like death in the family or a stressful event). However, artists are a lot more prone to depression because we are very sensitive people and mood swings “feed” our ability to create art. Yes, there are many happy artists, but there are a lot more unhappy ones.

    Mood disorders are stigmatized. Depression is often associated with craziness, which is not the case. There are no voices, delusions or paranoia involved, depression is the state of a very deep, profound sadness and loneliness. There is a loss of joy and interest in daily activities.

    According to various separate studies, artists have up to 18 times the rate of suicide seen in the general population, 8-10 times the rate of depression, and 10-20 times the rate of manic-depression. But this link between depression and creativity is not clear. I think that feelings that arise from depression actually help us create personal art, the one that matters in the long run. Moreover, by creating art we heal.

    Famous people who either committed suicide or fight with depression:

    The number of persons in creative fields believed or known to suffer or have suffered mood disorders is staggering. Over 50 percent of the 15 abstract expressionist artists such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko had mood disorders, suicidal thoughts and alcohol abuse. 18th and 19th century poets including Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf and Silvia Plath suffered from depression. It’s speculated that Vincent Van Gogh was bipolar. The Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky had depressive thoughts that you’ll find written in his letters.

    In modern world, famous singers, actors, fashion designers, and artists-Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Robert Williams, Kate Spade and Alexander McQueen committed a suicide, despite their fame and family support. Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia in “Star Wars”) struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. Bipolar, singer and songwriter Sinead O’Connor tried to kill herself 8 times in one year. Other famous people who deal with mood swings include Demi Lovato, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

    It’s important to understand that a lot of artists who struggle with depression abuse alcohol, drugs and engage in risky behavior to numb the pain they feel inside. This is an emotional pain that doesn’t leave a person. This pain is self-destructive, and it often hurts not only them but also spouses, children and friends who have to deal with their depressive state of mind every day.

    veronica winters oil painting
    Everything that falls, 16x20in, oil painting on panel

    Depression in artists and its causes

    Depression and its effects are difficult to categorize. Mood disorders that include both depression ( unipolar disorder) and manic-depression ( bipolar disorder) is a scale of intensity levels. Some artists experience it once a year while others deal with depression every day. There are several types of bipolar disorder: bipolar I, bipolar II, rapid-recycling, mixed bipolar and cyclothymia. Common symptoms of bipolar people include loss of energy, sporadic sleeping and concentrating, while on the other side of the spectrum they have euphoria, feeling ecstatic or irritable. Bipolar artists flip between these two opposing states.

    While I’m not a physician, I do believe that you must seek professional help dealing with this problem. However, many can’t afford health insurance or these services may not be covered here in the U.S., and therefore it’s up to us to find a solution. I do know that causes for depression differ and could be one or a combination of reasons that I list below. It’s important to understand yourself and to figure out why you have it because then you know what you need to heal firsthand, while seeking professional help. If not genetic, depression is widely psychological, and while prescription drugs may help you level out the mood swings and cope, understanding and treating your deep emotional wounds is necessary to see permanent change. When wounding is not deep and you experience mild melancholia, you may need just a few sessions with a psychologist. But if you’ve had some serious psychological trauma, please find an experienced psychologist to help you heal.

    These are some of the causes for the depressive state of mind:

    • Deep psychological trauma in childhood
    • Physical abuse/ rape (Most deep wounding happens in childhood. Patrick Melrose TV series illustrates this problem really well.)
    • Rejection of you, your pursuits, your art, and as a result
    • Unhappiness/unmet expectations with work/ career
    • Hardships/day to day financial and psychological struggles
    • Traumatic event(s) that cause PTSD
    • Death in the family
    • Nonacceptance of your sexuality by family and friends
    • Postpartum depression
    • Genetic depression that runs in families

    Childhood trauma

    When a child experiences traumatic events, he begins the disconnect from his essence and the Source. This disconnect widens over time, especially if traumatic events continue to batter down the child to adulthood. Trauma can range from physical abuse to psychological abuse to neglect. When the child grows up, he forms his world view and the perception of reality. The adult has already developed unique patterns of behavior and thinking based on his response to trauma. Some common outcomes of trauma include anxiety, PTSD, fears, fobias, alcoholism, workaholism, sex addiction, eating disorders, drug use and depression. The trauma that happened in childhood triggers people to continue unhealthy behavior for good. Over time the adult tries to numb painful emotions with addictions. These addictions soothe the ‘wounded child’ for some time but when it wears off the person feels even worse than before. Not every abused adult becomes addicted to substances but all addicted people were abused at some point in their life.

    According to Dr. Gabor Mate, childhood trauma leads to addictions. He says that the addiction is the response to human suffering. It’s an attempt to escape suffering or emotional pain.

    People get stuck in the past in their minds and what becomes vital is to let go of of the past in order to heal from trauma completely. By changing the old patterns of behavior and replacing them with new, positive experiences, the person can set himself free from the past. As children we were all happy. The idea is to come back to that happy inner child by reconnecting to your true self. By learning how to love yourself first, we can become fully present to give love to others.

