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.

I’ve just done the prize draw and the free Creating A Blog Audience e-book by Diane Gilleland goes to Linda from the Tortagialla blog. Congratulations, Linda, I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter. There were some great comments on the review; I found it fascinating hearing all your thoughts on the complex subject of marketing. Wow, my readers are so smart – you all blow me away with the insight and intelligence you regularly bring to my blog and I do appreciate it.

‘I don’t know what you’re thinking of doing,’ said Pippi, ‘but as for me, I’m not one who can take things easy. I happen to be a turnupstuffer, so of course I never have a free moment.’
‘What did you say you were?’ asked Annika.
‘A turnupstuffer.’
‘What’s that?’ asked Tommy.
‘Somebody who finds the stuff that turns up if only you look, of course. What else would it be?’ said Pippi…’The whole world is filled with things that are just waiting for someone to come along and find them, and that’s just what a turnupstuffer does.’
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, translation by Edna Hurup

Isn’t that just the perfect description of what an artist does – I knew there was a reason that Pippi was one of my childhood heroines.

‘What sort of things?’ asked Annika.
‘Oh all sorts,’ said Pippi. ‘Gold nuggets and ostrich feathers and dead mice and rubber bands and tiny little grouse and that kind of thing.’

Yesterday, I turned up these images of my dill plant.

Kirsty Hall: Dill, July 2009

Kirsty Hall: Dill, July 2009

Kirsty Hall: Dill, July 2009

Today I turned up: several hours of art time, some thoughts that turned into art journal pages, my original Puffin copy of Pippi Longstocking, the first hint of ripening on one of my tomatoes and a quite unseemly amount of chocolate. No tiny little grouse though.

What small wonders have you turned up today?