My Internets are sporadic these days. Just thought I'd check in to say..
Hello.
And to assure you that I'm nowhere close to realizing my little dream, but I'm still nowhere near to giving up on it.
This is a recurring theme/problem for me and I hope it resolves itself in a more productive way than usual.
On the cat side, I have found a pretty kewl enclosure possibility. I just need those $$ to start flowing this way. Check this out:
http://www.cats-on-line.com/catcagecustomergallery.htm
Kinda like connexx for cats. I guess the key is designing for space, but in such a way as to reduce the number of panels needed to save $. I wish I was a handier person so's to build this stuff myself. My poor dad would be ashamed of me. He tried to train me as his helper, but without him, I don't have the nerve to start up such an undertaking. I sure as heck don't have the time anymore. Paying extra for not having to build it from scratch is probably better.
Maybe I'll find a pile of money somewhere...someday.
Frankly, there's a lot going on in life that should be more important for me, but this situation is the one I find most concerning. I want these guys happy and safe, but I need my house to myself again. Getting them outside is about the only way I can go.
Hanging on to the house is another thing. Foreclosure looms for thousands of us and I'm right in that line. I don't see how anyone can afford to live anymore. I'm in a job that should pay enough to live on. Heck, for the time I spend there, I should be comfortable. Instead, I agreed to a job on salary and didn't understand the scope of it. I spend around 12-15 hours a day at the place. And with no overtime, that makes me a minimum wage earner again. Stupid. I was stupid. And now I'm trapped there as leaving is not an option. I need the little bit of income I have to keep my home.
Doom and gloom abounds, People. So, I decided to finally view that "Last Lecture" on YouTube ...and found out the guy died yesterday. *sigh* Wonderful start to that. So, I watched, expecting some great insights and profound observations. Frankly, I didn't get any. Don't get me wrong, the guy was inspirational in a way. Sometimes funny and always positive, even in the face of his impending doom. It's just that he offered the same advice I've heard from a bunch of people. Common sense, really. No real new or profound thoughts. I imagine his situation made it all seem bigger to him and his immediate friends and family so I guess my lack of attachment to him personally is the reason for my lack of enlightenment. It's worth a look, though. It is his last message to his kids and you sure can't be so jaded as to not be touched in some way by that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo Reserve about an hour of your time for it.
So, I have nothing else to say today. I'll pop in sometime later hopefully with better news.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Some R/P/S Q&A
Over at Dimestore, great comments and suggestions are trickling in....
Spyros from far away Greece writes:
Q: "So this is a multi-agency/studio working through a website, which acts like a portal?"
A: Hm. I don't think so, if I get your meaning, Spyros. There will be a central structure as we will be actually working together on all projects, assigning work as needed, where appropriate. I see the members as being partners in the one company.
I have yet to actually clarify this thought. Thanks, Spyros!
Really, the site is to give the agency a professional, united front and a place to actually sell from.. I don't think individuals will be played up at all, so the client won't get the schizo feel I've seen in other attempts to just get a bunch of people together and "be a studio."
As an agency, we'll be a one-stop for a (hopefully) limitless range of style, technique and services. And can provide it all in tiers of affordability. All things to all people.
Each member will have a hand in chasing down work, even creating the need for our work, in some cases. Maybe they'll have themselves in mind as being the artist for that job, or maybe they'll be thinking "oh, Doc would be perfect for that!" That'll come as we develop our membership and become more aware of our abilities.
That's where it will become a challenge. Can an artist let go of themself enough to be part of a group that creates together? Once we see the benefits of a group situation, providing things we couldn't get alone, I think it will work. I'm counting on it.
More Q&A to come, Folks!
G
Spyros from far away Greece writes:Q: "So this is a multi-agency/studio working through a website, which acts like a portal?"
A: Hm. I don't think so, if I get your meaning, Spyros. There will be a central structure as we will be actually working together on all projects, assigning work as needed, where appropriate. I see the members as being partners in the one company.
I have yet to actually clarify this thought. Thanks, Spyros!
Really, the site is to give the agency a professional, united front and a place to actually sell from.. I don't think individuals will be played up at all, so the client won't get the schizo feel I've seen in other attempts to just get a bunch of people together and "be a studio."
