Month: March 2015

A new adventure, or just another way to walk down the same old road?

Artist BZTAT's Tsu Social network page

 

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So there is a new social network in town. It is called Tsu. I know, I am skeptical too.

When social networks were a new frontier, many were skeptical then, as well. Eventually, we all jumped on board, though, and now we don’t know how we ever lived without it. We have become entrenched in certain networks and are skeptical about changing to new ones. When new social networks hit the scene, they are met with a lot of yawns.

First there was Myspace. I jumped on board with that, connecting with others in my local art community as we worked to build an Arts District in Canton, OH. I also connected with artists and galleries and museums around the world, but I won’t say that I had much reach back then. Myspace soon became the gutter of social media, however, and I moved on.

Next, I joined Twitter, following the guidance of a blogpost on Empty Easel that shared how some artists were connecting with patrons there. My cat joined Twitter as well, and truth be told, he built my business as a Pet Portrait Artist through his shenanigans there.

My nephew, who was attending Syracuse University at the time, sent me an invitation to Facebook, which at the time was primarily for college students, but it was starting to branch out. It took awhile, but my Twitter following eventually drifted to Facebook, and that has become my biggest area of connection with fans and customers.

I continue to tweet, although my cat has all but hung up his tweeting paws (We are talking about that. Need to get my Brand Manager a bit more active). I have joined Google+, Pinterest and Instagram, and I maintain a presence on LinkedIn. (If you are on any of these platforms, you can find active content from me there.)

I joined Ello when it was the latest greatest, but it became an echo chamber, so I have all but abandoned it.

And now, a friend sends me an invite to join Tsu, the newest social network to hit the scene. Why should I try this one? Is it a new adventure, or is it just another way to walk down what has become the same old road?

Tsu is very similar to Facebook. Except for having the color green, it looks the same and has most of the same features. What is different about it? The difference is in the business model.

Facebook treats its users as a product for driving revenue for the company. They use your data and your content as a means for gaining revenue from advertising and selling data. They purposefully manipulate the visibility of your content according to their own financial gains, not for the purpose of user satisfaction. We all know we are being used for somewhat disingenuous purposes, but we accept that because we enjoy what the service provides.

Tsu claims that we do not have to accept that trade-off in order to enjoy the benefit of the service. In fact, they seek to reward users that draw in revenue instead of using them. Users that draw in other users that draw in revenue can benefit financially from the use of the service.

It sounds like a laudable goal. And reports suggest that Tsu has been very responsive to confronting users that try to game the system. Bots and spammers are dealt with immediately and inappropriate content is eliminated.

I am not sure how deep I am going to get into Tsu, but I do see an opportunity for attracting new interest in my artwork, so i am giving it a go. If you would like to try, simply click on the button below for an invite (It is invitation only). In the effort for full disclosure, I may benefit from any revenue that you bring in, as you will benefit from bringing in other users yourself.

If it all sounds “Ho, hum” to you, that is fine. If it does take off, and you want to reconsider, feel free to come back to this post to get the invite. Hope to see you wherever you like to connect with others.

 

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Follow me wherever you connect!

BZTAT on Facebook     BZTAT on Twitter     BZTAT on Instagram     BZTAT on Pinterest

BZTAT on Google+     BZTAT on LinkedIn

 

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

 

Art Prints of Custom Portraits and Old Favorite Artworks

Black Labrador Retriever Digital Art Pet Portrait by Artist BZTAT
Digital Art Pet Portrait by Artist BZTAT

Often I create a custom artwork for someone and other people enjoy it too. Or sometimes, art lovers cannot afford an original artwork, but find a print to be more agreeable with their budget.

I have uploaded some images to my gallery at Fine Art America where you can purchase prints that are archival quality reproductions of the originals.

This digital portrait of a pup named Arwyn has garnered many “likes” on my Facebook page, so I added it and others to the collection.

I am just getting started. Check back often as I will be adding new prints all the time!

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

The downside of being a Teaching Artist

Artist BZTAT at workWorking with kids is very rewarding. They are so eager, and they have such gratitude when you open up new creative ideas for them. They are adventurous and free in exploring their creativity, and they are so excited when they accomplish a goal.

“I did it!!!” are my three favorite words.

As I shared in a previous post, I have been working with children in a number of schools lately as a Teaching Artist, bringing Arts Integration programming to local schools. Arts Integration  uses creative activities to enhance learning in other academic disciplines such as math, science, social studies, language arts, and other subjects.

I enjoy the interaction with the students and I love the use of creativity as a means of helping education come alive for them.

I don’t enjoy being exposed to all of their germs, however.

Don’t get me wrong. I am no germaphobe. I don’t obsess about germs. I have, however, had 3 major head colds in the last 4 months. That can’t be a coincidence.

Last week I missed out on seeing all of my young eager artists, as a I had a severe case of laryngitis on top of the stuffy nose and cough. I am not much better 6 days into it. I am not seriously ill, but it can be quite debilitating, as my voice is kind of important for teaching. It generally takes me 10-14 days to shake a cold, so I have 4-8 days left of this nastiness.

I also had to postpone my Pet Portrait Painting Mini-Retreat for yesterday as I was in no shape to spend 6 hours teaching my pet portrait techniques. I have rescheduled it for March 28, 2015. There is space available, so you can still register.

There is downside to working with kids, I guess. Lets hope that my immunity gets a bit stronger from all of this. I am not liking this part of the adventure!

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT