Art Print Issues

Art Marketing Lessons from American Idol

American Idol is a true phenomenon that offers visual artists marketing lessons. From humble beginnings, the Fox singing contest reality show program has grown to 27 million viewers making it the most-watched TV show in the US. Additionally, it is broadcast in a taped version to 100 countries worldwide.

The show makes for great water cooler conversational fodder for die hard fans. For others, including me, it is a guilty pleasure. I admit to overcoming smug somewhat elitist feelings of being too busy, too cool, too with it to spend time watching it. Somewhere around SeasonThree, I succumbed as it grabbed my attention. I imagine some reading this have noses turned up thinking what a crock. But, that's okay, different opinions make things interesting and you are invited to freely express yourself by commenting below.

Most reality shows seem to be about taking ordinary people and putting them in stressful situations so they will make fools of themselves for the viewers entertainment. AI plays this game too as it winnows the more than 100,000 contestants down to a select few. But, when only a dozen contestants are left, it becomes truly interesting as real talent is put to the test.

I'm sure some tune in to hear withering remarks from British judge, Simon Cowell. But, I believe more watch because they like the music, grow fond of the performers and enjoy the opportunity to participate and support them with their votes. The drama, talent and tension are played out in ways that offer lessons to visual artists seeking to create their own bond with an audience.

THREE TIPS TO REMEMBER

The judges are forced to provide commentary and insight. Most of it is forgettable, occasionally some tips are poignant classic reminders worthy of taking notice. Regular viewers hear the same repeated advice, which is spot on and can be boiled down to:

1. BE ORIGINAL - The contestants most often sing songs well known to the audience. When one takes material and makes it fresh and new into her or his own, there is magic when what is familiar becomes original. On the other hand, when a watered down version of a popular song is sung, it always falls flat.
2. MAKE GREAT CHOICES - It seems near impossible for a singer to make magic if they lack a true connection to the song. You've heard the phrase, "He could sing the phone book and it would sound good." That said, no one will buy a phone book song, nor will a career be made. The audience cannot be fooled by a lackluster performance or a terrific technical performance where there is no connection of the singer to the song. Those who take and own a song are always sent to the next round. It is those who don't, despite obvious talent, who risk being sent home.
3. PRESENTATION IS CRUCIAL - As a potential singing star, presentation is crucial. This includes hair, makeup and wardrobe. Moving well with confidence on stage and playing to the camera also are important. This means nonchalantly acknowledging the camera without being mesmerized by it. Most importantly, presentation is a matter of being likable, or admirable or both. When an artist's personality shines through the song and in the silly, sometimes cruel moments before and after singing, a further connection or bond with audience is established. When the song connection and the audience connection come together, you get what Cowell calls the "IT" factor. This as when you got it, you got it.

So, how does this all translate to a career as a visual artist?

BE ORIGINAL - In the observations of the common attributes shared by successful artists, I've long noted, even well before I wrote my book, the primary criteria or first matter is to create work that resonates with prospective collectors and to find interesting ways to repeat new iterations of the same theme. Be successful, be original, and by all means don't be afraid to be IT!

MAKE GREAT CONTENT OR THEME CHOICES - Often the most successful artists are not creating a brand new look, but rather reinterpreting a style to make it original for themselves. Nothing wrong with being a pioneer, but it's not necessarily a surefire way to amass collectors either. The artist who owns the look does not have to have invented it. You may have read it here before, but this adage is apropos and worth repeating. "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

PRESENTATION IS CRUCIAL - If the artist lacks confidence, or at least the ability to passionately portray confidence in the work, the job of selling the work falls solely to art. There is simply more to it than that. Perhaps  it's not fair, but most buyers would rather own a piece of art from someone they like or admire or both than from one who they don't. This is far more critical for self-representing artists than for those who work in relative anonymity in the stable of a large publishing company. But then in those cases, the publisher has to shine in the way it conducts its business. As for poster publishers, there arguably is no better example than Wild Apple Graphics of a company that knows how to shine a light on itself.

