River Source thank you Letter

Dear Banding,

I just want to thank you so much for the amazing art work that you did
for the Washington Drug Rehab Centers. We had just opened up the second
Naturopathic rehab, due to a high demand for our holistic services. The
new facility was full of people but it lacked a warm healing vibe
because we had no art work on the walls. You truly came to the rescue.
Within a two week period you finished more than 40 original pieces
that uniquely reflected the 12 Step Principals, which are the
foundation of our treatment program.

The energy in the facility immediately improved the day after you hung
the first round of paintings. The clients, staff, and visitors all
commented on how much they enjoyed your contributions. The owner,
Phill Westbrooks liked your work so much that he bought some of the
paintings off the walls and then asked me to commission you to do
several paintings for his personal collection, including a 5ft x 4ft
family crest.

Banding thank you for being extremely professional and completing a
total of 112 paintings for the River Source facilities. As soon as we
open up another facility we will be calling you again :).

Sandra Simmons
River Source Life Coach

Creating a presence online as a artist.

Creating a presence online as a artist.

I had to make the step into the online world of marketing.  Being a artist that solely wants to sell his work online, I had to learn how to drive more traffic to my personal website.

The first step is creating a personal web page. A web page is important; it is a gallery that anyone can see from any where in the world.  People that see your page can also (if you set it up right) make purchases from where ever they are. This helps in becoming an international artist without even leaving your studio.

I created a website four years ago.  I bought a mac book pro and used the I web program to build the site.  It felt great doing it by myself because I like to be as self sufficient as possible.  After it was built, I sat back and was anxious to have new people come and visit my page.  I passed out 1000s of business cards in hopes that people would check it out.  By this time, I was already on myspace and I directed people to the page.  I began to get hits but nothing serious. So, I sat back and I waited, waited for the number of hits to stack up and the sales to start rolling in.... and waited and waited.  Hmm, something must be missing, I thought after waiting for three years.

Having a website is great and is a necessity.  However, having a website is also like having your own virtual private island that only you know how to get to.  In order to get visitors to this island you have to make road maps so that people can find it.  So lets talk about some of these basic road maps.  

When I speak of road maps, I am speaking of SEO, search engine optimization, blogging, article writing, posting comments on due follow blogs, social media networking, youtube videos and publishing all of your relevant content anywhere and everywhere that you can on the web. You can pay someone to market your website on the web.  They will be an online marketing pro.  If you're like most artists, you're doing your best to just to feed yourself so, it is difficult to pay someone to market your product for you.  The following are a few things you can do that require little or no money to get started.

After creating a web site, the next step is to create a blog.  Blogging is wonderful because it allows other people that are in your field or just lovers of your field to read relevant information about you and what you are doing.  When I started blogging I thought, "What should I blog about?" I started to think about what the people that have bought my art and other artists want and need to know about.  I started with who a biography of I am and why I create.  Then, I started to talk about the styles that I create and my creative process.  Now, I am focussing more about the steps that I am taking to market myself on the web.  I do my best to write 1 to 3 blogs a week.  Every week I pick up at least one new follower.  The going has been a little slow but blogging is a process that should be continued forever.  Blogging is also a great tool to use to look back at what you have done in reflection.  A personal learning map of trial and error. When you blog you want to add a link to your website that will drive people back to it.  You also want to add tag words.  I will talk about tag words in a bit.

After creating a blog, the next thing to do is find a website/service that will publish articles. The one that I use is: http://ezinearticles.com.   Ezinearticles takes your article and it will publish it posting it out to their readers.  Thousands will have access to it.  People read it and you'll get a following of readers.  It will help lead people back to your website by you linking your website in the article.  In order to cut down on my writing, I use the same content from my blog as I do for my article.  I post my article at the same time that I write my blogs. This service is also free.

Make some videos.  I got a youtube account and started to make videos.  I started with videos of me painting live, painting in the studio, painting murals.  Video making is fun because the more I get into it, the process becomes a creative act as well.  Start thinking about filming relevant content on your topic, informational videos and help videos.  Pretty soon you'll get people waiting for your next one.  By making videos, you are marketing your work and sending more people to your site.

