Week of Aug 31
Sailor Boy by Bumblebellydesigns
Announcements:
1. Approaching deadline:
If you haven’t seen the approaching deadline for the Encaustic Group Show (in Chicago), see the details here. Deadline: September 10.
2. Wednesday blog posts:
Co-leader Kathryn Dart reported on the annual encaustic conference in several blog posts here. Every Wednesday she’ll be posting new content, so be sure to keep an eye out for her weekly articles!
Week of August 24
Clarity by TangledSkyStudio
Announcements:
1. Upcoming podcasts:
We’ve been talking about ways to market yourself and your art online. Want to join the conversation before our podcasts get launched? Give us your input here.
2. New Bees Knees:
Melissa has been posting about beekeeping and artists who work with the theme of bees. Learn about an upcoming book “Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper” and more here.
Week of August 3
Beautiful by LVHDesigns
Announcements:
1. Marketing your art in a tough economy:
What networking and marketing tools do you use to promote your artwork? Flickr, Twitter, Facebook? How do you get your work out there and sold in a tough economy? Have you ever wondered if having a Ning account will help you at all? (or don’t have a clue what that is?)
If you have questions and thoughts for us on this topic, we want to hear from you! You can respond directly to this email, or join us in our team forum here. We’ll put together a series of helpful podcasts on building up a web presence / marketing tips based on what you said + things we have found to be helpful. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!
2. Object Challenge results:
Be on the lookout for a post soon about the BEE team’s summer Object Challenge results! Thanks again to all who participated!
Week of July 27
Bella Bird by SoulArteEclectica
Announcements:
1. Marketing your art in a tough economy:
With many of us trying to make ends meet in a struggling economy, we’d like to put together a series of helpful podcasts on building up a web presence / marketing tips. We have opened up the forum for discussion on things like social networking sites, Flickr, Twitter, etc. We will compile any notes, questions and suggestions from you all (along with what we find), and put together a podcast series set to launch in about 3 weeks. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you in our team forum here.
2. New features on our team site:
Believe it or not, we are still giving out secrets and tips from our time spent at the June Encaustic Conference! Be sure to look for Kathryn’s articles on workshops, presentations, tips, etc now posted weekly on our website! And you may have noticed our newly added page “The Bees Knees!” Co-leader Melissa Hronkin will keep us informed on all things bee-related!
One A Day Project
Letter from the Desert, by Veronique Latimer (as part of the One A Day project)
Annoucements:
1. Forums and podcasts on web presence:
We’ve been getting some great discussion in the forum about if having a portfolio site is helpful….. we’re hoping to do a podcast series very soon on marketing yourself as an artist by building up an online presence. If you haven’t joined the conversation, you can join us our team forum here. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you’d like us to report on in our podcasts (specifically, on web / techie stuff), let us know. We’d love to get feedback so we can make this upcoming podcast series relevant and helpful to all our lovely BEEs!
2. Summer Object Challenge update:
If you had signed up to participate in our summer object challenge, please be sure to finish your pieces (and include a photograph and mini description) to Kathryn (via email – barnes.kathryn@gmail.com) asap. We’d like to compile the challenge results soon. Thanks and we hope you have had fun with the challenge!
3. One A Day project update:
A few of our team members have taken up the challenge to create one piece of art a day for at least two weeks! Veronique Latimer (as seen above) among others has taken up the challenge! Please be sure to check out members Kari Young and Melissa Hronkin’s blogs to see their one-a-day works as well. It’s exciting to see how these artists have pushed themselves over the summer!
The Buzz #11 – Podcast with Melissa Hronkin
Click here if you’d like to subscribe to the The Buzz podcast on iTunes!