    Gabor Maté CM (born January 6, 1944) is a Hungarian-born Canadian physician. He has a background in family practice and a special interest in childhood development and trauma, and in their potential lifelong impacts on physical and mental health, including on autoimmune disease, cancer, ADHD, addictions, and a wide range of other conditions.
    Now retired from clinical practice, he travels and speaks extensively on these and related topics, both in North America and abroad. His books have been published internationally in over twenty-five languages. Maté’s approach to addiction focuses on the trauma his patients have suffered and looks to address this in their recovery, with special regard to indigenous populations around the world.

    Support & Prevention: natural ways to free your mind

    We often feel ashamed to talk about our emotions. As artists we often experience self-doubt. We question our abilities to create art because we’re not sure if we’re good enough. This limiting belief affects how we perceive the world and how we approach creating art. What’s there to make if everyone else is doing a great job already, right? And this is when self-doubt transforms into negative thinking over time. There are many artists who suffer from depression and anxiety. While the root causes may be very different for people experiencing that, artists often feel tormented and paint it on canvas. These negative feelings can feed the creativity and there is a lot of art from the past that shows just that. Edvard Munch’s “the Scream” comes to mind…Depression affects how we perceive our reality. Most of us have personal moments that became traumatic to our daily life. They shaped us to react to the world through the prism of our learned fears. Trauma could be as simple as harsh judgment or as difficult as rape. While it’s not our fault that we were mistreated it becomes our responsibility to overcome the problems we end up facing. People and events that hurt us won’t come back to ask for our forgiveness. Yet we become the prisoners of our own mind that was altered to survive. To free our mind or to let go of of all the negativity stored inside us we can turn to a friend, psychologist or daily meditation. But there is a lot more to emotional healing.

    By overcoming your problems you free your mind from everything that makes you feel miserable. By making consistent, little positive changes daily you learn to fill your heart with love and new experiences once again. While regular therapy sessions can help you heal deep emotional pain, it can take a really long time that could stretch into years. However, by adopting different activities that give you enjoyment, you could speed up your recovery process.

    illusion 24x36 oil on panel--veronica winters painting
    illusion 24×36 oil on panel

    Here are some of the things you can do to help yourself cope and get out of depression:

    As artists we often feel helpless because there is very little encouragement, help or affordable mentorship available to us. Society and family often reject us that either builds stamina or sets you on a spiral of depressive thinking.

    If you really want to get out of a vicious circle, make a decision to forgive people in your past, have a strong will to change yourself, and find a mission bigger than yourself. Stick to it!

    • Discover a goal/mission that helps others, not just you. Step out of your bubble to become part of a cause or community you care about. Get out of your home with ‘fake it till you make it’ attitude because giving makes your life meaningful. Remember, that there are so many others who struggle the same way you do and also need your love and support!
    • Find positive, like-minded individuals, artists, people of other professions who enjoy the arts. Let go off negative people in your life. They won’t change, but you can by letting them go and focusing on those who care. (If you live in a remote location, Facebook groups may help you connect with others).
    • Work to find something that brings you joy every day. This includes exercise, yoga, walking, reading. Sometimes it’s just talking to another human.
    • Share your story in your art. This art becomes personal and strong. Frida’s story comes to mind. Art has healing powers. Hannah Gadsby’s stand up does just that.
    • Focus on your artistic goals. Find a role model and grow to believe in yourself.
    • Give Love to someone you care about.
    • Make a positive note to yourself when you feel unbelievably happy. Open it up when you feel emptiness and sadness.
    • Watch videos on YouTube that will help you overcome your negative thinking. Tony Robbins comes to mind.
    • Suicide prevention:1-800-273-8255  https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 

    Art Therapy

    By doing any art form you love like music, writing, painting, poetry, collage, sculpture, video, photography – it can help you re-process your negative feelings to release them into the Universe. Art has powerful healing properties because it caters to our emotions, not logic. That’s one of the reasons why we go to art museums. We want to release stress and to find inspiration. We put art on the wall to experience positive emotions. Why not letting yourself experience that more often? Your art activity could be as simple as page coloring or as advanced as taking drawing art course.

    Hypnosis

    It turns out hypnotherapy could be yet another tool to break us free from anxiety and negative thinking. Hypnosis is not a pixie dust, but it allows for considerable personal growth if you have innate desire to change some habits in life that no longer serve you. Mr. Browning explains that it’s about starting with a slight “course correction” in thinking that creates new neural pathways to replace the old ones in our minds. By overcoming your problems you become much stronger inside because you free your mind from everything that makes you feel miserable. As a result you become more present and self-aware. By making consistent, little positive changes every day you learn to fill your heart with love and new experiences once again.

    In this interview with a certified hypnotherapist, James Browning we discuss mental blocks, creativity, anxiety, affirmations and so much more!

    James Browning, CCHt received his formal education at the Hypnotheraphy Training Institute in Corte Madera, CA, the oldest hypnosis school in the U.S. Mr. Browning holds certifications of Master Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Regression Specialist, and Clinical Hypnotherapist.

    “It’s time you forgive yourself for everything you did or didn’t do,” Mr. Browning said.

    Hypnotherapy is not about losing your mind, allowing a hypnotherapist to take full control of it. It’s about allowing yourself to overcome the past, your pain points, insecurities, as well as giving yourself a chance to create positive space inside your mind and heart to feel secure, creative, productive, and to live your life to your fullest potential. Hypnotherapy would help you free your mind and let go of things that hold you back, if you’re determined and persistent in changing your life around.

