One month ago you would not be reading these words. Maybe you would be reading an article, but certainly not one written by me. Last month I started an experiment…
As an Art Director, I have been designing and consulting for the past 27 years. Currently, I work for a small design firm that specializes in branding and marketing for attorneys. My boss, Paula, has written and self-published three books on marketing and branding for attorneys and she sells them on Amazon. Our design work (like everything else) was slowing down, so Paula asked me to do some research to find out more about online marketing and social networking to see how we could increase her presence on the web.
With everything that I learned, I decided to try the strategies myself without telling my office. I wanted to see for myself if it would work. The first test was to search my name on Google. When I searched Google, fifty Nancy Martinis came up; not one of them mine. Then, I signed up for Twitter and began searching for things that interested me: green, eco, art and garden. I needed a background for my page and some sort of logo. Behind me on my studio wall was the art that I made recently out of trash. I didn’t even think about it too hard; being an experiment I didn’t care that it wasn’t perfect. I took a photo, made an avatar then I was on my way.
EcoArtist was the name I picked for my ID on Twitter. I even had to look it up. Was it two words or one; and what was the definition of a ecoartist? Different people had different ideas. Ecoartist wasn’t listed in the dictionary or Wikipedia, so I decided to list it myself. They could reject me if they wanted. I added my real name because I had nothing to hide, just wanted to learn.
After only three weeks of experimenting, I had met interesting people and artists from all over the world; got enough courage to do a video of myself and describe my art and thoughts about the environment; got my name listed first on the Google search; was asked by Ecoki to write an article (always thought I of myself as a designer, not a writer); and finally made a commitment to reach my lifelong goal of producing an art exhibit.
Obviously, I am very excited and nervous about my upcoming ecoart exhibit called: Lessons from the Dinner Table. All the pieces are constructed from 95% reclaimed material retrieved from the trash and recycled bin. The exhibit will also have a component featuring contributed photographs of people at their dinner table as well.
The exhibit title is not just about what you learn at the dinner table. It is about starting at a place that is comfortable; where you listen to those who love you most. Then, move out into the world and take those same values and ideas with you.
Contributing a photo it is really easy…
First, take a photo of yourself and your family/friends around your dining room table. Once you have your photo, go to photobucket.com/artexhibit and click on “add photos to this group” and you will be prompted to log in or sign up with a username and a password. Then, upload your photo (250k or less) with your name/title of your photo and a description/message. Once the photo is approved, you will see it in the collection. That’s it! Just be yourself and have fun.
Funny thing about experiments, you never know where it will lead you. My experiment continues and I’m not sure where it will lead me next. I hope you will decide to be a part of my ecoart exhibit and experiment by sending in a photo of yourself and your family at your dinner table.
Follow my art at my blog, nancymartini.blogspot.com and my twitter page, twitter.com/EcoArtist.