01 Thursday Oct 2020
Posted in Abstract Art, Art, Gift Ideas
Tags
art, art life, art success, Artist, artist interview, artist's resources, artists, artists tips, artwork, career, life, self improvement, self love, sharon cummings, successful artists
Sometimes we tell people we are just an artist…but we are so much more!
18 Saturday Jul 2020
Posted in Abstract Art, Gift Ideas, Spirituality
Tags
abstract art, career, Colorful Art, erma bombeck quotes, inspiration, inspirational art, inspirational quotes, motivational words, sharon cummings art, talent, words of wisdom
Use them up! We need you! I’ve combined the words of Erma Bombeck with one of my colorful abstract paintings. Art for everyone!
21 Thursday Aug 2014
Posted in Art, Uncategorized
Tags
art, Artist, artwork, blessings, blue art, career, career change, contemporary art, eBay, encouragement, faabest, goals, hope, modern art, painting, paintings, sharon cummings, Sleeping Beauty, tampa artist
Since this week has been dedicated to artwork of the past, I thought I’d share a little about the history of my online art sales. I have always been an artist. But I have only been creating professionally for about 12 years. Before my career transition, I was a personal trainer, kick boxing instructor and nutritional consultant. I enjoyed working with people and inspiring them to make healthy choices in their lives. It was very rewarding and I had no plans to do anything else. However, a nasty fall that broke my left foot and a car accident that left my shoulders and neck in disarray provided me with an opportunity to choose something different. It took my body about 3 months to heal enough to even consider working again, but what happened next proved to be the best healing of all.
When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be a writer, but art seemed like a more viable option. I couldn’t have been more wrong “at the time.” I signed up for art school with the excitement and delusion of youth. I worked hard and did well. With a degree in hand and a few interviews under my belt, I soon realized that there was no money in art “at the time” so I put my dreams on the shelf and pursued other ventures.
It’s funny how a tragedy like a car accident can sometimes lead to something wonderful in your life. That is exactly what happened to me. I was broke, disabled and too stubborn to take financial aid. Then my husband asked me if I could just find a way to make 1000 per month so we could pay our bills. Personal training was off the table as my body has never been the same since my injuries. One night while searching the Internet for inexpensive business clothing, I discovered something that I had never even considered. People were selling their art Online! I was pumped because I knew it was something I could do with hard work and perseverance. I had been there and done that already. So I got that old dream off of the shelf and got going!
This piece above titled “Sleeping Beauty” is the very first painting that I listed for sale Online. It sold for 75.00 on eBay. I was hooked! And I have never looked back……
You can see more of my artwork here:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-sharon-cummings.html?tab=artworkgalleries
20 Wednesday Aug 2014
Posted in Art
Tags
abstract art, art, art career, art school, Artist, artists portfolio, before Photoshop, career, colored pencils, dealing with criticism, dealing with haters, dealing with nasty people, drawings, friends, hand drawn art, happiness, ink, joy, making art, markers, old school, overcoming, pen, pen & ink drawings, pen and ink, portfolio, positive thinking, positivity, realism, realistic art, sharing, sharon cummings, vulnerability
When I decided to open up my 25 year old portfolios to the World, there was a sense of vulnerability that came with it. I’ve been a professional artist for around 12 years now, so that leaves 13 years unaccounted for. During that time, I worked on a Phd. in Holistic Nutrition and I was a personal trainer/nutritional consultant. That is a long story, but here I am today making a living doing what I have always loved!
While I have greatly appreciated all of the positive feedback I have gotten from my fans, friends and collectors, it is a comment from a stranger that sticks out the most. This person said that my pen and ink work is fake and Photoshop artistry. This person meant to be mean and nasty, but what I realize now is that it is the BEST compliment I have ever received on my art in my entire life! 25 years ago there was no Photoshop. In fact there was no computer artistry at all available to me. Everything was done by hand. Knowing that my work was as good then as Photoshop is today makes me feel more confident about sharing this older work with all of you. 🙂
While I could have taken the comment to heart in the way it was intended and closed up my portfolios for good, I’ve decided that this person will be a catalyst for me to share even more of myself. So a big THANK YOU goes out to “Sylvia” for her negative comments. You could have not have paid me a bigger compliment!
It’s old and frayed and the zipper is broken.
The one on the left contains originals and the one on the right are copies meant to show perspective employers.