    By going to his site, you can listen to a number of free hypnosis audio lessons to reduce anxiety, stress, worry, and pain. Listen to self-hypnosis for improved creativity audio, improved self-image audio, relaxation audio, anxiety reduction & sleep induction:  https://browninghypnotherapy.com/free-audio/

    Ayahuasca treatment

    There is an alternative way to accepted methods of treatment. People travel to Peru & Ecuador to experience the power of ayahuasca natural medicine. There is only one church in the U.S. that offers a very safe way to have transformational experiences working with sacred medicine. Check out the Soul Quest of Mother Earth in Orlando https://www.ayahuascachurches.org/ You can watch Unwell series on Netflix. One of the episodes is dedicated to that church.

    I hope this article helps you or someone you know to understand yourself, grow spiritually and find a permanent solution to problems many of us face. My visionary art exists to give you a sense of peace and love.

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    Other resources on the web:
    • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/08/new-study-claims-to-find-genetic-link-between-creativity-and-mental-illness
    • Life and Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, paperback, 2004
    • The Van Gogh Blues: the creative Person’s path through depression, paperback, 2007

    Artists create art, cope with depression

    This article was originally published in the Voices of Central Pennsylvania, November 1, 2012 | http://voicesweb.org/artists-create-art-cope-depression

    It seems like a stereotype—the artist struggles through emotional turmoil, the struggle feeds the works of genius—but there may be more than a fabled link between mood disorders and art. According to various separate studies, artists have up to 18 times the rate of suicide seen in the general population, 8-10 times the rate of depression, and 10-20 times the rate of manic-depression.

    Depression and its effects are also difficult to categorize. Mood disorders that include both depression ( unipolar disorder) and manic-depression ( bipolar disorder) have vastly different intensity levels. Some artists are affected by it mildly a few times a year while others experience depression daily throughout their lifetime. Depression can even be genetic.

    The number of persons in creative fields believed or known to suffer or have suffered mood disorders is staggering. Over 50 percent of the 15 abstract expressionist artists such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko had mood disorders, suicidal thoughts and alcohol abuse. 18th and 19th century poets including Emily Dickinson are thought to have suffered from depression. An artist doesn’t have to be internationally known to struggle with depression. Five local artists running the gamut from a rock musician to a landscape painter speak frankly here about depression and the arts.

    June Ramsay is a multi-media artist with twenty years’ experience in hand-dying fabrics. She is also an oil painter whose works have been featured in the Arts Fest “Images” show.

    Cole Hons is a rock singer, band leader, and poet who also has worked as a journalist for CDT and now is a New Media Writer/Producer for the Center for Sustainability at Penn State.

    Roxanne Naydan is a pastels painter with a bachelor’s degree in fine art and a masters in visual art. She has illustrated the book of poetry, Selected Poetry of Lina Kostenko: Wanderings of the Heart (Garland Publishers, 1990), and her painting, “Eerie Orchard”, appears on the cover of the book of poetry The Narcoleptic Yard (Black Lawrence Press, 2009).

    William Snyder III is a mixed-media artist with an MFA in printmaking from Penn State (2005). Snyder serves as the president of the SoVA Alumni Group and on the College of Arts and Architecture’s Alumni Society Board at Penn State.

    Suicide is painless?

    For some artists who deal with depression, a downturn in mood can lead to thoughts of suicide.

    June Ramsay is genetically predisposed to depression and said she thought of killing herself for the first time when she was just 5 years old.

    “I was sitting beneath the sink, looking at all sorts of cleaning products thinking ‘which one would do it,’” she said.

    Those occasional suicidal thoughts did not simply vanish.

    “Yes, there have been several times in my adulthood when thoughts of suicide have plagued me,” wrote Ramsay. “Sometimes, I can visualize hurting myself and that can lessen the urge, another time I actually did cut myself and that was enough to ease the desire to kill myself, and another time I called a friend at 2 a.m. and she talked me through it. She battled depression and anxiety too. She also survived a gang rape at a fraternity party during her first week of college, which is surviving a hell of a lot in my opinion. If she could get better and move beyond her pain, then so could I. It really helps to have someone to talk to, who really gets where you are coming from.

    Psychological studies of artists demonstrate that Ramsay is not unusual among artists for her suicidal tendencies. A. Preti and P. Miotto released a study in 1999 that included 3093 eminent international artists from the past two centuries: 1300 writers, 692 poets, 267 dramaturgians and comedians, 210 architects, 531 painters, and 93 sculptors. Fifty-nine suicides were recorded from this sample. A suicide rate of 1.9 percent among artists was only slightly higher than that measured in the U.S. population in 2010 (1.24 percent) but that statistic did not include deaths from drug or alcohol abuse.

    The Preti and Miotto study found that poets and writers were more likely than any other group of artists to commit suicide, but some subsets of artists have been found even more likely to struggle with suicidal tendencies. In 1995, three scholars in the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry put forth a study that showed half of the 15 20th-century abstract-expressionist artists suffered from mood disorders; with a suicide rate over 13 times higher the national U.S. average (1995).