After you create your website,  an article, blog and video  it's time to create a few profiles on some social networking sites.  You do this so that you can notify people that you are creating, that you're producing great art, being successful and having fun while doing it.  I am on,Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. I am on art websites as well, Onewithit, Daggerrom, Myartspace and Flicker.  Every time I produce a new art piece, I take a picture of it and I notify all those sites with a link to my new picture and my site.  Every time I write a new blog or do anything that is worth mentioning, I post it up on all the sites.  Now, people are noticing that I am a creative wrecking ball and slowly but surely I am gaining a following online from people all over the world.  I'm selling art to strangers that live across the seas.  The more time you put in the more that you get back.  Be proactive.

Collect emails from the people that are interested in what you are all about.  Every chance I get, I exchange emails with someone and or take their card.  I get to my office and log in their info.  I try not to blast my email list too often.  Perhaps once every three months I will do a mass email to notify people of my new work, new sites, blogs, art shows etc. I don't do it too often because no one likes spam.  Make your information useful, relevant and be tactful.  Spamers are spotted fast now and communities won't put up with them.  It also makes you look cheap.

A little about SEO, search engine optimization.  I can't go too far into detail about this because I am a bit of a noob in this field.  But with the help of a very good friend, I got showed the right direction and more then a few things that I can do by myself to help in the marketing process.  SEO is all about getting google/search engines to recognize your website as a formidable website that is  legitimate that entities use and visit.  One major way search engines do this, is by reading/counting how many legitimate links you have going to your page.  The more links you have in the online world the more google/search engines will respect your website and it will start to place it closer to the top pages. To help make this happen, you have to come up with tag words.  Tag words are words that you put to describe whatever you are doing.  Mine are, abstract art, pop art, stencil art, surrealism, modern wall art, buddha art, mural art.  Every time I write a blog or an article, I put these words somewhere in it.  On my website every page's url address has these words in it. These words also help people find my artwork and me when they are randomly searching for lets say "pop art".  Because I have "pop art" linked to my website on so many pages google is placing me closes to the top.  The more links I create that involve these words, the more google will identify them with my website.  I know, it's complex, I'm barely learning it now. Most of this stuff you have to have someone that is a SEO agent help you out with because they have access to programs that will allow them to analyze the efficiency of the way your website is generating traffic.  From there you can have a better understanding of what you need to do to create more traffic.  Also, they have programs that will analyze the competition for tag words telling you how many people are trying to use the word.  The more people that are using the word the more competition you are going to have linking your specific site to it.  If you're like most artists that don't have the $$$ to go out and get a SEO agent there are more then a few things that you can do yourself to go to make waves and go forward like blogging, social networking  and producing relevant information and publishing it.  Won't happen over night, but the more you put in the more you'll get back.

If you want to learn more about online marketing and SEO youtube and google search it.  There is free information on the subject that will give you a better understanding of it.  I googled and youtubed it for a week straight, watched videos and listed to free online seminars.

Have FUN! Hope some of my experiences has helped.

My thoughts on Mural Art.

Mural art

~Why I like to paint BIG~

Painting a mural is the most gratifying experience that I have had.  Painting at least the size of real life almost makes the mural come to life.   As if I can step and walk into the painting, step or walk into  my mind.  In a sense it is like I am stepping into myself.

I have painted quite a few large murals for clients.  Every one has been super rewarding.  I learn more about painting in one mural then I learn in painting a dozen small paintings.  If i had to pick one size to paint all the time  it would be mural size. 

Doing a mural you can express, abstract art, pop art, stencil art, modern art, surrealism there is no limit to what can be created.  The personal imagination is the only limit to what can be achieved.

~Why I feel people Mural 

Mural Art can define time.  All of our ancestors participated in mural arts.  They used murals to describe history, events, timelines, possible future events, maps to the heavens, sacred rituals etc.  Mural art is empowering, it takes the subject matter to the very edge of bringing it to actual life because of the magnitude of its size.  Murals involve communities and they bring people together. Brings people in the community together because murals usually are a reflection of the community.  Wether the community is a rural town or large inner city they help educate by showing culture, diversity, history and help to beautify the area.

