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• André’s creation: eclectic pleasures
  by Maxwell Edward

  Black and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words…

  Black and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words. This jazzy rendezvous has always been André’s favourite ear-food. He just loves the way its beauty, splendour, radiance is ‘unleashed’. André stares at the canvas for over a dozen times. Here he is staring at the blank space which is future marvel…or was it to be past marvel? Had he missed his chance, missed the boat which would have sailed to sentimental stardom? He refuses to collaborate more than a sentence for any one idea. Any idea that deserves a sentence must deserve no doubt. Any canvas is only worth the greatest ideas. Two André’s exist; though only one at any one time. The withdrawn analytical front, designed for most occasions. On rare occasions the other character may appear, the intensive, massively determined André who acts on impulses. Impulsive André must be begged out. A Pandora’s Box of surprises, his job will at least never cease to astonish. “Dearest André, Through years have you befriended my son Louis, so therefore I am offering an opportunity to benefit both of our interests (with intent towards your gain). Litton inc., my company has stepped up towards mainstream success. We require visual arts for our newly bought edifice. I understand you have been painting for the eight years since high school. To your discretion I would like to require a painting; just one will suffice. I would like something vibrant and colourful, yet deep and meaningful; Contemporise to your own vision. Much thanks, Dr. Raymond Fonck.” The commissioned paper lies stuck on the wall. André has read it. Now it is time for the future. It has been too long sitting around (or rather bouncing around); too get too much productivity from anything. Someone once said to him that anything is good experience. True perhaps, although he prefers productivity, especially in a time of intensity such as this; three days left until confrontation. His vigilant eyes stroll around the room, searching for advice. He is not bored, nor has he painters block, for such a term does not exist and will not ever for him. His eyes strike the clock. The clock glares 5:48 pm back. What a disgusting fierce look it has. Not 5:45, nor 6:00 and only one uncomfortable minute in-between. For at this time these uncomforting three digits add to the frustration in the actual time. “Aw!” André suddenly realizes the importance of the time. It is the one factor which never seems to be on his side but actually encourages his total progress. It is an epiphany like that of a mother to the newborn. André decides to let his hands take / control. They are the secret key, (sometimes the gatekeepers of unleashing impulsive André) His dominant left one picks up the brush (over time it has made up for its fault of statistically losing him seven years). His right hand decides to lose cognition. It dips itself into a little puddle of Sangria oil paint muck. Than it flies onto the near-centre of the canvas, smeared diagonally. His left hand takes initiative once again, waving lines of smudge to and fro. Right hand brings more paint to its destination. Myrtle, Indigo, Olive, Magnolia…and no, not that…Yes, yes, even black! (Well seal brown to be precise). All of these contextually beautiful colours unleashed! There are no thoughts in André’s mind now. This is impulsive André now; organised thought is of little importance! That colour is important here. This colour is unimportant there. A few lines of any colour are important right here or there, but perhaps a darker colour is better. More negative space up and down the edges. Shape is forming. Lines are bolding. Complete non-representational form is diminishing. Visualizations; the visualized images in mind are being…unloaded bit by bit. It is coming about. What is it though? No one knows. If anybody could guess it definitely would not be André. André knows he has the power to bring out the reality in it though. In a seemingly paradox situation he must not connect to reality at the moment though. Now, after these hours of painting, André is in the painting. He would not know it has been hours besides the constant glare of the illuminating digital clock staring from across the room; it unconsciously processes its recognition into André. The phone screams out, ‘br-ring, br-ring!’ Like the other external matter it creeps into André, until finally its screams become too annoying to ignore. It’s too late now…impulsive André has vanished; his conventional counterpart has replaced him. The phone persists though. André decides to take it (typical for his returned mannerism). He dives across the room horizontally attacking the corner where that nuisance phone lies. ‘Aw, aw, aw, aw!’ A tube of paint has squirt from underneath his stomach. Agonising that his material friend can be so painful at times (like any of his life long friends). He picks up the phone; only the tone. He has missed whatever, whoever it was. Once again, missing the boat… Now thought and all that comes with it has returned. Why now out of all times possible? There is only sadness, misery, all this escalated from these small miniscule misfortunes; all has turned to turmoil! What can one do, when feeling like crawling into a hole? His secret minor disorders such as his claustrophobia would prevent him from crawling into that hole, even if he had one. At the moment everything feels like one big hole. Not surprisingly André’s eyes begin doing the only thing they know to do in times of unrest; wander. It is impossible to ignore what is there; it has been there all along, yet has never been seen. It is beautiful! It is splendour! It is radiance!! It is interrupted by another scream of ‘br-ring br-ring’. André picks up the damn phone. Without contemplation he whispers, “Sir, madam, I’m very terribly busy, could you perhaps call back sometime?” A deep sophisticated voice replies, “Raymond Fonck, André. Listen, I need to know about the progress of the painting. How is it going; ready to sell on Friday?” Many emotions garner at the speed of light inside André allows these emotions to clash inside of him. The painting; it is beautiful, splendour, radiance! How could he give it away now, after an indescribable series of emotional contributions? It is something that has not been attempted before; yet it is new but the expression of old. It is everything, at the moment, hopefully containing more interpretive inoculations for the future. It is a subject, of just some time, yet it contains a collaboration of detail separated from time. It is…once again interrupted by screams, this time of another sort; the infuriating talking of man. “André. Are you there?” Feelings of great rebellion sweep André off his feet. He knows how he will revolutionize his life, because after all; this painting has revolutionized his thought already. “Mister Fonck. I am so sorry. Some things have come over me…a type of sickness…although I am sure you are not aware of this mad syndrome I am suffering due to it. Well to the point, I must say I will not be supplying you with your wanted artwork. Thank you for your understanding. Hopefully we can collaborate something in future.” André hangs the phone up without replies, without a stated understanding from the mister Fonck. Without even the knowledge of acceptance or approval from the mister Fonck…it does not matter. All that matters is this new painting, this contemporised vision. It is everything. Most importantly of all, it is…unleashed!

