You may as well take a hammock to the beach, so to lie down in your hammock in the sun, after you come out of the water and before you go in. hammocks have been souring for ages and everybody has heard about these. You might want to make it some extent to buy one should you like spending time outdoors. It’s not obligatory to buy one, you can make one if you know about to go about making a hammock. It’s not too tough to make. All you have to is powerful internet, something that can have the ability to take your whole physique weight. This way you will be able to save a lot of money, not that prepared made hammocks are expensive.

Whereas shopping for Hatteras hammocks ensure that it’s sturdy and it should be capable to take your weight. Additionally you must purchase one that is made up of the high-quality supplies so that it’ll last you for longer. Shopping for Hatteras hammocks aren’t tough, you’ll get one on the web and you may also purchase from the local stores. You have to make sure that you achieved purchase the unsuitable one. You can put a hammock in your backyard, with the intention to go and lie down on it whenever you feel like.

They arrive in several sizes. Make it some extent to buy one large enough so that you can be comfortable or you can be hanging out it. Also there are totally different distributors promoting these. You possibly can all of the different kinds of hammocks that are being bought in the market. At all times keep in mind that the one that you just purchase should be sturdy. You must tie it up only when you want it and put it away when you won’t be utilizing it. This fashion it’s going to keep new and strong. If the weather will get unhealthy outdoors then the hammock will get fully spoilt.

A great way to increase the amount of labor space you’ve got accessible in your kitchen is to put in a kitchen island. If putting in a kitchen island looks like an excessive amount of work then you may as well get a devoted cutting board. A butcher block table is the right resolution to your problems. Butcher blocks are cutting boards that’s usually utilized by butchers. It designed to resist extensive use and is very easy to clean. There are no chemical substances used to polish these cutting boards and therefore they’re completely safe to make use of together with your food. I must also be treated with food grade mineral oil.  In latest times these blocks began appearing in household kitchens as well. They’re very trendy and look nice in your home. They are also very purposeful and useful. There are completely different sorts of butcher blocks obtainable in the market and you’ll even set up them as counter tops in your home.

The thickness of the butcher block is very important. The thicker the block the more sturdy it would be. You must search for one that is of appropriate thickness if you find yourself purchasing such cutting boards. Another thing that it’s best to examine before you make your buy is the finishing. If the finishing of the block is finished correctly then you will find that the block could be very straightforward to clean and clean. The butcher block is offered in numerous sizes.

In case you are planning on installing it as a counter top in your house then you will need to take accurate measurements of your counter and get a block that is of the suitable size. If you want to get the block as a simple cutting board then you can get one in whatever size you think shall be right to your kitchen. You should buy this block from a store or you can get them online. With a butcher block in your home you’ll end all of your chopping and chopping in no time.

In this video, artist and graduate Ansley Pye shares her thoughts about the San Diego Fine Art Society’s Mentor Program and it’s changed her art career. She is the first graduate to be presented to the art world through the non-profit’s premiere Launch Pad event being held this April 17, 2010 at their Hollywood Glamour Ball at Anthology in San Diego. ArtPulse.TV’s Phoebe Chongchua spoke with SDFAS Executive Director, April Game and Ansley about the exciting entry of this artist into the gallery world. To attend the Hollywood Glamour Ball, visit www.SDFAS.org Video produced by http
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You will see an outdoor rug outside every house so you should also buy one for your house. Even when you have guests coming over you can ask then to take their shoes off. So if there is an outdoor rug outside the main door, then the guests will at least dust their shoes properly before they enter the house. The rugs that you buy to keep inside the house should be fancy and should match the decor of the house.

You won’t have any difficulty finding indoor outdoor rugs in the market. They are readily available in the local market as well as on the internet. If your area gets a lot of rainfall then you should definitely buy one as shoes become really dirty in the monsoon. All you need to do is remember to buy an outdoor rug that I easy to clean, because a lot of dusts get collected into it and if the material it is made up of is difficult to wash, then you will have to spend hours in cleaning it.

You should select outdoor rugs that look good and is not very expensive at the same time. You should go for something that is simple and subtle and not too loud. They come in different shapes and sizes and they are also made up of different kinds of materials. You will be dusting your feet on the outdoor rug very often so make sure that the quality of materials in the rug is very strong. You don’t have to go all the way to the store to buy these. All you have to do is go online and you will find what you want on the internet.

Watch the Videos at TheDoggStar.com

Lil Wayne has a “Gang of Writers”

According to , and many other mainstream rappers have “a gang of writers” working for them, giving them all the songs they have to rap, something which as stated, is a “no, no” in the , yet this so called artists are doing it to be able to maintain their spot in the game, being merely a puppet to , rapping whatever their masters tell them in order to push their agenda by modifying the Culture and morals through the Music, to accept a and ultimately as.

