Archive for September, 2010
Self-Promotion How-To’s
One of the elements of the Hips For Hire model is teaching artists how to promote themselves. We all know it is not enough to be good at something. You can be good — even great! — at whatever it is you do, but if you don’t have a way to show people what you’re good at, you will be good in your own little corner of the world.
When you purchase premium services with Hips For Hire to promote your performance or visual art business, we give you the tools to successfully launch yourself on the Social Media ocean, but you still need to come up with your own content! You will have your own individual style to express, and the choices are as endless as your imagination (oh, and maybe something called money).
Photographer Clint Davis posted this description of what he did to promote his photography. Click on the link to see what he came up with:
Clint, like many of you, understands it takes hard work and creativity to get people “into” what you do. In his blog, he uses several elements to create a promotion of his work:
1. Something fun and free (disposable cameras)
2. Something clever (slogan, “Give me a shot”)
3. A highlight of his work (in pictures, to inspire as well as to inform)
4. The potential for feedback and community (send in your pictures, get a response)
This is a clever campaign that is easy for people to interact, and it didn’t cost him too much either.
What is your clever campaign to help your art gain attention? What do you need to change to help people know your art is professional, interesting, unique, and desirable? What steps can you take today to help your art become more accessible to others?
Oh, and don’t forget — you can follow me on Twitter for more news about how HFH is making helping to change world one artistic act at a time.
Like Clockwork
What I absolutely love about this featured video from a reality dance show is that the dancers use pop lock method interspersed with fluid movement (movement that continues evenly between the beats) in a perfect interpretation of the music. Check this out:
They also do something that few people pay attention to, but everyone can appreciate: level changes to add interest. Level changes are the texture in textiles or the timbre in a musical note. I love level changes because they add complexity and change the energy of motion by directing it in unexpected ways.
Combined with smart costuming and makeup and coordinated screens, the entire presentation makes for a geeky, futuristic dance that I could see opening up a concert, Las Vegas stage production, or an International program.
Bach L’Orientale
Some of my readers know I got my start in performance by studying and performing classical piano. I later used performances to help me win scholarship money through beauty pageants.
Classical music will always be a part of me. Like any good pianist, so will drills using a Bach fugue. Nothing teaches those fingers to march in precision like Bach! But I wouldn’t have naturally put Bach together with a tabla solo. Anjelika Akbar did, and here’s the effect:
The hat tip for this video goes to Filiz Efe, who follows me on Twitter. She enjoys all kinds of world music, but has a special interest in Turkish music.
What do you think of this cultural mashup? Would Bach roll over in his grave if he knew someone was gyrating to it with an exposed midriff? What mashups would you love to see?
My Favorite Feed Of The Moment: The Oatmeal
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So, I had a call with Elon Musk earlier this week July 10, 2014
An update about the Tesla Museum.ViewMatthew Inman
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