• Photographers - What are you paying for? (Part One)
  by Jo O'Brien

  ^Disclaimer: This is not legal advice or even professional advice. This is some stuff I’ve learned along this funny little thing called l…

  Disclaimer: This is not legal advice or even professional advice. This is some stuff I’ve learned along this funny little thing called life and may not apply in any way to your current situation. At worst, it’s my opinion, at best it’s some ideas for you to think about. If you need real proper advice, go see your solicitor. I’m of the opinion that photography should make me money, not cost me money. So far, I have been successful is making more from a photograph than it took me to create. Here is my list of not so secret tips and advice on covering your arse and saving your cash. When To Pay There are times where spending your hard earned money is the right choice. For example to obtain goods or services you can not find for less (or free) elsewhere. Or when you have done all the maths yourself and you feel you are buying into a good deal. But there are also some pit falls to watch out for. Art Direction, Ideas and Intellectual Property My rule of thumb, if I am paying to shoot, I should have full rights to everything I take. No ifs buts or maybes about it. If you shoot a commercial, the art direction team put together a shoot and then hire a photographer to take photos of what they and the crew have created. They pay for lighting design, they pay the models, they pay the hair stylist, they pay the guy who makes the coffees- and they pay the photographer. Some businesses operate under a similar model but suck money out of photographers in the process. As part of a ‘workshop’ or ‘event’, several photographers rock up with their cameras and take photos of a scene. Often they have little or no control of the setup, can’t communicate properly with the models and will walk out of it with similar images to everyone else who attended! In the worst cases they have restricted rights regarding how they use their images. So is essence, they have paid for something that out in the real world, would be making them money. Sorry if it sounds confusing, the concept completely baffles me. When you are shooting someone else’s ideas and have restricted publishing rights or have little influence over the set up, posing, lighting or set design, (in my opinion) you should be getting paid by them. After all, you are doing them a favor by taking images of their creative work. Classes or Tuition Wanting to improve you skills and knowledge is a great thing. And there are numerous classes, mentors and workshops available for you to choose from. If you are going to pay to attend these, make sure you are getting what you pay for. Before you hand over any cash there are a few details that you should have to help make your decision. Class Size: The more people attending, the cheaper the class should be. If there is a practical component, I usually wont accept a class bigger than 10-12 / Location & Time: no point signing up for an ‘on location’ workshop only to find it is out of your way. Also as a safety issue, you should always be able to tell a trusted person exactly where and when you will be shooting. / The Teacher: You should be able to find and contact the person facilitating the class to verify their experience and ask questions. It not always convenient for a facilitator to take calls from a whole class, but you should be able to send them an email and get a reply without going through a middle man. / Contracts: Ask if you will need to sign any contracts and insist upon receiving them before paying. / What do you get: do you get class notes to take home? Exactly what does the course entail? What can you hope to know and have learned at the end of the course? Contracts These are a great way to waste your money. They also happen to be very important. First and foremost contracts exists to make people money or stop people from making money. So before signing anything, read it a few times and make sure you are aware of what your actions are costing you. If you need to get images approved before sale or publication, you could be agreeing to never publishing or selling any images taken if none are ‘approved.’ It is completely reasonable to request changes to a contract or write your own and offer it instead. Don’t sign away potential income! You should always be able to take a contract away and show it to other people for advice before signing it, and especially before paying for anything. If you are not given this opportunity, my advice is to avoid it with a ten foot pole. And then there are the bazillion poorly written contracts that mean very little or nothing at all. It’s actually quite funny to me sometimes, what people will put on paper. Useful Links Australian Competition & Consumer Commission / Scam Watch Photographers – What are you paying for (part 2).