Lil Wayne is Gay

Next let’s look at some of those lyrics either written by or given to him, to see what is the message this artist is trying to convey through his work, what beliefs is he infiltrating in the minds of our children. First I just want to point out the part of the song heard in the past video in which is opening up saying one of the Best Kept secrets in the and .

“Batty Bwoy(Gay Man) me ran through”

Here is openly saying he is constantly around gay people and very proud of it, may I remind you also of what he has been calling himself for a long time now, , normally making it seem like it would be his formal name with as the last name, since the rapper adopted him at age nine and became his legal Daddy. Then we have to ask, what does the F. stand for?

In the song we get the answer for this query straight from him by saying…

“News Flash, Yes…, Weezy Fucking Baby with his Fruit ass, Bitch”

It couldn’t get clearer than this I think; however it does, with a very controversial picture which you may have already seen before.

I don’t think this is how you would normally greet your Father, maybe some do, but then I wonder if still at that age?, if so, then definitely not if he is just a man who adopted you. Reportedly this scandal made most rappers in leave the Label, there are some interviews with in which he is condemning this behavior saying that no matter what they say, that is not how they rolled in the label, there was a video of it which I had just below, but it has been deleted by Youtube as many others, no surprise there.

Sadly, this is not a unique case, there is a lot of info exposing many mainstream rappers as homosexuals, there is a list of statements made by a few Real Rappers who then were killed for exposing this part of secret societies, likeand This is subject for a whole other article, so let’s move with the lyrics and the message in them.

Satan writing Lyrics

I came a cross the next song a while ago and it was surprising to me, to hear how a Black man would sing such a thing…

Ok, you ain’t know shit
It’s weezy f baby like a newborn bitch…

…I don’t save em, I slave em, they want weezy f…

…and i whip it like a slave
like a mother fuckin slave
yes i whip it like a slave
yes i whip it like a slave
i whip it like a slave
like a mother fuckin slave
yea i whip it like a slave
like a mother fuckin slave
then i beat it i beat it…

The literal or physical meaning of this lines sings is very plain and it was the reason of my amazement, seeing how proud he raps about whipping someone like a salve, but seeing the lyrics to find a deeper meaning, looking for the spiritual side being transmitted in the song, I see it as the explaining the simple difference between  him and , by saying , which is exactly what is doing with t.

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If you think I’m crazy, there’s another line I would like to show you, around the end of the song.

I’m in the garden selling fruit to sinners

Who is the character speaking? Skeptics may see it as Wayne just playing with words, I see it as the spirit that possesses him speaking thru him while he thinks he is just spitting fresh lines, on the other hand, sees it as a glove, one of many others he is using to bring his message to the world and infiltrate our culture.

Selling your Soul for Fortune & Fame

Moving on, here’s another video, showing certain songs in which artists like , , , and others rap about selling their souls to the devil for riches and fame.

Watch the Videos at TheDoggStar.com

This is a reality people, it is no game, it is no gimmick, people do sell their souls and spirits do posses people.

Baphomet and the All Seeing Eye as Fashion

Here’s a picture I found of another big time Puppet, , in which she is clearly posing as the god of , while having only one eye open, as she usually does.

I friend named Daniel sent me an email in which he told me to check out something fishy on ‘s website, where I found some pictures from the , also making clear connections to both and the, not to mention  what could be said to be a representation of the Lion of Judah being mocked at the same time in the picture as is being held in a playful matter by the model playing .

Here’s another picture I ran into making reference to the , by another puppet I have talked about before, on the cover for her single .

Dark Message in Russian Roulette

The song was written by and focuses on wanting to commit suicide, the lyrics suggest that Satan is talking to her convincing her to pull the trigger, obviously this is another direct message from evil, that could affect many of those fans or people in general who are weak in spirit, like most of the population nowadays sadly, by the fact that the world is more focused on strengthening the body because of vanity or strengthening the brain because of greed leaving the spirit on the side being bombarded by ‘s propaganda everywhere you look and hear.

, an who came out with the hit single made some comments on her about s Song and then went on  talking about the in the in general, check out what she had to say about it:

You gotta watch what u say. Because there are a lot of weak people in the world. They are susceptible to anything so anything you say or do some people actually do listen. So make sure its nothing bad. Its okay to be deep, but not murder deep.

Man! and what stars are apart of destroying this world. , and those who have killed to get the respect they have now. . Some of your favorite people pretend to worship God but they only do that to save face. Or seem innocent.

. He uses influential people…to help influence the world. Think about that. Once u make a certain amount of money. Just know that that’s when they ask u to join. . Once you join they assist u with ur career make u huge

Ppl listen and pay attention. . The people that have this power are the people that RULE the whole world. I’m done I won’t say anymore before I get in trouble.

Since we are talking about , I want to show you what some genius hacker did to page; that is unless one blessed day she was able to come out of the she is in and decided to come clean with her fans and tell the whole truth lol…

Eminem Who?

