I have been writing about my journey to become a successful arts  entrepreneur, and boy have some interesting adventures come my way in the process!

I was encouraged by one social media contact to ask my Twitter followers to support me  in the Shorty Awards, which are the Oscars of Twitter. And support me they did!  Although there will be an official vote audit some time today, it does appear that I will be in the finals.

Could my supporters vote me to number one? WOW. The idea never crossed my mind to actually WIN. I thought being in the finals would be special enough. And it is! But a WIN would be so grand!

I am so thankful for the support, but also deeply touched by the comments that people put with their votes. It is very gratifying to see that your work has truly had a special impact on people. I am very grateful to all who voted, and I look forward to the next phase of voting, assuming I make the final cut.

I have had some other adventures as well. As I wrote before, I am in need of some very concrete business supports to help me become more equipped to deal with being in business. I am finding some of those supports.

I met with a local volunteer consultant last week who is going to help me with some of the resources that I need to position myself for success in business. I continue to get moral support and good suggestions from a number of online contacts. And I am continuing to pursue some possible business ventures that could help build my customer base.

Three things come to mind as I ponder what I have learned over the past week:

1) Despite my weaknesses in some areas, there are many people who are enthusiastic about my prospects as an entrepreneur. These are experienced business people, so their enthusiasm is very encouraging to me. Seems that I have a better mind for business than I gave myself credit for!

2) To a person, everyone that I have talked to about business has told me my prices are too low for me to succeed. They aren’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. I barely break even at current prices, and I often take a loss.  It takes me a long time to paint each painting, and my supplies are not cheap.  I want to keep my prices low so that they are affordable to my fans, but I will have to be increasing my prices soon. I will try to keep them as reasonable as I can. If you are deliberating about purchasing a pet portrait, now might be the time to order, as they will be more expensive in the near future.

3) Being nice, genuine, and supportive of others pays off in the long run. My followers on Twitter came through for me in the Shorty Awards nominations because they know that I care about them and the mutual interests that we share. Through social media, they have not only become familiar with my artwork, but also with the the things that I value. They know that I love animals, support animal charities, promote the arts and the Canton Arts District, and support them individually when they are experiencing trials and tribulations. It is a very new kind of business model that social media is forcing on the business world, and I LIKE IT.

Stay tuned to see where this adventure takes me next…

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT