Chris Guillebeau is in the process of visiting every country of the world, while blogging about it and writing to help other people reach goals, achieve their dreams, and does it all on frequent flyer miles. I’m happy to call him a friend of mine! He just wrote an article about how to have a conversation with yourself, and I’m always interviewing creative people in Katanaville, so now it’s MY turn!!

Dear self, you are 23 years old. What do you have to show for it? Are you living the dream?

Yes, I am! I’m so proud of the home I’ve made at Katanaville, the cigarettes that I don’t smoke, the art shows I’ve had, and am having and how much I’ve learned in the last year. I’m glad that the decisions I’ve made so far have gotten me here- even, and especially, the bankruptcy last year. I never would have imagined myself loosing the ‘introvert’ or ‘goth’ labels I liked, but I’m happy they’ve been replaced by people saying, “Katana is a great speaker” or  “I want to meet Katana Barnett” – how fulfilling! Seriously, I never expected to hear that about myself, but now it happens!  How cool is that!!

As you look back on your life, what are you most proud of, what do you regret, and how do you feel about each of those things? Here are a few follow-ups:

I like that I have a plan to accomplish my goals, and I like having an audience. I like having a voice and the power to help bring other people up. I’m proud of my snowboarding skills, regretting how little I go up to the mountain. I get a little caught up in formatting my blog theme and could stand to do a little more painting, I’m a perfectionist who would rather procrastinate than get something done imperfectly- and that needs to change. I like getting told friends were going to watch a movie and saw an advertisement for an art show I’m in on the big screen!

I’m also delighted to have found enlightenment. The thing I regret is how ridiculous that sounds. Also, it’s not a trophy I have. I found it, sometimes I don’t have that inner stillness, sometimes I still have moments of intense anxiety- too much focus on time will do that.

* What’s next, self?

More! I want to more effectively help people, and package the value I have to offer in ways that are more accessible.

* Why do you do the things you do?

I think they’re important- taking a more native spin on my art is important- there’s a reason many of the artists I admire are native artists. I want to make more apparent the truths that I know.

I also want to eliminate the things that I do that aren’t contributing to my ‘why’- there’s too much clutter in my home and life, and I want to eliminate the unnecessary things- create space to expand.

* What do you really believe in? (What do you know to be true?)

I believe we all have truth inside us that recognizes other truth. Everyone feels the still small voice is different from the incessantly talking negativity television set. I believe creativity is in the space inside of us, and when we allow the creative energy to flow through us, we can accomplish great and beautiful things. Many of the things I believe to be true are the kinds of things Marianne Williamson and Eckhart Tolle speak about.

* If you had one year left to live, how would you spend it?

If I only had one year left, I’d quit school. School is a long term plan for me- the knowledge I’m gaining here is going to serve me long term. However, if I had one year I’d focus on experiences- surfing snowboarding, art, and friendships.

If you’d like to interview yourself, the article can be found at Chris Guillebeau.com

Silver Hawk

Cutest Superhero in existance. Michelle Yeoh is also in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Not so violent, but lots of entertaining fighting.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Jade Fox, Shu-lien, and Jen: three deadly women make this visually pretty movie, well, AWESOME. Surprise International Success? If you’ve seen the movie, you will know it’s not that surprising!

Firefly & Serenity
Joss Wheedon writes great, strong, female characters. Firefly and Serenity boast a whole cast of them: Zoe, Kaylee, Inara and of course River “the weapon.” Christina Hendricks makes an appearance in “Our Mrs. Reynolds” and she is pretty fantastic in real life and also in Mad Men.

Buffy Season 5
Not only is Buffy a slayer, but this is the season with the deadliest female villain and where Willow goes crazy. This isn’t a movie, but a Buffy marathon is a must!! Best Quote ever, by black-eyed Willow: “I OWE YOU PAIN.”

Alien

Chocolate
You can watch this movie over and over again, and then watch the extras. The excruciating pain the stunt doubles and actors all went through made this movie INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Exclamation marks are justified.