Lastly I want to show you a video in which it becomes clear that Eminem is one of the many who have sold their souls to the for fame and fortune, beginning with some lyrics from a couple of tracks from his latest album , first a track called , in which you can hear coming back for his soul after ‘s spiritual relapse, it seems like at some point may have wanted to stop dealing with the , maybe this was the reason for him almost loosing his life. The episode is well described in the song all the way till the end when decides to get back with the and sing along with him, while is talking of the sacrifices had to endure to get to the top.

The next song is called and it begins with the same subject, giving a list of this sacrifices went through to remain , but anyways watch the video, hear the songs and judge for yourself.

Watch the Videos at TheDoggStar.com

I believe this video to be self-explanatory, but I want to bring up something that seemed pretty crazy to me by the end of it, while he is being possessed by the spirit , how he denies to be , since his soul has been completely taken over. Another evil spirit which is very present in the Hip Hop scene helping with lyrics and satanic hits is called , the video Unberella by Rihanna is totally based on this entity, there is also some evidence pointing to this demon of being in possession of and as he claims to be in a the song starting at the end of the video when he is being possessed during the concert in front of everybody, just as he does in the video for the in which he talks of getting possessed at 3 am, when demons have the most power, and going to murder people, notice also in the video how he channels the spirit by chanting several times.

I hope this article helped to open your mind, to understand that in fact all these is going on without a doubt, remember our war

Take a moment and focus on your view of  the “typical” pick-up artist.  If you’re like most people, you’re probably picturing a handsome, well-dressed man in a bar or nightclub, standing proudly in the midst of one or more gorgeous women.  If you’ve met a few BAD pick-up artists in your day, you might be imagining something cheesier – the 70s  leisure suit guy, perhaps, or the creepy 40-year-old guy at the club trying to pick up 18-year-olds.

What you’re probably NOT envisioning is the clean-cut male who coaches the neighboring little league team, or the veterinarian at your favorite animal infirmary.  Or the mild-mannered accountant in the next cubicle…or the head fry chef at your neighborhood Wendys.  Thanks to the internet and a a small number of guys who have come up with easy, easy-to-digest methods, any of these guys may perhaps be educated in what PUAs (pick-up artists) call the Venusian Arts.

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Is it a bad craze that so many guys are learning how to speak to women more effectively?  Yes and no.  A skilled seducer can offer you the kind of experiences you’ll look back on with a crafty smile when you’re 90 and sitting in your rocking chair.  He can make you feel beautiful, befuddled, aroused, and insecure in a span of 60 seconds.  In short, he can blow your mind.

On the other hand, a seducer can take advantage of your blind spots and insecurities.  He can make you feel like you NEED to win him over to feel better about yourself.  He can make use of your body and leave you feeling nothing but regret and shame.  If you don’t know what’s going on, he can make you believe in a future that doesn’t exist.

I want to accomplish two things when I teach women about the pickup arts.  First, to educate women on the methods used by pick-up artists so they can be aware of what guys are doing to them.  Once you know what’s going on, you have the power to CHOOSE whether you want to play the game or move on.  You’ll also have a better understanding of how your own mind works when it comes to love and sex.

The second goal is to teach women to play the game from the opposite side.  After a pick-up artist has approached enough women, he starts to find the MOST women are, in reality, very alike in their reactions and requirements.  That fact is EXACTLY why the methods work out so well.

What I teach is not the art of picking up a man, but the art of getting picked up.  I’m not going to teach you how to forcefully move toward a man and end up in his bed in less than an hour.  That much is simple (assuming you’re not completely ugly and unpleasant).  The problem is that most men don’t want easy women.  They want women who challenge them a little – who are distinctive from all the others, who aren’t offered to every man in the club, and who make them feel like they’re someone different – someone better – when they’re together.  They need to be seduced as much as we do, but in a different way.

Every woman should know when to be shy and vulnerable, when to be wide open and flirtatious, and when to just move away.  The idea of “playing games” has gotten a bad reputation thanks to drama queens who watch too much reality television for their own good.  The truth is that a little bit of mystery and intrigue makes dating more fun for both sides, and getting good at it dramatically improves your triumph rate with the opposite gender.Piper Kinison is a relationship and pickup expert in the United States.

Related Artist Mentor Articles

Artist and gold leaf guilder Garry Grant, comes from a large family of artists. These include his father and older brother, who was his biggest inspiration. Growing up in Detroit Michigan he knew as a young child that he wanted to be an artist. Watching his oldest brother drawing had a major influence on his pursuing art. He remembers he would copy his brothers drawings. His father also had an ability to draw and would mostly concentrate on drawing concept cars. Most of his teachers from elementary to high school knew he would become an artist. His art teacher in high school in particular, has been a great mentor to him over the years, and watched him develop and grow as an artist. They are still friends and his former teacher has followed his progress from his beginnings in Atlanta and now in New York. He started painting at the age of five, but got his formal education in art and design at the Detroit Center for Creative Studies in Graphic Communication and later Atlanta’s American College of Applied Arts.

