i'm hooked

a new shot for instep2souls

It's only been a few months since i joined the instagram craze and i am totally hooked. It is amazing to see the world at your fingertips through someone else's eyes. This concept is almost too big for my little mind to wrap around, but...i get it. i've always been a very visual person and i can see how people can get lost in daydreams, photographs, books...

indian paintbrush in the yard

on the way home

Have any images you want to share?

 I'd love to follow you.

Let me know how to find you on Instagram!



The Flip Side

Lotus Red Teapot by SAMOS

Last week I applied to be a member of the Etsy Mud Team. On Saturday I received notification that I've been accepted! I'm very excited to be a part of such a talented group of individuals! I think it will also help me in getting my schedule nailed down. I've always admired artists that are disciplined in organizing their time. I can honestly say that doing this is not one of my strong points. Trying to figure out WHEN to do everything. Create, market, blog, network...The list is longer, but you catch my drift, right? I'm a list person, so that helps a little. But as your list for the day grows and time passes by, I then find myself in a game of catch up.

Lately I have been a collector of books. I have never loved reading like a lot of people, but I love books. Does that make sense? Anyways, one of the great many attributes a book has is that you can always go back and refer to something you have read to better yourself. For example, I just stated that organizing my time is not one of my specialties. There are many resources out there that help people like me do just that. Books, blogs, videos...It just so happens that one of my books, I'd Rather Be in the Studio by Alyson B. Stanfield, is a great resource for me. If you are like me and need some pointers on how to get started on better organizing your time, here are a few tips:

• Be straight with your task list
• Let technology be your assistant
• Stay focused
• Trick yourself into doing tasks you're avoiding

I would have to say that staying focused is one of the hardest things for me to do, unless I'm in the zone. Once I've reached that point, watch out! Nothing else gets accomplished except art making! And I'm very good at tricking myself into doing tasks I don't want to do. I usually reward myself with something that I've been wanting to do like sit down for an hour and catch up on my blog reading, go for a horseback ride, or plant some new flowers.

Do you have any tricks you'd like to share? I would love to hear about them!

Ready for CoLoR

I have a few pieces that have been waiting patiently for glaze and a fire. It's on my to-do list for the day, among other things like gesso that large board that I've been wanting to paint, blog about instep2souls, and plant the rest of those strawberries!

 © stephanie amos

© stephanie amos

© stephanie amos

It's been a busy, fun-filled week! Last Sunday, my husband and I celebrated our 6th anniversary  by working hard in the yard. The day ended with a delicious dinner at Sangrita's in Westcliffe. The rest of the week continued with the usual chores of having horses: hauling hay, harrowing the field, etc. But on Wednesday we were able to escape it all and head to the mountains for a nice ride. The whole family came!

the boys @ mt shavano

Wishing  YOU all a very happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

a BIG night

Chris agreed to this, really

This past Friday was pretty exciting for me. My husband and I went to a book signing of Chris Guillebeau, the author of the Instant National Bestseller The $100 Startup and The Art of Non-Conformity. He gave a great talk about his book, answered questions and signed books. I've never been to a book signing before, but then, I've never been so excited about a book I've read before either!

And that wasn't the only cool event of the evening. I met Alyson B. Stanfield, the ArtBiz Coach! She also has a great book out, I'd Rather Be In the Studio. She was sitting right in front of me! I recognized her since I've been a fan for several years now, but I've never met her in person. I was out of my element that night since I was hyped about the book signing and introduced myself. (I probably wouldn't have done this in any normal circumstance.) She was super nice! It is really cool to actually speak to someone you've followed through social media, newsletters, workshops, etc.

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Have you stopped by instep2souls.com, my newest project?

 In case you missed last Friday's post, here's a recap:

 instep2souls is a photography project where I am asking ANYONE that takes pictures of their feet or shoes (with their cell phone) to JOIN me in a collaboration of images from all over the world. I want to curate a traveling photography show with the images that people have sent me. I'm sure there are a lot of people that are put off by this because they are grossed out by feet, but...I find that everyone has a story to tell and I would like to hear their story and then share it with others. And what better way than to pay tribute to our feet since that is how most of us get around in life. I welcome all photos (within good taste of course) to be a part of this project. For more information, click HERE.