Seven Savvy Points to Ponder from American Idol

1. Don't let the critics deter you when you are right, but be smart enough to know when they are right.
2. The purest talent isn't always the biggest winner.
3. Find a niche large enough to carry your interest and to build  a market.
4. You can sometimes stumble and fall and still pull through if you retool to come back strong with work that touches your audience.
5. If you aren't particularly likable, you have to be interesting, admirable or compelling in some unusual way.
6. You can't bore people into success or buying your art.
7. If you become successful, use your clout to help worthy causes

Advice on Working with Giclées & Giclée Printers

Congratulations! You've decided to create giclées of your work. Here are some important things to know. These items are by no means all you need to consider, but should help inform your decision on how to best proceed and succeed with adding giclées to your portfolio. The savvy suggestions provided here come courtesy of Barry Glustoff, master giclée printer and owner of Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta, GA. with a select few comments by me.

Tips for Great Results with Giclée Printing

Image Capture

Quality is essential to effectively compete in today's print marketplace

• The best result for your final output starts with your initial step, which is your image capture
• Quite simply, the most critical part of producing the highest quality finished work begins with a obtaining the highest caliber digitized file of your work available
• The adage, "garbage in equals garbage out" is an inarguable proven fact here
• Creating the best possible digital file of your work requires a professional's skills, equipment and expertise
• Although technological advances have brought costs down, professional grade digital scanners and cameras used for fine art reproduction still cost tens of thousands of dollars
• Equally important is the specialized filtered lighting needed to properly illuminate artwork, capture its subtle textures and details, and to eliminate glare from canvas varnishes and glossy paints
• The best latest 10-15 megapixels digital cameras using flash or outdoor lighting are still incapable of creating highest quality image capture

Selecting a Giclée Printmaker

Finding the right printer is more important than finding the closest printer

• When shopping for a giclée printmaker, look for those that do their own digital capture and printing
• Prices for this service range from $75 to $300 per image for color corrected, and proofed files ready for print
• Some printers companies waive this fee with a minimum print purchase causing you to weigh the pros and cons of paying a set up cost versus ordering more inventory than you need
• A first-hand recommendation or warning from someone else's experience might be the best criteria for finding your ideal giclée printmaker
• Make every attempt to contact other artists who have or currently use a printmaker you are considering
• Some printers, especially those only that operate exclusively online might appear to be full service or less expensive than others, but they may not be able to provide the attention needed to "get it right".  Or may be shipping work offshore without your knowledge

Tips for Working with Your Giclée Printer

They may be the experts, but you need to maintain control

• Your printer should strive to establish a cooperative, working collaboration with you, understanding your needs and goals, and able to easily communicate with you in "non-technical" language
• It is highly suggeted to maintain an actual print in your portfolio of each substrate you print on as a reference sample
• Don't let any printer hold your artistic property "hostage" in case you're not satisfied with their print quality
• It is critical you archive your own backup copies of your digital files for safekeeping
• Whenever possible, get actual printed proof copies of your work, printed on the canvas and/or paper type you intend to use. Don't be "fooled" by companies who refuse to provide this option
• Every giclée printer attempts to accurately match your work, but depending on equipment, types of inks, papers and skill, it is not always possible to get 100% accuracy. This is often the case when attempting to reproduce one media with another, such as printing a copy of an oil painting with water-based, pigmented inks
• The color range of the pigmented inks used in giclée printmaking is not always equal to the colors achievable with solid, pigmented oil or acrylic paint
• Seldom, if ever, will the original and the reproduction be displayed side by side. That said, a competent giclée printmaker will have a great understanding of color control and correction techniques and should attempt to make any corrections as directed by the artist, until satisfied

The Giclée Advantage

Print-on-demand has forever changed how fine art print reproductions are created and marketed

• Avoiding the costs associated with inventory. You don’t pay to print until you have orders.
• Creates a saleable replica from your original that is a faithful representation of your work
• Print on a wide variety of substrates, including paper, canvas, metal, Mylar, wood and more
• The color gamut range is higher than with traditional offset printing
• Multiple sizes are easily made within equipment and aspect ratio capabilities
• Custom projects for collectors are easily and affordably fulfilled

Shift Happens - Slideshare is Way Cool, Use It Freely!