“Canadians are nationalized bigots, Aboriginals aren’t recognized in the Bill of Rights… and the Indian Act is a [document espousing] white supremacy. Canadians conveniently hide behind words.” – Laurence Paul Yuxweluptan (Yuks-whale-upten)

Yuxweluptun’s strategy is to document and promote change in contemporary Indigenous history in painting, using Coast Salish cosmology, Northwest Coast formal design elements, and the Western landscape tradition. His painted works explore political, environmental, and cultural issues. (The Western Front)

What I most admire about Yuxweluptan’s work is how opinionated it is. It is very clear that he comes from a certain framing of issues, believes strongly in what he’s talking about, and is very knowledgeable about the current events, places and people that inform his work.

I picked images of his work that are a little different then the ones I’ve seen a lot of- although I did see MacMillan Bloedel Eco-System Destroyers and Their Preferred Weapons at the Vancouver Art Gallery, during that show about trees (one I really enjoyed- it also had work by Kevin Schmidt, another artist with great work, and a really memorable train-in-a-forest installation).

I also think that his idea of success is very different from, say, Damien Hirst’s. Both are valid- it’s almost universal that dollar signs are a symbol of success. But there’s a few people who know that success is a little deeper, the kind of people that don’t go bankrupt after the lottery, and I think that’s Yuxweluptan.

He also is a very skilled painter, and uses the ovoid shapes of West Coast Native art in ways that jump off from tradition and escape the stagnant pond of souvenir shops most of tradition is stuck in. He is influenced but not a slave to tradition, and his work is very distinctly his. This is different from Bill Reid, whose work inserts itself into history instead of creating a new future- one that Yuxweluptan is changing.

You can see his work now at the Buschlen Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver February 8 – March 31st.

At one point, Tara Reed had the opportunity to get a traditional job. But instead- she created her own, and is now creating her entire life with her art. Not only is she artistically talented, but jobs in sales (selling e-books!) meant that by the time she rolled around to art licensing, she knew how to sell, something most artists don’t have a handle on.

You have a lot of information on the internet! From Tara Reed Designs to Twitter to Art Licensing Info, it’s hard to keep track of all the pots of paint you’ve opened! What’s a good place to start?

That is a fun way to put it – Pots of Paint on the Internet!  I love it!  I basically have two, no three, “families” of sites online so depending on what your interest is, you would start one of three places.  I’ll explain them in the order they were created.
Tara Reed Designs is my own art licensing business. I create art for manufacturers to use on products.  Since 2004 my art has been on a wide variety of products in stores – from quilting fabric lines to rubber stamps, dishes to dish towels, wrapping paper, garden flags, coasters, cards and much more.
So consumers who like my art and manufacturers looking for art to license would start at www.TaraReedDesigns.com.  That is the “hub” and from there (via the “connect” page – I think it makes more sense than a “contact” page these days) they can find my YouTube Channel, my art blog, Facebook Fan Page and where I can personally be found on Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).
For artists interested in learning more about art licensing, they would start on the site I created in 2008, www.ArtLicensingInfo.com. That is the portal to a variety of free calls and audio, for fee products to learn about Art Licensing as well as working and growing your business.  There is a YouTube Channel and Facebook Fan Page there too.  I even added an app so you can have the blog feed, website basics and YouTube videos on the iPhone! (anyone with an iPhone can get it for free here: http://budurl.com/artiphoneapp)
The third family of sites is a digital product line I created in 2009 for women who play Bunco and the main site for that is www.PrintYourOwnBunco.om. From 1993 to 2000, I was a stay-at-home mom who fully understood the need to get out with the girls from time to time. I believes it was that common need, shared by women across the country, that turned “Bunco!” into the universal cry in neighborhoods, churches and club houses across the country.  No matter how you spell it (BUNCO or BUNKO) the end result is the same: rolling dice, ringing bells, changing seats and the camaraderie that comes along with it.
Understanding that there needs to be a volume of demand for products to make it to a retail store, I realized that there could be “Bunco themed” products in traditional stores, but not “themed Bunco” – the stocking, costs and risk would be too great. But with digital products, it could be done – creating something new and unique that would give even the most uncreatively inspired Bunco player a chance to have cool, themed supplies!

