Ode to my Love~Hate relationship with MONEY

As a single mom raising three children since 1994, I have had many different ways to define this relationship with MONEY. Where it comes from, where it goes, why I worry about it, and when it will be here are but a few of the historic areas of concern....

Monopoly Wall 2002

Graduate school was no exception.

Working three part-time jobs, attending college full-time, and attempting to still be a parent as I completed the BFA program at Alfred University with no car; kept the money issue Front and Center most of the time. Suffice it to so that making the commitment to continue into graduate school so that I could get my permanent teaching certification, required a whole new definition of my relationship with money. 

As the search for a permanent teaching job began, my "baby" brother began to suffer the epileptic affects of a Traumatic Brain Injury. He and his family moved home from Arizona and in with us while we figured out how to navigate the VA system. 

It was a house full of lots of love and never enough of the "M" word. To address my feelings on this issue, I found some paint on the "oops!" shelf at K-Mart's home improvement section. I painted my bedroom wall red (because we were always in the red) and re-purposed this monopoly game to show the kids (Mine were ages 11, 9, and 8. My brother's girls were 4 and 2) that value and joy are not always defined by this paper item.  Granted had any of this been REAL money it NEVER would have ended up on the wall. 

These concepts have stayed with me since then. Naturally, they are beginning to influence how I run my studio business. I have posted about these issues most-recently here:

B~Arter~and~Trade June 2013
Ideas to Paint Happy in January 2014
Keeping Art Affordable in February 2014

Working through the Root:30 Day Journal Project and The Right Brain Business plan is helping me to clarify AND apply these concepts in practical ways. Finally there is a resounding follow- through and direction emerging from the cement of this foundation.

New Conceptual Portrait Package Options

What is a "Conceptual Portrait"?

(Watch FAQ Video)

 Summer Girls

Basic EXAMPLE 1: 

(A combination of one classical portrait and an imaginary idea.)

This classical portrait of two sisters was transformed to become a fantasy image by giving each of the girls wings. 

Basic EXAMPLE 2: 

(A combination of one or more reference images)

As the youngest child in this drawing was born several years AFTER the original photograph was taken, a combination of resource images was used to create this final candid-shot group portrait. 

August Rising is a framed, full-color, group portrait in an imaginary landscape which was made from a composite of six individual photographs of five individual children.

Conceptual Portrait Package Options 

(Updated 10-8-15)

STUDIO VISITS ARE BY APPOINTMENT 

Commissions/Orders under $150 must be paid in advance. Over $150 a 50% deposit is required to begin work. Balance due upon project completion.
Prices include NYS Sales Tax. Additional Shipping Fees may apply.

Sample Video of a 16" x 20 conceptual portrait, Greenwood Ovation, in progress. 

(Framed to 18" x 24")

In addition to the above commissioned project package options, Conceptual Portraits are also available as Acrylic Paintings on Stretched Canvas

Off To See The Wizard and

Honesty and Hope (a.k.a.No Pain, No Gain)

are examples of paintings done in this manner.

Current Rates:

8" x 10" Unframed $150 ea. 

11" x 14" Unframed $200 ea.

16” x 20” Unframed $300 ea. 
18” x 24” Unframed $400 ea. 

*Optional Additional charge for Framing 

based on Patron Selection,

Additional Options Negotiable

More Options

Printable Price List & Order Form PDF

New Classical Portrait Package Options

Sample: Single Subject Classical Portrait (not for sale)
©Sheila L. Kalkbrenner
Portrait Gallery

Sample: 2-subject
Classical Portrait (not for sale)
©Sheila L. Kalkbrenner
Portrait Gallery

ALL NEW Package D:

• 16" x 20" graphite drawing ($130)
• Digital, watermark-free, image to share with friends and family ($35)
• Mini 5"X7" Flip-book of images of the work in progress ($25) 

Purchased separately:  $250 

PACKAGE PRICE ONLY: $199 

NEW Portrait Boxed Set  $40
 One 5"x7" graphite on paper 
Classical Portrait
with a matching set of 12 Fine Art Note Cards 

MORE Portrait Packages:

(updated 10-8-15) 

STUDIO VISITS ARE BY APPOINTMENT

Commissions/Orders under $150 must be paid in advance. Over $150 a 50% deposit is required to begin work. Balance due upon project completion.
Prices include NYS Sales Tax. Additional Shipping Fees may apply.