• Pricing your photography
  by Leah Highland

  I found this article and thought that I would share. / Great information and a bit inspiring to those that might not have / the confiden…

  I found this article and thought that I would share. / Great information and a bit inspiring to those that might not have / the confidence they deserve. By Scott Bourne When photographers turn pro, they face an important issue: How to price their products and services. Unfortunately, photographers are at the low end of the pay scale because they usually don’t apply standard marketing and business strategy when pricing their work. The goal of this article is to give you advice that will let you earn what you are worth and at the same time, elevate the price positioning of the entire industry. START AT THE BEGININNG – KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SELLING Are we selling square inches of paper? For some reason, the first thing that enters a photographer’s mind when pricing is print size. This has cost more photographers money than you can imagine. The most important thing to know here is to build value in your product. You do that by considering ALL the factors that go into making a salable image. So what are we selling? How about that creative eye? Anyone can buy a camera but can they see through it the way you do? Are the hours you spent training for this moment worth something? Your mechanic, doctor and lawyer all get paid for their time, shouldn’t you? Then there is your present technical ability. The casual amateur may not be able to get the most out of the same equipment as the everyday pro. And speaking of equipment, you need to consider the value of all those gadgets you have laying around the studio. When you price, charge for your logistical skills, intelligence, time and your ability to translate your client’s desires into a visual statement. You should consider standard usage and copyright in the price as well as basic business economics. And here is one of the first places that photographers stumble. They aren’t honest with themselves about the cost of doing business. In order to price something, you must know what it cost to make. Here are some things to look at: Pricing Economics 1) Overhead / 2) Profit / 3) Market Type Calculating overhead requires you to consider all the costs that are associated with being a professional photographer. That means: 1) Equipment depreciation / 2) Insurance / 3) Rent / 4) Licenses / 5) Legal Fees / 6) Accounting Fees / 7) Payroll Fees / 8) Salaries / 9) Taxes / 10) Utilities / 11) Production / 12) Repairs / 13) Printing / 14) Postage / 15) Office Supplies / 16) Subscriptions / 17) Dues / 18) Advertising/Marketing / 19) Transportation/Shipping / 20) Travel / 21) Misc. Calculating profit is a bit easier. You consider your cost of doing business by allowing for a percentage of your overhead to be applied to the cost of each job. From there you add mark up. This can be based on any number you want but a good starting point is to double the cost of your product. Now you also need to adjust this figure based on market type. Is the image being used in a small or large market? Will thousands of people or just a few see it? What is the value to the client? What will the client do with your image? What choice besides you does the client have? Are there 50 photographers in town or only three? All of these factors go into calculating a price. STRATEGY Now that you know what you have, what you are selling and what it costs you to make it, you need to devise a pricing strategy. This can be as simple as jotting down some basic facts. 1) What is your overhead? 2) What is your marketing strategy? 3) What is the competition charging? 4) How much income do you need to survive? If you have a real business plan, you will have answered most if not all of these questions. If you don’t have a business plan, now would be a great time to write one. It doesn’t have to be fancy but you need to be able to articulate your goals or you won’t be able to measure success. EDUCATE THE CLIENT After you have decided on a strategy, you need to start educating your clients about your business. Most people have no idea what it costs to run a business, let alone a photo business. Share that with your clients. If you run a portrait studio, make sure they understand the differences between what you do and what the chain studios do. If you are selling fine art nature prints, discuss your education and training, the cost of dues to professional organizations, etc. When dealing with art directors, let them know when you have purchased new cameras or computers that feature advanced technology. Once the client can see a nexus between value and price, the higher rates become less of a stumbling block. You can embark on this education process in a number of ways. Issue press releases that tout your equipment acquisitions, attendance at seminars and new employees. Bring these things up in casual conversation when selling. Publish a studio newsletter. Conduct your business in a manner that exudes professionalism. CONCLUSION There is one last but very important step that you must take to profitably price your photography. Ask established photographers how they bid jobs. Smart photographers who have made a good living at photography will gladly help beginners with this information. They realize that if you are new, you might undercharge, thereby bringing prices down industry-wide. Ask for help. You’re likely to get it. Article Copyright 2005, Scott Bourne – Photofocus Magazine ABOUT THE AUTHOR Scott Bourne is the author of “88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography” and “88 Secrets to Photoshop for Photographers.” Both are available from Olympic Mountain School Press, http://www.mountainschoolpress.com His work has also appeared in books, magazines, galleries, calendars, on greeting cards, web sites and on posters. Scott is a professional photographer, author, teacher and pioneer in the digital imaging field. His career started in the early 70s as a stringer covering motor sports for Associated Press in Indiana. Since then, he has shot commercial, portrait, wedding, magazine and fine art assignments. His new passion is wildlife photography. Scott regularly lectures on a variety of photo and media-related subjects. He’s appeared on national television and radio programs and has written columns for several national magazines. He is the publisher of Photofocus.com, an online magazine for serious photographers and also serves as the executive director of the Olympic Mountain School of Photography in Gig Harbor, WA.