Recently, I republished a post from the fertile mind of futurist Watts Wacker wrting in his monthly newsletter, First Matter. In his Keep Your Eyes Open I'm Convinced It's About to Happen article, W2, as he playfully signs his emails, explains the enormous impact Peter Max had on the art market in the 20th Century, and how The Beatles played a part in it too.

Watts postulates THE NEXT BIG THING in the art market will come from China. Agreeing with him, I added a comment on his Web site. It notes how things are vastly different from 40 years ago when The Beatles and Peter Max changed the world. I suggest some musical muse might come from the Caribbean or Africa in a collaboration with a Chinese artist that could shake things up in ways we haven't seen since the 60s. It often seems to me the more unlikely a thing one can imagine today makes it more likely to occur. The slideshow below, courtesy of Slideshare, sheds light on Watt's basis for his prediction.

Futurism is not based on crystal ball gazing, but rather distills the future from what is obvious. You just need to know where to look and how to interpret your results. This, being more difficult than it sounds, is why W2 gets the big bucks. The above Shifthappens slideshow illustrates how in the new millennium we are on the precipice of a historic shift where by sheer numbers in our now close knit digital global age, China and India are poised to dominate the way Western Europe and the U.S. respectively did in the early and second half of the 20th Century.

I can't portend exactly what such a monumental shift will mean to your career as a visual artist. But, I can tell you changes you cannot foresee will impact it as the Shifthappens presentation implies. You can judge by your own experiences that technology has changed and shaped how you inform yourself, create, reproduce, market and sell your art today. I encourage you to be open to change, to embrace it, to productively use it however you can.

In 2005, how many thought artists would use blogging for significant learning and marketing experiences? I opened an account with my blogging software, Typepad, in 2005, but didn't quit my PDF style newsletter until a year ago, making me in some ways a poster child for the poignant Kelly Ruger quote below.

A way cool Web 2.0 program you can employ now is SlideShare. Both presentations embedded in this post are from its Web site. SlideShare is the world's largest community for sharing presentations & slideshows. You can upload your PowerPoint, OpenOffice, Keynote or PDF files, tag them, embed them into your blog or website, browse others' presentations, and comment on individual slides. What's more, the transcripts of your presentation will be indexed by Internet search engines and show up in search results. It's a great way to share your ideas with others, or to learn from other people. And it's completely free and you choose whether to make your presentations public or private.

To further stimulate your creativity, review the terrific presentation below, which is also found on Slideshare: Visual and Creative Thinking: What We Learned from Peter Pan and Willie Wonka. Here is just one quote from the presentation which I hope will encourage you to review it:

Sometimes an idea loses its meaning over time, but isn't abandoned because of the investment in the past. These ideals are often so immune to criticism that those who challenge them are ignored or marginalized.- Kelly Ruger

View the Visual and Creative Thinking Slideshare presentation

I've suggested here a couple of time to use The Personal Brain, which is a wonderful mind mapping brainstorming tool. If you are beginning to see a pattern here of encouraging creative thinking and tools, you'd be right. Enjoy!

Art is Work - Milton Glaser - More Artist Inspiration

It is not a regular practice to immediately follow up with a second post on the same subject. There is so much to say, and I don't want to bore you dear readers with too much of a good thing. This follow up is, however, worth breaking all those rules.

Hillman Curtis is a gifted designer, creative source and founder of the eponymous hillmancurtis, inc. It has grown to become a video design and communication firm helping to create some the Internet's most trafficked sites. That it cares about and honors leading lights in the visual arts community is borne out by its illuminating Artist Series short documentaries. Certainly the one created for client, Adobe Systems, on Milton Glaser fits that category.

To be able to watch and listen to this man, born in 1929, still enjoying the fruits of his labor and passing on wisdom that comes with age and experience is immensely rewarding. You have my assurance all the hillmancurtis, inc. documentaries presented are worthy of your time.