While attending college in Atlanta he was hired at one of Atlanta’s most premier high-end frame and design shops, Avery’s Art and Frames, where he discovered gilding. He designed and framed many fine works of art using the gold leaf technique. He had been searching for a unique and different style he could call his own and gilding was his calling. He had been studying graphic design and illustration but became self taught in using the gilding technique. During this time he did his own research about gilding and also about using other mediums such as putting it on glass and canvas. Since then Garry perfected this age old technique of gold leaf artistry for basic frame and has since transferred the technique to mediums such as canvas, wood, and glass.

Garry has also developed a personal artistic style called reverse glass gliding or painting on glass. The paintings are created in reverse, including his signature. He says of this work “it is the most gratifying feeling to see these images come to life on glass. Truth is revealed through gold and glass. Honesty revealed through abstraction and distortion.” Garry combines diverse materials in his abstract art pieces including gesso and clay, to gold, copper and other metallic leaf, as well as layers of acrylic paint, varnishes and shellacs.

In a short period, Garry has had several galleries in the Southeast showing his work as well as several shows here in New York. Garry has gone on to receive many awards and special recognitions for his work using gold leaf technique. His notable accomplishments include his Award for Recognition for the World Trade Center Memorial Competition, in which his design of two pyramid shaped buildings became a finalist and was featured on their website. He also received an Award of Merit for the Jubilee Cultural Arts Alliance Juried Art Exhibition, and was a finalist in the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park Fence Competition. He was also a finalist at the Georgia Pacific Dixie Art of the Plate, and one of his pieces was submitted in a contest at the New York Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

Garry has also been featured in a number of exhibitions starting with the New York Museum of Arts and Design in May 2003 to the New York Art Gotham “Square Foot Show” in June 2008.

According to his website his work as an artist has been described as strong, articulate and savvy. Along with his independent projects he also works with the Lowy, the preeminent framing and art conservation company in New York City.

We spoke to Garry about his art, his inspirations, talent and fusing the ancient techniques he has learned over the years with modern influences.

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For many years the gilding and framing has had a major influence on my work, by allowing me to reach a very high level of complexity. It’s a blessing to create art and also a custom frame together for my clients.  I want to stay completely original with my work, so each piece is never created the same. I want each piece to be a unique, one of a kind for collectors. Knowing the conservation side of it, I’m able to give advice to my clients on conservation, and to remain in contact with them for any restoration.

I have been with Lowy for two years now and it was an opportunity for me to move here from Atlanta. I remember the director said to me to come to New York and leave everything in Atlanta behind. It’s the oldest frame shop here in New York and 102 years old. All the major museums and galleries go to them for their customized pieces. It’s a blessing for me to do my artwork, and to also be able to produce a quality frame for my work. You are getting an original piece from me and also a custom frame for that piece. From the frame to the painting, it’s all been done by hand and done by me and no one else. I want my work to be unique and original and I try to stick to that thinking. I keep in contact with all the collectors of my art and I make sure they have the information so they can preserve it. If something happens I will restore it because I know how to. That is one of the benefits of getting my art. The pieces are like my children and I want to take care of them forever. I love seeing my pieces displayed all over New York.

If a client wants a custom piece I will sit down with them and talk with them about what they want. I would outsource the making of a cast, which would be done by someone else. My gold dog was cast out of cement, and it was 150 pounds. I had never worked on a piece in cement before. I had to make sure the materials I work with would go with cement. I would probably use fiberglass to do the finish on it. The finish on the dog is actually metal leaf. It has been oxidized into different colors like red and blue. I do half and half on my animal pieces so you can see both sides of the colors. I don’t mind doing customized work, and I see it as a challenge. I love being creative, and I will find a way to do it. I like to see how far I can push and how much I can put my spin on it.

I have seen so many great works, but my personal favorites are Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, John Singer Sergeant, Claude Monet, Cézanne, Warhol, Andrew Wyeth, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, to name but a few. I have seen some very expensive paintings and I love all the usual artists. I get to do frames for those pieces and I am amazed by the number of top pieces that come into Lowy. I like everything, all the styles of art. Gilding really opened my eyes and now I really appreciate the history of the art. In the past they would hire a framer to frame their pieces for them. My work really reflects the past, present and future. The story of some of my pieces relate to history and simply laying down the foundations for the 21st century and beyond.

Definitely, I have so many directions to take my work and styles to upgrade. First of all

on my next project with my abstract works, I simply want to go larger and build more

complex objects. I’ve always wanted to challenge myself to create an extremely large

and complex piece and see it displayed on a large wall, such as for a hotel lobby. I have

been practicing a lot with doing a larger piece. I’m also working on a new technique with

my figurative works to achieve a very realistic sculpture. This involves high relief on

wood, and introducing different colors of 12 karat Japanese gold leaf.  I’m also

developing object based sculptures and my goal is to apply gold leaf on them. My cow

and dog are just examples of what’s to come with my upcoming projects. Additionally,

I’m exploring with digital photography, to incorporate it into my other styles.