Print-Your-Own Bunco Party Kits™ were born.  They too, have a blog and YouTube channel to go along with the product line.

Can you talk about time management in between your art, business, collaborations, teaching and family?

Time management is something everyone struggles with and I am trying to get a better handle on.  I’m a person who loves to know how everything works and I enjoy tinkering with every piece of my business.  So for years, I did everything – from the art to the marketing to the web design… I mean EVERYTHING!  (Even dusting the studio… everything.)  And that works for a while as you start a business but at some point you have to decide if you want to continue to grow (and still have a life) or stay smaller where you can do it all yourself.
I think time management is an evolutionary process that needs to be looked at and revised as your interests, business and time needs change.  When you feel guilty leaving the office to go to the movies with your family because “you have so much to do” – it’s time to figure out a better way to get the work done!
No large, successful business operates with one person doing everything.  So 2010 is my year to get serious about getting help.  I am beginning to outsource some of the things I really don’t need to have my fingers in.  Web design and maintenance is slowing moving to a new vendor I trust, as well as some of the routine things that need to be done for the ArtLicensingInfo.com boat to run smoothly.
Of course hiring other and releasing control, as well as spending money to do so, is scary at first.  I’ve just decided that I need to take the leap and do it so I can keep that work / family / sleep balance in my life.

What’s the story behind artlicensinginfo.com? Who’s the team you work with, and how do you find the collaboration?

The story: the site began as “the place to learn about art licensing from Tara Reed, an artist in the industry”.  When I started I never in a million years imagined it would become what it has in just 1 1/2 years – it’s thrilling!
ArtLicensingInfo.com has evolved into a great community of artists sharing experiences and learning from each other.  Through the monthly Ask Call Series I have gathered industry experts like Paul Brent, Mary Engelbreit, Jill Seale, Attorney Cheryl Hodgson, Agent Suzanne Cruise and SEO expert Daniel Tardent to add their insights and experiences.  The calls are free if artists listen live then some mp3 replays are free and other for-fee after the calls. It has truly become the go-to site for artists to learn about art licensing from experts in the industry.
The change came because I invested in a class to learn how to teach by phone: Teleseminar Secrets with Alex Mandossian.  I say invested because it was a $2495 class so it was a leap of faith that  this knowledge would really help my business.  (It seems artists are less willing to invest in their education and business than people I talk to in other industries – it is a shame because such creative people can move mountains if they have the tools and know-how!)  The class prompted me to start the monthly Ask Calls and that is how the collaborations began.  Then my persistent follow-up has gotten the amazing talent on board.  (It took 13 months to get a “yes” from Mary Engelbreit – everyone is really excited about her call on March 17, 2010.  So if it is before or after that date, head to www.MaryEngelbreit.com/askME for all the details to listen live or to get your copy of the free mp3 replay)
I feel like my role now is to “steer the ship” and find new passengers.  I’m having a blast doing it and can’t wait to see what new ideas we all come up with next!

As you made the difficult decision to drop a traditional job, how did you feel? How would you counsel others in that position now to make the best choice, and what kind of mindset do they need?

I didn’t actually drop a traditional job because I was a stay at home mom when I started looking at art licensing.  So I didn’t have to walk away from a salary and benefits.  I did, however, get separated and divorced as I was starting so I had to decide which path to follow – the safer job with a boss and benefits route or giving this a shot.  It was scary but what finally helped me decide was the realization that if I didn’t at least try, it would be a big regret for the rest of my life.  I didn’t want to look back at my life and say, “I wish I’d had more courage and tried to see what I could do.”  The thought alone made me sad so I knew I had to give it a shot.
As for mindsets – I think you have to be willing to try and fail.  There is always that possibility and I think it feels more personal (and therefore scary) when you are putting your art on the line than say, if you decided to sell sponges.  If they don’t sell you don’t feel personally rejected – it’s just a sponge.
I gave myself a time frame which made the choice seem a little safer.  If it didn’t look like it would work in 3 years – I would rethink my decision and possibly get a real job then.  I can always change my mind.  Thankfully it is all working – and I work hard to make it work – and I love it.  I wouldn’t have my life any other way!