Business Advice for Artists in Today's Economy

A few months ago, I introduced readers of this blog to Richard Harrison. We met and became fast friends after reading each other's posts on Wet Canvas threads. Dick has generously created a series of lively podcasts on his Sales Tips for Artists Web site wherein he offers invaluable insights from a lifetime of business endeavors in graphic arts, advertising, and as a visual artist and professional artist's rep. I've said before he could have easily set these up as CDs or downloads and charged for them. And, if he had chosen that route, the advice would be well worth whatever any artist eager to learn how to advance his or her career would have paid. Fortunately, the price is free and despite the cliche, the information is priceless.

Dick has gone on to create a blog where he continues to provide more valuable information for artists. I'm humbled to know my recent blog post, Ten Points to Ponder for Your Art Marketing Plans inspired his most recent blog post. It's actually a series of posts that come under the title, When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going, I heartily recommend reading them:

• A Primer For Hard Times
• Think Like a Salesman
• Offer an Additional Service
• Sharpen Your Focus
• Be Open to New Opportunities
• Explore Niche Markets
• Barter Your Art for Fun and Profit
• Use Technology to Reach Buyers
• Use POD Print-on-demand

Creative Publicity Pays

Here is a great question from a loyal reader (And a pretty good answer if I do toot my horn myself):

Dear Barney, You mentioned publicity. Can you give us a few ideas on creative publicity and how to and where to? What magazines do you suggest and what about free publicity, as well? Thank you, Janet Vanderhoof

Thanks for the excellent question, Janet. The best most effective publicity doesn't just happen. It comes about from a pre-planned coordinated effort to raise awareness for an artist. Too often marketers underestimate the power of publicity because it is not bought as a commodity like advertising. Just because it is complementary doesn't mean it should be taken lightly.

Before beginning a PR campaign, one needs to determine what the goal is. Getting publicity is a good thing alone. Getting publicity in the right media for the right reasons is a wonderful thing. Wasting time chasing the wrong media with the wrong goals is disheartening. The goal could be to become better known within the industry or some segment of it. Or it could be to become better known locally, regionally or nationally. It might be any combination of these segments. Or, it could be something completely different. It must suit you and your needs. The more ambitious the goal, the more planning and brainstorming it will take to pull it off.

Do You Need to Target Consumer Media, Specialty Media or Trade Media?

There is consumer media, specialty consumer media and there is trade media. One can target all if you are ambitious, organized and energetic enough to manage it. If you have read my book and this blog, you know I believe becoming a student of the business you want to conquer is imperative. That is, know what the trade publications are doing. Read current and back issues thoroughly making a concerted effort to understand what is going on with them, especially with their PR columns and features. Take the time get to know the editorial staff. They are always busy, but the right approach will win some time for you.

My recent blog post about Joy Butler and Nicole Kidd on stealth marketing is a perfect example of how an author and fine jewelry maker seeking publicity got the attention of people who can help them. Both targeted media influences who stood a chance to help them ratchet up their profile with the right audience.

The trade publications serving retailers, art dealers and picture framers are Art World News, Art Business News, Decor and Picture Framing Magazine. You should have them on your radar screen, especially the first two mentioned. There are numerous artists "how to" pubs such as The Artist's Magazine, but I don't think targeting them will help you grow your business. It would more of a vanity bragging rights move to go after them.

There is a host of specialty consumer magazines targeting the art market, you need to spend some time at the library or a good magazine store or a Borders to study which of these might be appropriate for you. Frankly, I think top shelf glossy consumer art magazines are out of range of the most artists, including the typical reader of this blog. But, don't be shy and never be afraid to dream or to tackle the impossible. It's always free to ask and as Wayne Gretzky says, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Sometimes the neophyte blindly charging in where others fear to dare is the one who gains access to things considered out of reach by those who study and think too hard before acting. Carrying the hockey analogy further, the highest percentage shots are the ones with the best angle to the goal.