I feel I am only scratching the surface with what I have done so far. I also want to do a large abstract painting. I would love to take wood and cut it up and see the results and then see it displayed. With some of my abstract pieces, I can see it displayed in a large space and that is just one direction I want to explore. I want create a figurative style using gold leaf. I want to make the figure more realistic and to introduce more colors of gold. I would use Japanese gold leaf on the whole surface. Japanese leaf comes in various colors and I would like to do a whole piece in blue for instance. This would make the piece very expensive as a book of 500 gold leaves can be 0, but for Japanese leaf it can be 0. I would only use it for high end pieces, but I will do it for a client that asks for it.

I also want to work more on object based sculptures. For instance I want to gild a mannequin, and make it similar to the dog and cow. I will have a new project on display in a show coming up shortly called Lip Trucks Projects in Crow New Falls, NY.

For Garry it was a matter of finding a particular style or technique for his art. He never thought of using the gilding in his art until he started doing it for his job. He then did research on artists doing gilding and he started experimenting with it. He got a great reception from a lot of people with his gilding work. He then did shows at several galleries in Atlanta, Florida, Dallas and New York. From there he “found his voice” in terms of the style he wanted. Garry says he wanted to do something completely different, and his work to be totally unique from other artists. A lot of people initially did not like it because it was so different. However, he didn’t let that persuade him because he liked to produce that type of work. Coming to New York has made a big difference in his career because this market accepts and embraces different types of work. He says he feels at home being able to express himself with

Those falling into the first category can make a living, albeit fairly modest as a general rule. Those falling into the second category often live in a little bit of a dream world and, depending on their tenacity and ‘smart’ skills, usually end up disappointed because the focus is set on the destination rather than the journey. The third category usually reaps the rewards of the second category gaining all the success and limelight, but as a result of focusing on their art rather than the shallow and flighty end of the musician’s world. These are usually the most fascinating people too, because they generally have a little mystery about them and because they actually possess what most entertainers really want; sincere and dedicated talent!

But there are also those that are in the early stages of artistic development who are still learning their craft, and open to influences. Possibly they will become great artists in the future, possibly not. It will be a question of choices and consequences, and doors opened and opportunities taken advantage of – or not. Life certainly will take you places.

But for those that do have aspirations of artistry and expression, then I firmly believe you must have qualities that others do not have. As an artist I believe one must stand out from the herd in order to be heard. It is so easy to make a record these days. One no longer needs to have the luxury of a recording contract in order to stand on a pedestal and say “I am an artist – buy my record!” With home studios costing one 16th of the price they did ten years ago and with software programs that do it all, you can churn out albums by the dozen if you put your mind to it. And many do.

However, just because you can, why would you? – is my question. Just for fun? OK, valid I suppose. But Isn’t it better to spend that time and energy searching relentlessly for something unique and different? God knows record companies are releasing enough mediocrity by the hour. Even signed artists are now under the impression they have something to offer. Maybe they have, but for the most part I don’t think so (as public reaction and their CD sales will attest!)

Perhaps I am being extremely unfair, but I think too many artists do not realize that they have a responsibility to say something profoundly unique, certainly if they expect any kind of career longevity. We live in a world where musicians spend their lives emulating their heroes; singers spend their lives emulating Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra and so on. Rock guitarists spend their lives emulating Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Paige, Jeff Beck and Eddie Van Halen. Jazz guitarists are proud emulators of Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Wes Montgomery. Saxophone players worship Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Michael Brecker. And so on…

Before I go on I have to say that emulating heroes is absolutely imperative in your formative years as musicians. You simply MUST listen to the greats, past and present. One has to have a strong grounding and musical knowledge and one simply cannot get there without listening. However, way too many ‘artists’ cannot get passed this stage. They need to have peer approval, have to know that other respected musicians around them recognize them and applaud their abilities. Often all this takes place subconsciously.

This ‘peer approval’ is a stage of development that is also important. Every musician goes through it at some point. It is absolutely natural, but I firmly believe that to become a great artist, you have to move beyond that stage and look inward. I always liken it those wedding band singers, who despite having an honorable and justifiable (and in some cases envious) career, they are all too often ‘performing monkeys’. They are often fine vocalists but at the end of the day they are seeking approval and applause and not communicating or expressing anything artistic. They certainly know how to entertain but do they know how to intrigue? It’s a huge gap. Nothing remotely subtle about it as far as I am concerned.

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The real communicating artists seek unique expression. They are not interested anymore in sounding like their heroes. They have moved past that, now searching constantly, developing and refining their own unique voice. Look at any of the true giants of yesterday and today. Yes you can hear their references, but they also have their own strong identity. At some point during their development something bigger than them took over. The chances are they knew it at the time and took advantage of it and made an extra effort to really hone that uniqueness.

