I Am Art

I Am Art, Still.

For 30 years, I have been a professional artist creating fine art for homes and corporate spaces, designing images for housewares, paper goods, stationery, and clothing. I describe myself as an "old school" artist because most of my works start by creating art with ink, paint, watercolors, and heaping spoonfuls of daydreams and imagination. I gather inspiration in unexpected places and still keep visual notes in my beloved sketchbooks. I have also embraced technology and evolution and love that now "corporate art" can mean a home office. A hotel, now an airbnb. There are so many more spaces to decorate. My career- long slogan of "I Am Art" is more than a slogan to me. It is a way of life. I believe art should be available to everyone, regardless of budget or room size. One of the most amazing things about advancements in technology is that I can now offer many of my designs on different products and different price points. Art should not have to remain on walls. And it doesn't have to be stuffy and serious. From colorful throw pillows, to a favorite coffee cup, to a soft hand towel, to a wrap dress you feel your fiercest in- all of these items can reflect what you love and be a bright spot in your day. The simplest things can bring you joy.

I am so excited to be sharing new products with you soon.

Green, blue and gold

Deep greens and blues look so rich next to gold accessories.
If you can't have plants inside (cats, anyone?), incorporating green
artwork in your space is a great alternative.
Art: Eucalyptus Breeze 2

Fine art prints on paper and canvas available here:

https://linda-woods.pixels.com/featured/eucalyptus-breeze-2-art-by-linda-woods-linda-woods.html

Beach Vibes Even In The City

Beach houses don't have to be at the beach. Bring home the beach vibes with coastal art.

Fine art print: Oceanside 2 by Linda Woods

Available here: https://linda-woods.pixels.com/collections/beach+and+coastal

Studio Sale on Small Orignals

I am having a studio sale on small original artworks this weekend. There are florals, abstracts, and faith based works available. Visit the sale here: http://lindawoods.bigcartel.com/

Warm Colorful Stripes

As days of sunshine get shorter, I love bringing all the warm color inside. The great thing about abstracts is they often look good in different orientations. Don't be afraid to experiment to suit your space. Pueblo looks great vertical or horizontal.

Prints on paper, canvas, wood, and metal are available here:

https://linda-woods.pixels.com/featured/pueblo-abstract-art-by-linda-woods-linda-woods.html

The Beautiful Wine Country

I am a SoCal girl now but I was born and raised in beautiful, picturesque Northen California. My thoughts are with everyone affected by the dreadful fires.

Contemporary Coastal Art

As a California native, I love capturing the ocean vibes in my artwork and could not be more excited about the Sherwin-Williams color for 2018: Oceanside! It's already one of my favorites.

Give every room an ocean view with contemporary coastal fine art prints by
Linda Woods here: https://linda-woods.pixels.com/collections/beach+and+coastal

It's Not You, It's the iPhone

Business is slow right now for a lot of people. Not only artists, but I am seeing it in many industries. It is unusual because for most people, the end of summer is busy. But this end of summer is different. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, political uneasiness, and...the new $899 iPhone. When there are major things going on in one part of the country, all industries feel it. People who may have set aside money for purchases are now sending that money to people in need (thank goodness for that though, seriously). When people are worried about health care costs, they do not decorate their houses as much. When there is a new iPhone released, all extra cash goes to that purchase.
There are so many factors that go into a slow sales month. Before you take it personally and label yourself a failure, pick up the business section of your paper and read it. Major chain stores are closing. Social Media changes algorithms. People are glued to their TVs to see which team players are kneeling. All of these things affect sales! A slow month does not mean anything is wrong with YOU.
It's ok to be nervous and wonder what is going on, especially since you have bills to pay, too. Keep on keeping on. Things always seem to have a way to getting back to normal.

Ask Google First

Every day I get questions from strangers that I do not answer. I do not avoid answering to be rude. I don't answer in hopes that the person asking will use their curiosity and ask google instead.
1. How do I start to sell art?
(Google "places to sell original art")
2. What paint do you use?
(Google "different types of paint for artists")
3. What camera settings do you use?
(Google "how to photograph art")
4. My mom/brother/sister/husband wants to sell art, what should they do? (Do not google this. If the artist in your life wants to sell their art, THEY need to do the work)

If you are starting out and are totally unsure what to do, set up a plan and try it (see previous posts in this series). Get your plan in action, see how it goes and then ask if you are still unsure. Artists are usually happy to help other artists when they see the artist is putting the effort in FIRST. Think of it like asking a parent for help with homework. They are usually happy to revise your rough draft but if you show up with a blank paper, you will get the look.
Example:
Dear artist I really like,
I am new to selling my art and I have set up my art for sale here (include a link to your shop/site/whatever). Do you have any suggestions about how I can make this more effective or better? I am open to any advice. Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
New To Selling Art

Whatever the artist says, respond with "thank you!" even if you don't like what they say at first or feel discouraged. The value of their advice might not be evident to you at first if you have an emotional reaction to the suggestion of "add more tags" or "use better photography." Build it first, and the answers will come.

Get Off The Scale

When it comes to weight loss and dieting, it is really popular right now to be all "ignore the scale, numbers don't mean anything" when of course the scale matters if you are trying to lose weight. It sure as hell matters when you are gaining weight! Numbers on social media seem to matter to many, like they are magic numbers on a success scale. The diet scale is real. The other is not.
There is no such thing as a social media success scale for business. Everyone starts somewhere different, everyone's business is different, and everyone's number is different. You do not need a fat social media following to be successful in business or life. You just need to connect with the people who do follow you (the ones who are real people).
I do not have a lot of followers here on instagram and my art business is thriving. My brothers, both super famous authors (I say that half joking but obviously not joking about their success) each have less than 1100 followers. One of the most well known artists in the art licensing world has a public account with fewer than 2000 followers. And then there are artists and writers with over 20k followers.
A follower is not equal to a sale.
A like is not equal to a dollar.
A small or large following does not define YOUR value or goodness.
Free yourself from the imaginary social media scale and just do the business version of having a piece of cake- create what YOU love and stay off the scale. 📌I know I have addressed this issue previously, but I think people need to hear it again as we exit the summer slump. 📌The size of your clothes are also a thing that don't matter, for real. Clothing sizes are different for every brand. Just tossing that out there if you are reading this in the dressing room at Target.