The Kindness of Strangers

I'd like to be famous please, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I want to be on

My painting for Martha Stewart

TV. I want my art in national magazines and on websites and blogs. I want millions of people to see my work. I want celebrities to hang my paintings in their house. However, if you want to sell art for a living - but have no marketing budget - you have to be creative. So yes, I have sent Martha Stewart a couple of uncommissioned paintings and I spend a lot of time on the computer submitting my work to design blogs and dog blogs and equestrian sites. But there is method to my madness! I really do only send emails and press releases to sites and magazines that I enjoy and respect; authors that I read; musicians that I know the lyrics for.

Martha Stewart because she is a style icon
Heather Armstrong because her photography makes my heart hurt
Amanda Palmer because her music is transcendent
The Bloggess, because she writes like the voice inside my head sounds
Rachael Ray because my kids and I never miss an episode of 30-minute Meals
And numerous other magazines and style blogs that have an aesthetic that I ache for

Sometimes, I am rewarded for my efforts with a blog post, a thank-you note, a bump in traffic to my site, an interview or a mention. Sometimes, I never hear back (I'm talking to you, Bo Obama.) You never know what you're going to get back when you put yourself out there. But sometimes, it's just plain awesome. Just recently I emailed one of my favorite singers, Rachel Harrington and offered to trade a painting of her beloved pup for CDs for life. She agreed. I love the internet.

0 Comments on “The Kindness of Strangers”

ecorwin October 21, 2009, 11:39 am

But at least you’re not foisting your children into hot air balloon adventures for exposure.
Meredith October 31, 2009, 9:51 am

You deserve every “bump” you get. You’re incredibly talented. PS: I too paint at night…”coffee in hand”! We should meet up someday and compare notes.

The Kindness of Strangers

0 Comments on “The Kindness of Strangers”

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