• Website setup qustion
  by Basia McAuley

  Hi Again! / I need help! Well, finally I have registered a business name… Very boring…. ‘Basia McAuley Photography’ and I want to get…

  Hi Again! / I need help! Well, finally I have registered a business name… Very boring…. ‘Basia McAuley Photography’ and I want to get a web site up and running. My name (obviously) is available and I want to buy this and start getting my website in order. My first question is: who would be a good Co. to register the name with in Victoria?? I have looked into ‘MelbourneIT’, but in the confirmation it states ‘Free One Page WebSite 1 Pack’.. I’m not sure what this means.. Do I have to pay for the other pages or do you only need one page for a basic website? Can anyone explain this to me (I’m not very tech savvy!)... I’m sure I’ll have other questions but one thing at a time. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!~ Basia

• Seeking services of a photoshop wizard/graphic designer
  by Ena Lü

  Request the services a design Savvy Bubbler, I already have the concept for my new business image that will go on Biz card, flyer and web…

  Request the services a design Savvy Bubbler, I already have the concept for my new business image that will go on Biz card, flyer and website, just need someone with the skills to make it happen….... if you think that might be you please please bmail me and I will send you more details. PS it’s a very simple idea

• artSOLD : What's been selling at my 'shops'
  by webgrrl

  A few weeks ago (or maybe more..) i came to a point where i wanted to have small something (widget, feed, etc) that i can place on my m…

  A few weeks ago (or maybe more..) i came to a point where i wanted to have small something (widget, feed, etc) that i can place on my main website (webgrrl.biz) and few other blogs that i have.. something that shows what’s been sold recently from all the places i have my art.. The only quick solution i could come up with (and with no cost) was to make a blog and post the info items, and taking the opportunity to Thank the buyer at the same time.. and so artSOLD was ‘born’ From there, i can then grab the rss feed and utilize it in many different ways.. my favourite being the widget at widgetbox : see here In a marketing and business sense, I’m not sure if this has been done before. We usually make a blog or websites to promote what art we make and whats for sale.. but making a blog/journal of what we’ve sold, i haven’t come across, and i have this belief that people like to know what people are buying, popular etc too.. So i thought, Why Not to have one for what’s sold!? Plus if/when buyer comes across the acknowledgment of thanks, thats a positive energy too…and im all about and for Spreading the Goodness! artSOLD took me a full day to set up, using a free blogger template i went lookin for.. Then i put thinkin caps on to see what ‘widget, promotional’ goodies there is available from all the three main places i associate with.. maybe you want to make one too.. :) Its a nice journal to have, and it makes you work just that bit harder (in promotions especially) so that you get sales, and that means a new post! :)

• Promote Yourself
  by Jo O'Brien

  If you’d like to be a member of the Promote Each Other group….. Rules: *To become and continue being a group member you will ne…

  If you’d like to be a member of the Promote Each Other group….. Rules: To become and continue being a group member you will need to… Remain active on at least 2 bookmarking, review, blog or rating websites Use these sites to promote a variety of works (not just redbubble works or your work) Participate in group challenges by voting regularly for your favorite works Regularly promote some of the works from the leaderboard on other websites Let the group know how and where you are promoting by posting in the forums We don’t SPAM. You only promote works you like in the forums you choose… But you have to promote actively! / No free-riders – only members who are actively promoting the works of others will remain in the group How do I become a member? An existing group member will recommend you in “the forum”: and show the group how you are already promoting the works of others around the internet Or you can leave a comment on this thread with links to your pages, blogs etc and it will be added to the forum for consideration In all cases, several members (preferable at least 5) will need to support your application before being invited to join.

• Your Name on a PHOTOGRAPHER Shirt
  by Stephen Mitchell

  Yes, that’s right, I’m prepared to spend an hour three nights a week (and maybe on the weekend) to *create personalised ‘PHOTOGRAPHER’ sh…

  Yes, that’s right, I’m prepared to spend an hour three nights a week (and maybe on the weekend) to create personalised ‘PHOTOGRAPHER’ shirts for those who seriously want one. Get your personal or business name on this shirt, either above or below the current text. Bubblemail or email me your personal or business name and I’ll create and upload ASAP. Same cost, nil extra fee. Order through Redbubble to have it delivered to destination of your choice! NOTE: / 1. Choice of UPPERCASE, Capitalised, or lowercase. / 2. Most characters in the English alphabet available, and other normal characters on the standard keyboard. Won’t do hearts or other wingding/etc shapes. / 3. Choice of putting your words ABOVE or BELOW the existing text. / 4. IMPORTANT: The longer the text, the smaller the text to fit onto one line. Minimal lettering has bigger impact. So go for first name and surname, or just your business name. Some people might be able to fit both! Think professional, be professional, look professional. OTHER SHIRTS YOU CAN PUT YOUR NAME UPON: , , , , , REQUESTS FOR OBSCENITIES WILL BE IGNORED, but not reported unless repetitive. EMAIL: ezcreate AT gmail DOT com