Finding that unique inner voice might not be as easy for some. I think it starts by recognizing your technical weaknesses. It is often those weaknesses that ultimately end up becoming your artistic strengths. Let’s face it, if you were able to play the guitar technically perfect, at all speeds, meticulously so every note that came out was totally clean and audible, would this be ultimately interesting to an audience? Yes it might be very clever and impressive, but for how long could you listen to an album where every phrase felt like you were having your teeth drilled!!?

Wes Montgomery played with his thumb because he didn’t want to wake the neighbors, ultimately enabling him to become the greatest and most influential jazz guitarist of all time. BB King has about three licks in his entire blues repertoire. Does anyone NOT know BB King when they hear him? Thelonius Monk refused to conform to traditional piano techniques and musical ideas. He simply HAD to play music the way he heard it in his head. He made such a bold musical statement during his time that he is now emulated the world over and revered by the greatest musicians living today.

Technical shortcomings can be the very essence of your unique artistry. Now, should those shortcomings get in the way of what you need to say musically then those weaknesses might need to be turned around so they don’t restrict what you hear in your head.

Remember that the true artist simply communicates from within. All other extraneous thoughts, influences and distractions need to fall by the wayside. The minute a lick or a phrase that your hero played or sung (and made famous) ends up on your record – watch out! You might be in trouble. Absolutely steal from your heroes, but just remember that real artistry is about what YOU have to say, not what your heroes have already said before, and have possibly said better.

Push yourself to the max and search for that truly unique quality within. After all, that next great talent we are all so desperately waiting for might just be you!

5 Work at Home Solutions for Working Musicians

As creators and artists of original music, we all would like nothing more than to have our tunes blasting out all over the airwaves bringing in a constant revenue stream of ongoing residual income. Some people figure that out and more power to them. I for one have not and that is not the purpose of this article. I will say good luck to you in your pursuit of that dream if you are still running it down.

The objective here is to discuss 5 solutions working (or non working for that matter) musicians can use or apply to bring in extra income.

These are not get rich quick or easy Internet money programs. They are 5 solid solutions to realistically making extra money to compliment your true passion, playing music. Some of these you may have considered and some sites you may not be familiar with. The Internet has changed everything and it is always changing. There are always opportunities out there. You just need to be careful not to get involved in the wrong ones or involved in too many. The Internet really can be a tangled web if you let it snare you.

One of the best things you can do is to find a business mentor; someone who is successful in the endeavor you are pursuing. Surrounding yourself with successful people will help you overcome obstacles everyone faces when pursuing a venture. You also need a healthy positive attitude and a confidence in yourself. When you develop these, you become inspired to do great things.

With that said here are 5 Solutions:

Solution #1: Royalty Free Music Factory

Royalty Free Music Factory is a website that pays you, the musician, a commission on the sales of your soundtracks. The founder of the site, Mike Rowntree, is a musician and sound engineer who came to realized that there is a huge international market for music tracks you hear on radio, television, and internet sites. Producers of advertisements and programs in these media want to avoid paying ongoing royalties which is how this market niche developed. You upload your 15, 30, and 60 second MP3 tracks along with your full length version(counts as one track) and they are reviewed within 2 business days. Upon acceptance, they are listed on the site for sale. They pay you a 35% commission on each track sold. Visit them at: http://www.royaltyfreemusicfactory.com/

Solution #2: Digitally Delivered Products

Digitally delivered products are

Also get the scoop on pay in your area. It will vary, even in one town, depending on your clientele. Working for a wedding planner, you will make more than working for a mall photography shop. Find out what the highest and lowest income opportunities are.

If your research gives you a green light, the next step is to decide between the freelance life and the employee life.

Working for a company, perhaps being a sales rep for your favorite cosmetics brand, or being the on-call for a film production company, you can count on a regular pay check and perhaps even benefits.

Joining the growing group of freelancers, you’ll need to spend at least 50% of your work day on marketing yourself.

In either case – freelance or corporate – the next step is to become accredited.

Get the information on the legal, health, and educational certification required by your state, county, or town. Take classes from an accredited beauty school (many have generous scholarship programs).

Now you’re ready for the most critical part of becoming a : marketing yourself.

If you want to work for a company, you can send resumes to spas, beauty salons, and specific cosmetic companies. Once you get a job, you are on your way to a career. You can make contacts, work your way up in the organization, acquire mentors, and get that most magical benefit of all – experience. If you get a job with a specific cosmetic company, they may require you to take additional classes focusing on their products. Usually they will pay for that.

A plum job with great pay would be one with a special effects makeup company that does film and television work. Getting that job will require additional training, lots of pavement pounding, and living in the right city. L.A., Atlanta, Chicago, and New York are important film industry hubs. Other cities, like Austin, Texas, attract film professionals, but these people often bring their own makeup artists with them.

