how-to | timotheories

Just Let It Gel (Facebook How-To… Page)

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Tim Kuefler

When laying down a canvas, I think it’s important to set the foundation first, usually with white gesso, but sometimes simply with some soft gel. Almost every visual artist will tell you same, unless they are painting on paper, mylar, or some other strong gripping surface. Then again, said artist might not even want to create an archival work OR rather the degradation of the work is key to the process. Whatever the case we understand the basic of what to start with.

After that decision is made, I start applying broad strokes to block in shapes and highlights, carefully choosing colour(s) which will give a tone to the story. Once that step has happened and I’m confident in my decisions, I begin the process of focusing on areas of the painting, slowly laying in or uncovering details and telling stories within the story of my canvas. It’s easy to get caught up in the romance of it all, so I’ll spare you that as best I can.

This might seem like a common practice, but there really are a lot of different ways to make a painting. Truth be told, no two artists will tackle it the same way, even if we pretend subject matter and material choices are the same. And frankly, I don’t expect marketing to work in a catch-all matter either, even though many people think it’s a simple process.

And given my personal experiences with it, once you set the foundation, just like fine art, marketing comes down to taste, experience and the message to be delivered.

About Face

Way way back in November 2016, which feels like ages ago, I met a beautiful woman and we had our first date. It was wonderful, and she is very special to me, when she reads this post we will have passed our 3 month anniversary, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Right, I promised no more romance.

Well, I’ll just try this one more time.

Way way back in November 2016, I wrote a post about Facebook. Now at the time, I didn’t expect to cover the whole social networking service in one post, so I decided to break it up into several parts, aptly naming the first part, Facebook pt. 1. And like any good franchise, I’m going to immediately deviate from that pattern and set out to call the next set of posts Facebook How-To … (insert topic here).

Clever right? Yeah, I’m usually pretty clever, but it all depends on what I have else I have going on upstairs in that old noggin of mine. Which I think makes perfect sense, and even if it doesn’t immediately make sense for you, you’ll find a workaround I’m sure.

A Face Only A Mother Could Love

Let’s talk about Facebook pages my dear, sweet, and wonderful readers. You creative cuties, you.

I’ve said this once before, but Facebook pages are to individual profiles what corporations are to small businesses. This is where you share content with your followers and get them involved in your personal brand. You have to set up your business page if you want to get to the ads step, so do that first. Then focus on lifestyle over product. You also want to be actively involved in comments and service… this can include incentivizing your user base and sharing user content too.

How do you accomplish this you ask? Well with 3 (condensed) tips like this:

Build your community by focusing on your members and how the page provides value – This means using the page as the voice of your brand, but always eluding to insights that are available for people who have purchased your product(s) to make them feel special. You don’t have to treat page likes based on sales, but exclusivity is important. Then focus on followups for customers in PMs and for answer questions when you can.
Discuss current events and promote events too – But I would add that you keep it relevant to your user base at all times. People will get frustrated if you talk about sports when that’s not in your business mantra, for instance.
Communicate with your biggest fans. If you build strong relationships with those who love you, they’ll reach out for you, but it also allows them to network WITH EACH OTHER. Like attracts like as the old adage goes. And if you have team members, it gives them a place to function as ambassadors and stewards of your brand.

The biggest takeaway from all of this is to keep your page active and allow people to participate in a discussion, much like how a Facebook group is forum for it’s user base, the Facebook page is the podium. It allows you to build trust with your fans and become a representation of your brand.

Obviously I’ll spend some more time in the future on success stories, but for now, you have some foundation to set up your canvas. I hope you can keep on rocking in the free world creative cuties, and I’ll be back tomorrow with a story about a concert. It’ll probably be romantic though.

Tim!

Hit The Ice (timotheories February 2017)

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Tim Kuefler

Sometimes when you’re stoking the fire you’ll get sparks. Good or bad, it’s a consequence of taking a risk. And other times, what started out as a small flame turns into something so large you can’t help but feel the heat – hopefully you can handle the inferno.

As we already knew, the theme of timotheories this year is stoking the campfire. What that means for you and I is that I’m going to focus even more so on collaborations, sharing, caring, and all those warm and fuzzies which make intimacy so invaluable as a creative professional. Community brings us together and protects us from the cold.

Icebergs too.

When I look at the month of February I get excited, because as I continue to build that campfire with your help, I am slowly realizing that there is SO much left to accomplish this year, and that I’ve really only begin to see what’s in front of me and the timotheories brand. Kinda like an iceberg

So sit back for a moment or two while I work on my own marketing efforts, share the knowledge with you, and give you a proper education on what it means to be a creative professional in 2017. Do you have a logo for instance? Me neither, but that’ll happen.

Time to deep dive into February you art stars.

