tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63023745743661678742024-02-21T10:26:19.183-05:00A Glimpse of Me StudiosEveryone has a purpose. Let's reveal yours! Tips and services for custom and traditional style art, graphic design, and photography.Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-68036463002519620502016-04-22T09:05:00.000-04:002016-04-22T09:05:01.915-04:00New Cosplay Photography Con Rates!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupWFUmD8kNUq_l8K5w5wa26C8SFCV5DtE0xheUIlSrYgUrZ-qJTiwKkVQO78tyE8cMKGfCwsYr1lJiv2tFOpK4PhEoTrIXDbJUs9PcYsAXDPJta8qIA57LQgj1bPQ2OR7c0kYi4iD6J_q/s1600/IMG_0092sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupWFUmD8kNUq_l8K5w5wa26C8SFCV5DtE0xheUIlSrYgUrZ-qJTiwKkVQO78tyE8cMKGfCwsYr1lJiv2tFOpK4PhEoTrIXDbJUs9PcYsAXDPJta8qIA57LQgj1bPQ2OR7c0kYi4iD6J_q/s320/IMG_0092sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At recent anime & comic conventions, I've mainly offered only one special con rate for cosplayers who wanted to hire me. Many of those cosplayers' shoots I used to try out new editing techniques and gave them much more than they paid for. While I wish I could keep giving people full editing and special effects at such a low cost, unfortunately, that editing eats up a large amount of time and has often either made me late on delivering those photos or caused me to rush on other photos, leading to inconsistent quality. Of course, however, I still want to offer my services at very reasonable rates. Putting together cosplays and paying for the cons to wear them at can become so expensive as it is, so having to hire a photographer on top of that can sometimes be difficult on people's wallets. And that's why I'm now offering 3 different special con rates.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I want to be able to give cosplayers the best quality for what they pay for. I despise giving cosplayers a couple photos that I absolutely adore and knowing that the rest of the photos I give them I feel kind of "meh" about, simply because I didn't have enough time to make them all that same level of great.<br />
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While the short time slots allowed me to offer my services cheaper, I found that they're just too short of time to get the amount of photos I
offered at the quality I would like them to be at. 20 minute slots are
fine for a couple truly great shots. But when I'm trying to get somewhere between 6 & 8 gorgeous shots while maneuvering around other cosplayers and making sure that you look your best, it's too short of time. The 20 minute "Mini" Shoots are still being offered for those who may be more on a budget, but I've set them up in a way that's more realistic in getting really good quality for a short amount of time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiuIXiSfi71xuCKADftvI7z_Q4pW0r0vzW2Y7qj_TrwSN2Rgf0f38qcNozbbAxJHweLmnEJ5EXgAQNRGXLXVyMygNPJ46gtnZqhT0gXUZL5ZBoc6sWewORuSSSi6ZMTo1EJtQ4H7536tC/s1600/IMG_9228e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiuIXiSfi71xuCKADftvI7z_Q4pW0r0vzW2Y7qj_TrwSN2Rgf0f38qcNozbbAxJHweLmnEJ5EXgAQNRGXLXVyMygNPJ46gtnZqhT0gXUZL5ZBoc6sWewORuSSSi6ZMTo1EJtQ4H7536tC/s320/IMG_9228e.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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The new rates & packages will allow me to have the amount of time needed to make sure my camera & gear are at the proper best settings, and allow me time to make sure everything within the background and your costume look good for the photos. Plus I will be able to spend an appropriate amount of time editing according to what you paid for.<br />
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What you can also expect with this change is that I am also limiting the amount of shoots I take at any con. This year at Katsucon, I got a very large amount of photoshoot requests, much more than I expected. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed working with so many talented cosplayers, but it truly ended up being an overwhelming amount, to the point that I was thankful that the fire alarm caused some cancellations. As far as a number amount goes for the limit, it will depend on the con, since every con is different on how many hours/days they last.<br />
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With all that being said, I hope to continue working with so many fantastic cosplayers, and the ones I've worked with already have been so great and I hope I can work with many of them again as well. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, as usual, please leave them in a comment! I'll try my best to answer you as soon as I can.<br />
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P.s. Keep in mind, these are special con rates. The rates I offer at cons are cheaper than outside of con shoots. The reason being is simply because of the convenience factor. Whether you hire me or not, I will probably already be there, so I'm not necessarily going out of my way to travel to you. And of course, we're limited to what's nearby that con. Outside of cons, you have much more options but also have to factor in the cost of me having to travel to that location. It it also the reason that I don't offer less than 1 hour sessions for outside of cons. My rates for outside of cons usually fall into one of the following two:<br />
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Also, I'm sure the question concerning shooting groups will come up. As it goes right now, I'm sorry to say that I don't do large groups at cons. I try to stay within the limit of about 3 people. Occasionally I do take on smaller groups at small cons/events, usually when it consists of at least some people I already know, but rarely. Groups require a lot of organizing and that's not always guaranteed by the group itself. It's much easier for me to work with solos or pairs. BUT, if you really want me to shoot your group, please don't be afraid to ask anyway. It is not a guaranteed "no." There's always a possibility that it may catch my interest, so it doesn't hurt to ask. :)<br />
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*These rates will probably change more in the future, but for at least 2016, you can count on them staying consistent with what I posted. <br />
<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-19769784988120435572015-12-25T09:37:00.002-05:002015-12-25T09:38:07.645-05:00Ignation Christmas Music Video<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gjFCWp3YEoA" width="480"></iframe></center>
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Merry Christmas!! Here's a little gift to everyone. We just released the music video to <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=162667540521799" href="https://www.ignationband.com/" target="_blank">Ignation</a>'s
new Christmas Medley, "Mary Did You Know/O Come, All Ye Faithful". I
rarely work with video, so this was a lot of fun to do with them.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Normally, around the fall and winter, work dies down for me. Cosplay
season and cons come to a pause, bands don't book as many shows, and
people are busy with the Holidays. But oddly enough, this year was
the very opposite. I've had more work recently than I had all year around
and have been absolutely swamped (I got 4 hours of sleep total the past
2 nights...).<br />
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It's been very busy, but definitely a good type of busy! I'm truly blessed. I'm really excited about all the projects I've been working on and I can't wait to share more with you. <br />
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I
really hope you enjoy the video, and if you like the song, make sure to go give
their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ignation" target="_blank">facebook page</a> a like or follow them on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/IgnationBand" target="_blank">twitter</a>! And please share, they really appreciate it! ;D<br />
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<a href="http://www.ignationband.com/">http://www.IgnationBand.com</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ignation">https://www.facebook.com/Ignation</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://www.twitter.com/IgnationBand">https://www.twitter.com/IgnationBand</a>Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-44553983398458952862015-12-14T13:51:00.000-05:002015-12-14T13:54:13.578-05:00Instagram Ornament Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IzqVHIzWErj-wJ43XfhWNIYU2EWBnAxiddYTMczYW2IKU1_5HDkDatO0ky4KW0YpBTd82IK5WAkw7dlONHSIoSVWYulDjlMezFA2wTqkenSCuYdSkosO5ZGJJeEcQXKemxZW4Sx67l5C/s1600/instagram2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IzqVHIzWErj-wJ43XfhWNIYU2EWBnAxiddYTMczYW2IKU1_5HDkDatO0ky4KW0YpBTd82IK5WAkw7dlONHSIoSVWYulDjlMezFA2wTqkenSCuYdSkosO5ZGJJeEcQXKemxZW4Sx67l5C/s400/instagram2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Are you on instagram? If so, have you seen my series of ornament photos? Each day, I post a photo of one of my ornaments and I explain it's meaning to me. Some of them are funny, some kind of nerdy, and some nostalgic. I plan on continuing the posts until Christmas Day. If you're interested in checking them out, you can find me at <a href="http://instagram.com/ShortStuffTiff">instagram.com/ShortStuffTiff</a>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Of course, along with the photos of ornaments, I also post my progress pictures on cosplays, and some "behind the scenes" on projects I'm working on, as well as some finish work. If you end up liking any of my photos or follow me, I usually end up checking your page as well and like any photos that catch my eye.<br />
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I hope to see you on instagram! ;)Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-19009590486159861202015-12-10T13:45:00.001-05:002015-12-10T13:45:47.313-05:00Holiday Card Project 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last year, some of you may remember me posting about the Holiday Card project. The Holiday Card Project delivers cards to patients in the hospital during the Holiday Season and is run by <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">DeviantArt</a>. It's back around this year, and I just sent in some AGOM Art Holiday cards that I made.<br />
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The deadline to send in cards is December 14th, so there's only a couple days left to send in yours if you'd like to help out.<br />
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You can find more info about the Holiday Card Project at: <a href="http://madizzlee.deviantart.com/journal/Holiday-Card-Project-2015-571693369">http://madizzlee.deviantart.com/journal/Holiday-Card-Project-2015-571693369</a><br />
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Above are some of the hand painted cards I sent last year. I would've loved to send in more hand-painted ones, however, I didn't have the time to make some. Next year, hopefully.<br />
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I hope some of you get the chance to send some in as well!Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-78541873737452826642015-11-30T16:21:00.000-05:002015-11-30T16:26:44.478-05:00Cyber Monday Deal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQdIEoCIi_Y3363bNaKQ3GrwAbdgTguDDbRj2Lr3GVF6nbD_RCycmpB2sRCbEovhR0ZczYNHMWqOO3tXiDDLCtfYGrQguMuVEw_SKgc8vQono0bgVJ092-R8jxGBFmbJw05PJC8E1jorl/s1600/xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQdIEoCIi_Y3363bNaKQ3GrwAbdgTguDDbRj2Lr3GVF6nbD_RCycmpB2sRCbEovhR0ZczYNHMWqOO3tXiDDLCtfYGrQguMuVEw_SKgc8vQono0bgVJ092-R8jxGBFmbJw05PJC8E1jorl/s400/xmas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lately, I've been mainly posting my photography work, but don't
forget, I'm first and foremost an artist and painter. A custom painting
of someone's favorite scenery or character makes for a great Christmas
gift! If you order before December 5th, you can use this <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/cybermonday?source=feed_text"><span class="_58cl"></span></a>Cyber Monday deal to get 15% off.<br />