PRINTABLE PRICE LIST and ORDER FORM PDF

Barter For Art:Keeping Art Affordable

As I work through the Right Brain Business Plan  e-course, I am making significant discoveries about the needs of my target markets (apparently I have more than one) and what makes this pursuit valuable to me. 

Keeping Art Affordable is an important mission here. With that in mind, I am developing new combination packages for portraits, pre-printed merchandise, and special projects. 

Also, to meet studio needs while catering to my local market; my new official Barter for Art system begins today. 

Building on the ideas discussed in the  Barter & Trade System portion of my post from Week 2 of the Root 30: Day Journal Project; I am defining an independent economy for my studio.   
How it works: 
The first column on the left identifies the items and services that are of value here in the studio. The second two columns show what art I am willing to exchange for those art-worthy items. As with most barter systems, there is room for negotiation regarding other ideas and offerings. 

Barter for Art Exchange Guidelines 

Please feel free to contact the studio if you have any requests or questions about offerings or how this new system works. 
Printable Price Lists and Oder Forms PDF  for regular purchases and B~Arter for Art Program. 

Benefits of Art for Your Home and Business

Empty Nest ©Sheila L. Kalkbrenner 2013 One Life Collection

"Form without colour is like a body without a soul." ~Owen Jones 1865  Author of The Grammar of Ornament, is considered the most pivotal designer of the 19th Century.Modern Copy of the Book sold by Barnes and Nobles.

Function and beauty are not mutually exclusive. Art transforms the space. Never under estimate The Power of Art. 

"Art can speak volumes about the values and culture of a company."
~Art Ideas for the Office 

The art in the business space provides conceptual development of the space while communicating your business values to company stakeholders, including your own employees. Barren walls are often a missed opportunity to welcome guests and potential customers. Benefits of Affordable Art In the Workplace include: healing, productivity,mood-lifting, improved morale & corporate image,stress reduction, a screen break from computers, and can give the impression of wealth and fiscal responsibility during difficult economic times. 
Consider the ways to Make Art Work in the Workplace.   What message would you like to convey in this space? 

There is no need to feel "locked-in" to any single message or vision. Rent one piece or a series of wall art that meets your current needs. Later, exchange or replace it as your business develops.

Through several drafting sessions, work directly with the artist to create custom wall art that is specific to your ideas and business needs. 
From 16" x 20" office paintings/prints to large murals for lobbies & meeting places, you have the option to influence the image which will represent your business. 

No time to meet with the artist? Complete a brief questionnaire, provide her with copies of your mission statement and company values; she will work independently to create art which conveys your message.

Art for your home and personal space reflects the form, function, and color of your life. 

The presence of art is a celebration of success. It can be an uplifting experience during personal hardship and difficult economic times. Assorted purchase options and reasonable pricing for Commissioned Projects, Studio Merchandise, Portrait packages, (including a local Barter-For-Art system), at SheilaLynnK Art Studio; keeps the work affordable and readily available to a diverse population of art connoisseurs. 

With over twenty years experience exploring multiple media options, a wide selection of styles and materials is available here to help you express your vision and define your space. 

Want to be certain that no one else has the same art as you? Exclusivity is an option here. Upon your request, no reproduction prints will be made of your custom designed artwork. 

At SheilaLynnK Art Studio you have the personal engagement, assurance, and comfort of buying Limited Edition Signed Prints(reproductions of originals) and/or custom-made art directly from the artist. 

A Civic-Minded artist, portions of your payment provide funding to benefit: local Community Action projects as well as international Awareness & Prevention of Spinal Adhesive Arachnoiditis. 

You will not be bombarded with a big sales pitch. There are a variety of quiet options to stay connected & remain up to date on studio missions, packages/offerings, events, and opportunities:

this blog, the Website, the studio Facebook Page, Google, Pinterest, and  Youtube

SheilaLynnK Art Studio proudly supports empowerment and healing via the arts. 

Week 3: Meeting my art market

Following up on Biz Portrait 

During week 2 of the Right Brain Business plan e-course, I sent out a survey to get feedback on my business and the experience patrons received at the studio. I received no response to the following questions: 

Initial Survey 

"Please use the comments section to answer all/some of the following questions: 

1. Why did you choose to follow this page or buy art here? Did you consider another artist? IF so, what was the deciding factor/what keeps you coming back to the studio page?
2.What benefit did you receive from your studio experience?
3.What three words would you use to describe me and/or my work?
4. What other products or services would you like to see offered at SheilaLynnK Art Studio? [my website is here if you need to peek at the portfolio, etc. before you answer:www.sheilalynnkart.com] "

Frustrated with the lack of response, I moved forward with the week 2 assignments and based them on prior interaction with customers/patrons/page followers. However, I still felt that some valuable component was missing from my business assessment. I posted the survey questions in the private RBBP e-course group on Facebook and received very useful and applicable criticism and input from the creative cohorts participating in this session. It was a wonderfully tangible, real-world validation of my studio/my work.

