Marketing Craziness and SEO guides

I have been doing so much reading these past few days on SEO (search engine optimization) that my brain is going crazy. All the talk about the changes done to the way google does their SEO is just making everything so confusing. I finally actually stop reading all the forums about it and went right to google. I discovered that all they did was change google base to google merchant (which is basically the same thing). They also changed a few other things but I'm done talking about it for now. 

I have been planning on fixing my facebook page and today I think will be the day. I already added a fan page, but I need to add photos and do the whole marketing thing on there so I will get fans. Thank goodness for Etsy and all the fun stuff on there to get my mind off of marketing or I think I would go nuts. 

So now for a little self promotion...

I added last night in my Etsy shop an original framed painting. This painting is matted and framed in a mahogany wood frame. It is of my painting "Lady Red" and measures 8" x 10" and is for sale for $100. It is part of my "Lady Series".

This morning I added another original painting in my "Lady Series". It is of "Lady Blue" and measures 8" x 10" and is also for sale for $100. It also comes matted and framed in a mahogany wood frame.

Thank for viewing!

Etsy's Step by Step Guide to the New SEO.

Well, I had a lot of plans for today such as printing out more business cards, cutting matte board, and painting an original ACEO. Instead of doing this fun work, I have decided to re-read the new SEO guidelines that Etsy has provided for us. 

First... Thank you Etsy for giving us a step by step file for the new SEO guideline that google has changed. Without this I would be totally lost.

If you have not read these yet, I recommend it. Click here to get the link.

I read this the other night when it first came out but I was half a sleep and didn't comprehend much. Hopefully today I will be able to understand what I need to be doing. 

Ok so off to reading. =)

Mondays featured Fantasy Artist - Patti Backer

The weekend went by so fast. I can't believe it is already Monday. I did a lot this weekend though. I went shopping for art supplies, I made paper pulp, and I watched the Buffalo Bills football game. They lost, but I still love them. 

Now for todays artist feature. I found this artist through her Etsy shop. I think that her art is so cute and when I look at her images, they make me feel happy. Patricia Backer is a full time artist. Her painting themes consist of " whimsical combinations of folk and lowbrow, sweet and macabre."

She paints little animal creatures that are very colorful with big bright eyes and imaginative backgrounds. Patti not only paints on canvas, she also paints furniture and ceramics pieces. 

To view her artwork and her Etsy shop, please click pattibacker.etsy.com. She also has a website at www.patriciamonkey.com which also has her artwork and information.

New 2009 TV Lineups and Art Updates.

Last night, I noticed while making dinner, that it's the time of the year when all the TV lineups change. I got so used to watching Seinfeld, Family Guy, and then Friends while making and eating dinner. Now every thing changed. Friends is on first, so I will miss it when we eat later and my husband is mad because Family guy is on later, when we are usually on our nightly walk. 

I am addicted to Monday nights with How I met your Mother and then Gossip Girl. I can't wait for tonight to watch New Adventures of Old Christine, Criminal Minds, and CSI NY. I think I watch to much TV, but I love these shows. 

Now for an art up date. I just joined StumbleUpon today after reading in the Etsy forums that is works for some people. I was a little confuses by it at first, but I think I got the hang of it now.

I also posted on Etsy another Fine Art Print from my "Ladies Series."

You can view and purchase it through my Etsy shop... juliafinucane.etsy.com 

Monday Featured Artist and New Orleans Vacation.

Well, today is Monday and that means another great artist to feature. This weeks artist I found on Etsy. Black Sandee is a talented artist that one should keep their eye on. Her art has themes of doll like creatures that tell stories of "broken hearts, lost shoes, and of precarious situations." 

She lives in Los Angeles and displays her art in lowbrow and underground art galleries. You can view and purchase her artwork at http://blacksandee.etsy.com

Now for a quick update. I have been gone for about a week and haven't been online in a while because I went to New Orleans and had a wonderful time. I love that city with its culture, great food, and such friendly people. 

I went to the aquarium and took a tour of the Oak Alley plantation which was absolutely amazing. Go see it if you are in the New Orleans area. I was blown away by the beautiful oak trees and the architecture. 