    Musicians were not included in the Preti and Miotto study, but they too can be deeply affected by mood disorders and fight off suicidal thoughts.

    “To be honest, I have had flashes of suicidal imagery run through my mind in the past…just images, though,” wrote Cole Hons via email. “Never any serious planning or attempts. In my late teens & early 20s I had a romanticized idea of death–I used to dream of having some perfect night with a lover and then dying at the end.

    “Looking back, I see that my adolescent self really bought into our culture’s idealized self-destructive artist bullshit– you know, the whole Jim Morrison trip…during that time, I was such a perfectionist that if I played a show where I didn’t perform my songs perfectly, I thought I deserved to die. I guess I was just so pathetically self-absorbed at the time, I honestly couldn’t see how stupid that would be. There’s this song I wrote later in that phase of my life called “See the Light” that is essentially about staring into that abyss and choosing to live.”

    Hons revisited these feelings slightly later in life, and at that point, conquered them.

    “I also went through a really dark period after my band and my long-term relationship broke up,” wrote Hons. “It was difficult for me to transition to being a parent with a regular day job. During this phase, I was plagued with dreams about hanging myself. I actually had a very vivid dream in the year 2001 where I was hanging by the neck in my attic for a long, long time—days and days—but just couldn’t seem to die. So I finally untied myself, stepped down and got on with my life. Since that time, I’ve been completely free of any suicidal thoughts and & feelings—thankfully!”

    Hons made a short video called “Forgiving” for a contest in 2008; it is now being used by a Canadian health organization to help treat youth with depression, and part of their mission is suicide prevention. “They just stumbled across my video about 6 months ago and contacted me to ask permission to use it,” wrote Hons. “It made me really happy that it’s being used for this.”

    What sometimes saves the artist’s life is concern for those who would be devastated by his or her death.

    “Yes, I contemplate it even to this day, on occasion,” wrote Roxanne Naydan. “What prevents me is the negative IMPACT it might potentially have on my daughter Lilja.”

    Spiraling into depression can be brought on by a variety of triggers—financial strains, hormonal changes, challenging life events, even the strain of living as an artist.

    William Snyder III experienced depression for the first time as a freshman in college. Worrying about his finances and relationship anxiety overwhelmed the artist.

    “I was lonely, self-focused with the loss in direction,” he said. “I experienced anxiety and tried to prove myself through drawing because it was the only thing I knew.”

    Depression is thought to be linked to hormonal changes since twice as many women as men in the general public are effected. By the age 15, girls are twice as prone to depression as boys. Traumatic events in an artist’s life, coupled with depression and hormonal changes, can lead to a persistent change in mood.

    Landscape painter Susan Nicholas Gephart was shaken by her brother’s death when she was 11.

    “There was no counseling, just an effort to live on as if everything was ‘OK,’” said Gephart. This seemed to create a feeling of a security blanket being removed. I felt fearful and very shy about anything new, even into my 20s. As the years went on I became very interested about understanding the root of emotions, feelings, and what caused them. I read magazines and studied psychology in school. Poetry and painting became a regular way for me to express myself and try to relax.”

    Depressive moods are also often tied to the seasons. Many artists experience picks of creativity during spring and fall, while winter blues are characterized by manic periods or melancholia. Changes in mood can be traced in both the amount of completed work and personal letters written by artists in the past. Artists’ correspondence is well documented in popular books. Early American poet Emily Dickinson’s spikes in creativity were recorded and dated in her numerous works; the winter seasons were marked with a prolonged absence of creative output.

    “It’s a struggle that is deeper, harder, more intense. It’s a big grey cloud coming from nowhere often in winter,” June Ramsay said.

    Just the act of engaging in the arts as a career can lead to depressive periods.

    “There is indeed a constant struggle of feast and famine in the art world,” said Gephart. “The uncertainty of sales and even filling a class enrollment are never a for sure situation. The general public also perceives art as a game and not a ‘serious career.’ An artist can exhaust herself just trying to juggle so many balls to pay the bills. There is also the reality that once you create something wonderful, for you to continue to grow and gain respect in the art world, you must keep doing it over and over….forever.”

    This state can become so exhausting, according to artist William Snyder, that artists seek work outside their field just to ease not just the financial but emotional burden.

    “It came down to the time ratio between drawing and money,” said Snyder. “Drawing was so time-consuming it was equal to simple waste of time. My solid job changed that ratio. I found fulfillment [doing something else I enjoy besides drawing]. I began to think outside myself. I noticed that my art work shifted when I was no longer depressed.”

    Working as an artist also means facing rejection, which can start the process of self-doubt, self-denial, heightened vulnerability and despair. Some self-medicate, abusing alcohol and drugs, while others like Gephart strengthen their knowledge of art as a business.

    “Art is certainly an insecure job, but it can be balanced by the love of creating and believing things are possible,” said Gephart. “As an adult who has taught art for over 30 years to all ages, I have come to believe art can heal and should be for all to experience, just like reading a book or riding a bike. I was fortunate to stay home with my 3 children and raise them while I painted and did volunteer work hanging shows, etc. I learned more about the business of art on my own than in college during my BFA. Now, as a mentor to teen artists, I always encourage them to understand marketing or consider a duel degree with business and art.”