The trade pubs don't have the pull they once did. The audience they serve is much smaller and more finicky, but they are still important and worth studying to learn what publicity opportunities they offer to artists. You will be surprised at what is possible with a diligent respectful campaign to get your items published in these books. If you can swing some advertising in them, do it. It's good for the magazines that serve the industry and the added visibility will give your publicity more credibility and punch and vice-versa.

If you want to target consumer media, whether print, radio or television, you have to have to stand out from the crowd. There are so many media outlets today that it is a constant chore for them to find suitable content. But, what they are looking for is something unique, something different, often with a human interest perspective. A charitable component is always a booster.

How about making a goal to get x number of national trade media placements, x number of local media placements and x number of regional media placements in 2008? It just takes planning and persistence. Make a reasonable achievable plan and break down the steps necessary to turn the plan into action. Don't take on more than you can reasonably handle. That is a prescription for losing patience before you succeed.

Some mags, like the trade pubs are easier to deal with and have shorter deadlines. Others, like national consumer mags are months in advance on publicity. Newspapers work on shorter deadlines. Local broadcast media often is only working a couple of weeks in advance for many stories. Decorating shows on cable are targets. Any and all of these are great targets, especially if you weave a cohesive plan to work as many as make sense together to create synergy and momentum. To find ideas, you have to train yourself to read and review the newspaper and magazines and other media not for entertainment or information, but as sources. When you see an item of interest, even those things not art related, ask yourself what you would need to do to emulate it, or do it better.

Analyze Who You Are, What You Do or What You Might Be Interested In Doing?

Do you paint fast? Do you paint subject matter out of the ordinary? Are you a charming character? Are you an outlandish larger than life character? Do you paint unusual subject matter. Do you have compelling personal interest story? Are you doing something worthwhile that will benefit a charity? Do you paint pets or kids in unusual settings? Do you do performance art with your visual art? Can you hook up with a performing artist to present your visual art in concert with music or performance? Have you created a thematic body of work that would grab the interest of local or regional media? These are just examples, you'll need to plumb your own situation to find what works for you.

Online Media Is Growing in Importance

I urge you to not overlook the burgeoning influence of Web sites and blogs to be creative media outlets. If you have the right art, Boing Boing could be perfect. Or it could be a business blog that appeals to the right segment as the aforementioned Nicole Kidd successfully targeted. Get Heather on her Dooce blog to notice you and suddenly hundreds of thousands of the Baby Boomer parent readers of her blog know about you. Research a list as on Technorati of the blogs with the greatest amount of page views for ones you can target. If you choose to forgo traditional media altogether and concentrate on online media, you can make a real dent. Natasha Wescoat continues to impress me with her tireless effective ongoing cutting edge efforts in the online world. If you do golf art, then getting some golf bloggers to mention you would be excellent. You just have to go where the interest and content fit your plans and product. The possibilities are endless. The research might lead you to subject matter you hadn't previously considered.

Broadcast PR to Traditional PR Outlets Is Always a Winner.

Take advantage of PR outlets such as PRWEB to broadcast a press release to thousands of media. My advice is to fund your press release at least at the $80 level at PRWEB. By comparison to any other media spending, this could be the biggest bang for your buck. You can also try Now Public if you are on a budget, but you won't see the reach of a funded PRWEB press release.

To get your arms around an idea that can be utilized in media in an ongoing way might require you to think about it for sometime before you get clear on what your UAP (Unique Art/Artist Proposition) is. But, if you cogitate on it long enough, you will figure it out. Your first thought may only be a step in the right direction. You may need to alter your course to adjust to changes in plans or because the opportunity is not what you thought, but is still something worth pursuing. There is no quick fix to working publicity effectively.

None of this happens because you wish it so. It requires the 3 Ds...Desire, Discipline and Details. That is, you have to truly want it to happen, you have to apply yourself with dedication and you have to study to know how to work as smart as hard to get the payoff you want. Putting it all together is not an easy task. But when you consider what other efforts have the potential to do so much for you, you'll likely agree a job worth doing is worth doing well, especially in the area of public relations.

