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Floyd Snyder

8 Years Ago

If You Had It All To Do Over Again Would You....

I asked a few weeks ago that it you could start from scratch, what would you do over again when setting up your FAA presence.

So let's go back even further. If you had it all to do over again what or how would have approached your art career or hobby (how ever you look at it) differently?

Would have become a painter instead or a ........

Would you have become a sculpture instead of a .......

Focused on oils instead of watercolors....

Taken more classes? Fewer classes?

Went into medicine instead or become a rocket scientist or a butcher or a candlestick maker?

What would you have done different?

How would have prepared yourself differently that maybe would have put you in a better place now?

What changes would you make if you had it all to do over again?

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Dave Bowman

8 Years Ago

I'd have pickled a sheep and made my fortune

 

Dave Bowman

8 Years Ago

Or perhaps saved my unmade bed from my student days

 

CHERYL EMERSON ADAMS

8 Years Ago

If I had it to do over again, I would find a tutorial - if such a thing is available - on how to photograph/scan artwork for purposes of posting it on FAA.

I began with zero knowledge base. It's been a two steps forward, one step back process. I am very grateful to all the people who have generously given their advice and been very, very patient with me (or sometimes not so patient, I may have detected a few eye-rolls back there in the crowd...)... and given me the best advice they knew to give.

I still need to improve. That learning curve is still far from fully climbed.

*****

And: I had a silly avatar to begin with (a fairy-tale princess carrying a goose)-- that nobody could possibly have taken at all seriously, I would probably start with the one I use now. A little bit of gravitas in the first impression department goes a long way.

 

David King

8 Years Ago

I don't believe I could have done it any differently if I wanted to, except maybe for one thing, I would have worked harder. practiced more. In fact I could still stand to do that.

 

Sharon Cummings

8 Years Ago

If I knew then what I know now....I would have put keywords in my titles instead of just the names of artwork. But if I change them now, I lose my place in Google search. More keywords and keywords in my descriptions. I would have started selling prints sooner. I would have started using Social Media A LOT sooner instead of resisting it. That's it.

 

David King

8 Years Ago

Sharon, I think you want Floyd's other thread. In this one he's asking what we would do different with art if we started over, not FAA and marketing.

 

David Smith

8 Years Ago

I would have thought more of the future. Until 2007 getting as much work as I wanted was too easy, even when there were hiccups in the economy, so I only did as much work as I needed to live and do what I wanted to do. Should have put away more.

I also jumped into digital too soon. Spent at least $15,000 on equipment that didn't make a return on the investment. Had I bought Apple stock with it at the time, I'd be sitting on a million dollar nest egg.

 

Floyd Snyder

8 Years Ago

"Or perhaps saved my unmade bed from my student days"

The way things are going in art today, that unmade bed my qualify as a great work of art! :-)

 

Floyd Snyder

8 Years Ago

"I would have put keywords in my titles instead of just the names of artwork."

Yup, I missed that in the begin also, but caught on real fast. But you know, even knowing that, sometimes I am just too lazy! That comes with being partly retired I guess. lol

 

Floyd Snyder

8 Years Ago

"If I had it to do over again, I would find a tutorial - if such a thing is available - on how to photograph/scan artwork for purposes of posting it on FAA."

Just an idea but why not take one or two of your paintings to a pro and watch how he does it and pick his brain and see if you can learn to do it yourself and what kind of equipment he uses.

 

Toby McGuire

8 Years Ago

I would've probably gotten a better camera early on as some of the photos from my trips a few years back (Sedona, Grand Canyon, Vegas, etc) aren't that great quality.

 

Floyd Snyder

8 Years Ago

Ya, I have some really old stuff that would make great smalls, note cards and maybe 9 x 12's but not good enough for larger POD prints. I have not added them to FAA.

I also lost a ton of stuff in a natural disaster that included some great stuff that can never be replaced. Most of that was 35mm film.

 

MM Anderson

8 Years Ago

I probably wouldn't have majored in art education in college if I had it to do over again. I should have known that I wasn't cut out to be a teacher and not mature enough to pursue an art career in the "big city" so to speak. I should have picked a career in which it would be easier to find consistent work then maybe just worked on art as a hobby. Too late now so there's no use looking back.

 

Chuck Staley

8 Years Ago

I didn't use many keywords, nor did I market, so I sold nothing on FAA for almost 2 years, but I was selling on other sites.

But things have changed in 10 years, including search engines, so one has to keep up with what's going on if he/she wants sales.