Airbrushing, pen and ink, drawing and marker work are all represented here.
Billboard and magazine mock ups.
Markers were one of my favorite mediums to work with. I loved the colors and detail I could get with them!
More pen and ink on cardboard with some watercolor work too.
I even did some screen printing work as seen on the left. Pastels and markers are represented here.
More marker work and the strawberries are colored pencil.
And just for fun a few from childhood. The dates say middle school.
***I’ve left these images FULL-SIZED. Straight from my camera without any computer manipulation. Quick shots early this morning before the sun was up. So click on them and have a look. And PLEASE when I list them…..Tell me they look as good as Photoshop! 😉
28 Saturday Jun 2014
Posted in Art
Tags
art, art for sale, art marketing, artist's resources, artists, best selling practices, career, earning a living, fine art america, flexibility, how to sell art, how to sell art online, income, make money with art, making a living with art, making money with art, online art sales, pod, print on demand, print on demand sites, prints, Redbubble, sell art, sell art smart, sell artwork, selling art, selling art online, sharon cummings, society 6
There was an article released yesterday that has a lot of artists in a panic. You can read the article here:
I will summarize it for you to save you some effort. Fine Art America is warning artists that all other Print On Demand (POD) sites are moving to a percentage business model. By in large, the new payment to artists will be a mere 5%. That definitely sucks. Fine Art America claims to be one of the few remaining POD sites that still allows a “set your own price” model. Some sites like Society 6 do allow us to put in our desired profit for some of their products. Others are set for us. The same is true for Redbubble. I agree that it is not ideal, but I find benefit to those two sites nonetheless.
I like Fine Art America and am currently making an amazing income with them. I am making more selling prints through FAA than I ever have for my entire print career. But what I have learned with online selling is that all good things can come to an end.
So are you flexible? One thing is constant in online art sales and that is change. Things WILL change. Sites that are booming today may go belly up tomorrow. But there are always new business models to take their place. Years ago I was on a site called Boundless Gallery. It was the BEST art site going for years and I made a TON of money with them. It was perfect and all of the best selling artist were very happy. Then they changed their business model and I saw the end coming. Instead of bitching and moaning about the inevitable failure of a terrific site, I made sure I was FLEXIBLE and I branched out into new territory. I tried different things until I found a few ideas that worked. And those same ideas that worked back then no longer do. But new ones have taken their place.
I have NEVER been without steady income in spite of things like eBay changing to a model that completely demoralizes artist. I got off of that horrible site. Boundless Gallery died a quick death and I survived. Other sites have come and gone too. The housing market crashed and I STILL made a great income every single month.
Why?
I remain flexible. I do not panic and worry about the future. I simply keep creating and marketing myself. I focus on the tools that are available to me today and I use the hell out of them! If new tools are offered in the future, I will use them too. I will always find a way to get my work out to the people that desire it. Always. The selling platform doesn’t matter to me as long as I am willing to market myself.
If Fine Art America changes their current business model to artists disadvantage, it may be that I set up my own print shop in my garage. I have enough space and enough money to invest in my career. I’ve been poised for this for the last 3 years. I already KNOW how to market myself! Or another site might come along that is even better. I am ready to bend and adapt.
For now I believe FAA is the best POD site out there. I hope it STAYS that way! If you have not tried them, have a look: http://www.fineartamerica.com
As an artist, I implore you to constantly be willing to change. Do not stay stuck in “one way” mentality as it will be your downfall. There is so much out there for us!
27 Tuesday May 2014
Posted in Art, Uncategorized
Tags
abstract art, abstract art for sale, abstract prints, art for sale, artists, buy art, buy modern art, buying prints, canvas prints, career, goals, hard work, making it as an artist, making money, modern art, modern art for sale, money, perseverance, print sales, prints, prints for sale, selling prints, sharon cummings, strength, success, successful artists
I am back this morning from a 3 day getaway with my daughter. We had a blast in Orlando enjoying the Gaylord, noshing and shopping! While I was away, I sold 15 prints between Etsy, Society 6 and Fine Art America. I still have to smile big when I realize how amazing it is to “make money while I sleep” or in this case vacation. For years I resisted selling prints of any kind. I thought they would reduce the value of my originals. But the opposite has been the case. I’ve been able to raise the prices on my originals and commissions and enjoy a steady income from my prints. I no longer have to paint 6 hours a day plus promote myself for another 6.