As an agency, we'll be a one-stop for a (hopefully) limitless range of style, technique and services. And can provide it all in tiers of affordability. All things to all people.
Each member will have a hand in chasing down work, even creating the need for our work, in some cases. Maybe they'll have themselves in mind as being the artist for that job, or maybe they'll be thinking "oh, Doc would be perfect for that!" That'll come as we develop our membership and become more aware of our abilities.
That's where it will become a challenge. Can an artist let go of themself enough to be part of a group that creates together? Once we see the benefits of a group situation, providing things we couldn't get alone, I think it will work. I'm counting on it.
More Q&A to come, Folks!
G
Friday, July 04, 2008
R/P/S continued...Post 2
Thanks for the comments on my last little Rock Paper Scissors post. For want of another name, I'm calling this project-in-progress R/P/S...
Ed, you are such a source of encouragement. I really appreciate you.
Hah! Dan, you are so not a fourth flavor artist. Wow, I really need to redo that flavor thing. There's so many more flavors I forgot.
Anyway, I'm looking into a small business program at UNF here and hope to get in on it. First, I have to get on this long list of people who want help, then I gotta hope I'm selected as worthy of help, etc, etc...
This is a weird idea. And seems destined for failure. For now, I am forgoing the laborious process of structure and practicality of the business side of this venture. I cannot get it going yet in that department, but I won't let this stop me from exploring the actual mission of this project. Read the rest as if we have a structure and order in place. We have members and a viable work system in place. In other words, Use Your Imagination!
We are a business. This project will exist to benefit its members and spread some art to dark corners, but we have to have something to sell. And we have to have people to buy it.
Thing is, will it really be lucrative and is that really the point? We need income, but we need benefits, at least I do...and we need a way to ensure retirement isn't as penniless as it will likely be. Not really to imply anyone will retire anymore.
But can it make money? Money enough for its members to use it as a source of real income?
I think it can. If other normal boring ad agencies can make money and have the overhead of a company office space, and allll that implies, surely we can make some money while we are scattered across the country, tucked away in our own little homes.
My first foray into this idea included having a little storefront to get walk-in clients. People who were curious about what an artist could do for them. Not just make the pretty pictures, but if they could provide a real tangible service to people and business. Also, a storefront to actually sell art. And products using art. Show what we could do. I noticed down the way a number of small galleries had opened and closed rather rapidly. Selling only a little and paying rent for the space got them nowhere. They relied on their poor artist/members to pay the rent. That's the problem with those artist-run co-ops. They can't/don't know how to get money from anywhere, charge dues to the artist to be in the co-op, and when the co-op makes no money, the artists have to bow out. Feeding off of themselves was not the way to go. Obviously there was a lack of interest in art and even a well-intentioned and well-run space was not going to be a money-maker unless there was a real element of necessity. And outreach. You have to make people aware of you and show them why they need and want you. If we can provide a necessary service, we may just survive. Not having an overhead should only make that easier. I won't discount the idea of having such a place eventually, but for now...it's the Interwebs for us!
I propose a really tight website. One that is so well-designed and so sleek-looking we can't be seen as anything but fun, professional, dependable and affordable. It has to be filled with wonderful images and very easily navigated. It has to scream creativity and approachability. I want buying our services to be as easy as buying a leopard-print tubetop off of Wal-Mart.com...without the guilt of furthering slave wages and conditions of millions just to look like a hooker, of course.
Here's the thing. Content. Who will be involved? Who will design it, build it and populate it with images? Where will they come from?
Our members, natch. But will this be vampiring as the above co-op did? Maybe for now. Maybe we gotta just to get the thing going. But maybe not. Maybe we can build this thing with some outside $$. Put together an attractive selling package and sell the crap out of ad space. Approach internet businesses that will actually have a stake in what we do. Other artists, supply companies, the kinds of business we personally visit and rely on to make our stuff. Who do our prospective clients need to see on the site? They need to see things that make them more confident in us and things they will actually click on to make advertising worthwhile...porn comes to mind, but it's a temptation I'll try to resist for now.
But advertising space is ugly and frankly annoying. Can we make ads that are not ads? I don't see why not. Seems like that could be our first real project. Make our advertisers look like partners and friends and be more likely to get clicked on than a dancing hoochiemama or a lady surprised she's been filmed looking at her computer.