• LOCAL BUSINESS - Windsor Virtual Office Solutions - Buys 25 Thank You Card Designs !!!
  by Madeline M. Allen

  Sold 25 Thank You card designs! For a local entrepreneur to add to her Virtual Office Solutions Business . My combination of Photography …

  Sold 25 Thank You card designs! For a local entrepreneur to add to her Virtual Office Solutions Business . My combination of Photography & Smudge Art TM. Thank You Cards – Will now be part of her business plan, as a new offer to her real estate clients. Need an Assistant? Contact Windsor VOS TODAY / Address: Winnipeg MB R2N 1G8 Canada. / www.windsorvos.com.

• please forgive me everyone
  by Christopher Ewing

  hey all / i havent had the chance to really get bubbling lately / have had a lot going on / actually working out two jobs now / just got hire…

  hey all / i havent had the chance to really get bubbling lately / have had a lot going on / actually working out two jobs now / just got hired yesterday at the local grocery, going to be learning how to cut meat! lol / and, last weekend got with this professional photog, and ill be doing shots of the people tubing along the river! / so during the week ill be cutting meat and on weekends hanging out along the river shooting tubers :) / this photog has some serious plans for us in the very near future, meeting up with this guy was a golden opportunity for myself / some might have heard of him ..Wilson Reynolds / This guy is definitely a pro, a NG photog, goes all over the place giving photog classes and such. / and then the other things in life going on / so i apologize for not keeping up as i normally do, i even have A LOT to ketchup on in the fog group..so guys hang tight, ill be commenting again soon!! / from what ive browsed in on, things are looking great!! ill only have about 20pages to play ketchup on! lol / oh yea..this is the tubing site we now have going up tubingphotos / just put in dates..may 24th and 25th and you can get an idea of what ive been shooting lately :)

• Where does the time go?
  by Jo O'Brien

  I just had one of those moments where 4 people are asking to do shoots and I’m running around my diary frantically looking for a space. T…

  I just had one of those moments where 4 people are asking to do shoots and I’m running around my diary frantically looking for a space. Then it occured to me- there wasn’t one. At least not in 2007. I carefully flicked back over all of it – no, nothing left. That can’t be right? So I transfer it all onto the calendar. All booked. Definitely. A few are tentative bookings but I’m confident they will go ahead. So I start to flick backwards. Just how long has this been going on? Then I realise I have not had a full day off since… hang on, where’d I put the 2006 diary? Actually there are a handful of days where I’ve written in angry black marker “DON’T BOOK ANYTHING” which is me forcing myself to have a day off. About half of these have a “shoot with xyz” squashed in around the warning to myself. This year for Christmas I’m going to ask for free time. Or a kick in the head. Which ever will work better! Where does the time go?

• AMAZING DAY OF BUSINESS IN ART!
  by linaji

  THANK YOU UNIVERSE! / Yesterday I sold 2 prints and 5 cards!! I am in so much appreciation this morning. Also after writing and feeling m…

  THANK YOU UNIVERSE! / Yesterday I sold 2 prints and 5 cards!! I am in so much appreciation this morning. Also after writing and feeling my way back to my heart once again, got a call to write… My first job writing for a living with amazing pay!.. this is so wonderful I cannot but say, it is the essence of the presence of Love here,, that guided me to me. The Law of Attraction did the rest.. / Thank You, All of you….. mirrors of reflection showing me, guiding me, including me in your Joy and the Joy of CREATION!!!

• APPRECIATION TO RED BUBBLE..
  by linaji

  I REALLY NEEDED TO HAVE A SITE THAT WAS EASIER TO GIVE A .COM ADDRESS TO ..TO CLIENT AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS.. HERE IS THE ANSWER... / ...

  I REALLY NEEDED TO HAVE A SITE THAT WAS EASIER TO GIVE A .COM ADDRESS TO ..TO CLIENT AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS.. HERE IS THE ANSWER... MY SITE..LINAJI THROUGH RED BUBBLE.. / EASY AS PIE.. / THAT IS THE ONLY REASON I JOINED RED BUBBLE IN THE FIRST PLACE.. / ON DAY I JUST LOOKED AND SAW THE SIMPLICITY..NOW I HAVE A LIFE THAT I NEVER DREAMED POSSIBLE AND FRIENDS LIKE YOU THAT THRILL ME AND FILL ME UP EVERY DAY.! THERE ARE BUGS.. SUCH AS I CANNOT GET THE GALLERYS TO SET UP THE ORDER IN WHICH I PUT MY PHOTOS/PICTURES.. BUT I MAILED THEM AND WILL START A FORUM LATER TODAY. I WILL HELP ANY OF YOU SIFT THROUGH IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.. LOVE LOVE AND MORE LOVE….LINAJI

