NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

READ THIS: If you subscribe to news from Botanical Art and Artists

28/7/2021

If you have subscribed to emails about NEWS about Botanical Art and Artists from this website YOU NEED TO KNOW

the means of sending you email news updates from this blog is CHANGING
YOU need to do just TWO THINGS.

THIS IS WHAT ALL SUBSCRIBERS NEED TO KNOW

Why email news updates are changing

Google has decided to terminate Feedburner's free email subscription service that I use to send out news updates from this blog.

I'm replacing Feedburner with Mailerlite - which has a lot of good reviews. However this is not a free service so there will be one additional condition of an email subscription.

In future, all emails will be published by Mailerlite.

If you read on a desktop the email will look like this - using the last email as an example.

If you read on a mobile device like a phone this is what it will look like

I'd very much appreciate FEEDBACK from you
if you have any problems or comments on the new format.

What you need to do

I've created and published a new page about the news email subscription service this morning. This explains what's happening and what existing and new subscribers need to do.

IN SUMMARY - existing subscribers

the emails of all ACTIVE (i.e. all verified emails) subscribers have been imported into Mailerlite from Feedburner. This means you don't need to do anything to get the new email.
your email subscription will remain active so long as most emails are opened on a regular basis.
- It's very likely that I'm going to be charged on a monthly basis for the number of subscriptions exceeding 1,000 in future (because I will exceed the limits for the free account) and I'm very keen on encouraging those who no longer read the emails to unsubscribe.
- I will in future be able to tell who opens the email and I'll be fixing a threshold for how many unopened emails triggers a removal from the list - and will tell you when I decided what that is. The figure I have in mind at the moment is 10.
- The alternative would be to make all email subscriptions subject to a nominal Patreon subscription - which I'm disinclined to do at the moment.
If you want to avoid getting duplicate emails (until the Feedburner email service stops in the very near future) - you can unsubscribe from Feedburner using the link at the bottom of the email - see image below

You can also unsubscribe at any time. There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every one of the new emails.
Your emails are
- never shared with anybody except the provider of the email service -
- never used for any other purpose
- read my privacy policy here

IN SUMMARY - new subscribers

The NEW subscription page explains what you need to do if you want to subscribe to this news blog..

If at any point you want to unsubscribe in future

please DO NOT MARK AN EMAIL AS SPAM.
the only reason you are receiving the email is because you volunteered your email and verified that you wanted to receive news updates from this website i.e. you consented to receive it and it is by definition not spam.
THE CORRECT PROCESS to stop receiving emails is to use the unsubscribe link. This is always at the bottom of every email. Open the email, scroll to the bottom and click the link. You will be asked for a reason but don't need to provide one.

If anybody has any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch via comments below or the query form at the bottom of my contact page

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ASBA 27th Annual Meeting & Conference - Online in October

21/7/2021

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I've registered for the full package for the VIRTUAL 27th Annual Meeting and Conference of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) in October 2021.

I did this last year after I realised it's by far the best way of participating and getting maximum value - even if I didn't get to any of the Meet and Mingles because they were in the middle of the night here in London! I'd much rather spend my cash on hearing from other botanical artists than on hotels and flights - and I'm not getting on any of those anyway in the near future even if I am double jabbed!!

I very much RECOMMEND you try the Conference out if you didn't register last year. It's the only way you will ever get to see so many top botanical art people in once place - in the comfort of your own home! Plus you can even wear your PJs for the teaching/talk sessions as nobody can see you!

No plane tickets, no hotel, no travel, just sit back, relax, and enjoy 4+ days of immersion in all things "botanical art" from the comfort of your own home. Connect with botanical art enthusiasts from across the country and around the world. Share your passion and be inspired by the art and artistic journeys of your fellow ASBA members as you engage in the variety of sessions being offered. ASBA| 27th Annual Meeting & Conference - Online in October

MORE DETAILS

Start on the ONLINE IN OCTOBER OVERVIEW page on the ASBA website to read about everything to do with this event

In order to enjoy maximum participation you MUST be a member of ASBA.
However non-members can also participate in certain events.

PDF files are available to download which provide comprehensive details of what's on offer - and the conditions of registration.

WHAT'S ON OFFER:
- Schedule at a Glance 75.65 KB
- Easy-Print Detailed Schedule 119.03 KB
- THE BIG ONE! Illustrated Program of Events 3.36 MB
WHO: Find out about the Instructors 740.63 KB - I worked out I've met / know 14 of them!
WHEN: Time Zone Chart 121.03 KB
MUST DO!: Policies and Terms 141.41 KB - what you sign up to when you register to attend

HOW THE TIMING WORKS

Do read the Time Zone Chart (above) to see how feasible it is for you!
All the events are timed for Eastern Time (i.e. New York) - which for UK people is 5 hours earlier than in London.