InStep2Souls + EBSQ Friday Five + New Pottery

a Goodwill find

Happy Friday everyone! I wanted to share with you a project that I've been working on that just launched today. It's called InStep2Souls: A Journey through Life. I don't know if you have noticed or not, but there are a lot of people that use their cell phones these days to take pictures. And they are shooting everything from eating ice cream, to sunsets and feet. Feet? Yes, feet! or their shoes.

At first I thought this was a silly phenomenon, but it had me thinking about all the people in the world that are living life, day in and day and about their journey through life. Ever since I worked on the boats in Alaska, I love meeting new people from all over the world and listening to their life stories. I thought if I could get people to send me a photo of their feet (with or without shoes on) and tell me a little something about themselves, I could share a piece of THEIR journey with the world.

I invite YOU to partake in this new artistic venture of mine.

Be a part of the JOURNEY through LIFE!

Click HERE for details

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On Wednesday I spoke about the webinar and podcast I took part in a few days ago. My artist friend Amanda Makepeace stopped by and liked what I had to share. She chose the Not So Everyday Blog of an Artist blog to be one of the EBSQ Friday Five blogs to visit this week! Thank you Amanda! 

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Pagoda Green Planter @ MuddyPotts

a Mushroom and the BeanStalk Dish
@ MuddyPotts

Block Flower Plate Set @ MuddyPotts


Have a Great Weekend!!!

Stephanie



An End Leads to A New Beginning



  waiting for the webinar to begin

The last couple weeks have been a blur, but in a good way. I usually don't have too many irons in the fire, but lately, I am getting a little more involved in everything. Yesterday the first session of the 101010 Project came to a close. I had the opportunity to meet nine really special women and learn from their experiences in running their own creative business. If you haven't had a chance to check out the project, I highly recommend it and follow the second session as well! It starts June 15.

A couple days ago I signed up for the teleseminar given by Alyson B. Stanfield, the ArtBizCoach, and Carolyn Edlund of ArtsyShark. It was a valuable one hour session covering the secrets of retail selling for artists. They covered mistakes that most artists make such as following up on your sales. This one was huge for me. I have very few repeat customers and I've often wondered if the people that buy my work are happy with the end product and the buying experience, but I didn't pursue the follow up. Why not? How hard is it to shoot a customer an email and see if they received their package and if they are happy with it? In the last two days, since I've been following up on orders, I have received positive feedback on several sales, including a commission that was shipped off a couple months ago!

I can't tell you how valuable this tool is for my business. It gives me a boost in ego knowing that my customers actually like my work once they receive it AND it helps me develop that artist/client relationship that may lead to future sales.

Yesterday I listened in on an art marketing podcast called Blogging Tips for Artists. It was presented by Jason Horejs, the owner of Xanadu Gallery and Barney Davey of Art Print Issues. Again, another invaluable session for artists. I've been blogging for six years and have often wondered why I don't have many comments or followers. And again, did nothing about this. Just figured, "Hey, at least I'm blogging, right?" WRONG! As an artist, you want people to follow you and your work which hopefully will lead to sales. That's the point. A couple of the things I learned from this session was

• Don't use large images
•  Don't talk just about your work
•  Use hyperlinks
 

I could make a list of everything I learned, but I'd rather you listen to it yourself. You can check in with Jason or Barney and see when it will be available to download.

Off to the studio now! I have some big projects brewing!!!

Have a wonderful day!

The 101010 Project Continues...

What an AMAZING learning experience this past 10 days has been. I hope that you have enjoyed following this project and have a developed a greater appreciation for artists of all kinds, their entrepreneur stories and words of advice. For more inspiration follow the 101010 Project as Session 2 begins

 

JUNE 15.

If you missed some of the soulful goodness that has been shared, make sure and head over to the blog the holds ALL THE DETAILS on the project: CLICK HERE