Kirsty Hall: Back of Sequin Apron, Oct 2009

I’ve been working steadily on my sequin apron and it’s coming along; I’m trying to do at least an hour on it every single day and progress is being made but it’s just very s-l-o-w. I’m currently on the outside of the pocket and should get that finished this week.

A few weeks ago I completed the inside of the pocket – a masochistic pursuit as it was awkward to sew and seemed to take forever but it was SO worth it.

Kirsty Hall: Inside of Apron Pocket, Oct 2009

Kirsty Hall: Inside of Apron Pocket, Oct 2009

I find myself quite fascinated by the patterns the sequins make when they’re piled up in my little glass bowl. I especially like it when they form clumps. There may be a piece of work in this at some point.

Kirsty Hall: Sequins, Oct 2009

Oh, and I made a short video about the sequins. Naturally, it also features the chickens; I swear, these chickens are going to end up more famous than me (which admittedly, wouldn’t be hard!)

I am not an entrepreneur, in fact, having spent the last seven years pretty much failing to make any money at my art, I’m kind of the opposite of an entrepreneur! Yet I loved Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk.

I’ll say upfront that I’m a fan of Vaynerchuk – I find his enthusiasm completely infectious – and I liked this book. He is someone who tends to divide opinion but even if you normally find him a bit ‘over the top’, I’d recommend giving this book a go because his natural exuberance is somewhat restrained in print format. You could also read this without having a clue who he is and still get lots from it because it’s a punchy, concise, funny and inspiring book that’s packed full of great stuff.

Basically the book is about how he used social media to successfully build a huge business. He briefly tells his own story and then explains how he did it and how you could use the same methods. I liked that he’s very upfront about the need for you to take your own journey, rather than trying to slavishly follow him. He explains several times that this is just what worked for him and that you could decide to follow a different route and still be successful. He’s also very clear that his method a) won’t suit everyone and b) is dependant on vast amounts of sheer hard work.

There’s also a strong moral core to the book that I found very admirable – this isn’t a book about marketing sleaze and manipulation; his central message is one of caring about others and doing what you love with integrity and passion.

I found this an inspiring book that left me hugely excited about the vast potential of the internet to revolutionise many aspects of our lives, including our businesses. That said, I struggled to see how some of the ‘monetizing’ methods mentioned in Chapter 11 could be applied to the art world because the economy of the arts is so deeply weird. Normal business rules often don’t apply in the arts – in particular, open ‘monetizing’ is hugely frowned on in many art circles, so artists may need to approach things like accepting external advertising with extreme caution. However, artists could certainly use his techniques to help build their online profiles, which I believe is vital for artists to do.

This is a book that could be read by someone at any level of internet experience. I’ve been online since Usenet and dial-up modems, so I’m very comfortable with the net and its culture. Yet I still got masses of ideas from this book. I’ve read the book through twice (it’s short!) and both times I made tons of notes, many of which I’ve already acted upon. However, I’m sure an internet newbie could also read this book and wind up with a coherent understanding of how to successfully market themselves online. Even if you’re not running your own business and have no desire to do so, it’s still a useful read because he delves into the way the world is changing and talks about things like how the traditional resume is becoming increasingly irrelevant to a lot of businesses.

This book won’t be for everyone – no book ever is – but if you’re interested in the business side of art or you’re ready to learn more about the power of social media, then I’d strongly recommend it. Even if you think you know it all, I think this book will spark new ideas or expose an angle that you hadn’t considered before.

If you want to find out more about it, the book has a FAQ. If you’re in the UK, Amazon.co.uk doesn’t have it yet but The Book Depository seem to have it in stock.

And now for something completely new. Following Vaynerchuk’s example, I decided to give video blogging a go and bought a Flip Cam. I’ve have been having a blast taping stuff, including this short review of the book, which is worth watching just for the last few seconds!

Disclaimer: I got this book as a free review copy after I rather cheekily emailed Gary and asked him for one! Gary Vaynerchuk and HarperCollins had no influence on the contents of this review, all opinions are my own.

It’s very definitely autumn now, as evidenced by the first proper mist of the season on Tuesday.

Kirsty Hall, Morning Mist, October 2009

This was the sight that made me run back inside for my camera! Isn’t this leaf just incredible – it looks as though it’s been gilded or sprayed with gold paint but it’s completely natural.

Kirsty Hall, Leaf Turning Gold, October 2009

The spiders really pull out all the stops at this time of year. I am always astounded when I go out in the morning to find metres of silk spanning entire corners of the garden – how do they even do that?

Kirsty Hall, Spider Web, October 2009

Kirsty Hall, Spider Web, October 2009

Kirsty Hall, Spider Web, October 2009

In case you just can’t get enough of me, I’ve started a Facebook fan page for my art. I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing with it yet but I’m trying to make it a little bit different from my Twitter and this blog, so that it’s worth joining.

I’m currently doing Alyson Stanfield’s Blast Off course. It’s challenging and intense but I’m finding it incredibly revealing and useful. One of the daily lessons was about reconnecting with what made us want to be artists in the first place. Here’s what I wrote on the subject:

……………..

I’ve been thinking back to some of the ecstatic points in my life that made me an artist.

1. I would have been about 16 – 17. I was still in secondary school and we were taken on a visit to Glasgow university. I had some free time and went into the Hunterian art gallery, where I was utterly transfixed by a full size Victorian/Edwardian painting of a woman. I can’t remember who it was by – I think it was possibly John Singer Sargent – but I sat there for about an hour, totally engrossed in it, with tears running down my face.

2. Standing in the Sacré-Cœur in Paris with clear December sunlight streaming through the Rose Window while the choir sang in Latin.

3. Seeing Eva Hesse’s drawings for the first time – I’d always loved her sculpture but the subtlety of her grey-toned drawings blew me away when I saw them in real life.

4. Walked round a corner in the Pompidou Centre and being confronted with Cubist paintings by Picasso. I was in my early 20’s and had only been seriously drawing for about three years. I had seen them previously about two years before and been singularly unimpressed – at the time I liked the Impressionists and I thought Cubism was ‘modern rubbish’. However, when I saw them for the second time I’d done a lot more art history reading and I suddenly got it. It was a surprisingly visceral moment, like a punch to the stomach! It’s a moment that’s stuck with me because it reminds me that even if I don’t initially like or understand a piece of art, it’s always worth taking a second look because my understanding of the visual world is constantly evolving.

But my defining moment was when I was 18 years old, sitting in an English lecture at college and getting absolutely FURIOUS at the way the lecturer was completely pulling this book apart and remaking it in his own image. I found it so disrespectful, I was sat there thinking, “write your own damn book, mate!” and it suddenly hit me, “I don’t WANT to do this, I want to be the person MAKING things, not the person analysing other people’s things!”

Now I look back and I think, yes, THAT was the moment when I stepped through the looking glass!

………………

I’ve had many other meaningful encounters with art in my life but those are a few that stand out. Was there a defining moment in your life that took you down the path you’re on now? Have you ever experienced a piece of art that overwhelmed you with emotion? Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear about it…