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To check out some of my portfolio, visit: <a href="http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/traditional-mediums" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/traditional-mediums</a><br />
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To put in a painting or photo shoot request, fill out the form here: <a href="http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/contact" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/contact</a><br />
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<a name='more'></a>I look forward to working with some of you and I hope you all enjoy this holiday season!<br />
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<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-72625791933657999522015-10-22T16:05:00.000-04:002015-11-19T16:27:22.902-05:00New Facebook Cosplay Page<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ4gNafWucVfaaiQpon6bkoG9Cakv5XHYStZp0gxg1mb3OkKy-0uKfg5k4mb8Qg5OxgFIIuNtjuo7NAcY9AKp75fL-RN1x06VEeoG2SJmzgQ3FNpuOBFXnnJJAf5CMwS-rUTYc3bwwctR/s1600/FB+Banner+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ4gNafWucVfaaiQpon6bkoG9Cakv5XHYStZp0gxg1mb3OkKy-0uKfg5k4mb8Qg5OxgFIIuNtjuo7NAcY9AKp75fL-RN1x06VEeoG2SJmzgQ3FNpuOBFXnnJJAf5CMwS-rUTYc3bwwctR/s400/FB+Banner+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Many of you follow my <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=360920443931648" href="https://www.facebook.com/AGOMArtStudios/">A Glimpse of Me Studios</a> social media pages, of which I provide Art, Graphic Design, & Photography
services. However, as many of you are aware, I also do cosplay. I'm often in cosplay myself when I'm
photographing other cosplayers at conventions. Being that costume design
is more for fun and not really a service I generally provide, I created it's own facebook page to specifically showcase my cosplay work, as well as feature
other cosplayers and give some cosplay tips. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
Joining me on this page is <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=162667540521799" href="https://www.facebook.com/Ignation/">Ignation</a>'s
singer/bassist, Zac, who often partners with me in cosplay (plus I make
most of his cosplays, haha). I'll be posting all other cosplayers I end
up working with as well. So head over to our <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1478430555799867" href="https://www.facebook.com/AGOMCosplay/">AGOM Cosplay</a> page and if you're interested in seeing more, please make sure to like it! I hope you enjoy our nerdy fun, and please let
us know your thoughts.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AGOMCosplay">http://www.facebook.com/AGOMCosplay</a><br />
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<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-37781683869632266882015-07-18T15:30:00.000-04:002015-07-19T15:00:16.673-04:00Otakon Photoshoot Special!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSz4R7YfN7rV1K3Skg0uAcVzwmh5s7sqFQVi0qb10fig3Wy6RamO-8ZYwxT1CGZoXJ_QLmGtx3P50ZPKR2vETOTgBqQTIubfMciQE0RmbqtwBlT_pmoB_uMUpmeHLvWOywXghM-J0YZwA/s1600/Ota+Special.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSz4R7YfN7rV1K3Skg0uAcVzwmh5s7sqFQVi0qb10fig3Wy6RamO-8ZYwxT1CGZoXJ_QLmGtx3P50ZPKR2vETOTgBqQTIubfMciQE0RmbqtwBlT_pmoB_uMUpmeHLvWOywXghM-J0YZwA/s400/Ota+Special.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
For those of you attending Otakon this year, I'm hosting a photoshoot
special! $15 for 20 minute shoots, all weekend. I will be booking in Baltimore, MD during the Otakon convention on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (July 24-26). Contact me for available times via my <a href="http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/contact" id="0BCE6AB7-D2A6-4984-B079-A6BBEF5771D2">contact form</a> or email me at <a href="mailto:aglimpseofmestudios@gmail.com">aglimpseofmestudios@gmail.com</a>. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>Rates:<br />
$15 - 20 minute shoot<br />
$30 - 40 minute shoot<br />
$45 - 1 hour shoot<br />
<br />
All photos will be professionally retouched and edited (I will also be accepting certain edit requests, for example: colored filters, eye color, glowing parts of cosplay, twinkling stars, etc.). <br />
<br />
When booking, please send me the cosplay you plan on wearing. I look into the characters beforehand to make sure the photos best represent the character (for example: poses, personality/mood, special effects, etc.).<br />
<br />
More than 1 person can be included in the shoots. I am charging by time, rather than by person, therefore if you wanted to split the cost between more than one person, that is definitely okay. Just let me know beforehand how many people will be included in the shoot and list their cosplays.<br />
<br />
Payment can be made via paypal or in person before the shoot starts. <br />
<br />
Photo edits may take up to two weeks (max). Finished edited photos will be delivered via email.<br />
<br />
If you don't show up to your scheduled shoot, I can't guarantee a reschedule.<br />
<br />
In order to book a photoshoot, you can contact me via facebook message or email.<br />
Please include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Your email </li>
<li>Which day you want to set up the shoot </li>
<li>How many people will be included in the shoot </li>
<li>And the cosplay(s) you plan on wearing.</li>
</ul>
Facebook: <a href="http://facebook.com/AGOMArtStudios">http://facebook.com/AGOMArtStudios</a><br />
Email: <a href="mailto:aglimpseofmestudios@gmail.com">aglimpseofmestudios@gmail.com</a><br />
Website Contact Form: <a href="http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/contact">http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/contact</a><br />
<br />
To view some of my photography portfolio, visit <a href="http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/photography">http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/photography</a>.<br />
<br />
If you have any questions, let me know.<br />
I hope to see you there!<br />
P.s. I will also be dressed in cosplay! ;D<br />
<br />
This rate offer ends Sunday night, July 26th, 2015. Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-27874064894912773642015-05-27T11:30:00.000-04:002015-08-04T21:44:48.632-04:00Instagram Behind the Scenes (& Separating Personal from Work)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6DLX4UzQ1eR09xyd8GxDJ3ZN3Uh80FLwjP77IVlBeHOIdQ2X5Zbs8743BvU9j8dGN0TcoVYwxyK-hpqx-0FjQs89mQttHEevrFtktjGNOS2lD1Uwxrq3ErwuTH0JwHjUrAZ63Yd9wwgB/s1600/IMG_9571Sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6DLX4UzQ1eR09xyd8GxDJ3ZN3Uh80FLwjP77IVlBeHOIdQ2X5Zbs8743BvU9j8dGN0TcoVYwxyK-hpqx-0FjQs89mQttHEevrFtktjGNOS2lD1Uwxrq3ErwuTH0JwHjUrAZ63Yd9wwgB/s320/IMG_9571Sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Some of you who follow me on my various social media pages may have noticed I have separate accounts for AGOM and for my personal pages.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>For AGOM, I have:<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/AGOMArtStudios" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/agomartstudios" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://plus.google.com/100063812751963663125/posts" target="_blank">Google+ </a><br />
and my blog of course.<br />
<br />
I also have <a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">DeviantArt</a>, which has a little bit of a personal feel, as does my blog, but still primarily focuses on my AGOM art.<br />
<br />
For personal social media pages, I have:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/ShortStuffTiff" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/ShortStuffTiff" target="_blank">Youtube</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/shortstufftiff/" target="_blank">Pinterest </a><br />
<a href="http://plus.google.com/+ShortStuffTiff" target="_blank">Google+</a> (mainly only because youtube forces me to have one...)<br />
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Why seperate them? Well, someone who's interested in my art may not be interested in my bearded dragon or my learning Japanese. In the same way, someone may be interested in my silly ramblings, but not in my art and marketing articles ("What?! No way!").<br />
<br />
If you have a business, or even if you freelance, I recommend having separate accounts if you want to post about matters regarding every day life. It's best not to get too much of your personal life involved in your work, it can make you seem unprofessional and potentially cause you to lose clients. HOWEVER, you also shouldn't use your work account to just advertise all the time and sound like a drone. People want to follow people, not an advertisement billboard. There's a balance needed in using your own voice but in a professional manor. If you enjoy making people laugh, use your humor, just try to leave out jokes that can be considered unrelated or inappropriate (save those for personal accounts). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHoTILDb7MEFfkn8prG9nr12K-znDd1uRSDdpOZxtJeCm5iBAb5xyuVuk_Wl-oWyho_J5kVosk9NlWJ3sEd2zsWzq8y-8MPH1o0aWNbZaCm5SW0E7EiiYeG2mn11SWlGlB3B0Ft2qdTRy/s1600/Following.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHoTILDb7MEFfkn8prG9nr12K-znDd1uRSDdpOZxtJeCm5iBAb5xyuVuk_Wl-oWyho_J5kVosk9NlWJ3sEd2zsWzq8y-8MPH1o0aWNbZaCm5SW0E7EiiYeG2mn11SWlGlB3B0Ft2qdTRy/s400/Following.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now, what does this all have to do with Instagram? Well Instagram is a very unique social media platform. For one, it is, for the most part, limited to only mobile users (this can be a pain if you want to post professional pictures). For this reason, it makes it a bit difficult for businesses to have a "professional" account. This also makes it very, well, mobile, allowing you to take a picture or video of just about anything, anywhere, and instantly post it to your followers, even to other connected social media accounts. It is also limited to just pictures and videos, instead of statuses. Therefore the picture/video should be the story itself. And this sets it up as a perfect outlet to share "behind the scenes" content. Artists of all types end up using this platform to share photos of stage setups for their gigs, a look into the studio, and the work in progress that's going into their next masterpiece, as well as small glimpses into their personal lives.<br />
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<a href="http://instagram-signup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/instagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://instagram-signup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/instagram.png" height="148" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is the unique social media platform that actually makes it more appropriate to mix work and play. And with that being said, I too decided to join the world of Instagram. Currently, it's mainly only featuring past finished work and food (because what's Instagram without some pictures of food?), but upcoming will be many posts on behind the scene looks into photoshoots and in progress pieces. So if you wanted a page that featured my artwork, some fun views into my everyday life, and some sneak peaks to upcoming work, I hope you're on Instagram!<br />
<br />
You can find my Instagram page at: <a href="http://instagram.com/shortstufftiff/" target="_blank">http://instagram.com/shortstufftiff/</a><br />
Hope to see you there. ;)<br />
<br />
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Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-57456076049871449462015-05-16T17:03:00.000-04:002015-05-16T17:05:53.849-04:00Mystery Photo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
After taking this photo, I thought it may be fun having people try to guess what this is a photo of. <br />
<br />
Have any guesses? Let me know your guess in a comment and I'll
reveal what the picture is in a few days.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Also, for those of you on <a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/art/Mystery-Pic-533338997" target="_blank">DeviantArt</a>, I'll actually be donating points to every person who gets it right (make sure to comment on DA instead of the blog).