I also made it home just in time last night to watch my hometown football team, the Buffalo Bills, kick some booty. Go Bills =)

Mondays Featured Lowbrow Artist - Nina Friday

This Monday I have decided to feature the very talented and interesting  artist  Nina Friday. Nina is a Russian born, self taught, full time artist and musician. Nina paints with acrylics on wood and her images are of different pop surreal characters. Her art is attractive, interesting, and resembles vintage photographs. 

Nina gets her inspirations from antique shops, forgotten photographs, black and white movies, nature, music, and childhood memories from Russia.

You can view and purchase her art at Nina Friday's Etsy shop.

Fun Night and Free Tickets to the Mets Baseball Game!

I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to mention what I did on Wednesday night. My husband got free tickets to a Mets game from someone at his work so we went to the game. Now being originally from Buffalo, I was never really a baseball fan probably because we never had a major league team. We do have the Bisons, but Buffalo is more a football / hockey city.

I was excited to go to the Mets game and to the new baseball stadium "City Field." The stadium was amazing. It was so big and we had great seats very close to the field. 

I am still not a huge baseball fan, I hate to say it but I was kinda bored, but the experience of being at the new field was really fun. I will say that going to the Buffalo Bisons game was just as fun and they are not even a major team. I still got my hot dog, which  was not good at all. Buffalo hot dogs are so much better. I also got a pretzel which was really good but the cheese that came with it looks like chunky cheese soup with lumps. It was so gross and my husband and I couldn't stop laughing. I had to throw the cheese away.

Overall I had a lot of fun and GO BASEBALL!

New Orleans Vacation, Laundry, and an Art Update!

I have been so busy today. I'm leaving for New Orleans on Sunday so I have been running around the house doing 50 million things at once.

I am doing laundry as we speak, along with posting original art on Etsy, writing this blog post, and I wanted to post on Zazzle. I also have to start packing for my trip. So much to do and so little time. 

I can't wait to set foot in New Orleans though. I absolutely love that city. It is filled with culture, entertainment, beautiful architecture, art, and of course great food.

Now for a little art update. I posted 2 originals acrylic paintings on Etsy. I am going to hopefully get 2 prints up on there as well. You can view the Etsy shop at juliafinucane.etsy.com

Etsy shop for the Holiday Shopping Season!

After long debating, I have decided to re-open my Etsy store. I have been away from Etsy for about a year now and I am ready to return. 

I started window shopping on Etsy about 2 years ago and I purchased my first handmade goody (a cupcake soap) a year ago. Shortly after that I opened a shop. I had it opened for only 4 months and I was not that successful. I only sold 1 item. I believe this was because I did little advertising and not that much marketing. I didn't know what I was doing at the time or how to market. 

It has been a little over a year and I have much more understanding of how to market, although I am still learning. 

I plan on adding items daily or as much as possible. My shop will be up and ready for the upcoming holiday season. I am excited about re-opening my Etsy shop and I hope you all come by and visit. As of today I have only 3 items up, but I am working on adding more for tomorrow. 

Etsy Shop.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade juliafinucane.etsy.com

Martha Stewart - Body and Soul Challenge

I was watching Martha Stewart today, like I always do, and she introduced the "Body and Soul Challenge" for this year (the show could have been a repeat). This challenge for those of you who have not heard of it, is a challenge to change ones mind set on how to live and eat more healthy. 

I try to live and eat healthy, but I admit that I need much improvement. She talked about portions control which I need to work on. She also spoke of how store bought juices are almost as bad as soda when it comes down to the sugars. I am proud to say that this is one thing I am good at. I never buy store juice, I always buy fresh squeezed from the deli. This can be difficult to find though (I live in NYC so it is in high demand and very easy to find). Martha showed a hand juicer which was very easy to use that is good for each household. I am thinking of purchasing one. 

I went to the "Body and Soul Challenge" site and found out my mass index, what weight I should be aiming for, healthy recipes, and much more. Anyone can join in on the challenge and work on having healthier habits. 

I plan on starting today but I don't know how well it's going to work because I am leaving for New Orleans on Sunday for a week and the food there is amazing. I tend to over eat on vacations with the oversized portions especially in New Orleans. We will see if I stay at it =)

Featured Whimsical Artist - Jennifer L Nilsson

Well, it's Monday and I found a very talented and kind artist to feature this week. Her art is truly amazing and one of a kind. Some of you might have seen her art before but for those who have not, I know that you will enjoy it.