Of course it wasn’t easy to get to this point with my prints. Many countless hours have been spent over the last 2 years using intensive social media promotion to get my prints “out there”. I have blogged, Tweeted, Facebooked, Buffered, Houzzed, Waneloed, Pinned, Tumbled, Link’d, Stumbled and Googled my way to sales 7 days a week (except for small bits of time off here and there). And for the past year, I have had a group of 12 other artists and photographers that I cross promoted with daily. On average, I’d say I spent 4 hours a day promoting myself and cross promoting others. Whew! That’s a lot! Especially when all I really want to do is create. However, it has finally paid off and I can now make sales even when I am on vacation and doing nothing to promote myself. Since May 1st, I have not done any cross promoting and very little self promotion. About 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. And I get weekends free again!
Hard work…….it can pay off!
If you have goals for your life, do not give up! And for goodness’ sake, do not listen to those who tell you that it can’t be done. 🙂
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29 Tuesday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
aging, anxiety, art, bathroom, bedroom, botanical, botanical prints, bug, bugs, butterflies, butterfly, butterfly garden, butterfly wings, buy, career, change, ecology, face lifts, Family, feminine, for her, for sale, fun, garden, gardens, gift, gifts, growth, happy, healing, insect, insects, joy, joyful, letting go, living room, marriage, mixed media, mom, mother, mother's day, online, paintings, pentas, personal growth, powder room, prints, season, seasons, sharon cummings, skin, spring, summer, uncertainty, wing, wings
Are you trying to hold on to your youth? Your children? A dysfunctional family? A job that isn’t right for you? A marriage that doesn’t work? That D you got in trigonometry in high school?
So many of us cling tightly to what is familiar or comfortable. Others bind themselves to the past and allow it to punish them for their entire lives. Change is scary. Some just cannot picture a life different than the one they currently have. I have learned that the harder you grasp something, the more it hurts when it slips away from you. The secret to life is “letting go”. Also known as acceptance. This has nothing to do with giving up and everything to do with knowing when it is time to move on.
I had a few years of uncertainty and fear as I moved into middle age. I was panicked at the thought of my little girl out in the big mean World all by herself. My marriage had a major hiccup one Summer and I was not sure we would make it. I noticed that I was starting to lose the interest of men when I walked into a room. My body and face were aging and I did not know how to handle it. I was also very confused about what I wanted to do with my business. I considered shutting it down and taking a different path by getting back into Holistic Medicine. I call those years “the worry years”.
Slowly I started to realize that I could not hold onto all of those things that I wanted to remain the same. More importantly, I did not want to. I discovered it was safe to let go and just celebrate where I was headed. I was not only physically different, I was also mentally and emotionally transformed. At 45 I am now excited to watch my daughter leave for college and blossom into her own life. I will not be keeping her bedroom as a shrine where I can focus on the past. Instead it will be converted into a sanctuary for yoga and thinking. She will be welcome to visit anytime, but I will use that space for mediation. I have learned to work “with” my partner instead of “against” him as we weather life’s bumps. I am less selfish. I have also decided that I will not be artificially preserving my youthful face. It’s gone and no amount of face lifting, injecting or sand blasting is going to bring it back. It’s o.k. to have wrinkles and fine lines. In fact, if you allow yourself to let go of what society dictates is beautiful, you can actually admire them for what they really are: signs of a life that has endured numerous storms and celebrated many triumphs.
As for my career that is still being pondered. I have a few new ideas about what direction I would like to move in. But whatever I decide, the process leading up to it will not be fraught with anxiety. No, these are truly “the wonder years” for me. The dictionary tells us that “wonder” means: a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. And that is exactly where I am. Bring it on life!