    Easing the pain

    A career in art may be the problem, but can also be the solution.

    Cole Hons is a rock musician who sees his performances as an addiction to the experience of intense emotional release.

    “Musicians are often extremely sensitive people who, just like anybody else, are exposed to suffering and pain,” said Hons. “Being so sensitive, many go looking for medicine. That might be alcohol and drugs. But in my view, the music itself is the biggest and best medicine of all.”

    Because feelings of loneliness and emptiness are prevalent, some artists become obsessed with understanding human existence, think of life, death, and spirituality, and often find meaning in depicting these obsessions in art. The Abstract Expressionists were consumed with depiction of tragedy, death, and timelessness. By painting these themes artists find temporary relief from loneliness.

    “I struggle every day. We are loners. We deal with some sort of pain. When I’m hurting I use reality to create that world through painting,” Roxanne Naydan said.

    By painting what’s meaningful in their lives some artists also find psychological relief in the act of painting. Living on the edge of life, artists experience a positive influence of sudden mood changes as well: they imagine and create easily, capturing rapidly moving thoughts and emotions.

    “Creative artistic people have deep emotions that just toss them for loop! As a mentor to teens and college age artists, I have come to see many of them struggle with feelings of sadness,” said Gephart. “Nothing they can pinpoint, just there. It has to make me think that partly the way their brains are designed opens doorways to struggle. I’ve also noticed that when they are creating, they seem at peace. Makes me wonder if we could all just paint, may be the bad stuff would slip away.”

    In 1989, Johns Hopkins Hospital professor Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison interviewed a group of artists, 90 percent of which said that very intense moods and feelings were either necessary and integral or very important to the creation of art. Art is created in response to the environment and to the artist’s own emotional struggle. Art also has an undeniable therapeutic effect on our brain. May writers stated that they write to relieve themselves from a burden and communicate through their work.

    June Ramsay created a poem and a painting using compost as a metaphor for depression. She worked her way out through painting. Experiencing serious health problems with her foot, Ramsay came to the point of acceptance through painting and finds release from her struggles.

    “At the time, I was trying to think of ways that depression might have some positives, like what gifts could it bring to its sufferer,” said Ramsay. “I know there have been times in my life that once I got through the darkness (often with spiritual help, light, and encouragement of others) that I felt I had gained some type of enlightenment or awareness that I could have never gotten otherwise.”

    “When the need for a cry is over I let myself back into reality by painting Nature,” Naydan said. ”I love my relationship with it. Nature calms and inspires me. I love painting the light. When there is a loss, there is a wish to recreate what you had and I resolve my longing through painting.”

    Musicians and other performance artists also heal themselves through their arts.

    “When people sing, play, or dance to music it’s similar to being in love. It’s the act of reuniting with others and experiencing healing together,” Cole Hons said.

    Artists often use themselves as essential material for creativity. Some artists have said that they feel they have a heightened sensitivity, and that the energetic moods of a manic phase lend them the capacity to convey unusual thoughts and visionary ideas. Artists have heightened sensitivity and take risks that contribute to the creation of artwork.

    “There is some type of heightened awareness, spiritual connection looking at nature and seeing the world differently,” June Ramsay said describing her her experiences during painting retreats.

    The depressive phase also serves its purpose to the artist. It gives a chance for contemplation, self-analysis and search for life’s meaning. Deeper comprehension of feelings like love, sorrow, and pain leads writers to create characters with real emotions.

    “Depression was the muse, the inspiration for me back then [during depressive phases],” said Snyder. “I didn’t see how great life can be.”

    “It’s healing to paint. It’s like a private language where people can glimpse at your soul without speaking,” Naydan said. “There are moments when you are longing for something and I fill that void through painting.”

    Depressed people can be intense, have erratic sleep patterns and experience persistent feeling of loneliness even when they are surrounded by numerous people.

    “The insecurities that developed in my preteens transformed into a serious problem with insomnia into adult life,” wrote Gephart. “I would wake and think for hours unable to return to sleep. Writing and painting helped. There was often a weight of deep sadness. Partly the past experiences deeply hidden, some of it perhaps being hereditary with family depression, and diet and seasonal light sensitivities.

    “As an adult with children and being an artist working at home, I paid special attention to eating right, getting sunshine into my eyes with walks out side, or reading by a sunny window. Most certainly the thing that I noticed most was when I painted, I felt happy in just a few brush strokes. It was in the mid 80’s that it became clear to me that the mere action or process of creating caused some kind of positive chemical change in the way my brain perceived my life in the moment!”

    But medication is necessary for some artists to take the edge off and bring temporary balance into artistic life. June Ramsay relies on a combination of medication and therapy.

    “I’ve got to find something to keep me stable for my kids’ sake,” she said.

    Concern for their children has even brought some artists out of their depression.

    “You can’t be selfish when you have kids,” Snyder said. “I don’t hold on to depression anymore as I think outside myself.”

    Feelings of hopelessness among artists often come from daily struggle and elevated stress levels associated with the artistic profession.

