Tag: advice

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Why artist Judy Bowman believes in Mint

Artists Charlene Uresy and Judy Bowman at the first Mint Masterpieces.  Judy Bowman will be involved again this year. (Photo © Barbara Barefield)

Judy Bowman’s success as an artist started after she retired from her career as an educator. Yet if Mint Artists Guild had been around when she were a teen, she wonders whether she might have pursued creating and selling art more earlier in her life.

A new video, created by Mint marketing lead and board member Kelly O’Neill, shares Judy’s story – and her appreciation for Mint.

The award winning collage, mixed media and more artist, also shared some advice she would give her 18-year-old self.

“If you keep plugging at it, you’ll get there. … Keep doing it because you’re going to be a success. You’ve got the drive. You’ve got the energy.”

Judy has supported Mint Artists Guild with her time and experiences, her art and more. She serves on the honorary committee for Mint Masterpieces, our party with a purpose on Oct. 19.  Buy your tickets now and enjoy art, music and fine food in a major art collector’s eclectic home. Or please follow Judy’s lead and donate to Mint today!

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Space it out in preparing for major event

Trinity Brown creates and sells jewelry – often a lot of it – at the Mint tent at the Palmer Park Art Fair.

At a recent Mint workshop, she shared how she sometimes has procrastinated on finishing work, adding the hooks to earrings the night before the fair and created many pieces in the final days beforehand.

This year, though, she is getting ahead, ordering jewelry making supplies easier. She is setting aside some stock specifically to sell to Palmer Park Art Fair patrons on June 1 and 2, and will not post it online ahead of time. (She sells on her website and on Instagram and Etsy too.)

“Give yourself some time” to create art for a major event, she told Mint Learn and Earn artists in her Teens Teaching Teens segment.

“Space it out” when you’re creating art.

Avoiding last minute preparations sounds simple, and it will give artists time for special commissions and other serendipity that shows up two days before a major show.

– © Vickie Elmer, 2019 for Mint

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Make the most of your job interview: Interview tips for emerging creatives

If you’re searching for a creative summer job, with Mint Artists or elsewhere, get ready for job interviews. 

 These may be nerve wracking or thought provoking, frustrating or fruitful. And they are generally one key to landing a job. There’s plenty of research and advice available on job search and job interviews, some of it written by me for Fortune magazine or The Washington Post.

Most of that advice focuses on adults. This advice is aimed at young people, ages 14 to 21, who are seeking a meaningful summer job.

Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.   Read the organization’s website, blog and social media posts a day or two before your interview. Check LinkedIn and professional association websites too. This will help you ask good questions during the interview – and answer a likely question: Why do you want to work here?   Hint: Find something you like, and be honest. But don’t say you want to earn money, that’s not a great answer, according to The Balance Careers.  Choose your clothing ahead of time (and go more professional and net, even for creative jobs) and select a notebook to take with you.

Practice your answers.  Mock interviews or speed interviews are worthwhile, or ask your favorite aunt to ask some interview questions. Be prepared for some offbeat questions, especially if you’re going after a creative job in a creative organization. (I’ve been known to ask candidates about their super power or what fruit they most identify with.) Review and prepare for the most common interview questions, such as this list from job search giant Indeed. It’s especially helpful to know what you will say about your best skills and strengths and your weaknesses and to practice for those tell me about how you solved a problem or rescued a project inquires. 

Connect with the interviewer.  Find out who you will interview with, and read up on them, their causes and interests. See what they share on social media, and review their professional background on LinkedIn. Jot some notes in that notebook you’re bring. And prepare a question about their career or experiences that shows you did the homework.  

And a final piece:  Listen carefully during your interview and jot notes. Your body language shows you are attentive and engaged, so drink plenty of coffee or an energy drink ahead of time and don’t slouch or avert your eyes. Smile, for research shows it helps in getting hired, except if you are interviewing for a serious job. And follow these other listening tips from Job-hunt.org .

If you are interested in interviewing for a summer job with Mint Artists, you must live in Detroit, be ages 14 to 21 and register with Grow Detroit’s Young Talent.

Our 2020 interviews are scheduled for April 7, 18 and 23 in the Mint Studios in Palmer Park. Or contact us if you cannot attend that day.

© Vickie Elmer, 2019, for Mint Artists

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Quotable: Saatchi’s Chelsea Jones

“To stand out, channel your individuality into your work.”
Saatchi Art curator Chelsea Jones in a post answering five questions from emerging artists. Among the artists who practiced this very well: Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist whose self portraits reveal a lot of her feelings and experiences.
 

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Quotable: artist Linda Buck

“What are you going to say about your work? Know what you’re about before you step in the booth.”

– artist Linda Buck, a Mint Artists co-founder, at a Mint workshop.  Linda creates hand colored clay tiles with architectural details. She has sold her work at a number of fine art fairs – and also through the DIA git shop.

Linda Buck’s clay tiles are hand made and colored.

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Quotable: Leonardo da Vinci on doing

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

–Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

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Quotable: artist Austen Brantley

Austen Brantley stands between two of his pieces.

 

“If you’ve got to sell your art, you’ve got to sell yourself.”

-sculptor Austen Brantley, at a Mint Artists Guild Learn & Earn workshop.
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Quotable: entrepreneur Pamela Hilliard Owens

Pamela Hilliard Owens, shown with her husband editor Keith Owens

 

“It does help if you have a Plan B… but work hard on Plan A.”

– Pamela Hilliard Owens, a Detroit entrepreneur who owns three creative businesses, at a Mint workshop on goal setting.
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What a street performer may teach artists about asking

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Musician Amanda Palmer learned to connect with patrons as a street performer, busking as the 8 foot tall bride. She believes that all musicians, writers, creatives need to learn to ask – for financial support, for gigs, for contracts.  “The perfect tools aren’t going to help us if we can’t face each other and give and receive fearlessly, but more important, to ask without shame,” said Palmer in this Ted video performance.  Though she no longer works as a street performer, she knows how to ask and connect. She encouraged fans to support her on Kickstarter and collected $1 million from 24,000 of them.

(Source: Amanda Palmer on artists asking for support
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Quotable: Scott Hocking, on art

“When you’re making your art work, a lot of it you’re doing for yourself.”

Detroit artist Scott Hocking, on not caring what other people think of your work. He spoke at a MOCAD forum in Detroit. Learn more about Hocking’s site-specific installations in a Kresge in Detroit video.
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