24 Thursday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
art, Artist, artwork, blessings, blue art, career, career change, contemporary art, eBay, encouragement, faabest, goals, hope, modern art, painting, paintings, sharon cummings, Sleeping Beauty, tampa artist
I have always been an artist. But I have only been creating professionally for a little over 10 years. Before my career transition, I was a personal trainer, kick boxing instructor and nutritional consultant. I enjoyed working with people and inspiring them to make healthy choices in their lives. It was very rewarding and I had no plans to do anything else. However, a nasty fall that broke my left foot and a car accident that left my shoulders and neck in disarray provided me with an opportunity to choose something different. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be a writer, but art seemed like a more viable choice. I couldn’t have been more wrong “at the time.” A degree in hand and a few interviews later, I realized that there was no money in art (at the time) so I put my dreams on the shelf. It’s funny how a tragedy like a car accident can sometimes lead to something wonderful in your life. That is exactly what happened to me. I was broke, disabled and too stubborn to take financial aid. So I got that old dream off of the shelf, dusted it off and got going! This piece above titled “Sleeping Beauty” is my very first painting that I listed for sale. It sold for 75.00 on eBay. I was hooked! And I have never looked back……
You can see more of my artwork here:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-sharon-cummings.html?tab=artworkgalleries
01 Wednesday Jan 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
2014, art, art for sale, artwork, buy art, buy prints, career, change, energy, energy shift, faith, Family, friends, happy new year, healthy living, hope, in with the new, life, lifestyle, living, love, new year, out with the old, paintings, prints, renewal, sharon cummings
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/vitality-contemporary-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html
I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! For me 2013 was a mixed bag as I had a tremendous amount of success with my business and a great renewal of love with my husband and daughter, but I had some serious upheaval in my personal life. I lost a beloved dog, a best friend and also had to disconnect from some of my family members. 2014 is full of promise and it is time for an energy shift! I will be doing things this year that I have never done in every aspect of my life. Life is for living and I plan do do a lot more of that this year! Hold on to your hats…..it’s gunna be a wild ride!
30 Monday Dec 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
art, art career, art selling, Artist, artwork, career, creativity, facebook, google +, google plus, hard work, how to promote your art, how to sell art, how to sell prints, learning, original art, patience, perseverance, photographers, photography, pinterest, practice, print selling, prints, promoting, self promotion, self representing artist, selling art, sharon cummings, skills, social media, strength, stumbleupon, twitter
If you are an artist or photographer who has a dream of making a career out of your craft, you will need three things: practice, promotion and patience. And you will need them exactly in that order.
Practice means that you will be painting a lot of paintings. Many will be thrown right in the trash because they just didn’t work out. Photographers will be taking many photos in a single shoot only to find that none of them work or if you are lucky one is good enough to list for sale. You will try new things that will either be total flops or lead you to something really cool and interesting. You will invest money that seemingly never pays off. These days I sell about 5 prints a day on average from the various POD sites I am on and about 2 originals per week. The majority of what I am selling now is work I have created in the last year. Since I have been selling my art professionally for over 10 years this means that I am a much better artist today than I was back then. I have removed 100’s of images from my portfolios because as I practice and improve, I realize they aren’t my best work anymore. If you have just started creating photography or any kind of artwork within the last 2 years, I guarantee you that you need a lot more practice before your work will sell really well. If you look at the famous creatives most of them never sold early work while they were producing it and many never made a dime from it at all…money was only made after they were dead. In the Internet age we have so many opportunities that they never had. So keep creating regularly. The more you produce the better you will become and eventually sales will start rolling in. Babies do not come out walking and neither do artists. We crawl first.
While you are busy perfecting your art, there is a key ingredient to success that cannot be overlooked. Much like creatives of yesteryear we have to have someone believe in us and “get us out there” in order for our work to sell. For them it was luck and chance by being discovered by the right person at the right time. These days that someone is ourselves. You must believe in your work and be willing to share it with the World. Social Media provides us with instant access to millions of people from the comfort of our own studio computer, laptop or phone. We can connect to a mind boggling amount of followers with a few clicks. As an artist or photographer who lists on online galleries, if you are not using ALL of the FREE social media sites available to us, you are completely missing the boat. This post would be way too long for me to delve into all of the ins and outs of Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, etc. but there are tons of free resources online to get you started. Check out the link to my social media in my blog and see what I am doing.
Once you have the discipline to create new work on a regular basis and you are willing to put in some hard work promoting yourself what you are left with is time. It takes time to become successful. Patience will be your best friend for awhile. A year ago today I was only selling about 1 print a week and 2 years ago only 1 a month! Now it is 5 a day! But that did not happen overnight. It took about 2 years to get moved up in searches and it took about 6 more months of creating new and better art than I was used to producing and HEAVY social media promoting to see the magic start. And I am still learning and improving myself.
Not everyone is cut out for the kind of hard work and perseverance that an art career requires. But if you can commit to at least 3 years of constant creativity and as much promotion as time will allow, you can definitely find your market and succeed!
Abstract Art by Sharon Cummings 