I'll accept guesses until Wednesday night (May 20th).<br />
<br />
Lastly,
I'm considering doing more of these "mystery photos" if people seem to enjoy them. So if you think I should continue doing these, let me know in
your comment as well. I want to hear your opinions. Thank you to all who
participate!<br />
<br />
Find me on DeviantArt at: <a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">aglimpseofme.deviantart.com</a>Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-72894862919915624792015-04-22T20:05:00.000-04:002015-05-14T20:13:35.080-04:00TEGPLMI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77GZec-tINQAhK2gYSe-HbGZlh0xX6IdYWjhgGXUt3hSPkDIz-JzzWmdE-p4BDuhiZ_B8NNg1kR5AYPQuwSssiZQgZIeMlcdWQS49ap2ugvNIrRdHe-wMSm9bvRUHl2YB4Ykld1u25fts/s1600/Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77GZec-tINQAhK2gYSe-HbGZlh0xX6IdYWjhgGXUt3hSPkDIz-JzzWmdE-p4BDuhiZ_B8NNg1kR5AYPQuwSssiZQgZIeMlcdWQS49ap2ugvNIrRdHe-wMSm9bvRUHl2YB4Ykld1u25fts/s320/Pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I had the pleasure of helping the <a href="http://tegplmi.org/" target="_blank">The Esther Generation Prayer Life Ministry Inc.</a> (TEGPLMI) with a logo, website, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheEstherGeneration" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page. This organization is started by Florence Brooks and aims to help people around the world, including their current project of building a <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/qazuss" target="_blank">health center in Mbua, Cameroon</a>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="338" title="Click Here to donate!" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="258"><param name="movie" value="//funds.gofundme.com/Widgetflex.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="flashvars" value="page=qazuss&template=2" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed allowScriptAccess="always" src="//funds.gofundme.com/Widgetflex.swf" quality="high" flashVars="page=qazuss&template=2" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="258" height="338"></embed></object></div>
<br />
The founder of the organization recently released a book, called <a href="http://amzn.com/1511510986" target="_blank"><i>Look at Me Now</i></a>, which is available on Amazon.<br />
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I recommend checking out the pages for more information, and if you feel it's on your heart, consider donating to some of their projects. Links are below:<br />
<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.tegplmi.org/">http://www.tegplmi.org</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheEstherGeneration">http://www.facebook.com/TheEstherGeneration</a><br />
Mbua Village Health Center Information & Donation Page: <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/qazuss">http://www.gofundme.com/qazuss</a><br />
Florence Brooks' <i>Look At Me Now</i><i>: A Story of Restoration</i> on Amazon: <a class="w-link-new-window " href="http://amzn.com/1511510986" id="D4D784C1-4D80-4951-97E7-1870022AB34A">http://amzn.com/1511510986</a><br />
<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-9958425803835577572015-03-18T18:36:00.000-04:002015-03-18T18:46:07.068-04:00Growth in Adversity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Throughout this New York winter, I've been growing tomatoes indoors and decided to post some photos of them. The above photo I had titled <i>Growth in Adversity</i> and it inspired me to write a quick little encouraging post:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Often, we shy away from adversity due to fears of pain and failure. But many times, as <a href="http://www.tailopez.com/" target="_blank">Tai Lopez</a> had recently tweeted, the fear of losing is usually worse than actually losing.<br />
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Through adversity, we learn and grow. If you fail, you have now just learned what doesn't work. Use that information and apply it to your next attempt. Just as Thomas A. Edison had said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”<br />
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However, when we choose not to try in our fear of failure, you are automatically choosing to fail.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="_c24 _50f4"><span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false">“Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be.” </span></span></b></span></h2>
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<span class="_c24 _50f4"><span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false">– John Wooden</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="_c24 _50f4"><span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false">“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” </span></span></b></span></h2>
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<span class="_c24 _50f4"><span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false">- Gena Showalter</span></span></div>
<span class="_c24 _50f4"><span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false"></span></span><span class="_c24 _50f4"><span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false"><br />By acting on fear and avoiding adversity, you can end up missing out </span></span>on some of the best opportunities in your life. Just as I would have missed out on some delicious home grown tomatoes if I had chosen to let the cold winter stop me. Embrace adversity and adapt to changes. You may not be able to get rid of your fears, but you can choose to overcome them.<br />
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"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." - Ambrose Redmoon<br />
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<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-68564556147474472442015-02-11T19:25:00.001-05:002015-02-11T19:25:25.909-05:00Olaf Speed Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VUkvgDjpk40/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VUkvgDjpk40?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br /><br />I did my first speed art! Woo! Olaf from Disney's "Frozen". Hopefully this brings some extra cheer to your winter... <br />
<a name='more'></a>So
I feel like actually, the video is kind of long and I could've made it
shorter/faster. However, the background music is really good and I
didn't want to cut it short. So next speed art, I will make shorter. <br /><br />Nonetheless, doing this video was an important step for me. I've always struggled with taking too long on art pieces and will often not finish pieces as a result. This really helped push me skill wise. Art is a never ending process of learning, growing, and developing your skills. And it's important to challenge yourself in order to do so.<br /><br />Please let me know what you think of the drawing and video!<br />Also, let me know if you have any requests for a speed art!<br />And if you have any areas in your art you feel you struggle with, feel free to share in a comment. Maybe we can work on improving our skills together.<br /><br />Here is the speed art video link: <a class="external" href="http://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?http://youtu.be/VUkvgDjpk40">youtu.be/VUkvgDjpk40</a><br />And here is the youtube channel for the bassist who did my background music: <a class="external" href="http://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?http://www.youtube.com/zacmyattful">www.youtube.com/zacmyattful</a><br />He actually plans on putting up a video soon of the "In Summer" song. (I know this because I'm helping him with it <img alt=":XD:" data-embed-id="93" data-embed-type="emoticon" height="15" src="http://e.deviantart.net/emoticons/x/xd.gif" title="XD" width="15" />)<br /><br />Copyright for the character Olaf belongs to Disney.<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-65930907613199593732015-01-01T19:45:00.000-05:002015-01-27T19:46:45.959-05:00Peppermint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_m4TvPVXM5B7qqXpo4WmuA8fDFEBJKwApjW6YwZY55-Z8U9MrROuIEUvYSxjN1ZxOTQD1guMwa6E8CYqzrxCf067syjBq9ZYA5ZMCcUDfJS8SGd8XbHjNNodUQLEoCbLXCYhiKK7VQXF/s1600/IMG_8706Sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_m4TvPVXM5B7qqXpo4WmuA8fDFEBJKwApjW6YwZY55-Z8U9MrROuIEUvYSxjN1ZxOTQD1guMwa6E8CYqzrxCf067syjBq9ZYA5ZMCcUDfJS8SGd8XbHjNNodUQLEoCbLXCYhiKK7VQXF/s1600/IMG_8706Sm.jpg" height="320" width="213" /> </a></div>
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Happy New Year! Hope this year brings you great memories! A start to those memories can be a quick glance at mt my peppermint themed photos. Done as part of the <a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/journal/Peppermint-Art-Feature-502596290" target="_blank">peppermint themed art feature I did on DeviantArt.</a> I had a lot of fun with this shoot. Enjoy! </div>
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<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-24697781947771887102014-12-29T13:52:00.000-05:002015-01-03T13:53:44.340-05:00Pancake Recipe: Holiday Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! So, this was supposed to be posted on Christmas... Haha. A little creative holiday treat. Easy pancake recipe
and how to transform them into fun holiday themed characters. Great for
kids and adults who are in tune with their inner child! Enjoy! Recipe written
below:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />Recipe:<br />1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour<br />3 1/2 tsp Baking Powder<br />3/4 tsp Salt<br />1 Tablespoon White Sugar<br />1 1/4 Cups Milk<br />1 Egg<br />3 Tbsp Butter (melted)<br />1 tsp Vanilla (optional)<br />Cinnamon & Nutmeg (optional)<br /><br />Sift
in dry ingredients, make a well in center, then add the rest of
ingredients. Mix well (until most lumps are gone). Cook on Medium low -
Medium, flip as soon as it stops bubbling.<br /><br />Ingredients and idea for holiday pancake characters from BJ's Wholesale Clubs (Berkley&Jensen).<br /><a class="yt-uix-redirect-link" dir="ltr" href="http://www.bjs.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.BJs.com/">http://www.BJs.com/</a><br /><br />Background Music by Zac Myatt:<br /><a class="yt-uix-redirect-link" dir="ltr" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/zacmyattful" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/user/zacmyattful">http://www.youtube.com/user/zacmyattful</a><br /><br />You can find even cooler pancake art on this guy's channel:<br /><a class="yt-uix-redirect-link" dir="ltr" href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv6nScO1b5aoidqqdY05lFw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv6nScO1b5aoidqqdY05lFw">http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv6nS...</a>Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-74881011111024232962014-11-08T19:39:00.000-05:002014-12-18T20:02:21.180-05:00Autumn in New York<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_POljZDA_bPwM3JeV79sPe67L-Nj51iX3AGIub-GkQ7k3zDb12-8sOmwuHaolwJhf3EmUKwTMY33M0kOpnxVn4rvNq1wVlnqC0nZPLJ1pMrR5z6MXJSs29qrzv4iKpZmEkzVzsqgN304g/s1600/IMG_8329Sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_POljZDA_bPwM3JeV79sPe67L-Nj51iX3AGIub-GkQ7k3zDb12-8sOmwuHaolwJhf3EmUKwTMY33M0kOpnxVn4rvNq1wVlnqC0nZPLJ1pMrR5z6MXJSs29qrzv4iKpZmEkzVzsqgN304g/s1600/IMG_8329Sm.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Recently did a very early (too early for me) morning photoshoot to capture some of the Autumn leaves here in Upstate New York. Not only did I get to capture some beautiful shots, but I also shot video of the shoot, as well as some of the scenery while driving around some of the more suburban and country sides of New York. Join me on this early morning shoot and take a look:<br />
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<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-62320926313520330642014-08-01T10:30:00.000-04:002014-08-05T17:45:37.199-04:00Otakon Fundraiser<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.otakon.com/images_2010tpl/pg_mainlogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.otakon.com/images_2010tpl/pg_mainlogo.png" /></a></div>