    Many artists are solitary by nature and it becomes enormously hard to succeed when so much “success” depends on developed relationships with clients. Creative personalities must be persistent, driven, and self-motivated to make a career. Yet, reaching success in an artistic career proves to be irrelevant in many cases.

    According to some studies famous artists in various fields had continued experiences of melancholia despite having gone through years of hard labor and rejections. Thus, the artist must seek another avenue outside of success, to find acceptance within himself or herself.

    “I’ve developed a philosophy of ‘Fear No Art,’” wrote Gephart. “I am art and it is me. We are one in the same. The tears and fears of my past are still in me, but by living through it, I have developed coping strategies that help me when I’m down. I am lucky to know that it will pass if I keep moving forward towards my hopes as an artist.

    “Part of my daily comfort comes from God or a ‘Higher Power’ than me. As a mature adult I know that I at times am fragile and weak. When I feel overwhelmed, alone, or sad, I speak openly to God who loves me as I am. In times of joy and especially when I paint Plein Air, I revel at the beauty of this Earth and have an attitude of ‘gratitude’ for this gift of air, land, and water. I guess this is my bottom line of support during depressed times. Being able to focus on gratitude or know that you are loved as is, helps so much to recover from the fragile state.”

    What is a certificate of authenticity for artwork and how to issue one

    What is a certificate of authenticity for artwork and how to make one

    Posted on by veronica

    Both art collectors and artists need to know what a certificate of authenticity for artwork means. It’s simply a written statement that proves that the painting/ sculpture/ drawing, etc. is genuine. A Certificate of Authenticity is the official document between an artist or a gallery and a collector that proves its provenance and details about the piece. Artists should issue this document once they sell their art. You can design this certificate in Photoshop or Canva and print it on a thick, high-quality piece of paper, or buy a standard size certificate to fill out by hand. Sign it.

    What is a certificate of authenticity for artwork?

    This document is a sign of quality, professionalism, and respect shown by the artist to his/her art collector. It’s also a record of provenance.

    The certificate of authenticity should include:

    • Title of artwork
    • Medium
    • Dimensions of artwork
    • If it’s a print, put Limited Edition # of #
    • The purchase date
    • Your name and (the artist’s) hand-written signature
    • Write the collector’s full name
    • Include the artwork’s picture
    • Materials (optional). I like to show that I use high-quality art supplies in my work that insures the longevity of my art in comparison to so many other artists who don’t consider it a priority.
    • Sometimes I print a matching second page with a story about a sold painting. I think it adds extra dimension to my work and encourages understanding and art appreciation.

    I also often include a couple of my business cards, a receipt, and an extra print of the sold piece, or one of my signed art books that’s often a catalog of my artwork the collectors can share with their friends. I value my collectors and offer complementary shipping with these surprise gifts as my way to thank them for their purchase because I’m truly grateful for their support.

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    How to manage emotions as artist, woman and entrepreneur veronica winters

    Why are artists sad? How to manage emotions as artist, woman and entrepreneur

    Posted on by veronica

    Have you ever struggled managing your emotions? Have you felt rejected, lonely, depressed, fearful or angry? I bet you have! Our feelings make decisions over 90% of the time despite our vast capacity to think logically. Negative emotions bring us pain, often take us to the past, or simply stop us from doing what we love! Training my mind, conquering my feelings, and taking control of the situation has become one of my top priorities in life for the past decade.

    Why are artists sad?

    It’s often said that time cures everything. Pain disappears and we heal. The expression “some wounds never heal” actually means that we can’t always overcome or let go of our past. I felt worn out by my past. I traveled to Thailand back in 2012 to understand the principles of Buddhism that I thought would bring me closer to the truth and alleviate the pain I felt inside. And the Buddhist truth states that much suffering is caused by our “disturbing emotions.” I wanted to find a cure from emotional pain I suppressed inside me. Buddhism, mindfulness and meditation are wonderful and useful to practice but these concepts were not an easy fix for me.

    What helped me greatly are a few books that I list in the end of this post. I used to suppress my feelings because they were considered not important or irrelevant in my family. I suffered from a very low self-esteem most of my life that perpetuated problems and blocked me from doing what I didn’t know I was even capable of doing. Books on psychology opened a new world to me where I discovered how truly lost I felt in my own perception of myself. Overtime I uncovered my behavioral patterns and trauma that ‘motivated’ me to act in certain ways, causing emotional upheaval.

    The secret of change Socrates quote

    How behavioral patterns affect our thinking

    As I’m not a psychologist, I simply  want to share some information that I learned to understand how it affected me and my perception of reality. What is a pattern? Basically it’s a set of learned patterns we acquire in childhood through positive and negative reinforcements that determine our behavior today. These are unconscious actions we take that can be compared to a computer program. Our brain gets programmed to behave in certain ways based on the behavior of our parents in family and society in general.