Project the First: Find Partners (and make them want to advertise because it will really be fun and good for them).
Am I getting too far ahead of myself? Oh, yeah, but until we have the real company, I need something to keep me going and encouraged enough to want to create this idea out of thin air.
Comments and Suggestions Appreciated. Post 3 will be here before you know it. Happy Fourth to all!
G
Ed, you are such a source of encouragement. I really appreciate you.
Hah! Dan, you are so not a fourth flavor artist. Wow, I really need to redo that flavor thing. There's so many more flavors I forgot.
Anyway, I'm looking into a small business program at UNF here and hope to get in on it. First, I have to get on this long list of people who want help, then I gotta hope I'm selected as worthy of help, etc, etc...
This is a weird idea. And seems destined for failure. For now, I am forgoing the laborious process of structure and practicality of the business side of this venture. I cannot get it going yet in that department, but I won't let this stop me from exploring the actual mission of this project. Read the rest as if we have a structure and order in place. We have members and a viable work system in place. In other words, Use Your Imagination!
We are a business. This project will exist to benefit its members and spread some art to dark corners, but we have to have something to sell. And we have to have people to buy it.
Thing is, will it really be lucrative and is that really the point? We need income, but we need benefits, at least I do...and we need a way to ensure retirement isn't as penniless as it will likely be. Not really to imply anyone will retire anymore.
But can it make money? Money enough for its members to use it as a source of real income?
I think it can. If other normal boring ad agencies can make money and have the overhead of a company office space, and allll that implies, surely we can make some money while we are scattered across the country, tucked away in our own little homes.
My first foray into this idea included having a little storefront to get walk-in clients. People who were curious about what an artist could do for them. Not just make the pretty pictures, but if they could provide a real tangible service to people and business. Also, a storefront to actually sell art. And products using art. Show what we could do. I noticed down the way a number of small galleries had opened and closed rather rapidly. Selling only a little and paying rent for the space got them nowhere. They relied on their poor artist/members to pay the rent. That's the problem with those artist-run co-ops. They can't/don't know how to get money from anywhere, charge dues to the artist to be in the co-op, and when the co-op makes no money, the artists have to bow out. Feeding off of themselves was not the way to go. Obviously there was a lack of interest in art and even a well-intentioned and well-run space was not going to be a money-maker unless there was a real element of necessity. And outreach. You have to make people aware of you and show them why they need and want you. If we can provide a necessary service, we may just survive. Not having an overhead should only make that easier. I won't discount the idea of having such a place eventually, but for now...it's the Interwebs for us!
I propose a really tight website. One that is so well-designed and so sleek-looking we can't be seen as anything but fun, professional, dependable and affordable. It has to be filled with wonderful images and very easily navigated. It has to scream creativity and approachability. I want buying our services to be as easy as buying a leopard-print tubetop off of Wal-Mart.com...without the guilt of furthering slave wages and conditions of millions just to look like a hooker, of course.
Here's the thing. Content. Who will be involved? Who will design it, build it and populate it with images? Where will they come from?
Our members, natch. But will this be vampiring as the above co-op did? Maybe for now. Maybe we gotta just to get the thing going. But maybe not. Maybe we can build this thing with some outside $$. Put together an attractive selling package and sell the crap out of ad space. Approach internet businesses that will actually have a stake in what we do. Other artists, supply companies, the kinds of business we personally visit and rely on to make our stuff. Who do our prospective clients need to see on the site? They need to see things that make them more confident in us and things they will actually click on to make advertising worthwhile...porn comes to mind, but it's a temptation I'll try to resist for now.
But advertising space is ugly and frankly annoying. Can we make ads that are not ads? I don't see why not. Seems like that could be our first real project. Make our advertisers look like partners and friends and be more likely to get clicked on than a dancing hoochiemama or a lady surprised she's been filmed looking at her computer.
Project the First: Find Partners (and make them want to advertise because it will really be fun and good for them).
Am I getting too far ahead of myself? Oh, yeah, but until we have the real company, I need something to keep me going and encouraged enough to want to create this idea out of thin air.
Comments and Suggestions Appreciated. Post 3 will be here before you know it. Happy Fourth to all!
G
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