~Using the Grid to mural~

When I execute a mural I like to use the grid method to get my image on the wall.  For those of you that don't know the grid method I will briefly explain,  You draw out the image on a smaller sheet of paper.  After you draw it you use simple math to construct a grid on top.  Example. I will  make 1inch by 1 inch squares on top of the drawing.  Depending on the size of the wall I make a larger grid to scale.  I will make the squares in the larger grid sometimes 1 foot, 2 foot, 3 foot etc.  The size of the grid on the wall depends on the size of the wall.  The bigger the wall the bigger the squares.  The largest mural I have painted was in the scottsdale museum of fine arts, it was 40 feet long by 24 feet tall.  I used 2 foot squares for the grid.  The purpose of the grid is to find where you are in in perspective and proportion giving you guide lines to follow.

~Briefly how to Begin to mural~

My biggest goal is to continue to travel around the world painting murals.  There is a formula to ever success.  In order to get hired to paint murals in your community as well as all around the world you have to start murals.  It is difficult sometimes because as a full time artist you need eat and earn money. You also need to get your name out there and let the community know that you are a muralist.  To get your name exposed a muralist will donate his/her time to the community and does a few murals for little or no pay.   This is done because you need to build a portfolio of murals in order to be sought out by other organizations that need murals to be done.  Once the artist has about half a dozen legitimate murals then the ball starts rolling a bit and you might start to get a few paying gigs.   Because I had a reputation already with the community and I have built a strong cliental of people that buy my art, starting to find mural work  came naturally.

~My First Large Mural~

Before I executed my first mural I had painted large on canvas 5 foot x 10 foot.  My first mural I painted was 40 feet long by 24 feet tall.  I was a little overwhelmed at first.  This was to be executed in the scottsdale museum of the arts.   I was a little nervous because I had never painted this big let alone in a first class museum.  I took control of my anxiety and got to work.  We had scaffolding, ladders, drop cloths, tools and paint, lots of paint , the whole nine yards....  I gridded the whole wall out with 2 foot by 2 foot squares.  After doing the grid I felt way more confident.  I drew my picture  all out.  After I drew it out I started with the color fills.  Before I knew it the mural was taking shape and form and I was feeling not just better about myself but proud of myself.  The point is: You have to have a strategy, a plan of action with well laid out steps for anything to be accomplished.  Now I paint murals all the time, I am known to finish them sometimes in less then a few hours.  But it took hard work, willing to have a open mind to learn and a honest sense of humility.

http://www.Bandinghendrix.com

http://bandinghendrix.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/BandingHendrix

Abstract art ~What it is, Where does it come from? Why do I do it?

Abstract art is art that does not try to represent a specific subject matter or something that is recognizable in reality.  Abstract art plays on the emotions of the artist completely by using shapes, colors and textures.  Abstract art is very spontaneous in nature.

When I paint abstract art I do my best to start with at least three different colors.  These colors can be complimentary or opposite on the color wheel.  This depends on what I want to have the viewer feel and experience .  Do I want bright colors that are so opposite that they vibrate when you see them? Such as green and purple, yellow and blue.  Or do I want colors that harmonize when you look at them causing your eyes to move in a soothing pattern across the canvas?  There is no wrong or right way to paint abstract art because there is no wrong or right way to feel while painting it. 

~Emotions

Emotions  are the key ingredient for abstract art.  What is the artist feeling?  Is he feeling angry, sad, in love, out of love, inspired, aggressive?  Mood can be greatly effected on the habituates a artists takes and doesn't take.  Artists have had a long reputation for using outside stimuli in the form or alcohol, weed, pills etc.  I do not agree with this and I do not disagree with it.  I am also not saying every artist uses.  But I will say that a lot of great art has been inspired and created under the influence and sober.  So what does this mean?  Emotions are key in creating art, sad or happy, drunk or sober whatever state the artist is in is going to influence the outcome of the piece.

~When to stop, Less is more

When I paint abstract art , I feel as though I want to put subject matter on it, a flower, bird, person, building, etc.  I see a beautiful background and I want to put something that defines an image.  Most of my art I combine what I am feeling with what I see or am inspired by.  However I feel the real challenge in producing a great abstract piece is knowing when to stop, when to say "enough".  Abstract art can be as simple as a black and white painting and  have a few powerful brush strokes.  It can be minimal in construction and design.  The artist is saying more with less words, less strokes can say more by utilizing the empty space that now just exists.

