Onajide | artist

Moving?

// March 30th, 2008 // No Comments » // Blog

I woke up this morning to go check out a place for rent just one block from Paul’s. It is a garden apartment. The assistant to the landlord said it was “old Florida style,” which meant it was not one of the newer buildings in the neighborhood. I got there, beautiful flower garden along the walkway, inside with tiled floors, nice little garden area out back too. Living/ dining room very spacious, decent sized kitchen but, master closet left a bit to be desired. However, I want this place and, it can fit into my new plans to become self-sufficient. This place is perfect for entertaining and operating a home gallery. That also means selling off a bunch of stuff. I would like my own fridge since it’s larger and newer and cleaner but, I’ll see about changing it out. Otherwise, I might be moving soon.

For sure, I’ll have to move out of Paul’s. He’s moving to downtown Miami to be closer to his business location. I’d love to move back to Miami myself but, we won’t be that out of touch. We’re both techogeeks and have multiple ways of reaching each other. Besides, I have to have input in the new business he’s setting up. He still hasn’t chosen a name yet though.

Along those same lines, I need to send out emails to all the hosting clients in my acct. to have them move over to a new server, my server. That means I’ll be paying out monthly to Paul and getting paid monthly by my clients. However, I need a few more clients to break even. I have too many damn domains of my own to support!

Artist Entrepreneur Institute

// March 29th, 2008 // No Comments » // Blog

Beginning of our second Artist Entrepreneur Institute and, the potential for more members. This course was so key to where I am and what I’m doing right now. However, Paul has been just as, if not more, influential to my progression and development.

I’ve been asked to speak in place of another speaker that had to cancel on Communication as a Strategy. So many of the workshop’s modules overlap and, this one is no exception. I’ve produced a PDF with 10 questions to be answered about how well one communicates. One very important document I found in my inbox was the 10 Commandments of Press Releases. I don’t think most people know how to write a press release, nor they take the time to find out if there are any specific organizational guidelines to whom they send them. I know I do and, I delete many things sent to me as a press release although, I consider lots of it promotional material not worth my time.

I know damn well people don’t expect me to read an email postcard and then type that up on my calendar. Only in a rare case will I even look at them.

In the afternoon is my Meetup. Another busy day.

Busy Strange Days

// March 28th, 2008 // No Comments » // Blog

I always get somebody looking for somebody via emails or phone calls through my site. Today was one of those days. The first call was a newspaper looking for the attorney that had presented at my Meetup group. I think he was out of town on vacation and just returned. The other call was for a gallery owner that apparently closed and didn’t return the work of a client that wanted it framed. The gallery owner is originally from France. Did he return there or, move to NYC? I have no idea since I haven’t seen him since the beginning of the art season, September, 2007.

In other news, I’ve been trying to prepare for my talk at the county Artist Entrepreneur Institute Workshop. I’m working on making a handout for everyone so that they might learn by doing. My talk is on communication strategies for artists. In reality, my recent associations with the web social media crowd, my knowledge has expanded in the way web applications can be used. Yet, I think that many of the participants will be reluctant to use computers and the internet as was the case with the workshop I attended last year.

Do any of you think using the newspaper is effective for promoting art? I mean, do you artists use it or, any non-artists use newspapers (and print media) more than the internet?

I don’t think virtual reality is going to replace seeing art works live and in person but, do you find out more about art, locally and nationally, via the web (blogs and established news media)??

Goatee

// March 27th, 2008 // No Comments » // Blog

Candid camera day

// March 26th, 2008 // No Comments » // Blog

He looked at me and kept on getting back to riding off to wherever. I usually have my camera with me, mostly to catch unusual events on the roads. Today is was street construction workers and, a undercover cop giving a ticket (to the motorcyclist).

Friends and family?

// March 7th, 2008 // No Comments » // Blog

Wow, was last night interesting! Paul and I got invited to dinner to meet with the guy Paul was trying to partner with. Let’s call him Bob (not his real name). Before we can leave the apartment Paul gets a phone call that turns into a conference call. He hands me his keys to drive while he’s on the phone. We arrive at the restaurant first. Bob, his fiance and another friend arrive. We get seated, drinks, order food, Paul’s still outside on the phone. Bob was upset that Paul hadn’t come in yet. Bob is also upset about a project he and Paul had been working on that reached a bad place with the client. I go outside to get Paul’s dinner order because the kitchen is starting to shut down. Finally Paul comes to eat and, the tension is high.

Bob finally gets to what’s on his mind about his client of the day. That problem leads to the real problem, Bob hasn’t treated Paul and I as he should have in business by thinking only of himself and his “family.” Paul gets up from the table and walks out abruptly saying whatever attempts at developing a business for the future were dead.

Bob gets out to the parking lot before we leave and the heated conversation continues. It continued for at least another hour there. We all explained our reasonings and positions. Bob, was stunned but, he brought much of this upon himself. When Paul had brought Bob business and got paid, I said, why should Paul have to ask you to get paid for putting money in your pocket and, you say he’s a friend & family? Neglect is bad, very bad.

There were other issues by which Bob and Paul could not agree upon and probably never will. At the end of the night I told Bob he needs to think about what was being said (because I think that instead of hearing us he was thinking of what next to say). [Bob also needs to marry his girlfriend and give her the life she deserves. She's really sweet and very patient. :-)]

We drove home in silence.