I would like to ask those of you who are on Twitter to do a favor for me.
I have been nominated for a “Shorty Award” in art, which is a significant thing in the Twitterverse. The top five finalists get their picture and twitter article on the shortyawards.com site, which would be a great thing for this struggling artist and for the Canton Arts District. Also, there is an awards program in Feb. in New York City.
If you wouldn’t mind, I would really appreciate it if you would go to the Shorty Awards site and give me your vote. My Twitter user name is BZTAT.
I would appreciate it, as well, if you would share with your followers and encourage their vote as well.
Please vote fast, though. The contest ends Friday!
Twitter has been such a blessing for me in getting my artwork seen all over the world. It would mean a lot to me to receive this award and to share it with all of my new fans and friends. Thank you so much for your support!
My face to face friends get a little tired of me talking about my cat Brewskie. My online friends can’t seem to get enough of him.
Brewskie, AKA the Brew to his Twitter following (Brew’s Posse), is my Twittering cat. He got onto Twitter about a year ago, unbeknownst to me, so the legend goes. You just never know what your cat is up to in your absence.
When I figured out what he was doing, I let him keep on. He has turned into quite the spokescat for me.
This post isn’t about him, however.
It is about using social media in a way that can work for you. Many of my friends are bewildered by social media, and they run and hide when you talk to them about anything beyond our last Facebook communication.
That is a shame. They are missing out on a lot of opportunities.
Social media, as my friend Liz Hover will tell you, is about many more things than Twitter and Facebook. For me, it includes the following:
Comments and participation with other blogs and networks
Email
There is probably more that I have left out. The point is, social media is about utilizing a number of avenues of connectivity to get yourself out there.
Getting yourself out there is not just an exercise in narcissism. For me, it has opened up a world of opportunity that I would have never discovered otherwise.
Let me give you an example.
Yesterday, I went for broke and wrote a post here, asking for assistance for my areas of weakness as a business person. As a professional artist, I have to engage in business practices to get anywhere, but to do so is counterintuitive to my creative nature. So I wrote and asked for help.
I didn’t stop there. I posted my blogpost on two LinkedIn group discussions. I posted it on my blog at Talent Revolution. I posted it on Facebook Network blogs. I tweeted about it. And I responded to feedback in all those realms.
I got some good feedback.
A fellow artist left some good suggestions in the comments on the blogpost. I recieved some supportive and helpful comments in the LinkedIn discussions. One woman who is in my geographic region has inquired about meeting and discussing some collaboration. And I have an offer to discuss my dilemma more personally with the CEO of Talent Revolution.
I have not yet fixed the dilemma that I discussed in the blogpost. But I am much farther along than I was before I went to my social media network for help. Stay tuned to see how this story develops.
It took some time and effort to develop and nurture my network. And it will continue to take time to maintain and grow. But it certainly has been time well spent.
Before my cat got on Twitter, I was just another frustrated artist, complaining that I couldn’t get anywhere. Now, my artwork is seen all over the world and I have had national and international commissions. I am still broke and frustrated. But I am maneuvering to become a well-established, and hopefully profitable artist.
Through my cat’s Twitter, which was the first step in developing the rest of my network, I gained the courage to explore so many avenues of opportunity.
Thanks Brew. Extra TUNA and scritches for you tonight, little buddy.
Wow! What a Paw Parade we had on Twitter today! I feel blessed to have so many wonderful friends who made this such a huge success! If you missed it, you can watch the recap video:
The Paw Parade was a virtual parade that I and my Spokescat @BrewskieButt hosted in the Canton, OH Arts District to celebrate our friends’ support of my artwork.
There were lots of bands, floats, balloons, etc. The featured balloons had artwork by BZTAT on them! We had DJ’s spinning parade tunes and street vendors pushing food and beverage carts with the fabulous menu by @JavatheCat!
And, we also had a drawing for a FREE Pet Portrait by BZTAT! The winner? @PepiSmartDog, who, sadly, went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2009. I am honored to paint his picture.
Special thanks to: @FrugalDougal, @Romeothcat, @JavatheCat, @YourDailyCute, @Quadpawd, @FergustheDog and @PerrytheBirman and their staffs for helping organize the Paw Parade!
And Special thanks to all that participated. Your support means so much to me. I love you all!