How would you describe your values and ethics in relation to marketing and licensing? For example, I noticed that you use full disclosure with your affiliate links.

Honesty and integrity first.  I am very comfortable in this age of full transparency – not just because the FTC is now requiring it!  I like to understand where people are coming from and what their motivation is so I extend the same courtesy to others.  Not everyone will *click* with what I do, how I write, how I teach, etc.  That’s ok because there are always choices.  But I never mislead someone or pretend to know everything – if I’m not sure about a question, I’ll say that and if possible, try and find an answer.
I love the affiliate concept online and the 12th of each month is one of my favorite days.  To be able to share the wealth with artists or business people who are my affiliates and help me spread the word about the website is very rewarding.  Some people think it is a shame to ‘give money away’ but I wouldn’t have earned any without the referrals and I like being able to give artists a way to keep money coming into their businesses as well.  Paint isn’t free you know!
I like to have fun with what I do, I enjoy helping and inspiring others by creating community, sharing information and finding others with experience to share.  You get what you see or hear with me.  I can admit if I’m wrong or made a mistake and have no problem telling you if I’ll make a few dollars on an affiliate sale.  (They help me continue to build the free content so I am always thankful when people feel the products would be of value and click those links!)

There’s no reason for artists to reinvent the wheel, when we’ve got so many other new creations to work on, so becoming an affiliate makes sense. How can we become affiliates for you?

How do you see licensing fitting into a big picture plan and with the contemporary/fine art communities?

Licensing can be 100% of someone’s art business or 10% or none.  It all depends on the art, the desires of the artist and how comfortable they are with their work being used for mass production of products.  Art that does well in licensing needs to appeal to a wide variety of people whereas gallery art needs only 1 buyer.  So more traditional art vs. contemporary is easier to license.  The main thing about art licensing is that your art’s purpose is to sell someone else’s product.  It isn’t about self-expression like fine art can be.
That is a basic decision any fine or comtemporary artist needs to think about before pursuing licensing.  There is so much more – I do offer the first chapter of my eBook, “How to Get Started in Art Licensing” for free and it gives a broader idea of what art licensing looks like and some key questions to ask yourself before diving in.  If your readers are interested in more details, they can go to:  www.ArtLicensingInfo.com/freebie.html

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How do art licensing and marketing collide?

Art licensing and marketing collide just like any art and marketing collide.  An artist creates art.  If it stops there, the art never leaves the studio and they could be the most talented artist no one but their family and friends know about.  Marketing is how you get the word out about the art, to the people that might pay for it.  So in licensing, the marketing is to let manufacturers who license art know that you have art and what your art is all about.  It’s the communication between the artists and the buyer – again, in the case of licensing, the buyer is a manufacturer who pays a royalty, or percentage of sales, for the rights to use the art on their product.
While my main business is art licensing and teaching about art licensing, while building these businesses I have found a wide variety of resources for all kinds of artists wanting to learn and do business online.  I just created a site that give links to products that are mine, that I am involved with or that I use.  The goal is to help artists sift through all the information out there and know that these have been tested.  Anyone interested can go to www.ArtMarketingWithTara.com.
Thank you so much for letting me share my story and business with your readers!  I gave several website links but would also like to share my Twitter link ( www.Twitter.com/ArtistTaraReed ) because that is where I spend most of my social media time and can connect with people in real time.  So feel free to say hello – make sure you put “@ArtistTaraReed” first so I’m sure to see it!
Wishing you much creative success in whatever area you choose to put your pots of paint!
– Tara Reed

It’s hard not to have been affected by the news of the Earthquakes in Haiti. Ecclesiax is hosting an art auction where all proceeds from the auction are going to World Relief Canada. With photography and painting in all sizes- from small framed city scapes to birds and moose to larger abstract works, there’s an art piece for every home. As of Feb. 12, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless. (Wikipedia)

h’Art for Haiti is happening at Ecclesiax, (2 Monk St. Ottawa, Ontario) on Friday, February 26, 2010. All art lovers and anyone with four walls and a roof needs to be there! There are kids and families in Haiti who don’t have homes, so if you’ve got one, come and decorate it with some fantastic art!

Childcare and Refreshments will be provided during the event. The gallery below is a TINY fraction of the art that’s going to be auctioned off. Most of the art is framed and ready to hang. There’s no better way to add art to your home, and you will have a story to tell for years afterward.

Emily Carr University’s studio space is lots of art, and rhyme or reason looks like madness. And the madness of Megan Allard’s painting is awesome: it stands out.   I was walking through the space and passed a nook; I did a double-take. Beer, Friends, and Fishnets in a pastoral setting- a fresh, jarring take on Rococo. So obviously I had to ask for an interview.

1. What’s going on here? What is the connection to your work with Rococo?

Well, in my studies, I noticed that throughout history, high art has catered largely to the wealthy and the privileged. The most obvious example of that being the Rococo period, when the French aristocracy started commissioning paintings to be made of themselves and their friends. These images were usually of them looking fancy and doing fancy things like enjoying garden parties, etc. They would then hang them on their walls and have Salon parties where they’d invite all their friends and people of status to come and see the paintings. The whole thing was just a glorification of aristocratic culture.

So I thought using Rococo’s lavish style would be a great way to glorify low cultures such as white trash and buttrock. In doing this, I’m hopefully drawing attention to the cultural bias that the high art world has held throughout history.

One must know that I grew up in a poor biker family to understand where I’m coming from in this series. My parents both ride motorcycles, as well as myself, and a few other family members (brothers, uncles, grandpas). They taught me to be proud of my “biker trash” heritage (their words, not mine) and to not worry about silly things like luxury and privilege. I think each subculture in our society is as important as the next, and I’d like to give a few overlooked subcultures their time in the sun.

2. Who are these people? What are they doing? There is such a narrative in your work.

The people in my paintings are my friends. Most of the imagery comes from taking photos at “White Trash” parties and “Buttrock” parties. These parties have been going on semi-annually for five and ten tears, respectively. The parties simultaneously celebrate and mock the subcultures that are the theme. People come together to act the part of a “White Trash” or “Buttrock” person. The range of authenticity is amazing – some of the people that come to these parties live a white trash or buttrock lifestyle day to day, while others come from rich families and are highly educated and only dress up once or twice a year for the parties.

3. What’s your process like? You have a lot of work happening in your studio all at once. Do you work from photographs or appropriated Rococo images?

Each painting starts off as either a candid photo I took of my friends at a “White Trash” party or “Buttrock” party or as a staged photo I took of my friend/friends.

The candid images are translated into oil paint and I add Rococo-esque imagery like soft garden-like backgrounds or elaborate interiors with ridiculous flowing fabric or curtains.

The content and compositions of the staged photos are based off Rococo paintings that I particularly enjoy, with a white trash twist. I’m going to be heading more in this direction with future paintings in this series.

I’m currently building large, ridiculously gaudy gold frames for all the paintings in the series to complete the look.

4. Where do you want your art to go? Why do you paint, what makes your art tick?

I would like to get more ornate, more riduculous, with the Rococo White Trash series. I’m looking forward to the next White Trash and Buttrock parties so I can organize staged imagery with more people in their trashy garb for monumentally ridiculous paintings.

The number one reason why I paint is because I love the process. It’s meditative for me. Sometimes I paint to make something pretty, sometimes I paint to send a message…but I never take myself too seriously!

What’s your favorite success?

The thing that makes me the happiest about making art is how happy I make people by painting them. Pretty much all the people in my paintings are my friends and family. It’s a really nice feeling showing people how important they are to me by painting them. A lot of them don’t realize how beautiful they are until you paint them.

Your watercolours are going in a different direction- what inspired the portrait ‘Erin’?