• I'M BACK!!
  by Steven Novak

  Holy moley green guacamole things have been busy lately! Lots of work and lots of family stuff has made it a wee bit difficult to get …

  Holy moley green guacamole things have been busy lately! Lots of work and lots of family stuff has made it a wee bit difficult to get around to putting up any work or commenting on anyones work, or even singing into Redbubble lately. Add all of that to the fact that I’ve been having a lot of trouble sleeping and you’ve got a recipe for disaster more annoying than a weekend long marathon of Ben Affleck movies. (Which, as you might imagine is AMAZINGLY annoying!) Anyway, hopefully I’m entering a bit of a downspell and hopefully that’ll mean throwing something up on here more often. Hopefully. I don’t like making promises, so we’ll just stick with hopefully. Hopefully is good. Hopefully leaves the door open for failure, and since failure is a very real possibility at this point I think I’m making the right choice in leaving it open. While I was away I sold a couple shirts (many thanks to whomever bought those) and fellow Bubbler ROBIN MONROE who is a beck of a talented painter, bought a card featuring my SAILING THROUGH HOKUSAI art. Thanks Robin and I hope you like it. Before I wrap this up, my wife has been snapping some pictures of me early in the morning and we think that we’ve discovered the reason I’m not getting any sleep. The stupid cats seem to think my head is their bed. (Don’t give me any guff on the black and white stripped quilt. I’ve had it since I was a kid, it’s ugly as sin, it needs to be thrown away, I’ve heard it all from my wife more than once. I’ll tell you the same thing I tell her…it’s not going anywhere. That’s right, I’m a thirty year old Linus. Deal with it.) Steve! /

• Still no Time
  by Julie Langford

  Hi folks Sorry for not getting to your work if you have uploaded – my activity monitor has jumped over 170 pages since I last got on h…

  Hi folks Sorry for not getting to your work if you have uploaded – my activity monitor has jumped over 170 pages since I last got on here for any length of time. I am still busy trying to humanise these two little cuties, as they dont make good pets when they are feral and want to scratch your eyes out. The tabby will let me hold him/her now, but the little black and white is still very nervous, but is relaxed with the cage in my close vicinity now. Haha – I even got the tabby playing earlier on and he/she let me roll him/her over and tickle the belly! We still havent caught the other two [another tabby and an all black one] yet, or Mum – but I am not giving up on them. I have been down to feed them twice each day, and will attempt a capture again tomorrow night. I will be leaving for Cyprus on Sunday, so am hoping to get on here for one full night this week, to catch up with everyone and take in some artwork before my week in the blazing sun :) Speak soon – it’s kitty feeding time again now.

• Business Cards ...
  by RoughDiamond

  I designed myself some business cards. I look forward to getting and spreading them all over the place! What do you think? !http:/...

  I designed myself some business cards. I look forward to getting and spreading them all over the place! What do you think?

• Very busy
  by Julie Langford

  Hi Folks I havent forgotten anyone exists – honestly I havent. I have some very important things that I have to get done at the mom…

  Hi Folks I havent forgotten anyone exists – honestly I havent. I have some very important things that I have to get done at the moment, but will be back soon I promise – then I will try and catch up with you all. Jul

• Official Zombie Business!
  by DieselLaws

  Its finally up! Do you want to see this design get printed? Then Click on the image to VOTE! !http://media.threadless.com/subs/big/181…

  Its finally up! Do you want to see this design get printed? Then Click on the image to VOTE! heheheh I love this piece…

• Busy Ms TBO
  by thickblackoutline

  Good Lord Kids!! Have I been busy. Working, and painting, and painting and working, while the vector list piles ever higher! !http…

  Good Lord Kids!! Have I been busy. Working, and painting, and painting and working, while the vector list piles ever higher! / 600×200 Finally I’ve finished a canvas version of the Affinity Geisha, and she’ll be off to a shop tomorrow. And today the fine chaps at Barties, let me take a few snaps of the original Affinity Geishas! Was having trouble getting funky cool images to do her justice! I’m so pleased with how they turned out. :) Much Love and Paint up and down Arms, /

• Busy Times but always time for Thank you
  by Wendy Slee

  Well, things are speeding up down here in the south west, as I prepare to open my very first studio. / I am so very excited and a little n…