So this is how it works for me:

I start watching in the afternoon at 3pm (re the morning sessions)
Then return at 7pm (re the afternoon sessions) - which means early or late dinner!
Plus I dipped into some of the events which started at 6pm (11pm for me)
BUT missed out completely on the Meet and Mingle which starts at 9pm (i.e. 2am in the morning!). I might have a go at making one of these but tend to prefer to keep my sleep pattern regular!

CHANGE IN EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

Watch out for a blog post this week about a CHANGE in the email subscription service. You may be asked to resubscribe to the new service
(due to the demise of the Feedburner service provided by Google)

KEY DATES

July 1 (noon Eastern): "Dare to Be Square" small works exhibition entries open
July 15 (noon Eastern): Conference registration opens
September 22: "Dare to be Square" small works exhibition entry deadline
October 6 (11 pm Eastern): Conference registration closes, deadline for changes to conference registration
October 13: Conference event begins
October 17: Conference ends

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Dates and venue for the RHS Botanical Art Show 2021

20/7/2021

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Artists participating in the next RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show now have the dates and venue. These are:

VENUE: to be formally announced this week (when I shall do a new blog post)
DATES:
- Judging: Thursday 16 September
- Preview evening Friday 17 September (which I assume means the medals will be posted next to the artwork)
- Exhibition: Saturday 18 September – Sunday 3 October 2021 (just over two weeks)

Watch out for an update on this page laster this week.

I shall miss the intensity of the 2.5 days of the usual show - with all the artists in attendance - because it's only 3 days for them. Hopefully as many a possible will be there for the Preview evening and to pick up there Medal Certificate! I'm perplexed at the moment as to how I'm going to be able to interview all the Gold Medal Winners.

Given the extended period of the show it's very unlikely that all the artists who attend will be there for the duration - and hence the scope to talk to them (which I know aspiring botanical artists much enjoy doing) will be diminished.

On the plus side, as it's going to be hung for much longer there's a much greater chance it will be seen my more people given existing commitments often ruled out attendance for some on previous occasions. (I well remember one year scooting from the show to Euston for a train up north for a big birthday celebration!)

I'm unclear what's happening about the sale of cards and prints which are sold by individual artists at the show in the past and often help to subsidise the costs of artists attending the exhibition. London is after all not a cheap place to stay!

SELECTION MEETING FOR 2022 EXHIBITION

The Selection Meeting for the 2022 Exhibition took place on 8th July. I'd love to know who's going to be showing next year.....

It's unclear at the moment whether the exhibition will change dates again in 2022 or whether it will be in:

April - as originally planned for 2020
September - as now planned for 2021

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Business Savvy Botanical Art: Answers to Questions

4/7/2021

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A number of you will have watched my recent Zoom Talk "How to be a Business Savvy Botanical Artist" for Julia Trickey's Botanical Art Talks.

Some of you asked questions - and the answers to these are contained in this blog post. 

In addition, those who registered for this "sold out" talk should all by now have had a a chance to access the detailed presentation in notes format via the link sent to you.

Screenshot of my from my Zoom Talk about How to be a Business Savvy Botanical Artist

The Questions

A great book!

This would make a great book!

I thought so too as I was preparing the talk!

I'm going to give some thought to maybe creating one - possibly as an ebook.
Also I'm going to give some thought to whether I need an extra page on my website about what business savvy artists need to know about.

In the meantime there are two good places for artists to start to learn more about what they don't know they need to know!

The first thing it's essential to understand is.....
BEING A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST is more than a state of mind or a making a decision. You are have to operationalise it and develop knowledge, skills and competences related to the art business - NOT just how to make your art.

So being a professional artists is also about
- business training and skills related to making a living from your activity.
- character traits and habits - which mean you will persist in your aim
- desire, dedication and commitment - to maintain your career in the face of challenge and lack of earnings.

From "STARTING OUT - Tips for an Emerging Artist"

The Green Market

What is “green market”?

Essentially the "green market" is shorthand for the growing interest in all matters related to the environment, ecosystems, habitats, ecological matters, sustainability and the impact of climate change.

I gave as a practical example the fact many more people are now interested in a plant based diet - as vegetarians or vegans. I suggested that these might also be people who would be interested in hanging paintings of vegetables on their walls.

The green market can also impact on the materials you use to pack artwork to send to clients. I include a section of "green packaging" on my website which highlights eco-friendly packaging materials.

In essence, the more people are thinking about how they can be "green", the more you need to factor this your thinking about how you develop your art and them promote and package it.. It's not that you have to do it - but those who do may get a competitive edge.
(Think of it as being akin to when stores started selling online as well as in shops - because they could see this was going to become important over time).

Achieving the right balance between unique art and a portfolio career

How do you balance the need to be flexible and follow a number of work streams and the need to have a USP/distinctive?

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