Shameless Self-promotion

My first and only foray into print reproductions--too little shameless self-promotion.

Virtually every successful individual, regardless of their field of endeavor, does it. Some do it more and better than others. In the field of art, there seems to be a direct correlation between those who do it the most/best and an artists success/fame. I'm talking about what some have come to call "shameless self-promotion." In modern times the list of artists who have excelled in this "art within their art" ranges from Thomas Kinkade and Jeff Koons to Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali. Whether it's their art itself, or reproductions, workshops, prints, books, videos, the more of these products and activities the artist can master the more successful he or she tends to be. Speaking personally, I, too, have dabbled in this art/science. For more than thirty years I did the local art show circuit which is heavily laden with self-promotion. Some thirty years ago I produced my first and only print reproduction (above). Off and on for some fifteen years, I've been a blogger (even before the term was invented). I've also dabbled in art videos on YouTube, nursed a website, and for the past two years I've been working on a book, first published by Drawspace.com in e-book form and just yesterday, in book form available on Amazon.com.

Although I've done a lot of it, I'm not very good at it. Really successful shameless self-promotion takes an ego the size of Siberia, not to mention very often more time and effort than the art work itself. I'm probably lacking in both areas. Maybe I should try harder. Very well, in an attempt to do so, let me tell you about my new book, available in full color from Amazon.com for  $44.95, titled Art Think (below). The writing effort started almost fifteen years ago when I began posting a daily "blurb" about various art topics on a mailing list for painters called Paint-l. It proved popular enough to encourage me to continue doing so for more than three years. One of the members of that list was an artist/illustrator named Brenda Hoddinott from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Like myself, she was also an avid artist/writer and self-promoter (much better at all three than myself). She developed Drawspace.com specializing in online art lessons and publishing e-books. She has nearly a dozen books there and on Amazon.

Shameless Self-promotion

Brenda (whom I've never met in person), apparently liked what I wrote. She spent an inordinate amount of time and effort over the course of two years in helping me get published, everything from the actual layouts and upgrading photos to "browbeating" me into hiring an editor. Now she's guiding me into strange new realms of shameless self-promotion. Just as she showed me how shoddy my photography and writing skills were (I tend to write the way I talk) she is now shepherding me through the intricacies of publishing, advertising, and promotion. Thanks in no small part to her effort, it's a good book. Okay, make that GREAT book (remember the part about ego?). Several reviewers have told me so. It's a big book, 8.5" by 11" (one and a half pounds) and almost 300 pages in full color. The e-book I titled Learning to Think Like an Artist (notice the ad at above, right). Ms. Hoddinott wisely advised that the title was a bit overweight for the Amazon market so we shortened it to merely Art Think. And in a final bit of shameless self-promotion, here's a link to the Amazon listing:

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Think-Jim-Lane/dp/1927539307/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358831368&sr=1-1&keywords=art+think