Jennifer L Nilsson is a full time fantasy artist and creator of Mouser~kins Magic. She lives and works from her home studio in Pennsylvania, USA. Her art is licensed and has been featured online and in print magazines. 

She paints cute little mouse characters that appear in much of her artwork. They all have a fantasy feel to them with their cute little noses and little wings. She is influenced by her strong Christian faith and whimsical illustrations. Jennifer uses colored pencils, watercolors, markers, and ink to create her beautiful images. 

To view more about her and her art please visit... 

http://www.jenniferlnilsson.com/index.html

You can purchase her art at Etsy shop. 

Featuring an Artist every Monday in "Shop Window" Section!

Everyday, I love to look at different artists and their art and designs. There are so any talented people out there, that I can't get enough. I favorite their blogs and check back regularly for current updates on what they are doing. It's sort of like "window shopping" because I want everything I see, but realistically I can not purchase everything.

When I was active in the Etsy forums (I was obsessed), I would find so many artist that I enjoyed so much that I wanted to get them noticed. Back then, I wrote for a paid blog that was all about creativity and received many visitors each day. I wrote posts about arts and crafts, food, pet ides, and much more. I decided to feature an artist a day, which turned out to be great. The artists were getting more viewers and exposure to their shops and sites. 

Since I am not writing for the paid blog anymore, but I still enjoy my daily artist searches, I decided to feature an artist each week on this blog as the "window shop artist of the week." I do not know why I waited so long to do this. I always received permission first from the artist before I posted about them on the other blog and I will do the same here. 

I am going to feature an artist in the "Shop Window" every Monday. I think Monday will be the best day because then that artist will get exposure all week from my blog. I hope this will work as great as it did before. I am so excited to shear with others the art and artists I enjoy. 

If you would like to be featured, let me know and I will look at your art or your blog. I love a lot of art so don't be shy to ask me to feature you. 

I am off to go search for Monday.

Thanks for viewing!

100th post - I need some art advice.

Wow, I can’t believe this is my 100th blog post. Yay!

So I have decided to sum up all that has gone on since I started this blog and I think I need advice and HELP.

I have been thinking a lot about this whole art thing. I am not even close to where I wanted to be at this point in my life. I know it is hard to start out as an artist, but for me it seemed to be simply impossible. I have the complete support of my husband and my friends keep me going, but I am loosing hope. 

I completely stink at promoting myself. I always feel like I am bragging about my art. I know this is what an artist needs to do, but it gets frustrating. 

About a year ago I decided to start selling my art online as well as submit my art to galleries. I was in halloween art show but since then I have been focusing on selling online. I had a bad experience with this gallery and got my art back damaged, so I have stayed away from galleries since then. 

I opened an Etsy shop around the same time and had no luck there. I had items in the shop for about 4 months and I only had 1 sale. So I have had my shop on vacation mode ever since. 

I recently opened an ArtFire shop, about a month ago and no sale yet. I lowered my prices thinking because of the economy. I just don’t understand. 

I always get so many nice comments from people saying they like my art, and that I have a great style to it, but I just can’t seem to sell a lot. I tried a coupe of Ebay auctions and this too resulted in failure. I keep on going because I love what I do. I think I need advice or something. 

I am not sure on were I should be selling my art. Is Etsy a better way to go because it is better known. Should I try Ebay because everyone uses Ebay even though they do have higher rates and the art sells for way less. Etsy seems to be so saturated and I am not sure if people actually by original art from there. I am just confused I guess. 

Any opinions, comments, suggestions? I appreciate it all. Sorry for venting =)

Thanks from the confused artist.

Original Big Eye Girl Acrylic Painting in Progress

The image above is my latest painting. 

I am so happy with how it is turning out. I am using acrylic paints with a lot of water so the paints have a watercolor look. It is 18" x 24" on gallery wrapped canvas so it is large. I can't wait to see the finished product.  

The painting is of a windup girl sitting on a victorian stool in her powder blue dress. I am going to name her Caroline. 

Thanks for viewing!