Fringe benefits of the questions and comments I received:

• Realization that there are multiple, but focused, marketing paths that I can choose
• Getting a much clearer picture of my current customers and new target markets 
• Great ideas & confirmations for new offerings (i.e. a card deck of the mandala project, an "experience package", add detailed photos of current offerings to website, ostrich cot/adaptability is the "hook")

Important Marketing Discoveries (Week 3)

• I have more male than female followers on my website & blog (google analytics) 
• I have more followers in age range 18-35 than I thought (Local patrons average age 35-65 and are predominantly women.)
• My website and blog are being viewed/visited internationally (U.S.~North East~Southern States~West Coast, Canada, Italy, India, Australia, France, U.K., Philippines, and Korea)
• The average current viewer visits my studio online approximately once a week.
• In addition to refining my Fine Art market & meeting my "ideal" Fine Art patron; I want to develop specific studio experiences/products that target other survivors to encourage healing, recovery, adaptability, and living after medical injury. I considered, "chronic pain sufferers" as a category for this but it is too broad. Although medical injury often results in chronic pain, chronic pain conditions not of iatrogenic origin do not seem to come with the same sense of violation and trauma that medical injury survivors must face. However, both groups are often facing these conditions alone... 
• I am already connected with agencies and organizations who might use my own recovery experience and knowledge as a resource for their clients/patients
• I recognize the true value of the work that I am doing.
• It is still very important to me that my ART experiences, products, and services remain affordable and do not segue into an "elite" market with limited availability due to financial constraints/ economic hardship
• Need to research~ funding sources which enable the provision of community art services, local providers offering similar art & healing/coping services [art therapy].

Many new ideas and concepts are swimming through my mind (as always) but these ones have more substance.I can actually SEE which ones I will be able to sink my teeth into. These visions,like a path of stepping stones on freshly levelled and sanded ground, are just waiting for roots to spread and pop up green in the spaces between.

New Marketing Image (C) sheila l. kakbrenner

 Marketing goals set during week 3 include securing 20 new orders/customer by April 2014. This image is being used for my first 2014 ad/campaign to promote reduced prices on specific projects.

THE ad TEXT:

SPECIAL PRICES TO WARM YOUR WALLS with:
matted, unframed single subject portraits
8" x 10" graphite on paper, ONLY $40
16" x 20" graphite on paper, ONLY $80
AND $5 off all 11" x 14" Poster Prints 
[excludes prints displayed at the Wellsville Art Association 2014 Annual Photography Show]
PRICES VALID UNTIL MARCH 31, 2014
Policies & More Project Rates and Options

 

Week 2 Business Portrait & Landscape

Part 1: My Business Self Portrait. 
(In Words because visual art ability was dedicated to a portrait in progress today.) 
For a census survey today, I was asked, "On average, how many hours do you work per week?"  When I was working on vocational rehabilitation goals with ACCESS-VR, I began documenting my studio time. I have since continued that system. Although I have been deemed unemployable, because I work from my bed and several other work stations; it averages out to about 55-60 hours per week that I dedicate to my studio goals. I am hoping that with the help of the Right Brain Business Plan [RBBP] eCourse my income will start to reflect this effort. 

PRICELESS 

In completing my income taxes and P and L statement for my business I was a bit disappointed with the financial aspect of my hard work this year. 


But then, I remembered that the main mission of this studio business is TO MAKE ART AND SHARE IT WITH THE PUBLIC. I created a different kind of P and L for myself. It shows all of the areas in which the studio (a.k.a."me") 
did manage to do that. There has been significant increase in making & sharing of art. I am proud of that.

Biz Landscape Play Sheet (C) Jennifer Lee The Right Brain Business Plan

Preliminary review of my current business landscape seems to emphasize that my local market cannot accommodate the fair market value of the work that I do. I am taking the advice of my creative cohorts at RBBP and beginning a marketing plan that addresses the needs of both of my current markets, as well as a broader "ideal" market that I hope to reach in the future. 

Making a Plan

Last week, at the Right Brain Business Plan e-course, we were asked to think about our business in metaphor. What plant, animal, force of nature do think best represents your business?