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So, I mentioned in a poll on DeviantArt that I plan on going to <a href="http://www.otakon.com/" id="7E5EDB63-80F6-4CCE-A21E-034A45371D8E">Otakon</a> (August
8th-10th), however, I don't have the funds yet to do so. Oddly enough, it's been really on my heart to go this year. So I'm hosting a little fundraiser, which some seemed to think was a good
idea based on the poll. Here's how it will work:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>For those going to Otakon, I am offering to take free photos of all who donate (As
long as the donation is not less than a $1, haha). Just make sure you
provide a way of me contacting you so that we can schedule a time at
Otakon to take photos (I will have a tablet with me so your form of contact can be online)..<br />
<br />
For those who aren't going to Otakon,
anyone who donates $5 or more will get either a hand painted thank you
card of anything they request (must provide an address for me to send it
to) or a digital character design of either them or an Original character (these can be emailed). Here's an
example of hand painted cards I've done: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ksE3F40acoRk2-WPh4S3vWbyw0LGEusSAvn-fYQ5ChnEar6X5eYI7ixN2sR4_3q1c3KGfdNUNytUndRfycHV-dbpBzYeW1zDczeatkPeaFDPmNxyCM8dBc-lAWQAMy-T_uJlDv5VyDoF/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ksE3F40acoRk2-WPh4S3vWbyw0LGEusSAvn-fYQ5ChnEar6X5eYI7ixN2sR4_3q1c3KGfdNUNytUndRfycHV-dbpBzYeW1zDczeatkPeaFDPmNxyCM8dBc-lAWQAMy-T_uJlDv5VyDoF/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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If
you donate $15 or more, you can choose any two of the three above options.<br />
<br />
$20 or more, you'll get all three options if attending Otakon. <br />
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For those who live locally, in the upstate NY region, I'm offering a free private shoot for those who donate $20 or more (normally I charge a minimum of $40). After the shoot, I will send you a CD of the photos after processing them.<br />
<br />
To
donate visit: <span class="userContent"><a href="http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/otakon-fundraiser" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://aglimpseofme.webs.com/otakon-fundraiser</a></span>, then click the
donate button on the bottom. Donations are done through paypal, as I feel this is safe for all involved parties and you'll know that I won't get your financial info. Please
make sure to leave me your contact when you donate so I know who you are
and can give you your thank you gift. You can either leave a comment on
here, email <a href="mailto:AGlimpseOfMeStudios@gmail.com">AGlimpseOfMeStudios@gmail.com</a>, or use the contact form on
my site to let me know that you donated. Keep in mind that this will end August 10th, when Otakon ends. <br />
<br />
I thank all who donate
ahead of time. I can't express how much I genuinely appreciate this. I've never
done something like this before so, I'm not going to lie, it feels
really uncomfortable for me to ask for donations, but, I did feel like I should at least try.<br />
<br />
Also, as usual with my art, 10% of all the donations will go to Love146, an organization aiming to end child sex slavery. For more info on them, visit <a href="http://www.love146.org/">www.love146.org</a>. <br />
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If you have other requests or suggestions, I'm all ears. Let me know in a comment! =) Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-10755713658820032322014-07-22T17:24:00.000-04:002014-07-22T20:24:54.454-04:00Increasing Your Exposure on DeviantArt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Xs0dPjSLe_HIaHql9it2Ml61-mPk9xAArClODCOKeW9l9ldOOsLkh8rEPu0JP4xdxL3AjBxYp855knVfQCPhHz8lJKPvHCxjcfjzDZIHdq6Hjh9BEMDMKkxGgj0cYZC2YMfyQDgJCQ0/s1600/be_inspired_by_misticchild-d6h56b6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6Xs0dPjSLe_HIaHql9it2Ml61-mPk9xAArClODCOKeW9l9ldOOsLkh8rEPu0JP4xdxL3AjBxYp855knVfQCPhHz8lJKPvHCxjcfjzDZIHdq6Hjh9BEMDMKkxGgj0cYZC2YMfyQDgJCQ0/s1600/be_inspired_by_misticchild-d6h56b6.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
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Within the last year, I've returned to the DeviantArt site and have realized how truly of a useful site it is to artists. Seeing all the amazing artists on there has become a big part of my inspiration for my own work. And while I'm not able to spend as much time as I'd like to because of my schedule, I was still able to increase my amount of followers on the site by more than 10x as much within the past few months or so. But I've noticed while many artists do very well on DA, there are also many artists on the site who are frustrated in the fact that they just don't seem to get much exposure. So I decided to help those artists out by providing tips on how to gain exposure specifically on DA.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Marketing, no matter the site you're using, is generally the same in that it's about relationship building. It doesn't mean you become best buddies with every person you want following you; obviously that would be quite difficult if you end up with hundreds or thousands of followers. But, if you think about every artist you follow (whether visual arts, musical, writer, etc.) or even businesses you shop at, you have some sort of a relationship to an extent with them. What I mean is they provide you something that you find of use to you (information, products, entertainment, etc.), and in return you follow them/buy their products/spread the word about them. For those of you who are FMA fans, it's similar to the law of equivalent exchange.<br />
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So in order to get people to follow you, you must provide something that people will find useful to them. And in order to provide to others, they first need to know you even exist. So let's apply this knowledge to DeviantArt and look at some of the ways specific to the DA site that you can use to provide to your DA community and make your existence known:<br />
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1. <b>Llamas:</b> Yes, llamas. If you're new to DA, or never used it you're probably thinking..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjVygdrj4ND9CgLhdCU9w4y0-K050_EOy6k6wxHELeuiJUH5bz247rUiCws4tcuwIuoanxN0h-0StrvYC-y0t89TLdU5Zws2WpD20vrDKG21UFKcJSfl0cFcyZcB2tMTKNafvEH3RRDfJ/s1600/Llamaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjVygdrj4ND9CgLhdCU9w4y0-K050_EOy6k6wxHELeuiJUH5bz247rUiCws4tcuwIuoanxN0h-0StrvYC-y0t89TLdU5Zws2WpD20vrDKG21UFKcJSfl0cFcyZcB2tMTKNafvEH3RRDfJ/s1600/Llamaz.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
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Llamas are one of the easiest and quickest ways to give someone something on DA without it costing you any money. They are DeviantArt badges in the form of, well, <a href="http://giveallamagetallama.deviantart.com/journal/Llama-FAQs-and-Information-350934797" target="_blank">llamas</a>. They originally started as an April Fool's Joke by DA but people loved them so much that they kept it as a regular thing. Their purpose is just for fun, but many people appreciate getting them, and they're a great way to get people to check out your page, considering they have to go on your page in order to give one back to you. To give someone a llama, go to the top right corner of their page, go to the give button that has a gift icon next to it and then click "give a llama badge". Quite simple, and as I said, free.<br />
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As you can see in the drop down options, you can also give people cake... but that costs you points...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIZAvxIq3lAReVJb5nsQPmcwD_xgTfvXKILMN16j1NtX3wwhMHj-pcgGE9XTcb_0zTapuBbdN2BvYuNvyF_xqFlK_WIQk7asx8ZUnovcqyGv9sWlea7xNuR4I_Fo_EjOb_bM1ibIpPLeQ/s1600/IMG_7788+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIZAvxIq3lAReVJb5nsQPmcwD_xgTfvXKILMN16j1NtX3wwhMHj-pcgGE9XTcb_0zTapuBbdN2BvYuNvyF_xqFlK_WIQk7asx8ZUnovcqyGv9sWlea7xNuR4I_Fo_EjOb_bM1ibIpPLeQ/s1600/IMG_7788+copy.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm.. looks delicious... Why can't I eat the virtual cake?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2. <b>Points:</b> Speaking of points, if you're willing to put a little money into this, you can use points to give to others on DeviantArt. There are multiple ways to do this. As mentioned above, you can give people cake badges, which is mainly just for fun and for showing off on your profile how many people donated cake to you. In the same way as llamas, they're a good way to get people to go to your page to thank you and check out your work.<br />
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You can also donate premium memberships, using either points you have or paying for it. When you donate a premium membership, the top of that person's page will display that their premium membership was donated by you (unless you choose to do it anonymously). Usually people are so thankful for these, they will immediately watch you. And many people will be drawn to your page when they visit that person's page and see you were the one who donated the membership to them.<br />
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You can also just simply donate points, and this gives them the freedom to do whatever they want with the points. This is a great thing to do for those who can't afford points/memberships themselves. You can do this by either using the give button up top, or if they have a donation pool on their page, you can use that. Doing it through the donation pool is similar to giving the membership in that your page will be displayed as having been someone who donated points to them, unless you chose to give anonymously. They will most likely check out your page in order to thank you, and others will see you donated to them and will probably check out your page as well in hopes of getting points from you. Be warned, you may end up getting people on your page who will ask if you can donate to them. If this bugs you, you can put a note on your page saying "do not ask me for points".<br />
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Also, if you're fortunate enough to have a lot of points donated to you already, donating may not cost you any money either.<br />
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3. <b>Favorites:</b> Back to some free options. Adding other people's work to your favorites can sometimes be useful in drawing them in to your own page. I say sometimes because doing this doesn't particularly have a high draw rate, especially if you favorite a popular piece that has a lot of faves already. However, there are many who will go to your page to thank you for faving their work, so it still may have a small draw. I mainly find favorites as a useful way to build a collection of work that inspires me to grow in my own work. But that's not what this post is about...<br />
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4. <b>Comments/Critiques:</b> Let's take the favorite a step further. Leaving comments on other people's works is another great way to get yourself known and more likely to get attention than a fav. I've found it somewhat rare for people not to leave a comment on one of my pieces after I've left them one. And if you leave a good/interesting comment, it may encourage others who also check out that piece of work to check out your page. This doesn't only apply to art work, it can be a comment on a journal, on someone's page, or even a poll. <br />