Week of July 13
Annoucements:
1. New co-leader and upcoming podcast!
Our team continues to grow and get more involved, so we asked Melissa Hronkin to join us as a third co-leader! Melissa Hronkin will have a lot to contribute to the team from both a beekeeper’s and an encaustic artist’s perspective. She’ll be writing interesting articles (look for a new section called THE BEE’S KNEES), and will be in charge of our annual February fundraiser “For the Love of the Bee.” To get to know Melissa more, you can check out a previous podcast, a skill share on beekeeping, her etsy shop or her blog! Melissa also did a presentation at the June Encaustic Conference, and we’ll be sharing that with you (via Buzz Podcast) later this week. Thanks everyone – and welcome aboard, Melissa! :)
2. Forums:
There’s a growing forum on our team page, so in an effort to consolidate, look for us on our team forum, rather than the etsy forum. You can still find us in etsy forums here (search for “beeswaxteam” in the to find us) but our focus will be on staying connected via our team forum here. We’re continuing the discussion this week on the question “Do you have a portfolio site? If so, is it helpful in terms of marketing?” We’d love to hear your thoughts!
3. One A Day project update
Although not everyone has been able to begin the project yet, 2 of our members have – with beautiful results! Please be sure to check out members Kari Young and Melissa Hronkin’s blogs to see their one-a-day works. Beautiful stuff Kari and Melissa!
Summer heat and melted beeswax,
Week of July 6
Blue Lotus Water by ReneedeMontaigne
Annoucements:
1. The Buzz (Podcast): If you haven’t checked out our latest podcast, be sure to tune in for an interview with Tangledskystudio! To hear this one and previous podcasts, click here.
2. Summer Object Challenge: For all participants, there are a few weeks left to finish your pieces! Please include a photograph of the work, and a brief description to Kathryn at (barnes.kathryn@gmail.com) by July 31st.
3. Team Forum: New poll question this week in our team forum: “Do you have a portfolio website? If so – is it helpful in terms of marketing your artwork?”
4. Ad Space: if you’d like to promote your work, your website, etc with an ad space on our team site, please contact us at info@beeswaxteam.com to set it up.
5. Calls for Encaustic Art: Deadlines are quickly approaching for some of the upcoming encaustic shows. See the Resources section for more information.
Popsicles and beeswax,
Week of June 29
On A Line by VDumas
Annoucements:
1. The Buzz (Podcast): Later this week, another podcast will be launched! Be on the lookout for an email announcement. To hear previous podcasts, click here.
2. Summer Object Challenge: Several members are working away on their pieces. We’re excited to see the results in a few weeks!
3. One A Day project: For those members participating, the project has officially begun. Some have opted to begin at a later date, and some started today! More information will be posted soon on the team website – including links to blogs, pictures, etc. (If you’d like to jump in and be a part of the project, email info@beeswaxteam.com (subject line: one a day project) for more information.
4. Team Forum: New poll question this week in our team forum: “Who or what inspires you to create art?”
5. Happy upcoming Fourth of July!
Fireworks and beeswax,
Island Girl by Bumblebellydesigns
Annoucements
1. Conference video: If you haven’t had a chance to see our conference video (created especially for the BEE team!), you’ll find it on the front page of our site, or by clicking here. This will give you a good glimpse into what the Third Annual Encaustic Conference was like. We hope you enjoy it!
2. Object Challenge: For those of you participating, if you haven’t sent off your item, please do so ASAP! We’re looking forward to seeing the results of the Object Challenge in the next few weeks. If you have any questions about the Object Challenge, feel free to email them to info@beeswaxteam.com (subject line: Object Challenge).
3. One A Day project: There’s still a week left to join us for the One A Day project (where we create a piece of art once a day for a minimum of 2 weeks, then blog about it each day) We are aiming to begin June 29th, but welcome anyone to join us as soon as possible! Email info@beeswaxteam.com (subject line: One a Day project) for more information.
4. Team Forum: New questions and discussion threads are going in the Team Forum. If you haven’t begun contributing, we’d love for you to jump in and give us your insight! This week’s poll question is for encaustic artists: Which heating tool do you prefer and why?
5. Twitterific: If you have a Twitter account, but have not yet begun to follow the BeesWaxTeam updates, be sure to follow us for up-to-date information and links. There’s a growing number of encaustic artists on Twitter, so if you work with encaustics, join the Twitter fun!
Thanks and happy waxing!