 

David Randall

8 Years Ago

If I'd known what I was about before joining the Army and going to Vietnam, I wouldn't have gone. At least I helped kept my brother from going. But maybe then I would not have known to do that.

I'm unsure that doing it differently would have helped much. I, like everyone still had to do my 10,000 hours before achieving any serious skill as an artist.

If I had gotten a degree instead of non degree art schools (painting, drawing and sculpting all day) I might be able to teach as a day job instead of what I do. It might have given me another option. I don't regret the schools I attended however.

Instead of going to the school of hard knocks I might have taken some business courses. I didn't.

Oh well.

 

David King

8 Years Ago

Oh, I guess there is one thing I would have done differently if I could. I would have started earlier.

 

Floyd Snyder

8 Years Ago

Randall, about the time I got out of the framing/gallery business, there was still a big reluctance of most mom and pop and even more serious frame shops of getting involved with computers and the Internet was just becoming a thing.

For a long time after selling my brick and mortar operation I sill kept in touch with a lot of friends that owned shops and I still went to the trade shows and right up until I stopped going to these shows, about 8-10 years ago there was still a reluctance by most shops to embrace online selling.

Obviously you are not one of them.

I always wonder if that is still the same.

The more my online presence grew, the more I saw that if I still had my main shop where it was more framing then gallery, the shop and the Internet would be a great combination.

Do you think that is the case and are stand alone frame shops moving more readily in that direction or are still not embracing the Internet?

 

David Bridburg

8 Years Ago

I left art school thinking what can I do that is very different. And I knew on what levels what I wanted the differences to be.

But I thought my professor's talk about computers was something I would never ilke. I had FORTRAN for engineers a couple of years earlier
and did not like the experience.

I created my first piece 24 years after graduating, Sept 2014. My concept evolved starting in 2006.

I could not do what I am doing now with the computer power in 2006, not on my budget. But actually not at all.

Sharon thanks again about the titles/keywords thing. I will use that.

The computer power and monitor quality came down in price and the specs rose so by 2014 it was a go.

My first months I maintained that SM was a royal pain. I keep getting better at using it. It will make me.

Life is what you make of it. I am my own boss right on time.

I need to learn how to play the piano starting some time next year.

Dave

 

David Randall

8 Years Ago

Floyd,

I think the framers a slow adopting to technology but it is fairly strong now. I can not imagine working without a computer now. I was a pretty early adopter with computers. I was working on a TRS80 from Radio Shack when they first came out. The framing/gallery operation I was working for was far behind me in that. We did everything on calculators and by hand. I was there 13 years. By the time I left we had computers, a web site, CMC mat cutter and were fairly engaged with it. With my input we were early into the digital print printing when it was Iris printers not yet Epson, Roland, Canon, etc. The inks were fugitive then unfortunately.
I haven't been to a trade show for some time, since they moved to Vegas. I used to go to the New York show and worked vendor booths there too, selling Ltd Ed giclee, offset lithos and original art.

I kind of lament the gradual move, as I see it, to framing online it is a likely decline in custom framing quality from working directly with clients. It is what it is. Everyone is in love with the digital but it's lacking in many ways at the moment. Too impersonal for the most part right now. That too will change. In the mean time we will have folks who know little designing poor framing on line. My opinion. All purchasing decisions now are on price comparisons primarily no other.

The mom an pop shop I fear is doomed to become few and far between much like the local book store. I believe extinction is near for many if they have survived thus far, mine included though I am in a franchise. It's a sad state. Those that survive will be in major metro populations. If they can survive there. The same thing is happening to art supply stores. Even the larger ones in NYC are no longer. Utrechts is gobbled up by Dick Blick, Pearles is no more. The digital world is wonderful but it gives us a fairly limited visual view, mechanical sound and little for the senses of smell taste or touch. It will improve I'm sure but I still love the analog world.

 

I would have jumped online MUCH earlier than I did (pre-2005) -- back when things weren't so congested and many artists were becoming Internet-famous while setting trends for the future of online art sales.

Also, I would have gone into debt borrowing enough capital to start a Print On Demand site. I'd love to have had a foot in that particular door!

 

Harold Shull

8 Years Ago

Hiya Floyd,

My 50+ year career has been one of a little of everything in order to support my home and family. I have done everything imaginable as an artist. From cartooning to illustration to ads, you name it, I've done it. I am a pretty good painter and designer but an excellent artist. What I mean by that is I think about everything I do or see as an artist. What I would change if I had it all to do over again is I wouldn't worry so much about earning a living and concentrate more on painting rather than jumping from one thing to another for a buck. I think I have it in me to become an excellent painter instead of a pretty good all-around artist which is what I am.