As with anything else, the more quality time you put into it, the better your results are certain to be. But to make it happen, you have to plan and then you have to act. Once you do, good things will happen you couldn't imagine beforehand. My all-time favorite quote is from Goethe who eloquently and passionately brings this notion to light:

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) )

How to Pronounce Giclée

Despite increasing awareness, widespread use and ubiquitous display at shows such as ArtExpo New York and ArtExpo Las Vegas, there is still confusion about how to pronounce Giclée. Here is an easy way to learn. Click on the word to hear how Giclée sounds and is used in a sentence. Apologies to any French speakers who find my American accent foreign to their ears. It's nevertheless a far improvement from "gick lee" and "gee clay" and other abominations that are excruciatingly foreign to just about anybody's ears with exception of those who mangle the pronounciation.

The following is taken from the Wikipedia entry for Giclée:

Giclée (from French), commonly pronounced "zhee-clay," is an invented term for the process of making fine art prints from a digitial source using ink-jet printing.

Much of the nomenclature for art prints are related to the French language, which is not surprising since the art form evolved in France. For instance, artist's proofs are often denoted as Épreuve d'Artiste or E.A.; a Pochoir is a print made using a stencil; a Bon à Tirer proof translates to "good to print"; and Hors Commerce meaning "before the sale" are print impressions annotated H.C. which are supposedly “not for sale.” While using foreign language terms, especially French ones, adds an elegance and hint of romance to the use for many Americans, the terms in their native French are merely serviceable words used to accurately describe various aspects of fine art printing business.

The early pioneers of digital printing therefore naturally gravitated to the use of a French word to help describe what might otherwise have been called a digital print or computer-generated print or other distinctly non-romantic techie term. Digital artist and digital art are more commonly accepted as fine art these days. These, however, were not terms one wanted to describe a new fine art printing technique in the early '90s before Windows 95, AOL, the Mosaic browser and other transforming technologies became common place along with the rise of the World Wide Web. If you want the full and best story on what a Giclée is and the real story of the genesis of the term, read my previous blog posts, What is a Giclée. It has links to the most accurate and succinct information on the subject.

The Wizard Offers Visual Artists a Unique Illustration Opportunity

There are certain people destined to make their indelible mark on the industry in which they work. Some have talent and influence that spills over into the lives and businesses in other industries. The brilliant and inestimable Roy H. Williams, aka the Wizard of Ads, is such a person.

To give you some idea of the scope of interest and depth of energy of this true Renaissance man, Williams has not only conceived and built the most unusual learning center in the U.S. on 22 acres in Austin, he's also seen his dream of the Chapel Dulcinea, pictured here, constructed and put to use. Read about this beautiful edifice and learn why it is a free Wedding Chapel that is a testament to his many faceted personality. And, what the heck, sign up to get hitched there while you are at it.

It's interesting how you discover strangers who come into your life and make a marked difference. Regular readers have previously been introduced to marketing maven Michele Miller. She pens the Wonderbranding for Women blog. It is one of the most respected and trafficked marketing blogs in the business. A mutual friend from Sedona, Sharon Hooper,who is a personal spiritual life coach there, was the first to encourage me to start blogging and she told me about Michele's blog. That was in 2004. I doggedly hung on to publishing PDF newsletters until 2007 and wish I hadn't.

I did heed Sharon's advice about reading Michele's blog and I have been well rewarded for following it. Besides her own invaluable insights, she is part of the team Roy Williams has put together that makes up the Wizard Academy. The description on the Academy Web site reads as follows:

Wizard Academy® is a progressive new kind of business school in Austin, Texas.
Our objective is to improve the communication skills of advertisers, artists, educators, architects, ministers, authors, inventors, salespeople, journalists and musicians.