~Less Is More, but some times More is better

When I am painting abstract art I try to challenge myself in using less.  Meaning how can I make a powerful piece of art by utilizing the empty space that is on the canvas?  Say more by saying nothing, paint more by using the paint to excentuate the emptiness giving it form.  But the opposite exists as well.  How many layers can I use? I ask myself.  In my opinion layers of paint mean layers of emotion.  So when I want to convey more, I ask "how many layers can I have?"  "How many layers can I build?"  "How much more color and texture can there be?"  I build layers much like  a sculptor would take away to expose the hidden form  but with layers I add to define dimensions, texture, shape. This conveys emotion.

~Abstract Art where does it come from?

All my pieces of art combine a aspect of the undefinable, the unknown the abstract.  I  combine my pop art, surrealism, modern art and abstract art together to form my individual style.  Abstract art is fun. It allows me to explore the subterranean levers of my psyche.  As I dump colors, work with brush strokes, thick gobs of overlaying paint, my mind travels.  It travels to a place that can be only explained through the finished product. This allows me to release hidden layers of myself that I can not reach without engaging in the artistic  action of painting.  Abstract art is the reflection of the inner mind.


I like to combine my abstract art with my pop art, stencil art, mural art, buddha art.  Major styles of art have already been defined. I do my best to merge styles together to form something that has been influenced by a certain genre but make it my own by mixing, destroying, and rebuilding.

Abstract art, What it is, Where does it come From and Why do I do it?

Abstract art

~What is it, Where does it come from and Why do I do it?

Abstract art is art that does not try to represent a specific subject matter or something that is recognizable in reality.  Abstract art plays on the emotions of the artist completely by using shapes, colors and textures.  Abstract art is very spontaneous in nature.

When I paint abstract art I do my best to start with at least three different colors.  These colors can be complimentary or opposite on the color wheel.  This depends on what I want to have the viewer feel and experience .  Do I want bright colors that are so opposite that they vibrate when you see them? Such as green and purple, yellow and blue.  Or do I want colors that harmonize when you look at them causing your eyes to move in a soothing pattern across the canvas?  There is no wrong or right way to paint abstract art because there is no wrong or right way to feel while painting it. 

~Emotions

Emotions  are the key ingredient for abstract art.  What is the artist feeling?  Is he feeling angry, sad, in love, out of love, inspired, aggressive?  Mood can be greatly effected on the habituates a artists takes and doesn't take.  Artists have had a long reputation for using outside stimuli in the form or alcohol, weed, pills etc.  I do not agree with this and I do not disagree with it.  I am also not saying every artist uses.  But I will say that a lot of great art has been inspired and created under the influence and sober.  So what does this mean?  Emotions are key in creating art, sad or happy, drunk or sober whatever state the artist is in is going to influence the outcome of the piece.

~When to stop, Less is more

When I paint abstract art , I feel as though I want to put subject matter on it, a flower, bird, person, building, etc.  I see a beautiful background and I want to put something that defines an image.  Most of my art I combine what I am feeling with what I see or am inspired by.  However I feel the real challenge in producing a great abstract piece is knowing when to stop, when to say "enough".  Abstract art can be as simple as a black and white painting and  have a few powerful brush strokes.  It can be minimal in construction and design.  The artist is saying more with less words, less strokes can say more by utilizing the empty space that now just exists.  When using less is more in abstract art it starts to become something else, modern wall art.

~Less Is More, but some times More is better

When I am painting abstract art I try to challenge myself in using less.  Meaning how can I make a powerful piece of art by utilizing the empty space that is on the canvas?  Say more by saying nothing, paint more by using the paint to excentuate the emptiness giving it form.  But the opposite exists as well.  How many layers can I use? I ask myself.  In my opinion layers of paint mean layers of emotion.  So when I want to convey more, I ask "how many layers can I have?"  "How many layers can I build?"  "How much more color and texture can there be?"  I build layers much like  a sculptor would take away to expose the hidden form  but with layers I add to define dimensions, texture, shape. This conveys emotion.

~Abstract Art where does it come from?