I started the watercolour portraits about a year ago as birthday gifts. So for the last year, I painted a portrait for as many friends and family as I could manage for their birthday. Erin is just the most recent birthday recipient

How can one get an invitation to these parties?

It’s all word of mouth. These parties aren’t thrown for profit, they’re free and are always at someone’s house or acreage. Everyone that ends up at the parties are somehow connected to the people throwing the party. Think six degrees of separation.

What kind of bike do you have?

I ride a 1982 Suzuki GS300L. It’s my first bike – I bought it for myself as a 20th birthday present. It’s no Harley like my parents’, but it’s the same style. My Dad told me he’d disown me if I ever bought a crotch-rocket hahaha!

New York based painter Amy Cutler has recently sprung to fame for her cartoon-like creatures that resemble toys. Inspired by media, fairy tales, folklore, and her personal life, she creates fabulous images:

Mending Tigers

Giraffe Maypole

In Tiger Mending an array of women sew together these distorted carnivores, Giraffe Maypole is children dancing, strangling, and Dinner Party sees chair-bedecked Victorian ladies, disrupting the table.

She says the meaning of her work may not be immediately clear, even to her, for years after completion.

I spent two days on the phone with Godaddy, trying to figure out how to what to do with this stuff Wordpress said I needed for this so-called “easy install”:

An access to your web server (via shell or FTP), A text editor, an FTP Client (if you need to install WordPress on a remote server), Your web browser of choice

This didn’t make a lot of sense to me. And if you purchase hosting and your domain name at Godaddy.com, you don’t need any of that.

I made this handy video, which walks you through the installation process that doesn’t require anything more than an internet connection. Click on the link to watch it now!

And that, my friends, is how Katanaville moved from Katanaville.Wordpress.com to Katanaville.com.

Inka Essenhigh “just does what looks good” – something that must be intuitive, born from experience, with such odd subject matter.  Born in Pennsylvania, working in New York- Inka Essenhigh graduated in the early nineties and became known for oil and enamel.  She is developing a rich world of surreal characters and rich imagery.

A trait of her early work is simple colours with monochromatic backgrounds, slick, hard, and graphic. She has a background in design, as well as a sense of humour. Both show in her work.

Inka Essenhigh: Bathroom

Her use of figures are distorted and mixed with animal or mechanical parts, headless and yet mundane. There is also a lot of marine imagery, and narrative-suggesting backgrounds.

Inka Essenhigh: Minor Sea Gods of Maine

Her works ‘mimic the future’ so there’s a sci-fi futuristic element, with anime qualities and hard black outlines. Some of her images can be hard to decipher. She is unconcerned with convention in some ways yet references surrealism- dis-ease, disturbing, hard edges and dreamlike mishmash.

She also uses a lot of dischords in her palette- yellow with close tones, lighter blues.

She has a background in automatic drawing and is rightly considered to be an expert drawer: she uses a lot of great line qualities, and blends the real with the fiction seamlessly. Her work can be described as ‘pop surrealism.’

Her work is illustrative and fantastical even as it evolves: she adds softer edges and more painterly qualities, tonality; moving towards a more renaissance feel. Check out her website, because her chronological image gallery is interesting documentation of the evolution of an excellent artist.

Laura Owens

Signs in the Forest, Laura Owens

Her paintings are quite large; taking up huge walls, creating landscape with oil, watercolour, and/or acrylic, she leaves parts of the canvas unprimed. She creates a sense of depth with the push pull in the background between the negative shapes and assorted markmaking and subjects: powerful use of the negative space.

Laura Owens' Untitled 2002

She adds unexpected elements, like a deck of cards and a monkey in Untitled 2002. Her work shares elements with printmaking and global textiles. Her grandmother embroidered and she has a fascination with embroidery that shows through.

The importance of developing craft, embroidery and Laura Owens:

Her work is both painting and about painting. . . . It’s like in a Moliere play, when an actor talks in character and then stands to the side and comments on the play. I believe she’s the most important painter to emerge in Southern California in the ’90s.