  Well, things are speeding up down here in the south west, as I prepare to open my very first studio. / I am so very excited and a little nervous about this new commitment, and at last having to “come out” from behind my screen! lol / It seems about time I cease to be the recluse on the hillside farm and show my face in town! / I have taken on a studio space in at the historic courthouse complex of ArtGeo in Busselton, sharing the old stables in the courtyard (renovated, thank goodness, not that I mind sharing with horses either, but it is just not conducive to presenting artwork)..... with two other women – one creating jewellery and the other an artist in oils and acrylics. Hopefully being so diverse, we will all compliment each other. I have big plans, but little steps for now. However the first thing will be the fridge and the coffee machine (in this case, a high tech number called the kettle)....so that when any of you get to Busselton, you will call in to visit and I can offer you a cuppa or (ssshhhhh don’t tell anyone) a bottle of wine….or should I say, a glass! I really hope this space will be one that people can drop in to for a chat and some friendship… I am busy moving things in, decorating to set up my “space” and working out what I might be offering from that space…..as we are there as “artists in residence”. I have ordered a large stack of RB cards so hopefully these will be a good thing to offer, as well as a constantly running digital screen displaying my work. My hopes are to win commissions for individual artwork, as opposed to just selling prints. / And all in time for summer… / Down here in Busso, the flies have arrived, the grasshoppers are just up the road (saw them this morning on my early walk, the little bludgers…..all hopping in this general direction and only stopping to eat everything green in sight and breed some more… grrrr) and the tourists are not far behind (though hopefully not as rampant in the aforementioned behaviours) Busy as I am, I still need to say thank you to everyone at Redbubble….I have become totally addicted here and it is because I know I can always find inspiration, laughter, the most infinite range of imagery to feast my eyes upon (not to mention get to experience other parts of this world and its inhabitants), and most importantly of all….camaraderie….friendship. / It is the friendship that has made this site so special, and the first place I think to visit when I get up in the morning….er…well, maybe not the first. (;-) ..but you get the drift….you guys are the ones I want to share my morning coffee with! / So thank you, and my grandest appreciation to you all for your character, style and amazing creativity, and your unique eyes that view a world so different to mine, and yet bring it to share with me and make it mine. I wish you all that is good for this holiday season. (no flies, grasshoppers, and only tourists with big wallets who love your work….lol) / I wish you all sales and success and many many smiles / I also would like to thank those who have purchased work from me, including the wonderful person who just bought a t-shirt from my range for her hubby for christmas…... I hope it fits and he doesn’t flaunt it to you, too much! best wishes to everyone….. / winks and smiles / Wendy

• Oh soooo busy........ and my pic was on local tv tonight
  by Sharon Perrett

  Hi friends Sorry i haven’t been around and commented much for a couple of days , have been busy busy busy sorting out at home and gett…

  Hi friends Sorry i haven’t been around and commented much for a couple of days , have been busy busy busy sorting out at home and getting ready for christmas….. I took some wonderful photos of the sunset last night and emailed one to the local tv station, they emailed me back and said it would be on tonights weather bulletins and on their website as a weather video :)) I eagerly watched the weather this evening and it was such a buzz seeing my photo full size behind the forecaster and my name mentioned.:)) My first taste of fame ….......hehehehe!!!! Mum is also coming along nicely, she is making steady progress and even managed to go for a walk with my dad today :)) OK off to bed now, gonna try and drag myself out in the morning for the sunrise, if it’s not too cold …....LOL

• Busy with the "Wedding" Just weeks away now!!
  by TrEaSuReDiMaGeS

  I haven’t been much on rb this week because as some of you know our eldest son is getting married in about 5 weeks. This has been a busy…

  I haven’t been much on rb this week because as some of you know our eldest son is getting married in about 5 weeks. This has been a busy week of preparations and every week after this one will be too. It’s a very exciting time …... but just so much going on. So I won’t be on much, but I will be posting the interviews. I am sorry I haven’t been able to comment on all the beautiful work, but after the wedding I will sure try and get back to doing that. In the mean time, I hope this finds you all well….. and enjoying your creative art pieces. You’ll be in my thoughts and I look forward to when I can return!! Hugs / Deb

• Busy Doesn't Even Begin to Describe it.
  by Steven Novak

  I’ve been gone for a while. (I like how I say that like anyone noticed…sigh…I need to stop deluding myself.) Things have been …

  I’ve been gone for a while. (I like how I say that like anyone noticed…sigh…I need to stop deluding myself.) Things have been exceptionally busy lately, both professionally and personally. Hopefully things will be slowing down over the next few weeks because, to be quite honest, I’m a little tired. Scratch that and make it a lot tired. In fact, I’m so tired that I’m falling asleep right at this very instant in front of my computer. o;hara;ksdffff;qerhfer;h; Oops, that was my head slamming into the keyboard. See, told you I was tired. Plus, now I have a sore head. G’night. Steve~

• WEBGRRL GETS THE CHAIR!
  by webgrrl

  THE CHAIR / – a little more serious than ‘The Couch’ / by James Pierce ...