*Disclaimer* As always, every week I purchase an album and movie one week ahead of the actual review release and while I have the best intentions, I don’t always get what I want… so if you follow me on instagram (@timotheories) you can actually see what’s coming.

timotheories summarized – February

Stimulating Sundays – (02/05) Cross Talk Ep. 17, (02/12)Cross Talk Ep. 18, (02/19) mystery interview preview, (02/26) mystery interview
Melodic Mondays – (02/06) Train, (02/13) Sampha, (02/20) Elbow, (02/27) Alison Crutchfield
Theatrical Tuesdays – (02/07) Queen of Katwe, (02/14) Loving, (02/21) Arrival (02/28) Manchester By The Sea
Wisdom Wednesdays – (02/01) Environment, (02/08) Facebook How-To, (02/15) Sam Harris, (02/22) Governance
Timely Thursday – (02/02) timotheories February, (02/09) USS concert, (02/16) Valentines Day, (02/23) 89th Annual Academy Awards

This month should be fantastic, because even I don’t know what I’ll be doing for an interview – Maybe I’ll interview myself for once. That could be fun eh? Cross Talk will be continuing the discussions on film and we’ve decided to feature some interesting topics regarding franchise fatigue AND films you enjoyed more than expected. Maybe I’ll have a visual surprise or two in store for you also…

Mondays and Tuesdays are focused on qualities themes of struggle, isolation and communications, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some triumphs and laughter to be had in there. And of course my weekly dose of Wisdom will feature some more posts inspired by the OECD and how to market yourself better. Okay, and I do have a 5 L’s Of Language book by Sam Harris to read. The Timely entries should speak for themselves.

That’s all she wrote creative cuties. Stay frosty and wait for the weekend, that’s when you’ll see the first Cross Talk of the month, but I’m not gonna tell which topic I chose to start with it. Keep the theories rolling and I’ll be there to curate them.

Tim!

I Am Artist, Hear Me Roar! (Artist Statements)

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

It’s stimulating sunday, and in order to get this post started right, we’ll do a few quick word associations to see what happens in your mind. I promise it will be quick, painless, and you just might learn something from the process.

Ready? Okay, let’s go.

I’ve got the eye of the tiger, baby I’m bulletproof, because I’m happy, it’s the final countdown, test your might, everything is awesome, etc.

At least one of those phrases called up something didn’t it? You hear those songs and you just get jacked the f*ck up, don’t you? I think it has something to do with the associations between the audio and the visuals. Especially if it’s a song directly tied in with a movie, TV show or video game.

We recognize the importance of audio in making a proper multi-media presentation, whether we are conscious of it or not. Take for instance this article which goes over the value of music in producing emotions.

Which is why I wanted to write about the importance of tying in ideas with the visuals of the arts and how the written word is so incredibly important in creating richer experiences; if you were to ask any of my friends and colleagues who work in the arts, they would probably all tell you that the worst thing about being an artist is the struggle to find meaning in their work through words.

Unless they are a writer, of course. Then the biggest challenge they face is visually showing what their work represents.

How quaint.

But let’s not lose focus. So, I have this theory that the reason why many artists struggle with the written language versus the visual one is that they’re most interested in articulating ideas which simply cannot be written down, and to try to do so can be an incredible disservice to the work. At least initially. Which is why I wanted to spend some time going over the importance of artist statements for those who are not visual thinkers.

So what is an artist statement?

An artist statement should be an introduction to your work in general, a series, or an individual piece. It should always start by explaining the basic ideas of the work, a shorter paragraph with maybe a few sentences in length. Then you go into more detail about how the ideas are being presented in the work with a second paragraph. You can conclude the statement with highlights of the most important points, but it should strive to be no more than 10-12 sentences in length. After all the words are there to enhance the work, not overtake it.

When writing a longer statement you can include more detail. For instance, your expectations for the work and how the audience should react to it. How your work fits in relation to your previous efforts and where it fits in the larger oeuvre of contemporary art. You can also consider including sources which have contributed to the work, including other artists that influence you.

And of course there are some things that you should not do in an artist statement, unless you want to alienate your audience. Avoid talking about your role in the world and making cliched statements about your work. Long dissertations and personal anecdotes should be avoided too, unless it is directly related to what you are creating. And lastly, if you inject technical terms, be very careful to limit their use and explain them as best you can without carrying on.

The major reason why you should write an artist statement is that it can be an excellent way to clarify what your work is about and make a stronger connection for the audience, administrators you interact with, and of course in submitting the work for any kind of applications process (exhibitions, funding, school, paid positions).

Much like how a good soundtrack can help elevate the experience of watching a movie or playing game, when you can connect your ideas with your artwork, people will have a much stronger appreciation for what your contributions mean in the marketplace.

I know that this is kind of a teaser, because there is a lot more to say about how to write these statements, when to use them, where to use them, etc. And so I promise to go revisit this topic in a future post about how to construct one of these statements in detail.

But for now I’m out of theories friends! I hope you have an excellent Sunday evening, and I’ll catch you tomorrow with a music review! Comment! Subscribe! Share!

Tim!