    As children we learn to adapt and deal with various situations, forming these behavioral patterns. Remaining unconscious about our patterns, as adults we often find excuses or blame someone else for a repetitive situation we find ourselves in. However, if you’re more aware of yourself, you’ll notice that you often end up in similar situations, or attract a certain kind of people into your life. For example, a woman might leave one abusive husband only to find herself in a new relationship with another one. Or you can’t find a job. You study and get a new degree. You look for another job and can’t find it again. Or you talk to a relative hoping for him or her to respond to you with warmth and care but encounter the same cycle of responses and behavior. It upsets you and triggers a number of negative emotions in you. You also may experience a conflict situation, and your pattern is to avoid the conflict altogether by appeasing people rather than trying to solve a problem causing that conflict. The same conflict situation that arises with different people and different situations has a single root – you. You also observe and experience the same emotional reactions that are caused by similar situations or people in your life.  As a result you lose control of yourself and become filled with negative emotions. These are the moments when you are often accused of having “thin skin” or “lack of patience” on your part. The same patterns of behavior can be on re-play for decades in your life!

    Most people don’t like change and feel happy where they are. We tend to spot problems of others, but we are often unable to either recognize, acknowledge or get rid of our own psychological patterns that keep holding us back and limit our spiritual growth. Once we become aware of our patterns, we can break them to form new, healthy ones.  Although it’s very difficult to break deeply engraved patterns on your own, it is possible to recognize your cycles of behavior that lead to cycles of actions. One of my cycles was to worry deeply or to take negative comments, opinions and jealousy of others very close to my heart. It caused a chain reaction in me where I not only argued with those people constantly but also degraded myself that made me feel even more worthless. I also attracted selfish personalities who constantly demanded attention with no emotional support provided when I hoped to get it. To turn it around I began building my sense of self-respect inside. This conscious effort transformed my life where uninvited opinions of others became just their opinions with no true value to me. This led me to disengage with people I didn’t want to be with and to form new relationships with people with whom I shared mutual respect.

    Another ‘big’ transformation I’ve experienced is self-acceptance. After so many years of struggles and self-punishment of not being good enough I accepted my body, my looks and what I do as a career. This led me to understanding of others. Actions and reactions of people around me (even not the most graceful ones) make sense to me today although I may find it hard to deal with them. There is also understanding that difficult people come to your life for a reason and are there to teach you a lesson. This process of reclaiming your freedom and trusting yourself first and foremost involves taking a full responsibility for your actions.

    our life is what our thoughts make it, quote by marcus aurelius

    How to manage emotions to feel your best

    Despite all these breakthroughs and inner work, I still have a very hard time dealing with my intense emotions at times. As artists we are very vulnerable and sensitive people because we create personal art. Daily pressures cause distress.

    That’s where Tony Robbins‘ videos can really help.  In his teachings he quickly grabs your attention with his practical approach to changing your emotional state. I  found his emotional management techniques to be so simple, yet profound and applicable to any situation you may have. While I’m including some of his teachings below, you can find plenty of information and listen to his audio on YouTube.

    1. You can’t change people around you by telling them to change. You can either change your perception of this person/situation, or the way you behave around such people.
    2. Whenever you feel hurt, angry, lonely, depressed – every emotion we normally consider as a negative, Robbins treats it as a neutral and just a signal/ call to action to change something in your life. It’s important to acknowledge your emotion, rather than to suppress it to see the message that your brain sends you.
    3. According to Robbins it’s important to identify the core emotion first, what you really feel behind the first feeling that arises like anger.
    4. If you ignore your signal the feeling intensifies.  Therefore, to set a new outcome, change your perception (the way you perceive or look at things) or procedure (the way you communicate needs/behave/expect).

    If you feel uncomfortable, it’s important to change the state, clarify what you want, and take action to communicate that desire.

    If you feel hurt, it means you have an unmet expectation that brings a sense of loss to you that’s very painful. Either change your expectations or communicate your desires differently.

    If you feel anger or resentment it means your important standard is not met by you or another person.

    Fear (fear of failure, anxiety) arises as a signal asking you to prepare to deal with something.

    Frustration – change your approach to achieve your goal.

    Disappointment – something that you’ve been expecting is not going to happen.

    Guilt or regret– you’ve violated one of your own standards.

    If you feel inadequate or unworthy – your mind asks you to get up and do something better, or change rules that are too harsh.

    Feelings of hopelessness, depression, overwhelm – decide what’s most important for you to accomplish now, make a list with order and handle the first one. Do something immediately to take control of events. Pick one thing and master it.

    Feeling lonely-we need to find a connection with people.

    5. We give meaning to everything. But ask yourself what does it really mean? Choose meanings that empower you in life as opposed to assuming things that dis-empower you.

    Spiritual growth is an ambiguous sentence, in my opinion. My interpretation is simply learning to become free from emotional and physical constraints we all experience, and I hope my writing helps you find or clarify your path in your journey. These days when I’m in doubt, pain or struggle, I train myself to refocus. I used to dwell in my thoughts on re-play. But as soon as I stop thinking that particular thought that upsets me, my day improves. I try to find something, anything to be grateful for around me in that moment. I also open my notebook with goals and ask myself what I’m doing today to get closer to them. It shifts my focus and changes thoughts. Try it and let me know how it goes for you, ok?

    Understanding and managing emotions books:
    1. Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart by Tara Bennett-Goleman
    2. The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, M.D.
    3. Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss
    4. Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss

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    How long did it take you to paint that?

    Posted on by veronica
    This is my studio where I live. 🙂

    “How long did it take you to paint that?

