February 20, 2021

My friend,Colleen, handed me a book by Austin Kleon as I pondered the best way to unload my closet full of accummulated works. He's a young writer who has written several books of advice for people looking to establish a career in the arts. He’s young enough to be my son but understands today’s world of art and art marketing in ways that I do not oweing to my late start. In Show Your Work! he advises that it’s important to get your name and work established in cyberspace. Obvious, no doubt to anyone who has grown up in the cyberworld but daunting to someone who still struggles to master navigation skills which are second nature to anyone under 50. He says this should not stop you even if you have minimal skill in your endeavor and are all but totally inept with web platforms.

Kleon claims that if you make an entry every day, no matter how clumsy, you will build skill in your art and on your platform. Your followers, he says, will learn from watching you work through obstacles and they will appreciate that you share your struggles. You don’t have to be organized or make it meaningful. Over time, it will organize itself and meaning will emerge. So, here goes. But I think 3 entries a week will be the most I can come up with.  I'm a slow learner.

Find more about Austin Kleon at https://austinkleon.com/  He says links to influencers are important.

I forgot something.

So, my very first post and I was determined not obssess over getting everything perfect. It took me 4 hours to finish anyway and then I lost sleep when I realized that it wasn't finished. Colleen. My friend Colleen. How could I forget her. It was she, after all, who provided me with Austin Kleon's invaluable book of advice which finally drove me to my first post. So what you see now is my edited first post plus a couple of pictures of more recent work. Thank you, Colleen!