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Some artists request critiques on their art as well. These are basically comments with a 100 word minimum and it allows you to rate the piece with stars based on vision, originality, technique, and impact. This is a great way to show off your expertise and show that you know your stuff (that is, if you actually know what you're talking about). The critiques are publicly displayed on the piece and allows other users to rate if the comment was fair or not. But if you're looking to write something short, you'll have to leave a regular comment. Usually artists who request critiques are looking for some kind of constructive criticism, but remember, you can give constructive criticism and still be nice. If you don't like a piece, it's better to not say anything than to be mean about it. And whether you leave a comment or critique, please be honest. Don't pretend to like a piece if you don't just because you want more page views. People prefer genuine comments and usually can tell if you're being fake. <br />
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5. <b>Thanking:</b> I mentioned that with many of the above steps, people will go to your page to thank you. Thanking people for faves, watches, comments, etc., shows that you appreciate them, and really, it is just a polite thing to do. That step of politeness can turn someone who only favorited one of your works to someone who now watches you and favorited multiple pieces of your work. If they left a comment somewhere on your page, you can thank them by replying to the comment. Otherwise, you can thank them by going to their page and leaving a thank you comment on their page, and maybe while you're there, check out some of their work as well. I'm sure they would appreciate it.<br />
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Being an overall nice person and showing that you actually care about others and about what you do is a lot more likely to draw people to you. If you act like a jerk though, don't be surprised if you hardly have anyone following your work.<br />
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6. <b>Forums: </b>I actually haven't really done much on the DA forums. As I said, I'm not able to spend as much time as I'd like on DA. So I can't speak too much on forums. But I do know many successful deviants came to their success by being quite active on the forums. If you're new to them, you may want to start off by just commenting and being part of topics others have started. You can see what type of topics often get the most feedback, and then you can apply that knowledge into starting your own forum threads. Many people will ask questions and look for help or tips on forums. If you know the answers to their questions or have useful tips on the subject, people may thank you by watching you.<br />
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7. <b>Groups:</b> I personally find groups as one of the best ways to gain exposure. They are also a great way to find other work of similar interest to yours. When you contribute your art to a group, all the people who watch that group get notified in their messages of your art contribution (including people who aren't watching you). There are MANY groups on DeviantArt. You could find a group on just about any topic. And you can even start a group yourself if you'd like. Every group has their own rules. Some require you to be a member of the group in order to contribute artwork, while some don't (you can be a member of a group and not "watch" them if you don't want notifications from them). Some groups limit how often you can contribute, and some don't (<u>warning to groups that don't have limits:</u> these often flood the inboxes of those who watch these groups, so your pieces may end up lost in a sea of artwork and therefore may not be viewed as much). <br />
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8. <b>Contests:</b> Contests can be fun if it's based on a subject you enjoy (otherwise it may be a waste of time). Sometimes DeviantArt teams up with other big artists and companies and hosts contests. You will be notified of these in your message center under "Contest Announcement". These can often lead to you having a fun badge after participating, even if you don't win. If you do win, not only do you get major exposure but there are also all sorts of amazing prizes, plus, many times a prize of an actual money amount. Realize that there are usually hundreds of people entering though, so make sure to put forth your best work if you enter.<br />
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Sometimes other deviants or groups will host contests as well. Usually you will find these announced on their journals and prizes can consist of point donations, premium memberships, features, or even some of their artwork. Many of the art contests will feature all of the qualifying art until the winner is announced, so this may be a good way to gain a little exposure even if you don't win. Especially if it's hosted by a popular group/deviant.<br />
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You can also host your own contest! Offering points, or even art, can draw a lot of new people to follow you, especially if you require them to "share" the contest on their own page in order to enter it. You can create your own rules as long as they're legal and follow DA's policies. ;)<br />
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9. <b>Journals:</b> I see a lot of people on DA who just hardly ever use their journals. Even if you're active on your account, having a journal from 6 months ago can make you appear inactive and may draw people away from your page. Journals are great because they can be used in so many different ways. They can also be a great way to make your page more personal and human, rather than seem like some distant artist. Here are some ways you can use your journal (although not limited to these ways): <br />
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<ul>
<li>Personal updates. You can use it for what its called; a journal. However, while updating everyone on your personal life will definitely make you seem more human, it can also make you seem unprofessional. So it may or may not be something you're interested in doing.</li>
<li>Art Career Updates. A little more professional but still personal; you can share updates on your art career. Do you have a new gallery exhibit? Let everyone know. Maybe you're going to have a booth in the artists alley at a convention you're going to, make sure you include the details. Add links to other artists if you recently did a collaboration. If you have a different website, include that too.</li>
<li>Features. You can add thumbs of all your favorite artwork of other artists (or even your own) to your journal as a feature. Make it more interesting by adding a feature theme, where all the featured work correlates with a specific theme of your choice. Those artists will appreciate this and may even choose to feature your work or check out your page. Many others, like me, may appreciate it as well because it allows opportunity to find other great pieces of work. If you make features a regular thing you post, people may watch you just because of enjoying the features you post. If you're not sure how to post thumbs, go to the art pieces page and on the bottom right, there is a code under "thumb". Paste it into your journal, and <span class="st">voila!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="st"></span></li>
<li>Contests. As mentioned in the contests section, you can host contests in your journal! </li>
<li>Tips/Advice. People really appreciate these, especially if it's on something they're struggling with. It can be advice on how to do something on DA, or specific art tips to help people become better artists. I, myself, will often watch someone if they have a lot of great advice or resources on their journals.</li>
<li>Commissions. If you want people to commission you for work, post a journal with your rates and some examples of your work.</li>
<li>Be creative. You can post stories. Surveys/Q&A. Something Funny. There's a lot you can do with your journal, as long as it isn't against DA policy. So make good use of them.</li>
</ul>
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10. <b>Polls:</b> This feature can only be used by those fortunate enough to have a premium membership. I find these very fun and a great way to interact with your watchers. This can be very useful in gathering information about your watchers (for example: reasons why they watch you), and that info can be used to create a better draw for new watchers or to better your art. It can also be used to get to know and become closer to your watchers, especially useful if you have large numbers of them. Lastly, sometimes it may stop someone who was just merely passing by your page, and get them interested in finding out more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6NetWQW-RhKolEHdGMIuMd6-eNtIzPTJVV3Zb9Gw8btRlfyif9civspzYhuZvQ9r_kEVGW0S86Yd5UFV0tSkWIQTUSf0YSfOakKKtgh6_v55EnCkX83PKrG4omoh0YrVPfpDkfcmkTJf/s1600/polls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6NetWQW-RhKolEHdGMIuMd6-eNtIzPTJVV3Zb9Gw8btRlfyif9civspzYhuZvQ9r_kEVGW0S86Yd5UFV0tSkWIQTUSf0YSfOakKKtgh6_v55EnCkX83PKrG4omoh0YrVPfpDkfcmkTJf/s1600/polls.jpg" height="171" width="320" /></a></div>
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11. <b>Make Friends:</b> If you find people on DA who share similar interests to you and seem like a person you would get along with, try to get to know them. You may not be able to become best buddies with every watcher you have, but that doesn't mean you can't befriend at least some of them. If you have watchers who consistently comment and fav your work, send them a personal message letting them know how much you appreciate them. Maybe even connect with them on other sites, or, in the real world (conventions are a great way to do that)! Having connections, no matter what career you're in, is almost always useful. And having friends who support what you do, and whom you support, can really help in encouraging each other and spreading each other's names around to other friends!<br />
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12. <b>Good Content/Art:</b> Probably the most important thing you should do; make sure your content (meaning your artwork/writing) is good enough for people to want to follow. If you only focus on all the other things I mentioned above, but hardly focus on putting out good art, it can get you a somewhat decent following, but it will only go so far. If you have great work, and don't do any of the other things I've mentioned, you're more likely to get a large following than someone who does those things and never posts work or posts mediocre work. As an artist (whether visual arts or writing), your larger focus should be on developing your skills to become a better artist. You should never stop learning/growing. Even the great historic artists themselves continuously practiced and developed their skills. If you're a beginner, that's fine, many people will enjoy watching you grow. In fact, people may watch you just from seeing that there's large amounts of progress in your work. But if you've been working on your craft for a long time, try to mainly post finished looking pieces. Most works in progress should be kept in the scraps folder of DA, otherwise it may make you seem amateurish. <br />
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And that concludes my 12 tips for increasing exposure on DeviantArt. I hope they will be of great use to you. When used properly, you may find DA to be one of your favorite sites used for your art. Just keep in mind, don't do these things with only the intent of fame/money. That will show to others and will make you appear very ingenuine, and therefore these tips won't work as well. Your art should be a form of expression and posted as a desire to share yourself and what you have to say with the world, even if it's your career and your income is based off of it. <br />
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If you're interested in "watching" my DeviantArt page, you can find it at <a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/">http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/</a>!<br />