All my pieces of art combine a aspect of the undefinable, the unknown the abstract.  I  combine my pop art, surrealism, modern art and abstract art together to form my individual style.  Abstract art is fun. It allows me to explore the subterranean levers of my psyche.  As I dump colors, work with brush strokes, thick gobs of overlaying paint, my mind travels.  It travels to a place that can be only explained through the finished product. This allows me to release hidden layers of myself that I can not reach without engaging in the artistic  action of painting.  Abstract art is the reflection of the inner mind.

http://twitter.com/BandingHendrix

~Stencil ART, Everything That it is To me~

~Stencil Art Has been around for 1000s of years

The earliest examples of stenciling are found in Paleolithic cave paintings dating from as early as 30,000 BC to 9,000 BC. Some of the first stencils were cut from leaves. The Fiji Island natives traditionally used bamboo and banana leaves to make their stencils. They cut holes in the leaves and forced vegetable dyes through the leaf openings onto their bark cloth or "Tapa". The Eskimos of Baffin Island are said to have used dried sealskin but unfortunately nothing remains of these early stencils as they were made from perishable materials.  Stenciling has been around for ages, it is a amazing skill and talent that a lot of people need to learn to respect.

~Stenciling is a Art and a Skill~

I have heard people say when looking at a stenciled piece of art work "oh it's just a stencil".  A lot of the time this person has never even tried making a stencil and has no idea the skill that it takes to make a effective design using a stencil.  Now yes, like all art there is bad stencils and great stencils but in any regard stenciling is a art and a skill.  When I make a stencil I take a image, lets say of a face.  I draw this image out on regular paper.  I draw the shadows of the the image because this is what is going to make the image after it has been cut.  You have to draw the image in a way that you are defining the image by using the shadows and simple line work to the best of your ability.  You also have to make sure you draw it in a way that will allow all the pieces to stay intact so you won't have chucks of your design falling out when you cut it.  After I draw it I take my drawing and I have it laminated at kinkos or office max.  I do this because it will help preserve the life of the stencil and the laminate gives a great stiff surface that's flat when you spray it. Once laminated you have to cut it out with a xacto blade.  This is why it is very important to make sure your elements of your design is going to stay intact.  Now that you have a stencil cut, go and try it out.  Have fun!

~The Reason Why I Laminate My Stencils~

When I make a stencil I like to laminate it.  I laminate it for a few reasons.  

1. It helps preserver the life of the stencil.  I have stencils that I have used 100s of times and they are still giving me clean lines and great art.

2. The laminate helps keep the stencil stiff and flat.  The more stiff and more flat the stencil the cleaner the image is going to come out after you stencil it.

3. After using the stencil 100s of times you can put the stencil in the refrigerator over night.  When you pull it out you can crack off the layers of paint and return the stencil almost back to it's original life. Thats if the layers of paint are spray paint.

4. If the stencil is laminated then you can make bleach stencils on shirts.  Get dark colored shirts or any fabric for that matter.  Go outside on a sunny day, fill a spray bottle up with 50% bleach 50% water.  Lay the stencil down on the shirt as long as it's flat.  Spray the the bleach.  Allow to dry.  Remove stencil, if everything worked out you should have a new t-shirt with your own design on it.

~Guerilla Arts

Stencil art is a very powerful medium.  It is powerful because once you have the stencil cut you can make a painting in a matter or minutes.  As a Guerilla artist taking your art to the street is a powerful way to get your art seen and noticed.  Using strong stenciled imagery you can get your logo, message, image and stye up on city walls in a very fast way.  Doing stencils on city walls is as illegal as graffiti.  To be a artist is to be a rebel by nature. Art is a personal expression and if it looks good, then it looks good.  My motto is: no schools, private homes, churches, private business, existing murals and city artwork but corporate advertising, freeway structures, highways, traffic signs are all free game.  Like I said it is illegal so keep this in mind if you're thinking of becoming a Guerilla artist.   It is also a way for artists to claim back public domain and promote freedom of expression.

~When I Realized I need to make Stencils~

I realized I needed to make stencils at my first Phoenix Art walk.  It was  my friend and I.  It was about four years ago, we were set up on the side of the street.  Back before the politics of the city got involved vendors could set up anywhere pretty much.  My friend had stencils, small elemental designs of hawks, butterflies, sea creatures placed on a elemental background. He was selling them like crazy, $20, $30 each.  I had a small set up with my icons, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and Audrey Hepburn to name a few.  I was selling zero.  

