What takes more Time? Creating or Marketing? When is Enough Enough?

"Belly Dancer" 11 x 14 acrylic on panel with beads

According to the experts, if you’re doing your job, you spend more time on marketing and social networking than actual creating. No wonder I’m always behind! Add to that computer problems, maintenance, inventory and you’ve set yourself up for failure.

But somehow it all comes out in the wash. You do what you have to do when you must. There’s no other way and little other choice. You keep plugging along finding ways to progress, to get attention, and to make connections.

I must admit networking has never been my strong suit. Grinding away hour after hour on social networks or advertising sites is not fun, at least for me. I find the payback is small and somewhat unmeasurable. If you decide to go all out, the costs may exceed your current income.

"Reggae Night" 18 x 24 acrylic on canvas

I know, “you have to spend money in order to make money,” (or so they say); but there is a limit. Eventually, financial reality rears its ugly head and demands its due. At some point, you have to pay the piper.

There are more people out of work than the government is willing to admit. I swear they fudge the numbers. Each week they come up with something and then revise it a few days later while no one’s watching. Our southern borders are so holey that most of the low-end jobs are taken by illegal aliens.

    

Those jobs used to be filled by college kids trying to earn tuition. Unable to find work, they are forced into borrowing money from the government. My own children are still paying on outstanding loans even though they’ve been out of school for more than 10 years.

We can’t keep bailing out the world’s people and its children. We are near twenty trillion in debt, and yet we offer protection, food, clothes, and goodies to everyone with a hand out, no matter where they are or where they come from. This endless train of money is a dream that will collapse. It is inevitable.

"Broken" 11 x 14 mixed media on canvas

I’ve always stressed doing whatever it takes to get ahead and be successful, but there comes a point when common sense must force you to ask the needed questions:

• Who is paying for this free-load of stuff?
• Where does the money come from?
• What will it cost you long-term?
• When the gravy train runs out, what then?
• If the government controls everything, how long before freedom goes?
• What has happened to other Socialist Countries over time?
• Wouldn’t you rather have a good job than no job at all?
• If the government takes most of your salary, what else can they take?
• When are you going to say enough is enough?

"Teach a man to Fish . . ." (Old Chinese Proverb)

"Fish Market" 24 x 18 acrylic on canvas

Copyright Infringement, Fraud, Chaos and Lawlessness

Sand Cranes at Twilight

If it were a perfect world, there would be no crime. Artists and musicians could post their work without fear that copyright laws would be broken and original materials copied and resold without their knowledge. Payments to Pay Pal, banks, and credit card companies would be safe from hackers. How did we get in such a mess? Poverty? Greed? Envy? Or are there are so many people in the world that the odds are against us?

Every society has a code of ethics or values they choose to live by. Laws provide structure, and policemen enforce those laws. But what happens when a majority of people look the other way or become offenders themselves? We have chaos. I think we’re on the brink of it now, even here in America. We already have chaos around the globe.

In the past, many ascribed this behavior to indifference or prejudice. So those in authority tried very hard to “level the playing field” hoping to eliminate envy and strife. But instead of getting better, things eventually got worse. Why is that? Because if you don’t earn or work hard for what you get, you want more and more of the good life without putting in the necessary blood, sweat and tears that’s normally required.

"Sandhill Crane"

People have grown flaccid and soft. A young man was recently interviewed on television. He said he wanted to make $80,000 a year because he felt he deserved it.  He’d earned a degree, and would not take a penny less. Thus he remained unemployed.

I think I deserve to get paid at least $1,000 for each of my paintings, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get it. First I must become known, and then I must prove that I can meet the demands of the marketplace and the desires of my clientele. Wanting something is far different from deserving. The reality of our current employment situation is that the marketplace determines what we are worth, not ourselves or the government.

"Arabesque"

We've already watched Greece crumble and fall. We've seen France win an election through empty promises, and Spain is following their lead. What happens when we try to please and appease everyone? We end up pleasing no one. This philosophy may win elections and create dictators such as Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler, but it destroys freedom of choice. So does theft and dishonesty. Until we begin to clean up our own hearts and our own yards, the world is going to that proverbial “hell in a hand basket.”

Look in the mirror people. What do you see? An honest face full of integrity and honor, or a mask of pretense? Do you see a person who plays the two-faced game of appearances at all costs, and then turns his or her back on his fellow human beings or cheats when no one is looking?

"Anhinga in Paradise"

We all seem to live in fear these days. Will our identity be stolen? Will our work and our livelihood be at risk through someone else’s greed? If I were to run an ad I would say: “Wanted a person of integrity who lives what he believes.” We all need to “fess up and fly right.” Our future depends on it!

If you would like to sign a petition to protect copyright laws and artists, click here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/protect-artists-businesses-from-fraudsters

Famous Foreign Films bring Laughter, Soul Searching, and Insight

"Tansy's Pride"

I’ve always enjoyed foreign films from the plays and comedies coming via BBS to America’s PBS to imports on the big screen. Like Shakespeare’s dialogue, the subtitles are a temporary impediment. Once you get used to the rhythm of speech and the nuances of character, reading while watching is a snap.

My most recent movie was “In Darkness,” filmed in Poland with Jewish, German, and Jewish actors. My husband and I were able to absorb the interaction of three languages and experience Nazi anti-Semitism at its worst.

Crowded in an underground sewer, we see the stress of the hunted testing each individual’s character to the limits. Their lack of simple amenities, the stink of the sewer, and their fear when the sewers were searched increases tension.

Man’s inhumanity to man was the thrust of the plot; balanced by refreshing scenes where kindness and empathy offered the hope that led to a positive conclusion. The movie was an authentic glimpse into the horrors of being a Jew under Hitler’s rule and rise to power. His insatiable hunger to conquer the world became brutal; his reactions savage.

We can learn from foreign films. There are vast differences between a Hitler and a Gandhi, for instance. One worked for his own aggrandizement, the other for the good of his country and his people.

"Skudeneshavn Norway

On a lighter note, the film “Life is Beautiful” shows another side to grim evil: Guido, a Jewish Italian waiter is sent to a Nazi Concentration Camp along with his wife and young son. “Refusing to give up hope, Guido tries to protect his son’s innocence by pretending that their imprisonment is an elaborate game, with the grand prize being a tank;” An uplifting look at the courage and optimism of the human spirit.

Another favorite: “Amelie” played by Audrey Tauton helps us understand the life of ordinary people in France. Amelie’ finds a long-hidden trove of toys behind a baseboard in her tiny apartment. She is inspired to give them a new look and offer them to the poor children in her area. Her impulse at generosity “sparks more benevolent acts” not only in her own life, but in the community. Amelie’ is a celebration of life and love. It reminds us that small wonders surround us if only we will look. A joy to watch.

“Babette’s Feast is filmed in Denmark. Two sisters turn down a chance to leave their small Danish town to remain and take care of their Pastor father and his small church. They realize all too soon their dismal future and the fact that they will never marry.

Thirty five years later, a French woman seeks refuge after losing everything. The sisters take her in. Everyone in the village is skeptical of this new stranger. Babette seeks to win them over by preparing an extraordinary feast in gratitude. A heartwarming endeavor “eclipsed only by her secret.”

Foreign films show us that in spite of our differences, we human beings are more alike than we can even imagine. Perhaps that’s why I not only enjoy watching films made in other countries, but I adore painting exotic and endearing scenes of fellow human beings. I like to illustrate how beautiful people everywhere show goodness, bring laughter and comfort, and have the capacity to uplift us through their humanity.