Because being able to accommodate and adjust are key factors for producing art here, I considered some different symbols of adaptability. None of them really seemed to quite convey what is really going on with my business right now. It took me some time to come up with this answer.

 I think the studio is most like the elusive Desert Tortoise.  Slow and steady, carrying the burdens of life and home on its back; the studio continues to make progress as it seeks shelter from the elements. 
"They will spend November through February in a torpid or dormant state in their underground burrows.".

...but the burrows they create actually support life and benefit other creatures of the desert. 

Savoring the small things, giving plans more time, in it for the long haul, and right now, taking take time to: 

"Think about plans more, visualize what you want in more detail, let them simmer away, but don't rush into them. Share your ideas with others, let them grow in other circles of knowledge and experience and see what filters back to you. Sometimes you need to give your ideas and plans away to others, the universe, your inner mind, before you will find the answers and results you seek. 

Shielding yourself from harm may come naturally to you, or it may be something that you need to remember how to do. Either way, this symbol places emphasis on varying aspects of shielding and self-defense. You have the resources to take care of yourself right now, it is just a matter of choosing to look after yourself. Often some of the most effective ways we protect ourselves from the rough and tumble of life is by withdrawing from it or being gentle with ourselves. ... Life is often trying to nudge us down a certain path, and sometimes it's important to stop and see where that is, and it is up to us to listen and follow when it is healthy for us to do so. "  Wild Speak  referencing the symbolism of the Green Sea Turtle, but I think the concept also describes what is going on with my business. The biggest difference between the symbolism I associate with the Desert Tortoise and the Green Sea Turtle is that the sea turtle is better equipped to relax and go with the flow of things.

In the interest of balance and addressing the feelings of stagnation here I must also post:

"The shadow aspect of green sea turtle counsels that we are taking too long to implement plans and look after ourselves. Slowing down is only beneficial when used in moderation, such as balanced against healthy levels of stress. However, when you slow down too much, you begin to procrastinate and become lazy, you automatically give away the things you care for because you never spend the time on them that is required to keep them close to you. Green sea turtle's shadow aspect helps you to learn slowing down in moderation."   

SheilaLynnK Art Studio Vision & Values 2014

Vision Board 2.7.14

Top detail 

Yesterday I was GIVEN a wonderful opportunity. I received a free seat in the E-Course currently being offered by Jennifer Lee at the Right Brain Business Plan. During 2013 I completed many of the business goals I had set in 2010. In the last month or so I have been working to determine my path forward. This could not be a more timely opportunity. I am truly looking forward to connecting to new resources and ideas. 

Center Detail

The first week of the e-course is about identifying a vision for your business and determining what values are important to the foundation of these goals. Instead of doing a traditional business plan, creative minded entrepreneurs are invited to develop a more visual expression of these business goals.  
The past two years have taught me that I do need to re-define my business goals now that I have a better idea of what works and what doesn't. 

Surprisingly, I have discovered that it is important to me that my studio becomes a comfortable place for people to visit. Although, it is not realistic to just have people coming in and out 24 hours a day, I think it is feasible to make the effort to invite them into a cozy and comfortable atmosphere when they are here for appointments. 

Bottom Right Detail

I do not want to live a marginal existence. When I retreat from society I want it to be by choice not compulsion. So, my challenge is to reach out and to let people know that in spite of everything, it really is okay to be here. I want the studio to be a supportive, informative, reliable resource for other artists...a place that encourages professional & personal adaptability and promotes creative unity in our community. 
Previously an Educator, Youth Advocate, and active community member; it is still important to me to maintain a manageable level of civic engagement and Community Action Goals. 

NEW this year: 

 March 22nd, I will be hosting my first Support Women Artists Now (SWAN) Day [March 29th] party to learn more about what the artists in our community need and to unite and get to know the other women artists here. I will also be participating in the first year of the  Wellsville Community Gardens project. Hopefully, this will include ART & gardening. 

I am learning and working on several New-To-Me grant opportunities in hopes that at least one of them will help fund studio interests this year. When I am feeling a little more savvy about these resources, I will, as always, post & share the information I have discovered. 

Undoubtedly, there will also be NEW art in the studio that I hope to share on My Youtube channel.... after I have completed the two week Video Challenge with Holly Sugrue in March. I will be talking more about the story behind the work. I am hoping to do this in a welcoming and comfortable way without   Sounding Like a Self-Absorbed Artist. 

I think I hear the crackling sound of ripping Velcro as I peel myself out of the stagnation rut I had fallen into...