 

Harold, no disrespect meant, but . . . I think you've lost your ever-lovin' mind. You are an excellent painter!

 

David Bridburg

8 Years Ago

ditto

 

Louise Reeves

8 Years Ago

It goes waayyy back to high school. All I did was art and neglected everything else, so much so that I couldn't get into the college I wanted (or any for that matter). I have been a job drifter for almost half a century as a result. Now that I am doing art in the way of photography, I am pretty lousy at marketing it.

 

David Bridburg

8 Years Ago

Louise,

This is a great image.

Sell Art Online

 

Harold Shull

8 Years Ago

Thank you very much Wendy for that compliment but the illustrators which were discussed above were some of the great ones. I am not even fit to sharpen their pencils.

 

CHERYL EMERSON ADAMS

8 Years Ago

David K: "Sharon, I think you want Floyd's other thread. In this one he's asking what we would do different with art if we started over, not FAA and marketing."

I didn't read it carefully, either.

That's a harder question. I'm sure I would do things differently if I knew then what I know now. But I didn't. And it would be making a thousand small seemingly inconsequential decisions slightly differently, which might, in the end, not change where I've ended up after all. So... no answer at the moment.

 

Thomas Zimmerman

8 Years Ago

I would have never opened a portrait studio. Had I put all the time I put into portraits and weddings into my art photography portfolio.......the possibilities are incredible.

 

David Randall

8 Years Ago

Thomas, I think we all, most anyway, have to have a day job at some stage. Mine is custom framing. I think the same as you sometimes too but I wanted a family life and need to pay bills. Does the art pay your bills now? If it does good for you! It doesn't always go smoothly and you doubtless learned much in your more commercial life. Sales, marketing, dealing with clients in a multitude of ways.
All that said I know what you mean.

 

Imagery by Charly

8 Years Ago


"So let's go back even further. If you had it all to do over again what or how would have approached your art career or hobby (how ever you look at it) differently?"

Nothing. I'm not one to look back, so nothing. I also don't play the "what if?" game. Every path I've taken throughout my lifetime, good or bad, brought me to where I am today. If I changed any one of those paths, my life would've changed completely. I'm satisfied that I didn't start my "art career" until retiring from the Motorcycle industry after 35+ yrs. Photography is now my passion instead of Harley's (tho always my 1st love) and if I make money great, if not that's fine too. :) What really matters is I work hard to make the best art I can and always continue to challenge myself as a photog. Then perhaps one day, I'll be very good at it.

~ Charly

 

Charly, I'd like nothing better than for my life to change completely (for the better, of course), so I'm a huge fan of the 'what if' game -- also, the 'if I win the Lotto this weekend' game, and the 'if I suddenly inherit X million dollars' game.

Like childhood daydreaming, it's great, if temporary, escapism! :-)

 

Floyd Snyder

8 Years Ago

Looking back and seeing where you have been and how you got there is sometimes a good way to assess where you are going or where not to go and how you are going to get there.

 

Jane Linders

8 Years Ago

Knowing what i know now, I would have taken my art much more seriously. Art has been both a passion and a hobby.

 

Robert Klemp

8 Years Ago

Ephemeral.

 

Lisa Kaiser

8 Years Ago

If I could do it all over again, with the knowledge I have, I wouldn't. All I want right now is a home with all white walls, very little art, and a lot of technology. I only want to be fit and healthy.

 

Beverly Livingstone

8 Years Ago

gee i think if I changed one thing all things would change to some point then that would mean I lived a different life hummm and would that be better or worse ...will never know :)

 

Thomas Zimmerman

8 Years Ago

David I had a day job the first 3 years as I built my portrait business. I started doing art photography the first year my portrait studio really took off as a way to do something for me. I lived off that income alone for 2 years (the portrait income), and now I am back with a day job of farming. I do pay bills with my FAA money, in fact many months it would be enough for my family to live on if we minded our p's and q's, others not. Had I put all the thousands of hours I sunk into portraits into building the art portfolio and pushing it......I think I could be well ahead of where I am now.

Sure I made decent money at portraits, but now that it is shut down it was a lot of effort building something that is gone. Long term the passive style income from well placed and marketed art would surpass it.

 

This discussion is closed.