Artists Only: 6 ideas to jumpstart your summer to-do list

It's officially summer and, as if you haven't noticed, it's hot, hot, hot! Take a break from your regular routine and spend some "cool" time planning your business. Yes, I said business.

1. emptyeasel.com has come up with 8 Sensible Projects for Artist: Things to Do When You've Got Time on Your Hands, such as update your business cards or get started on your taxes. Taxes? Yes, the year is half over and next April 15 will be a breeze if you're organized.
    
2. What? You don't have business cards? Yes, I know you're an artist, but you still need business cards. emptyeasel.com has just the article for you--Business Cards 101 for the Independent 21st Century Artist. What? You don't have business cars? Vistaprint is a great (and cheap) place to start. You can take the plunge and start with 250 Free business cards. (Free means shipping & handling only, which is very inexpensive.) Vistaprint is a great resource for postcards too.
    
3. Over at smARTist career blog Ariane Goodwin reminds you to Power up Your Artist Statement and she also share what she thinks an artist's statement should be. On her ArtBizBlog, Alyson Stanfield also reminds you to Hone Your Artist Statement. Catching a theme here?
    
4. It's way too hot to clean and organize, but you can use this time to plan out your fall cleaning. Artist Luann Udell shares lots of helpful tips and ideas for cleaning out your studio. Luann has written a whole series of posts about cleaning out her attic and shares how to deal with all that paper, identifying your legacy as an artist, freecycle and more.
    
5. And to keep track of all your inspiration, to-do lists, interesting thoughts throughout the summer, Sue Smith shares her low-tech, simple system on her blog, Ancient Artist: Developing an art career after 50.
6. Re-read our Let's Review Facebook post and set up your Artist Facebook Page. Oh, you did follow our advice and you've already set up a Facebook Page? Congratulations! Now you need to leave a comment on this post and tell us the name of your Facebook Page so we can "Like" you!

Now go grab an iced tea, kick off your sandals, and start your own to-do list for your art business. This is the perfect time to start using Sue Smith's simple system. It works!

P.S. Don't worry, all you folks who work in the Aging field. Your summer to-do list will be here next week!

Photo by davidsilver

It's Monday and Change Starts With Me! (And You!)

VolunteerMatch strengthens communities

by making it easier
for good people and good causes to connect.

Start your week off right. Watch Change Starts With Me!

Happy Monday! Start change! Volunteer today!
Thanks, VolunteerMatch, for reminding us that a small effort on our part can have a big impact.

An interview with Gay Hanna...and more!

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare

has posted a brief interview with Gay Hanna, PhD, Executive Director of the National Center for Creative Aging. Gay is a former Executive Director of SAH.

After you read Gay's interview, check out this archived webinar: 

Creativity and Aging Forum

with Gay Hanna, National Center for Creative Aging

Amir Parsa and Laurel Humble, Department of Education,
The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Part 1 Embrace the Moment! Creativity Matters

Part 2 With Aging, Art is like Chocolate to the Brain!
Part 3 Art and Aging at MoMA
Part 4 Meet Me at MoMA

Don't worry about jotting down the contact information. SAH's website also shares the webinar slides in PDF:
Embrace the Moment: Creativity Matters
Art and Aging at MoMA: Programming for Older Adults

Whether you are in the aging world or the art world, take some time to check out Creativity Matters.

Apple on Thinking Differently

A little inspiration to get your Monday moving...



Thanks, GIVEMORE, for sharing this Mac Ad. GIVEMORE (inspiration for your work & life) has their own inspriational little video here.

GIVEMORE's philosophy? Be happy. Do something. Be a Smover.*

*Smover ('smoov-er) noun: 1. a person who smiles and moves 2. someone who matters to the world, all with a smile

Remind Me Again Why I Need a Facebook Page...

Still not sure you need a Facebook Page? Yes, you really do need one. In a recent post Brian Geyser over at Carenetworks Blog shared some reasons why:

The fact is that senior living executives [or aging services staff or artists] need to begin to embrace these new social technologies and, over time, become fluent in social media in order to keep their companies (and themselves) relevant. Why do I say this? Consider these facts:

• The Internet as we know it is only 14 years old

• Facebook alone has over 500 million active users and by numbers is the 3rd largest country in the world behind China and India - Yes Facebook's population outnumbers the U.S.
• The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is Boomers and Seniors
• The fastest growing segment on Facebook is females age 55-65
• 47% of Boomers maintain a profile on the social web
• In 2009 there were 18 million active online seniors
• Seniors spend 58 hours per month online
• 96% of Millennials have joined a social network  

So, yes, you really do need a Facebook Page. If you want your message to reach Boomers and Seniors, you need to go where they're at. And Facebook is where they're at. 

To get started, re-read our Let's Review Facebook post.

Have you "liked" our Creative Arts & Aging Network's Facebook Page yet?

Facebook Model

Photo by Bryan Veloso

Fiction, Art and Poetry--Oh, My!

Thanks, Tyme Gallery for the "heads up" about an opportunity to submit fiction, poetry, essays, artwork and even cartoons for publication. Philadelphia Stories, the free nonprofit literary magazine that publishes local writers and artists, needs art for the summer issue (including the cover). What a terrific opportunity for writers and artists to share your work. If interested, follow this link for submission guidelines.

Philadelphia Stories is a non profit literary magazine that publishes the finest literary fiction, poetry and art from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware and distributes free of charge to a wide demographic throughout the region. Their mission is to develop a community of writers, artists and readers through the magazine, and through education programs, such as writer’s workshops, reading series, and other affordable professional development programs for emerging writers and artists.

If you have any questions, go ahead and email Publisher/Managing Editor Christine Weiser. In the meantime, check out past Philadelphia Stories issues. And, if you need brush up on your writing, check out Philadelphia Stories Blog writing tips posts.

P.S.  Read this interview with Christine Weiser and find out that she is not only a professional writer and editor, but also bass player and singer for the Philly indie band, The Tights. You can read an excerpt of her first novel Broad Street here.

Benita Cooper & Her Senior Storytellers Use Art to Create Change...

Benita Cooper has just received her first grant! Her project The Best Day of My Life (So Far) began only months ago with two core media: the classroom and the web. With The Leeway Foundation Art & Change Grant two new components can be added to this multi-media storytelling project. Now performance and video can be added to the classroom and the web in the form of a blog.

Receiving this grant gives Benita the opportunity to develop Seniors Storytelling Day. This will happen in Philadelphia, in a public venue, with teens and older adutls on stage together telling stories to a physical audience.

This blog is the digital window into a weekly storytelling and writing class at Philadelphia Senior Center, a proud member of the New Courtland Network. We meet every Thursday from 1-2pm...The seniors are so full of life; their stories are so full of grace, wisdom and humor. This blog won't capture the seniors' every word, but at the minimum we hope their voices come through.

In June 2006, Benita Cooper, an architect in Philadelphia, called her grandma in Seattle for the first time in her life… just to talk. They haven’t stopped talking since. Inspired by the stories that her grandma tells her over the phone, Benita began the class and blog in September 2009.

Creative Arts & Aging Network was fortunate to have Benita as one of our panelists for our May 20th Event--The Arts for All Ages:  A Creative Conversation. Congratulations, Benita, to you and all your older adult writers!

Read more about Benita Cooper and her project The Best Day of My Life (So Far) here and here.  And you can follow The Best Day of My Life (So Far) on both Facebook and Twitter.