  THE CHAIR / – a little more serious than ‘The Couch’ / by James Pierce James: How did you get into RedBubble ? Webgrrl: It was a meant to be connection for sure. I first read about RedBubble whilst browsing thru a site about Web 2.0, and I was updating some of my sites with info of where people (photographers) can sell… do something with their images.. I found it at mashable . And then either that same night or the next day, my bestest friend Rick Monk (who i bought my first camera from 12yrs ago, and my photo mentor..if i had to choose one) msgd me thru MSN to tell me about RedBubble – he had already joined.. so i joined.. Wonder what date that was… twas certainly a ‘birthdate’. It was February 2007 though… I remember being very excited..cuz it was Australian and started telling everyone, and posting it around sites too..made banners and everything! hehe J: What’s the experience like now that you’ve been here for a few months ? W: Well RedBubble is like Oxygen to me now.. its the first thing i check when i wake up.. Its also the last place im at before i go to bed (6-7am). Even though im not part of the RB team, i sort of feel like its my baby/sibling.. maybe cuz ive waited for something like RB for sooo long (about 12years).. It’s a bit like finding a soulmate..:) The experience has been wonderful.. like a mum watching her kid grow each day and the crew that runs RB is REAL.. unlike other similar sites which is quite sterile (when communicating/relating to those behind the scene of a particular website). Maybe its cuz its Australian, and we have that ‘earthy’ thing – but RB feels more than just a website (eg : flickr, cafepress, etc). RedBubble is like family :) I used to upload to flickr everyday..(got over 10,000 good pix on there now) but since RB – there’s been a definite decline of my presence in flickr… and im happy now that i can balance my stuff by putting the real good ones on RB, giving me a place where i can show and sell my creative works whilst feeling safe and at ‘home’. J: Favourite site feature ? W: Hmm.. checking for Sales and comments i suppose! But i would like to think that my most favourite feature of RB is still to come.. I love all of RB features quite equally i think at the moment. OOh.. i just made another sale as we speak.. hehehe J: Oh a nice unplanned lead in to my next question – how are your sales going? What sells? Sales are going Great! Very promising.. I sold my first Tshirt (sungoddess) on April 11 and then since the Sungoddess got featured in Sunday Life, its been going wonderful.. beyond my expectations. All up I’ve sold 13 items to date, 12 t-shirts and 1 small framed piece (spiralfractals). Still havent sold a ‘photo’ ever (in RB or elsewhere) – which sort of funny, as I’m known for my photos.. BUT having the SunGoddess featured and seeing the sales in that week, gave me affirmation that my creative arts is good. Before RB I was known only within the Psytrance community.. which is quite small compared overall to say, general mainstream community and i had always wondered how I would go.. outside the psy community. So the Sunday Life feature was like a big HUG from the universe saying that my stuff is good..and that I’m on the right track.. Thank you sooo much RB for giving me the platform to stand on for a little while..so that i could shine TShirts is what im selling the most – I aim to create designs that is Psytrance/music, Psychedelic, Spiritual, Earth/Universe, Positive affirmations … well i try to design what everyone is not.. Also in my years in the Psy music and arts community – I’ve seen some awesome tshirts and art pieces but the price tag on each was always above $50AUD each, which is something I never could afford.. So thats also what I focus on.. creating pieces that everyone can afford.. and not just available at certain places/prices Of the 12 tees I have sold.. 9 tees were the Sungoddess and the others are Psychedelic type designs. I’ve been working on fine tuning to get fractals on to tshirts, nearly every day now… it takes quite a bit of work to get them right..and hopefully one day soon.. i will master it :) J: Last question (for now): Promotion is really important to drive traffic and sales for any artist. What have you done, what’s working? W: To promote my creative works I have: made banners and buttons and placed it in my blogs and websites, Stay active in RedBubble thru commenting on others people works, converse in forums, puts a large amount of photos and designs in RB and other places.. Added buttons/links, a mention, in Other forums/places (psytrance), – places that I hangout that wouldn’t know about RedBubble, yet. Tell /show friends & associates in my msn contact list my new design, t-shirts, that a particular person would like etc. Journaled my sales or thoughts, ideas, re my designs or daily experience.. in my Webgrrl site, updated all my profiles in the various social network websites that i have an established presence in (eg: MySpace, Flickr, etc) Added links to my email signature Made widgets/slideshow type thang (web 2.0) – really utilizing all the stuff/service u can get free online and instead of showing photos of family snapshots, i showcase my stuff available in redbubble.. and add a link.. etc / design graphic presentations & minisite of my designs – make like virtual shopfront / exhibition promoted red bubble as Australian yay! and just explain to friends all the good things thats been happening to my life, and why im real excited… and No, its not multilevel marketing!. haha! Most importantly : I’ve put love and belief in my creative expressions and when i put them online and share/promote it.. its like I’m giving it wings to fly, and its exciting to see where it lands… J: Thanks so much for your time here, we’ll keep in touch and keep publishing a few sales tips from your wild mind in the future! Well there it is.. my first interview :) This was in the debut newsletter by James Pierce who da head honcho of the Marketing, Selling dept for RedBubble (correct me if im wrong guys.. ) RedBubble has been giving me a few firsts actually.. grins All these wonderful things happening lately / Thank You EVERYONE... N A M A S T E go read Wrapped Up Issue #1