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Did I miss anything? If you have other suggestions for increasing your exposure on DA, or you have any questions and/or concerns about what I've said, let me know in a comment below! I would love to hear what you have to say. <br />
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<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-78723999519368835072014-06-20T01:06:00.000-04:002014-06-29T01:10:45.012-04:00My Two Month Disappearance (Update)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="userContent"><br />So many of you who follow <a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">my deviantArt</a> page
already found out that my hard drive had crashed about 2 months ago,
hence why I haven't been posting much work and haven't kept up with the
weekly portrait project either. <br /> <br /> However I'm now anno<span class="text_exposed_show">uncing
that my computer is up & running again and I now have a larger
internal hard drive, plus a 3 TB backup so I don't have to worry about
losing my work again! I'll have to spend some time playing catch up, but
at least I can work again and there will be many art posts soon to
follow! <br /> <br /> To see the original post announcing my hard drive crash and what I've learned from it, click below:<br /><br /><a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/journal/Sorry-For-My-Disappearance-454354377">http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/journal/Sorry-For-My-Disappearance-454354377</a> <br /></span></span>Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-15031647143470608432014-03-13T01:43:00.000-04:002014-03-18T02:02:17.382-04:00Announcing...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h199/ShortyTiff/Site%20photos/IMG_6574cr2_zps8e1fcb9b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h199/ShortyTiff/Site%20photos/IMG_6574cr2_zps8e1fcb9b.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent">Announcing: a self portrait photo project. There's a
photographer who goes by the name "<a href="http://photolauren.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Lemon</a>", and she had a photo
project a while back where she posted a new self portrait every day for a
year straight. Leaving her with 365 ph<span class="text_exposed_show">otos
that I believe she turned into a photo book. So this got me inspired to
do something similar. Except, instead of once a day, I will be posting a
group of photos from a shoot once a week. I'm not sure if I'll do it
for a whole year; but basically until I run out of ideas or no longer
have time to. Each shoot will have a completely different theme.<br /> </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">The photo above isn't really meant to be part of the project, it was only
meant to be my announcement photo. So I didn't spend nearly as much time
on it as I did with the few shoots I've done so far. I had a few ideas
using the wood going across the top to make part of the announcement,
but after messing with it, I felt it looked somewhat cheesy and decided
not to do it. So my announcement remains only in the description. </span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">When I feel this project has come to completion I will do a post on the blog displaying some of the pieces I feel were best as a summary of the project. </span></span><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Until then, the
photos will be posted on my social media pages, so please make sure to
follow me on them if you're interested in what's to come from this
project. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Facebook Page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AGOMArtStudios" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/AGOMArtStudios</a></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AGOMArtStudios" target="_blank">http://www.twitter.com/AGOMArtStudios</a></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Google+ page: <a href="http://plus.google.com/100063812751963663125" target="_blank">http://plus.google.com/100063812751963663125</a></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">DeviantArt: <a href="http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">http://aglimpseofme.deviantart.com/</a></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span>Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-17531122249612780662014-03-06T20:16:00.000-05:002014-03-07T00:01:27.964-05:00Improving Your Reach by Keeping it Simple & Easy<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYF42jPLd-Qg2NTl61keOYSkFAu-BHl9X7AVSq95bgFSN0FLYZ8A8lPYxUh6ijgJ_UMkvPsDKqOMR1a1h4FmKyvOxGrop5imiGXdO0oH4TTnXHz1TVc5GKM0I-e9bB5em2tNjXyMjWh-7/s1600/AGOM+Studios+ImproveReach2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYF42jPLd-Qg2NTl61keOYSkFAu-BHl9X7AVSq95bgFSN0FLYZ8A8lPYxUh6ijgJ_UMkvPsDKqOMR1a1h4FmKyvOxGrop5imiGXdO0oH4TTnXHz1TVc5GKM0I-e9bB5em2tNjXyMjWh-7/s1600/AGOM+Studios+ImproveReach2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was asked by the <a href="http://gloryhouseofprayer.org/" target="_blank">Glory House of Prayer</a> church to review their site and give input on how I think they can improve. After reviewing their site and how they managed some events, I had a meeting with them to go over what I thought worked and didn't work to their benefit. But when organizing my notes for this meeting, I realized these points would also make a great post to help others improve their businesses and organizations as well.<br />
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See, a church, to an extent, is a business, trying to reach an audience who often doesn't already have a huge interest in who you are and what you're offering, just like any other business. No matter what kind of business you're in, you have certain audiences you want to draw in to be interested in what you have to offer. But having a website, social media page, or even having people visit those pages aren't necessarily enough to make them interested in your organization, company, or product. <br />
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It takes humans about <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2011/02/13/seven-seconds-to-make-a-first-impression/" target="_blank">7 seconds</a> to make many major decisions about someone or something upon first being introduced. In fact, as Lori McNee mentions in <a href="http://www.finearttips.com/2013/03/3-big-mistakes-artists-make-with-their-wordpress-websites/#ixzz1BvhwL83I" target="_blank">this short article</a>, "Studies have shown that a visitor to your site takes an average of 6 to 8 seconds to assess whether or not to stay and go deeper or move
on." This means your site or page has about 6 to 8 seconds to make a good impression on a visitor. And if you make a bad impression within that very short period of time, you will most likely lose your chance of gaining that person's interest in you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQPIhk2oF5UDgIcHYwola3YGc45A83gCDf1syOHUPxVfKfkPROMW3_PN9jZ9WQCjHZshYHOoKZgN8_buQKrXevCYgYye3FGb53dkR1vtlxYo3MY3sL2Q1Se73FGUOaKv6ejjoT2xOyzfP/s1600/LoriM+Quote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQPIhk2oF5UDgIcHYwola3YGc45A83gCDf1syOHUPxVfKfkPROMW3_PN9jZ9WQCjHZshYHOoKZgN8_buQKrXevCYgYye3FGb53dkR1vtlxYo3MY3sL2Q1Se73FGUOaKv6ejjoT2xOyzfP/s1600/LoriM+Quote.png" height="111" width="400" /></a></div>
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A key way to avoid making a bad impression is keeping your site (or page) simple and easy for anyone who visits it. I find that when it comes to any kind of marketing strategy, it's important to try to think like the ideal audience you're trying to reach; using your own experiences can help with this. Have you ever been on a site that just took way too long to load, or, just could not figure out how to get to the page you want to be on? If you have, I'm sure in most of those cases you ended up losing some interest in whatever the reason was for you going on the site in the first place. <br />
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An example I used to explain this was an experience I recently had helping someone prepare for a trip to Nigeria. This person had me help them with applying for a Visa to enter the country. Now I've never been to Nigeria and can't say I know what it's like there. However, the site you have to use to go through the visa application process was rather unclear with instructions and made it take a lot longer than it really should have. Even though I had never been to the country and am not sure if I would like it or not, the difficulties and bad experience I went through just to get the Visa to enter the country made me disinterested in visiting there. Now, for me personally, if an opportunity came up, I probably would still go because I know that just because I had problems with that entry process, doesn't mean it's a bad place to visit. However, many people won't give that second chance. <br />
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Someone who is already interested in something may be willing to jump through hoops to get it. But if you're trying to expand beyond the people who are already interested in you and what you're offering, you need to make sure it's a very easy and pleasant experience upon introduction to it. Here are a few suggestions that can help make your site more simple and easy:<br />
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<b>1.</b> Optimize images and graphics used on your site. Your goal should be to keep them at a decently high quality but at a small file size so they don't take long to load. Remember, if you only have up to 8 seconds to make an impression, your images need to be able to load quickly. If you don't have Adobe Photoshop to do this, you can use sites like <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey.com</a> and <a href="http://pixlr.com/">Pixlr.com</a>.<br />
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<b>2.</b> Simple Navigation. It shouldn't be difficult for a visitor to find a page. Make sure the links to pages are clear and easy to find. If you have a lot of pages, it may be a good idea to include a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Site_Map" target="_blank">site map</a> on your website.<br />
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<b>3.</b> Provide the right amount of information. Avoid clutter. As said by John Maeda, “Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” You want to make sure all necessary information is available and easily accessible without using too many words and without providing more than needed information. The 'About' Page is one of the most visited pages on a business site, it's how visitors learn what you're all about. And it's a great way to humanize your business so people don't feel like you're only after their money. But you have to keep in mind that most people don't want to read an about page that's as long as a novel. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQwcA_MAVPk7NmzD57jCPYbcwvcxE5hlal4YT0UVkQw3TR-PmWy323gqnWxiobJKClYwvPv3NqqbLi_CeRQdhyZGaL1lsvGijRkf9bSov3CNAMe-4Pyyl2Zh1jOz7STglG_nr5UEYXpk1/s1600/DSC01433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQwcA_MAVPk7NmzD57jCPYbcwvcxE5hlal4YT0UVkQw3TR-PmWy323gqnWxiobJKClYwvPv3NqqbLi_CeRQdhyZGaL1lsvGijRkf9bSov3CNAMe-4Pyyl2Zh1jOz7STglG_nr5UEYXpk1/s1600/DSC01433.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></div>
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Aside from making sure your site is simple and easy, here are a few other business tips in making your introduction to new potential supporters a more easy and positive one.<br />