    Every artist is asked this question. Viewers have no idea what it takes, and artists don’t know where to begin answering this question, because it involves…Well, it involves an entire explanation how long it takes to become good. Artwork creation doesn’t always look like a lot of work, yet a single painting incorporates years of unseen work. People ask this question because they want to have a conversation with the artist and they don’t know what else they can ask to have it.

    In general, people try to calculate or connect the objectivity of high pricing with the time artist spends painting a particular artwork. On the surface it looks expensive or overpriced, and a prospect buyer wants to understand where the number comes from. Artists, however, think of a lifetime of effort, hard work, bills, tuition and many other business costs they accrue working in their studios. Therefore, weeks, months and years can’t be quantified into a certain number of hours spent on one painting.

    In the beginning of the career many artists have to wrestle with the financial burden and make significant sacrifices learning the craft. The costs often include expensive college education. Besides having the obvious tuition and living costs, artists don’t become artists in four to six years after college graduation. The artist career often starts with zero job prospects or security, and builds up to something meaningful over a very long period of time of hard work, dedication and social climbing. For many artists it means a continued struggle, a reconciliation of the need to paint with making money to pay the bills. However, if the artist is good at art marketing and relationships building, the struggles most artists face may be reversed into significant opportunities quickly.

    It takes A LONG time to learn how to paint realistically. There are no cute formulas or shortcuts. No one learns it overnight no matter how much talent the artist has! It’s a skill that takes significant effort and focus. Until very recently, there were no realist schools available to get the comprehensive education from, which magnified the problem and effort to achieve a certain skill level. Of course, there are exceptions and we can find super talented, self-taught artists, but such instances are rare. Those who have no time to do their art every day don’t become artists. Fear of instability takes their need to paint away from them.

    There is a notion that artists just hang out at art festivals, fairs, or their shows enjoying the limelight and attention. Well, maybe for a little bit but… exhibiting at festivals involves a lot of effort, persistence, and investment. On average, a popular festival’s booth fees run around $450-$700/per show, and the artist is responsible for other costs (application fees, hotel, gas, transportation, and the cost of a professional booth itself that runs around $2,500 on average). Many artists hit the road for months, traveling from one state to the next, working over 8 hours a day. Work at the art festivals includes not only the artist’s time present at the booth all day, but also the time and effort to set up and to break down (usually early in the morning and late in the evening,) time to carry, pack, unpack and pack again a number of heavy, framed paintings.

    Professional artists also have other costs that include:

    • Custom framing. Artists invest into their frames because it gives them professional presentation that is often required, by the way, to display their work in juried shows.
    • Time to market artwork. E-mails, presentations, social media, research, writing, contacting galleries and editors takes consistent and relentless effort.
    • Artists hire models to paint the figure from life.
    • Art supplies. Artists spend hundreds of dollars on art supplies every year as they keep practicing for years. This is a continuous expense, like going to a grocery store each week. When the time is right, the artist transitions to professional, durable, lightfast materials that cost a lot more that cheaply manufactured canvases and paints. Professional art supplies let artists create long lasting, museum-quality pieces, unlike the junk that would fall apart or fade within years. Often times if the artist doesn’t share this information with the buyer, no one can tell visually if the supplies are archival or not.
    • Other office expenses that include professional photo equipment, storage files, a scanner and a printer, camera and video equipment, etc..
    • Some artists chose to advertise online or in magazines.
    • As a surprise to many, the artist’s retail price includes a 50% mark up, sometimes 60-65% that galleries take selling artist’s work. That means that the artist gets only half of his/her money after making a sale.
    • The final cost to the artist is not the financial, but the emotional one. In the U.S. artists don’t have much respect unless they are famous. This leads to stereotypes and generalizations. Often called “lazy artists,” “starving artists,” “stupid artists,” or “flaky artists.” We have become the 2nd class citizens because we often allow it to happen, and because art has become the all encompassing word that incorporates everything into it. Art is everywhere today.

    We don’t even pay attention to it, but art is everywhere today: in magazines, book covers, album covers, calendars, and even on plates. As the society has moved from scarce product production to consumerism, artists get pushed to the sidelines. A lot of work gets devalued by the Chinese manufacturing, cheaply made goods, mass-produced items, and unlicensed reproductions. This trend reinforces the people’s desire to buy a cheap print or new piece of technology rather than a small original artwork. As a result many folks don’t appreciate art, because they simply don’t identify with it, don’t find the emotional connection, and don’t really need it. TV, wall posters, and other goods and entertainment have replaced the enjoyment of looking at a single original painting.

    In other words, ART has lost or changed its original meaning, evolving into other facets of artful creations that redefined the uniqueness and value of art. Bogus art may receive lots of publicity due to smart marketing campaigns that confuse people. Those souls who love the arts just get lost trying to understand what’s really valuable and what is not. It’s rare to see someone admitting that he or she doesn’t get art or lacks education to have an opinion. And that’s why art appreciation should be taught in schools as a relevant subject along with math and the sciences.

    Art creates unique experiences. Art takes care of our emotional life. Often described as healing, art reflects on our inner life. No matter the art style or medium, Art makes us human to experience joy and beauty. Art can be a protest and a wing of change. When we look at history of human civilization, we often study it through art.

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