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Choosing the freelance route means that self-promotion becomes a way of life. But once you reach a point where you have a little bit of paying work, you’ll find that word of mouth will exponentially increase your customer base.

As a  Freelance Fashion Makeup Artist , you can approach wedding makeup, bridal makeup, mobile makeup, Celebrity Media Appearances, film production companies, corporate head shot makeup, and actor head shot makeup, Indian hair and makeup. Make sure, too, that all talent agencies in your area know about you.

You’re creative – that’s one reason you’re going into the makeup profession. And you can use that creative mind to make a list of marketing ideas. Here are a few to get you going:

Print up business cards and always have them on you. Leave them with everyone you meet during the day.

Join a networking group. These groups are extremely effective. You’ll meet perhaps once a month either for lunch or happy hour (some troopers have breakfast meetings!), and there will usually be an agenda, followed by a social time of mingling. Some networking groups are free, some charge a fee. If you’re just starting your networking experience, definitely join the free groups. You will have to pay for your meal and drinks, though.

Walk tall and exude success. It always shows. Read books on your own. Study magazines. Try makeup techniques on your friends and read makeup sites on the Internet. Get your confidence up as high as it will go!

Make a list of all your contacts. You have more than you realize. Friends, your accountant, your church or social groups, the shopkeepers you see regularly. Don’t worry, you’re not going to hassle these people. But you can send them a cute postcard announcing the opening of your new makeup business.

Which brings us to the next item? Print up some eye-catching postcards (you can do it on your computer), and send them out. Always have extras so you can send them to new people as you meet them.

Get yourself to any and all beauty-related events in your area. Whether it’s a trade show, a trunk show, a store opening, or a book signing, be there with your business cards.

Put up a website. It’s easy, even if you’ve never done it before. Today, a website is more important than a business card! See Website – Do It Yourself to get started.

Design and print up a resume-type introduction that you can give to the local spa directors and wedding planners. It must be unique – not bland like a business resume – and colourful. Use your imagination. Make it irresistible.

The other requirement of being a freelancer is that you’ll have to stock your own makeup kit. This is an investment, and if you make money, chances are you’ll be able to deduct the costs of your cosmetics.

Many women are going “green” these days, so be sure your makeup kit is filled with earth-friendly, skin-friendly, and non-animal tested products. If you want to specialize and use only vegan products, you could use that as a compelling marketing tool.

Being “known” for a unique niche is also a great way to catch business. You could specialize in makeovers, anti-aging looks, head shots for actors (although many actors prefer to do their own makeup), or runway and catalog makeup for models.

Whether you apply to work for a company or go freelance, remember: there is no guarantee that you will immediately earn enough money to live on. Go into the process with enough money saved up to keep you in the black for at least six to twelve months. And decide ahead of time how long you’re willing to go without clients. Market your services with an organized plan, and be persistent.

Going into the makeup artist business can be an awesome life change – financially and emotionally. Do it with care, do it with intelligence, do it with a plan – and you could be living your dream.

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The following rules are addressed to becoming a professional fine artist working in the medium of paint. However these tips can really be applied to any medium of art, whether it be painting, poetry, or music.

It is my sincere wish that these pointers aid in your journey as a working artist!

Rule #1: Know the Underlying Basics and Fundamentals of Your Craft.

For many many years I “played” the guitar and bass without having a clue how to read notes, scales, modes, keys, etc. After learning music theory my music was much better and I was far more productive.

Before I understood the fundamentals of music I had an excuse ready when I couldn’t make a song go right, I was too tired, I was having a bad day, or not in the mood.

As a result since I had no clue WHY I did what I did when creating music I could never reach that state of being cause over my music, let alone professional in anyway.

Information, knowledge, data, has been, and unless the world turns inside out in the future, will always be power. You cannot only rely on your natural ability, you have to know the WHY (all the basics and fundamentals) behind the scenes of your art.

Take art lessons. If you are of the opinion that your skills are past this stage then you need to find a good mentor.

Rule #2: You Will Learn How to Market Both You and Your Art.

In my experience as both gallery owner and art dealer I have witnesses this same scenario time in and time out.

Two comparable pieces of art, each created by two different artists. One sells for 0 and the other for ,000.

Why?

It has and will always come down to marketing and sales skill. One artist painted and displayed work in a gallery as the sole means of promoting.

The other artists would do promotional actions like press releases highlighting their new work, they had a professional website, they got interviews with art magazines, they networked with other artists, art professionals, and art enthusiasts, they got their work published in a coffee table books or calendars.

The outlets to make your artwork known are infinite, the point being, you are going to have to learn this skill of marketing so that you can apply it to yourself as an artist and to your artwork.

You could always hope that you create such an incredible work of art that the buzz created just by your painting will have the public beating down the door with cash in hand.