50 Top Tips for Visual Artists

Sometimes the best thing a blogger can do is to use the forum to pass along information to let readers know about wonderful resources available elsewhere. The Australia Business Arts Foundation just published on its Web site one such resource. The ABAF asked 50 industry leaders for tips to publish as 50 Top Tips for Visual Artists. The results are broken into these five categories. Each is a downloadable PDF file:

1. Developing and maintaining a client base
2. Documenting artwork
3. Exhibiting artwork
4. Marketing
5. Media Relations

There are some very good ideas presented. Each of the 50 come from different art industry professionals. Of course, I'm biased to the Marketing section and was pleased to see a distant Davey (we Daveys all seem to be related one way or the other) relative added item #10 to that particular section.

The ABAF programs offer tremendous support and resources for artists. It is to be commended for the scope and depth of the services it provides the Australian Arts Community.

A Year of Blog Topics for Artists - No Reason to Hold Back Now

Having read Why Every Artist Needs a Blog on Art Print Issues, you are ready to take the plunge into the blogoshpere. But, you are concerned you won't know what to write. If you think people don't want to know what you had for lunch, you're correct and win a gold star. Here then are 52 suggested blog topics designed to get you through your first year without ever mentioning peanut butter and jelly. Several topics could easily be multi-part posts:

52 blog topics for artists - Courtesy of Art Print Issues

1. Why I support xyz charity
2. The most inspiring art teacher I have known
3. How I came to know being a professional artist was my career path
4. Why I love working with xyz medium
5. What you can learn from the traveling exhibit at the abc museum
6. Four galleries I would love to carry my work and why
7. Five contemporary artists whose works inspire and inform me
8. Clues to the subtle messages in my art
9. My color palette is (nature/technology/environment) driven and why
10. Ten things they don't teach you in art school
11. How being in the business of art affects my art
12. When I paint, I like to listen to Guns n' Roses/London Philharmonic/Enya/Toby Keith
13. How the other arts influence my work, e.g., how I attempt to interpret the fluidity of a ballerina in my brush stokes
14. Here are blogs by other artists whose work I like, or whose blogs I like
15. Art retreats; although you may not get rich and famous, you can still travel and stay at wonderful places. Here are my favorites or fantasies
16. How other jobs I've had have added perspective to my art
17. Spirituality is personal, but growth in it has made me a better artist
18. Nine things I want to paint before I stop
19. Why painting en plen air is exhilirating
20. Art by other artists I bought in unusual places
21. Visually inspiring day trips around where I live
22. Museums I've visited in other cities and around home
23. Art books on my bookshelf
24. If I could only recommend one book, art or otherwise, for someone, it would be...
25. How living the creative life has uplifted my spirits and made me a better person
26. Advice for young artists
27. Why I love my local galleries and/or the local art scene
28. How blogging has stretched me as an artist
29. You can find my art online at these sites, here's why I chose to use them
30. Art magazines I like to read
31. The greatest influence on my life was...
32. Why and how parents should encourage artistic development in their children
33. Some funny experiences either colleagues or I've had at art shows
34. I still can't believe people have asked me these things
35. The five best quotes on art I've ever read
36. How the courage and creativity of some disabled artists have inspired me
37. Here are blogs I enjoy that are not about art
38. Seven ways technology has changed how I make and sell art (Some examples are: Photoshop/digital camera/digital painting/digital printing/Painter/online art sites)
39. I'm grateful because this person came in my life, or because this happened to me
40. Eight reasons I get out of bed to paint everyday are (Suggestions: Let's be honest, I need the money. I'm OCD and can't help it. It's the best job a person could have. A day without painting is like a day without sunshine. I can't stand the thought of going back to the 7-11)
41. And you heard writer's block was difficult
42. How overcoming creative obstacles has made me a better artist
43. So I went to a tradeshow/convention/workshop and the best/funniest/saddest thing happened
44. It's really hard to part with my originals; here's why
45. Five reasons you will like the giclee prints I offer
46. Flowers in my garden make me smile and make me paint
47. If I wasn't an artist, I'd be a...
48. Why faces are so difficult to paint, and hands are tough too
49. The most inspiring movie I've ever seen is...
50. How the arts organizations in my area are helping children/charities/??
51. Why you should always use a docent when you go to a museum. Here are some special things I learned at...
52. How reading the Art Print Issues blog has made me smarter, better looking, more creative and much richer