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<u><b>Video:</b></u> Having some kind of promo video is a great way to provide info about what you're doing and/or offering. Instead of visitors having to search for the info, it is neatly presented to them in a single visual format. However, focusing on only visuals in a video isn't always the best idea. Audio is very important and makes it easier for people to pay attention. Keep in mind that there's a good chance that people who are finding you on the web are probably multitasking online. <a href="http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/twovisual.htm" target="_blank">Studies</a> have shown that when it comes to multitasking, you actually have a higher attention rate with mixed audio and visuals rather than just all visuals. Think about when you're watching a movie. Many times people don't pay attention to all of the visuals but still understand what's going on because of the audio. But if you've tried watching a movie with it's sound off, you're usually pretty lost.<br />
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So, in my opinion, having you or another person speak in the video rather than having graphics with words pop up is more likely to get people's attention. However, make sure to speak very <u>clearly</u>. If you do decide to take the "typed out" route, make sure everything is short and quick to read. A lengthy amount of words makes it difficult to read quickly. Also, still include some audio, like an instrumental music piece, to keep it interesting.<br />
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<u><b>Web Presence:</b></u> Having a good web presence makes it much easier for people to find your business/organization and therefore makes you more likely to gain their interest. Have you ever seen a sign for, or maybe was told by someone, of a local business, and when you searched for them online, you hardly found anything on them? This past Christmas I ran into that type of problem. There was a sign near my new apartment pointing out a direction for a Christmas Tree Farm. I got excited because it meant that I didn't have to go very far to get a tree this year. However, there was no address or name on the sign. So in our free time, we decided to drive the direction of the sign, saw one or two more signs, and eventually followed them to the spot where it seemed the signs were leading too. But, they were closed at the time that we got there. So I tried to remember the place so I can search them online, and then decide if I wanted to buy the tree from them or not. But after searching and searching, I hardly found anything except a very old facebook page with hardly anything on it. We ended up going back to that tree farm and getting a tree from them anyway because of how close it was, and it actually ended up being a decent deal. But I can't imagine how little of customers they had with how difficult it was to find them. Where I live is by no means a high traffic area either. <br />
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We're living in a age where technology and the internet is a huge part of our lives and a high source of information. Having no web presence makes you almost invisible. Don't get me wrong, word of mouth is still a very important part of marketing. But the web is an important part of promoting word of mouth. And yes, having a website is a large part of building your web presence, but having that alone is generally not enough to give you a very large boost in your presence. You need to have ways of directing people to your site. Social media sites are perfect tools to do that. Almost everyone nowadays can be found on at least one social media site. There are so many that can be used: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">Youtube</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="http://plus.google.com/" target="_blank">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, and more. And they all offer <a href="http://outthinkgroup.com/tips/the-6-types-of-social-media" target="_blank">different types</a> of options and have a certain audience reach. It can be overwhelming with all the choices, so do your research and choose the ones you think would be most useful and most enjoyable for you to use. Here is a good article discussing the <a href="http://outthinkgroup.com/tips/the-6-types-of-social-media" target="_blank">6 types of social media</a>. My advice is NOT to try to sign up for every social media site you can find in an attempt to extend your reach. Because doing that will either lead you to spending ALL of your time online updating all of those pages, or having a bunch of inactive pages that aren't used to their full potential and are kind of useless. <br />
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In the end, which sites you choose to use all depend on you and what you're looking to do with them. But I will bring up the importance of one certain social media site. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. Facebook has become one of the most visited sites on the web and has been announced as the number one visited site in the U.S. If you're looking to tackle online marketing, facebook is pretty much a must. With facebook making it free and rather simple to make a business page, it's very much something to be taken advantage of if you're any kind of business owner.<br />
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There are two free tools I find extremely useful on facebook: 1. Facebook events. This is extremely useful to bands who are playing shows or organizations that are having some kind of seminar or event. It allows people to easily invite others to events and is a decent way to get an estimate of how many people will show up. You can put all of the information needed on the event page, including time, location, prices, links, and more. 2. The share button. If you successfully post appealing content on your facebook page, people may choose to press the little share button that allows them to post this content on their own personal page or on someone else's page. This is an important action to encourage as it basically sums up to free advertising for you.<br />
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Facebook can also really help increase your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO basically boils down to how often you appear in search engine results. If someone goes on Google to find something related to your business, you want to be one of the top ten results. Facebook pages often come up as higher results on searches, which is why having one can be a good boost in SEO for a business. <br />
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Now, I've seen a few businesses make the mistake of creating a personal facebook account instead of a facebook page. This is not a wise option. First off, you're limited to the amount of friends you can have on a personal account, and may be blocked if you accept too many friend requests. While on a business page there is no limit on how many people can follow it. Also, people are much more likely to want to go through the simpler process of pressing the 'like' button on your page rather than sending you a friend request and waiting for you to approve it. Lastly, with a business page, you have the option to pay to boost your posts and have advertisements show up to targeted markets. Their rates are on the cheaper side and they're great options to serious business owners.<br />
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<u><b>Organize:</b></u> This is more general advice that applies to both online and offline work for your business. I cannot stress the importance of being organized. If you can't handle the following you currently have, how can you expect to handle expansion? I see so many businesses unable to move forward and expand because they're just so unorganized. I would say my greatest advice in staying organized is <u>write everything down and file it.</u> This will help make everything easier for you, and in turn, make it easier on potentially interested people and anyone involved. This includes having a calendar and having all important events marked down on it. It also means having all important information regarding those events written down and stored in one place. I even had all of the information for my meeting with the church written down beforehand and before writing this post. Doing so made sure that all involved parties got the most out of it. I have a great memory, but, I also constantly have a lot running through my mind, as I'm sure most of you do. If I hadn't written everything down, I guarantee I would've forgotten some things.<br />
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There is much information that I know doesn't feel important to write down. Some of this information may include your goals, the mission of you or your business/organization, your reason for starting it, people/groups you look up to, inspirations, etc. I know that these often don't feel important to write down because I'm guilty of not writing them down myself. When I first started my art business, that was all information I just kept in my head. But after I had all of that information written down for my own business, it turned out to be of much benefit. One of those reasons being because it helped me stay on track when having to make business decisions. It also helps as a great reference when you're writing the 'about' section on your website or social media site. It is also a great reference for when you need to communicate what you're about to other parties who are getting involved with you and/or your business. In fact, if you were to hire a graphic designer, including myself, you would most likely be required to fill out what's called a <a href="http://www.mohawkconnects.com/feltandwire/2011/02/08/the-creative-brief-10-things-it-must-include/" target="_blank">creative brief</a>, which has you write out many of those types of information. <br />
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Speaking of communicating, <u>communication</u> is a key part to being organized. And writing information down is part of clear communication. I can't count how many times I've seen an organization discuss an event or something important coming up with others, and there end up being some sort of chaos because people misunderstood certain information. Have you ever played the telephone game? Spreading information through word of mouth often gets twisted and tainted with false information. Having the information communicated through a written form (whether its a print out, email, or even a text) can help prevent that. Also, always try to aim to provide information ahead of time. Meaning, don't provide info to an event the day before and expect a large amount of attendees or volunteers. I'd say at least a month is a good amount of time to promote an event and to give your employers or volunteers notice and information.<br />
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So this all sums up some of my advice on ways to improve your reach through simplifying and keeping it easy. I hope this was of good use to you! There are many links included throughout the text to help further explain certain areas that you may have more questions on. If there's some information that you have questions on that do not contain links, leave a comment and I'd love to further explain. Or if you have any information that you think should be added, let me know in a comment as well. Thank you for reading!Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-22743585663826396242014-02-05T16:45:00.001-05:002014-03-06T22:17:10.950-05:00Valentine's Special<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwg9CJqC5onw_6NJpFTL5gCeut8nW8I6ntoYviQrbn_Y8LIzfVDJVHS-ku0RqpfqSGyotFJNTKGyGsxdq-LcF9JBmBnTrH25EFR426-XQzQKRd34k2i3rMIjqq2WAy_T5_66-6gLKTPR_/s1600/Chibiexpval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwg9CJqC5onw_6NJpFTL5gCeut8nW8I6ntoYviQrbn_Y8LIzfVDJVHS-ku0RqpfqSGyotFJNTKGyGsxdq-LcF9JBmBnTrH25EFR426-XQzQKRd34k2i3rMIjqq2WAy_T5_66-6gLKTPR_/s1600/Chibiexpval.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZbcm55K4AJkOUrONlMEKmegFrAUjULZnjvkQye5nz6MynH5aMXkcHnh2ZetKCAK3WzGwtuuv2PlACqPT9n4KxJmgKA-dDTdFTAWILnC8vKY7-PSODfDUItz245pfHrzhoGKUMZFY3ijc/s1600/Chibiexpval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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Are you still looking for a gift for that special someone? Don't miss out on our [last minute] Valentine Special. 10% off all services and paintings. </div>