However that takes the responsibility of your success out of your hands and places it into the hands of the public.

When it comes to art, the public can be a very fickle entity indeed.

Honestly, do you really desire anything involving or related to the word fickle in charge of your destiny?

Rule #3: Do Not Succumb to Fear of Rejection or Failure.

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Everyone has heard some variation of the story about the author who has a closet full of manuscripts that have never been read by another soul due to fear of rejection.

The same phenomena can happen to visual artists.

Many successful painters still do not view their own work to be perfect. So if you wait till your work is “perfect” then you may very well be dead of old age before perfection happens.

Don’t be afraid to get your work out there. People will love your work, hate your work, see it as mediocre, or see it as the beginning of a new renaissance.

Taste in art differs widely and you will never win over everybody.

Rule #4: You Will Give the Critics ZERO Attention.

I am not just talking about art critics, but just negative people in general. A lot people on this planet are miserable and they like to drag others down with them.

Some are overt in your face, “you’ll never be any good.” At least they are easy to spot.

The worst are the ones that give back handed compliments or deftly slide that needle of criticism into the conversation by use of passive aggressive means.

‘That last painting that you made was MUCH better than this one, I don’t intend to be rude BUT.., That is very good work for a student, but there is soooooo much competition out there in the professional world,’ etc etc.

Of course if you called them on it they would profess innocence, say that you are over reacting, that they were just kidding. Don’t buy it.

If you can, just don’t associate with these people, if they are our family don’t talk about your art work with them. Hopefully you are an aspiring artist because you love to make art, not due to some misguided attempt to impress your family.

If you have no choice in being around these people just recognize that they are just lonely unhappy people, and above all, do not take it personally.

The only critique one should listen to is your professional drawing or painting instructor.

And be wary of that as well, make sure that at the same time they are critiquing your work that they are also showing you how to improve.

Rule #5: Speaking of Art Instructors, You Will Choose a Good One.

My spouse came to the states on a student visa from Canada to study drawing and painting in University.

My wife’s first semester involved taking basic sketching and panting classes.

She arrived eager to learn the fundamentals of the visual arts, line drawing, tones, use of color, proportion, and the use of light and shadow.

Instead she received a lot of airy fairy over significant mumbo jumbo. The main technique taught was the ‘if it feels good then do it’ technique.

No substantial techniques were taught to the students simply because the instructors did not know them, or if they did they knew ABOUT them, but didn’t really KNOW them!

When choosing any art school, whether it be painting, dance, music, acting, please PLEASE choose one that teaches the fundamentals and basics of the art.

Speak with your potential art instructor, Make sure that you inspect their work AND their students art as well.

Ask the potential teacher how they go about teaching the basics to a new student.

Rule #6: You Must Learn to Sell (or find someone who can and will)

The odds are, if you work is displayed anywhere where people can view it someone will come along who likes it, maybe even love it.

The problem comes in convincing them that they love your painting more than they love their money.

This is not as hard as it looks. All you have to do is handle any of the potential customers objectives and interest them continually in your work and in you as the artist.

If you absolutely think that selling your art work is demeaning to the concept of art that it totally fine. There is still a way to be an artist and not have to live in your mothers basement. You have to enlist someone who will do it for you.

Rule #7. Learn to Harness the Power of the Internet.

Take a look at ebay, type in ‘original oil painting’ into its search field. You will see hundreds of paintings from artists selling their work online.

Type in ‘fine artists’ into any search engine and you will find professional websites featuring professional artists.

There are a few websites that even act as an online art gallery and will display and sell your work online for you for a cut of the sale.

The world wide web happens to be a splendid way to show of your artwork, garner brand recognition, and to dissiminate your art to a massive international audience.

Rule #8: You Will Not Get Weird About Art and Money.

I know some of you cringe when it comes to selling your art for money, or that some of these tips might sound a little too business like, with words like brand recognition, professional, selling and marketing.

Like it or not, if someone exchanges money for your art you have entered into the field of business.

When you come to this fork in your career as an artist you can take one of two paths.

Path one, never sell your art for money, continue to work at your day job and keep art as a hobby. Perfectly acceptable. Many people do this across the world and lead happy lives.

Path two, realize that your art is providing someone with a product that they will adore for years to come, You created something original. Nothing in this world is it’s exact duplicate.

For this you will receive money in exchange. This will help you concentrate on creating more works of art as you may have to work less hours at a ‘real’ job. Maybe you will get to the point of not having to work that ‘real’ job at all!

Michelangelo was commissioned by the Vatican to do his work in the Sistine Chapel. He was paid quite handsomely for it.

He was also commissioned by Florence to create the statue of David.

Artists can create wonderful enduring works and should rightfully be exchanged properly with.

Well there you have them, 8 rules you need to live by to become a professional visual artist.

I sincerely hope that they help and I wish you the best of luck in how ever you decide to pursue the field of art.

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