I was out of the range of the market of the buyers there.  What should I do I thought?  Earlier that week I had found three pallets of 8 in x 11inch scrap pieces of wood near a dumpster behind a industrial building.  I talked to the owner and he let me have them.  I came home after first friday thinking and  starring at all the wood scraps.  Finally it came to me.  I love painting icons, but I need to make them more affordable to the buyers on the street.  So I decided to make stencils of my favorite icons and use the the scraps of wood to paint them on!  It was a success.  I originally had 2000 pieces of scrap wood. Since then I have painted and sold pretty much all of the original 2000 set by using stencils on them.  After the scraps of wood were gone I would go to Home Depot and buy plywood and cut it down to size and then nail a small backing on the back.  I have further refined the process.  Now I take wood door skin, cut it down to size, make 1 inch siding/framing around the door skin so it is a 1 inch shallow box.  I spray my stencils on those now.  I have sold thousands of them from $20-$40 price range all from that first idea of stenciling.

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http://www.Bandinghendrix.com

Making a Living as a Multi-talented Artists.

I find most artists wether your a painter, dancer, musician or any other creative medium also have a secondary medium that they explore in.  It is challenging already to take a personal talent and make it work for you in a financial way.  A lot of artists are talented in their field but lack the know how to get the ball rolling.  So if you are an artist that enjoys a couple different ways to express your art, how do you choose which one to take to a professional level?  A level in which you can  make a living.  These are the questions that I had to ask myself when I decided to leave the "work for someone else world" and just wanted to do art. There is no right way.  The beauty of being a true artist is paving a personal path through trial and error.  

I will explain how I developed my painting skills to start to bring in income. Also how I decided out of the talents that I possess guitar, martial arts, dance and painting how I chose what one to develop into a profession.  I will also explain briefly my next mission and that is: how do I combine my mediums of artistic expression to form a supper "unit".

After graduating from the art institute of Phoenix, I got a job working at Air Photo USA.  This was a map making company that had small cessna  airplanes that would take arial photo images.   I worked in the quality control department.  My job was to scan whole maps in photoshop and look for abnormalities.  Such as specks, hairs, dust that the scanner picked up, bad color and wavy lines or over lapping images.  Once I found them I would correct them in photoshop.  I did this for little over 2 years. Sitting in front of a computer all day was mind numbing, I almost went nuts!  I was let go with a small severance package.  

I had some money saved and with the severance package that I received, I thought, "Now what?".  I was no longer doing any illustration and/or painting because I felt I was burnt out from the Art Institute of Phoenix. I was concentrating heavily on guitar and martial arts training.  I had been playing guitar for several years by now and would practice at least two hours a day.  I got pretty efficient in it.  I wanted to produce and make music.  But was I ready to?? NO, way.  I knew this and to this day I am just now getting ready to really get some things recorded 6 years later. We are also  our own worst critics. 

After leaving Air Photo USA, I had a bit of an emotional episode involving a relationship that went Splat!  I figured it was time to pack my bags and move back to San Francisco my hometown and live with my older brother. I thought I needed to figure out what it was I want to do with my life before my small amount of saving was gone.  

I started meditating and asking myself, "What is it that I want out of Life?" I never focused on what I did not want in my Life.  Every self reflective question/statement I asked myself was stated something like this:

"I want to work for myself"  

"How do I work for myself?"  

"What do I have right now?  

"What talent that I have will and can be utilized to put money in my pocket and food in my mouth?"

"What talent that I possess is going to make me happy doing it all the time?"

I looked at the guitar player in me.  I had been playing for a few years and although I had become fluent playing the instrument, I had no real experience writing songs and/or singing. Not to mention, I was shy and really had not developed confidence in my singing ability. So, the prospects of getting booked for any gigs soon didn't look too promising. 

Okay what's Next?

Then I looked at the dancer/martial artist talent in me.  I have been doing martial arts almost all of my life on and off with different intentions and intensities. Although, I consider myself above a normal standard for martial arts ability, I knew if I wanted to open my own school I would have to find a new teacher.  I would have to start with a new system and I would have to start competitions and fights to gain experience and establish a following.  That takes time and money.  I needed money Now!  Plus, after evaluating the reasons why I train, doing cage matches and becoming a MMA fighter didn't seem to appealing.  I am not a fighter.  I don't train martial arts to win fights.  I train so I know how to survive in Life and keep myself disciplined. I am into survival. I still train and I can see myself teaching one day.  I would teach purely to give back to the community and not try to make a living from it.  As for dancing, I had just picked up free style dance, house, modern and brake-dance. I had no formal training.  It was basically the same story as my martial arts history.