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I also decided this year I would offer custom hand-painted Valentine cards. The cards will be painted on front with a custom painting of your choice and artist signature, printed with a custom message of your choice on the inside, and stamped with "A Glimpse of Me" on the bottom of the back side. The inside message can also be done with Chinese ink and ink brush for more custom calligraphy. The cards will be on cardstock and will come with an unsealed envelope. The price of these cards will run $14 for each 4"x5" card and includes shipping (if needed).</div>
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Here are a couple samples of custom cards I've done in the past:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWnoyus5hLapLN3BNgIXgHvEtWrMiEski5_TESnKfnAVPVWnGH3VtfkQ5wX448X7rPH_nCdfxcdxsbO7u_1cZCEb04pNrbPx6eAIzxVMBy53z0woXv55FJ9_8aIfAM06sO2rq1Aobtx8a/s1600/DSC02397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWnoyus5hLapLN3BNgIXgHvEtWrMiEski5_TESnKfnAVPVWnGH3VtfkQ5wX448X7rPH_nCdfxcdxsbO7u_1cZCEb04pNrbPx6eAIzxVMBy53z0woXv55FJ9_8aIfAM06sO2rq1Aobtx8a/s1600/DSC02397.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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This card was drawn with colored pencils and outlined in ink.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ksE3F40acoRk2-WPh4S3vWbyw0LGEusSAvn-fYQ5ChnEar6X5eYI7ixN2sR4_3q1c3KGfdNUNytUndRfycHV-dbpBzYeW1zDczeatkPeaFDPmNxyCM8dBc-lAWQAMy-T_uJlDv5VyDoF/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ksE3F40acoRk2-WPh4S3vWbyw0LGEusSAvn-fYQ5ChnEar6X5eYI7ixN2sR4_3q1c3KGfdNUNytUndRfycHV-dbpBzYeW1zDczeatkPeaFDPmNxyCM8dBc-lAWQAMy-T_uJlDv5VyDoF/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
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And these were Christmas cards painted with Acrylic paint.<br />
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You may also choose the option to have one of my photographs printed on the front instead. A good choice, in my opinion, would be the photo below:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtlP4ZpFaRm4EWjDUN0NItV23bPUWJ8Fcv0Y3omG-v2DzFTWIweFBPRSkQj48dKuomLvTRbngwdtl22IFLsaDA_QeUuev1jGRP99oK0xdzxLYbro6pFfkVo0hdlCrze5OYGmVfWTLBV9N/s1600/DSC025712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtlP4ZpFaRm4EWjDUN0NItV23bPUWJ8Fcv0Y3omG-v2DzFTWIweFBPRSkQj48dKuomLvTRbngwdtl22IFLsaDA_QeUuev1jGRP99oK0xdzxLYbro6pFfkVo0hdlCrze5OYGmVfWTLBV9N/s1600/DSC025712.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And if you're not looking for a gift for someone else, why not use this deal to treat yourself to a gift? ;)</div>
Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-43922485422384834762014-01-24T00:07:00.000-05:002014-03-06T22:13:54.073-05:00Breath of Life Missions<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinRxIZ0oXI-LzIz5M8HR2UpG8myh_KHB8oB86mVHx9CkUyIGXJYS7jEKXi4MzGEIQLucTXw27e3zrXAA4dMowHtMa9zMoI8N9zbpt-ot7o_BYXL0CEdnXkAm15MyiIN6Fne7G36cnhgC6/s1600/Miss+conf+2sw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinRxIZ0oXI-LzIz5M8HR2UpG8myh_KHB8oB86mVHx9CkUyIGXJYS7jEKXi4MzGEIQLucTXw27e3zrXAA4dMowHtMa9zMoI8N9zbpt-ot7o_BYXL0CEdnXkAm15MyiIN6Fne7G36cnhgC6/s1600/Miss+conf+2sw.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a><br />
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Breath of Life Missions has been a client of mine for a little over a half year or so and it has been a joy doing work for them. To the left here is a flyer I did for a conference they had last year as they were in the beginning stages of their organization.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFw7ACaZ4JWxw9RRttW4RKLK-BCPbSOtJqZ9N9tpV0aO0XLjxn0B8xiFw62SPJqXeWKgpxndvyYa-gTeJicZ906YoiNjHteJLw_AoAinSESDdrPgboyUXOVIrnysf9FsP5FvsCwekz1FWa/s1600/BOL+Brochsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFw7ACaZ4JWxw9RRttW4RKLK-BCPbSOtJqZ9N9tpV0aO0XLjxn0B8xiFw62SPJqXeWKgpxndvyYa-gTeJicZ906YoiNjHteJLw_AoAinSESDdrPgboyUXOVIrnysf9FsP5FvsCwekz1FWa/s1600/BOL+Brochsm.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've done a few different brochures and fliers for them since. Here to my right is one of the more recent ones for a trip coming up in March.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_bqJPxN3mVt0YY_4znxJXo1dBuy76DhNUlihDKCHox-IwZ2FTT-YTPpJt8CqIDIFqixVviRwiUeTuKn_z6l9BUj7qxot6m7s9RwWF5H9iMhozgJ_svuhUz-gxJW2lWrgPAMMMNgW1fUE/s1600/BOFMissionsFlyerCouples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_bqJPxN3mVt0YY_4znxJXo1dBuy76DhNUlihDKCHox-IwZ2FTT-YTPpJt8CqIDIFqixVviRwiUeTuKn_z6l9BUj7qxot6m7s9RwWF5H9iMhozgJ_svuhUz-gxJW2lWrgPAMMMNgW1fUE/s1600/BOFMissionsFlyerCouples.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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And this is the very most recent brochure done for them for a Couples & Families mission trip that will take place in late March to early April to the Dominican Republic. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjbwA2LCP5935jJAfL_9wPTX0qbJFepHmdOpYNu-vMkCiH-cyvk6_we25-EKuXXv5lBhutxsMcus5tTE1bHN9oVhgIkb4B_lm_LEYJ8IlRJlgoqXqiAI-ltybBxg0AoPnEtepC0fVnWZQ/s1600/BOFMissionsFlyerCoupleBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjbwA2LCP5935jJAfL_9wPTX0qbJFepHmdOpYNu-vMkCiH-cyvk6_we25-EKuXXv5lBhutxsMcus5tTE1bHN9oVhgIkb4B_lm_LEYJ8IlRJlgoqXqiAI-ltybBxg0AoPnEtepC0fVnWZQ/s1600/BOFMissionsFlyerCoupleBack.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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They will be staying at the 5 star resort, Riu Palace Bavaro. More info on the resort can be found at <a href="http://www.riu.com/" target="_blank">www.riu.com. </a><br />
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A full list of their upcoming mission trips for 2014 can be found on the flyer I designed for them below, along with their contact info:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQh9tRec2-E3qk1R7wKGqg9_Pfq2RZcIrBUsSDAagQpRVVQN7cVeFYBeZmG-Hwb9wbSz50k3ud07MiCXRLuNIoto2I4ngy3m8fsmusXDJk9xUav_aUrHRYomCAxKlwXYk14zyC2LwfUhe/s1600/MissionFlyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQh9tRec2-E3qk1R7wKGqg9_Pfq2RZcIrBUsSDAagQpRVVQN7cVeFYBeZmG-Hwb9wbSz50k3ud07MiCXRLuNIoto2I4ngy3m8fsmusXDJk9xUav_aUrHRYomCAxKlwXYk14zyC2LwfUhe/s1600/MissionFlyer.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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I love being able to see all that they're doing and how they are touching people's lives. If you happen to be in interested in mission trips, you can contact them using the details in the above flyer, go to their site at: <a href="http://breathoflifemissions.org/">breathoflifemissions.org/</a> or find them on facebook at: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BreathofLifemissions">www.facebook.com/BreathofLifemissions</a><br />
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They also kindly wrote this review on my work:<br />
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<i><span class="wz-italic">"Tiffany has been doing promotional work for my
ministry Breath of Life Missions for around 6 months now. I have found
her work to be excellent and her attention to detail to
be outstanding. I Highly recommend her for your next Project." </span></i><br />
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<span class="wz-bold">- Pastor Jim Jorgensen </span><br />
<span class="wz-bold"> President Breath of Life Missions</span></div>
Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-25003895323084545392014-01-21T16:18:00.000-05:002014-12-18T20:00:08.950-05:00Toothless the Dragon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefj4y6D8b7ugvPZx7CMm_N_XrAsd84PB_DXE2FICrd0TMIScQw-KHOOQsVuEffc87hgOkZV0ARJ8iE6dljQ5rzzyWGBKW9I1pXSLmD-dh6I_7eYSFpcxu8Zwn1IHOVgFlXiPNNBR5MhtL/s1600/IMG_6175Sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefj4y6D8b7ugvPZx7CMm_N_XrAsd84PB_DXE2FICrd0TMIScQw-KHOOQsVuEffc87hgOkZV0ARJ8iE6dljQ5rzzyWGBKW9I1pXSLmD-dh6I_7eYSFpcxu8Zwn1IHOVgFlXiPNNBR5MhtL/s1600/IMG_6175Sm.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent">Introducing my new little
partner: the little bearded dragon named Toothless. Named after my
favorite dragon, from the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" (and yes, they have
very similar personalities). This little cutie became a member of my home shortly after Christmas and has quite the character. You'll probably see plenty more of my little buddy since I'll probably often use Toothless as a test subject for my photography. Here are a few shots for you to enjoy:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN23WwJMkTmJ2plSxJ9rlWktehN6ZQejxuEXUuxSwNWHk3O1tsbnmt_d9n0bC2SmtnUWXgdFYmrHbuK-HsM-0Cz-5gaFsWkJJbfp-WiM5fzt9s1an4CHP4zkpaGxiqslQB-7nTqwrNCBZ8/s1600/IMG_6448Sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN23WwJMkTmJ2plSxJ9rlWktehN6ZQejxuEXUuxSwNWHk3O1tsbnmt_d9n0bC2SmtnUWXgdFYmrHbuK-HsM-0Cz-5gaFsWkJJbfp-WiM5fzt9s1an4CHP4zkpaGxiqslQB-7nTqwrNCBZ8/s1600/IMG_6448Sm.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqswLmJCitUiyjlsczv05XFYOG41KQuHGVcO0_RzUxzRjNcxHsLfK24xZdvtD2a5LufeqLGrEsSwzDQIB_PkIZUKKdVZsDSNJIkH0qQuL-GoA-f3zroKR3_SLlgCK0eAnJVgMHZFLRAO8G/s1600/IMG_6456Sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqswLmJCitUiyjlsczv05XFYOG41KQuHGVcO0_RzUxzRjNcxHsLfK24xZdvtD2a5LufeqLGrEsSwzDQIB_PkIZUKKdVZsDSNJIkH0qQuL-GoA-f3zroKR3_SLlgCK0eAnJVgMHZFLRAO8G/s1600/IMG_6456Sm.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent"><br /></span>Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-2795441519568403382014-01-04T00:47:00.000-05:002014-03-06T22:14:37.860-05:00Holiday Cards Sent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4pcKJDBmvr997oJhDpEC0we_lUKg77ehQLiGpQSAHt3e2lNR4C8JIa8xHNVlq1nTtHuWFT0pcWPf5NsJC95Fsjg6WxyHoUsJ22o-OGwSOzTbjQEMC3Tctbn2syrDxXHp3DFzzhzcpsu9/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4pcKJDBmvr997oJhDpEC0we_lUKg77ehQLiGpQSAHt3e2lNR4C8JIa8xHNVlq1nTtHuWFT0pcWPf5NsJC95Fsjg6WxyHoUsJ22o-OGwSOzTbjQEMC3Tctbn2syrDxXHp3DFzzhzcpsu9/s1600/IMG_5865.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent">The Christmas cards I painted and mailed in
for the <a href="http://agomartstudios.blogspot.com/2013/11/holiday-card-project.html" target="_blank">Christmas Card Project</a> that I posted about weeks ago.
Hope some of you were able to send some in as well! These were painted
with Acrylic paint:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa0sQGwvgckIcVYiYc5yfTXox3jCAnotupvP-fOr81JV3LEjnJWJ2nhaXExuEiyhBCUwjwXZddMnugWF8D5Eibw3JNt5ACIUl9FWrw3SuF4fDmejZhOFB8e7-O0_UEm8SJY6Z-1phW5wA/s1600/IMG_5856.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa0sQGwvgckIcVYiYc5yfTXox3jCAnotupvP-fOr81JV3LEjnJWJ2nhaXExuEiyhBCUwjwXZddMnugWF8D5Eibw3JNt5ACIUl9FWrw3SuF4fDmejZhOFB8e7-O0_UEm8SJY6Z-1phW5wA/s1600/IMG_5856.png" height="320" width="241" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvs6jbe84ycgGqWok546q-koZNwod6afgrIJ7cuX2dAvjb9d5l7d9okCnoG6KaQY3HB2V248a_QMLZZIG3Rk8XRiuhTYVgr_9AiA3VQwaGt3r-DIsSJN9b1n7g9GpruLwlQnZOtPWUSI9/s1600/IMG_5815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvs6jbe84ycgGqWok546q-koZNwod6afgrIJ7cuX2dAvjb9d5l7d9okCnoG6KaQY3HB2V248a_QMLZZIG3Rk8XRiuhTYVgr_9AiA3VQwaGt3r-DIsSJN9b1n7g9GpruLwlQnZOtPWUSI9/s1600/IMG_5815.jpg" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6302374574366167874.post-4751019360510400912013-11-22T23:50:00.000-05:002014-03-06T22:16:07.622-05:00Holiday Deals!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h199/ShortyTiff/Site%20photos/ChibifinHolidays_zpsee65977e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h199/ShortyTiff/Site%20photos/ChibifinHolidays_zpsee65977e.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Make sure you don't miss out on the holiday deals being offered this
season! "Like" the facebook page and/or follow the page on twitter to stay
up to date on the latest offers!<br />
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Click the links on the right to visit our pages!<br />
<br />Few Of The Manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966610770103243696noreply@blogger.com0