I asked myself, "What do I have left?  Who Am I and what is my strongest talent?"  I then asked myself, "What do I feel the most comfortable and confident doing?  What have I been doing the longest?  ART, Painting! Derr.  I knew that I could start selling my art work if I started painting again.  I had not picked up a brush in years.  But, I knew it was inside of me and not that hard to find.  When I look back at my earliest memories, painting and being creative always stands out as one of my fondest talents.

I am what I am today and I am here today because that was the beginning process.

  

Whatever your talent is, pick the one that you feel is the most powerful.  Pick the one that is the most marketable.  Also, pick the one that brings you the most freedom in mind and spirit because it is the most natural to you.  Once you have found that, the next step is to make a game plan.  Little steps, fight and win little battles because it is those that make up the entire picture. I will share with you my first game plan so you can get the idea.

I wanted to sell my work.  But I didn't have a piece of work to sell, not one painting and I had not painted in years.  I had to get the juices going.  I sat down and meditated... Bingo, this is what needed to be done.  I went to the art store and bought a portfolio book with empty sleeves.  I also bought pens and markers.  I wasn't ready for the brush yet.  But I told myself that I am going to fill up this whole book with illustrations and then take the best ones and make paintings out of them.  So I began.  It was one of the most memorable times in my life. I drew all day filling this book up and getting myself inspired.  I started to surround myself with like minded people.  I also rented movies and read books on my favorite artist to find out their process.  The universe I believe works in mysterious ways.  Before I knew it an opportunity found me.  

I came back to Arizona from San Francisco for Thanksgiving and met a friend of mine from Arizona who runs a local chain of Italian restaurants. He gave art shows out of the restaurants every so often.  He and a couple investors had  a company called Dreamz Art.  This company would give artists' shows, represent them and make giclees prints of their work.  He ask me to come up with a series.  When the book was done  come up with at least 6 new paintings from the book.  Come back to Arizona and lets have your first art show.  Great, everything was falling into place.  

I moved back to Arizona and had a successful art showing. I  have been painting full time ever since, pop art, modern wall art, abstract art, surrealism.  Once I got that initial push, I was able to support myself with my artwork. I find that opportunities constantly are coming my way.  I appreciate all the opportunities that continue to come my way even though I realize we all  have good days, good months but also have down days and bad months. The way I stay mentally positive is to do my best to stay productive!  When I get stuck in life, I ask myself, "What can I do right now, in this moment that can help me go forward?"  Be mindful of your time and how you spend it, because the smallest effort could start a chain of events that could link you to a huge success. Remember this, any productive action is a move in the right direction.  No action is a move in no direction.  Regardless how small, it is all part of the larger goal!  I am constantly striving for the next level because I know if I keep this same formula success will always come.

Have a realistic plan.  A realistic plan will start with a few small goals that you know you can accomplish within a reasonable amount of time.  I like to look at my greater goal, then I work myself backward on a piece of paper writing out the steps on how to get there.  If you try to conquer your large goal first without breaking it down into smaller units it probably won't work. It will fall apart at the seams because it has no real foundation.

So now that I am selling my artwork on a consistent basis how do I incorporate painting with my guitar playing?  My goal is to play the guitar at gigs and display my art with it.  I am using the same formula that I did with my artwork..  I am coming up with some songs, practicing them and doing my best to come up with a 45 min set.  Once I have my set finished,  I need to put together a small business proposal that I can take and present to local venues and show them what I have.  I think it would be a great idea, play my music and have a vending booth to sell my art. 

If you're a multi talented artist and are having a hard time starting out and picking which one to pursue, I hope reading my process has helped a little.  You might even have two talents that are equal.  I have a few friends like this.  They dance professionally and play in a band, they DJ at clubs and show their artwork.  Being a full time artist you have to survive and to do that you have to have a product/talent that you can sell to the public.  I know now I can go to pretty much any major city in the world and if I have the right supplies to paint, I can feed myself, I can survive.  I feel the next article I will write will be:  Full time artists, more then surviving, it's about thriving and becoming very successful.

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