Maya Angelou: A Phenomenal Being

How Dr. Maya Angelou’s words made their way into my world.

I’ve seen her several times on television, heard her recite lines of her poetry, read about her activism, and I know of most of her accomplishments. I am very familiar with her book, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing, but I've never read it and the reason why is not important. What is important to me is how Dr. Angelou shared her story of going after her dream, her dream of being a San Francisco streetcar conductor.

Art Tip Tuesday: Building Your Art Career Pt. 2

Get your work online and in artist registries

Recently I introduced Art Tip Tuesday. After observing the multicultural art world for the last three months, I've noticed that multicultural artists are still under represented. Your works are not being shown side by side the European and white American artists in reputable art galleries. There isn’t a big secret to getting recognized as an established artist it just takes the right tools, the drive, and a little push in the right direction.

As I mentioned in the first post of Art Tip Tuesday, I found a plethora of information from artist and curator, Rhonda Schaller.   

Guest Post: My Refund, Please?

It amazes me how many people have talent and let it fall to the waste side, especially our youth who are rising into adulthood. Whenever I see a young, talented artist slacking off from their passion I do my best to push them back into where they shine best. 

Aria Kier is a rising sophomore who is currently working toward a degree in creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She's a talented artist who has a knack of expressing her thoughts into compelling poetry. When I found out that she stopped writing on her blog, Visions of My Words, I told her that she can't leave until she gives me something. On this particular day Aria had writers block so instead she shared one of her most inspirational pieces. Enjoy.

Art Tip Tuesday: Building Your Art Career Pt. 1

Build a supportive network

It’s been three months since I started educating myself on the art world. The one thing that I’ve noticed is that some multicultural artists are still struggling to get their art work through the doors of art galleries. To tackle the issue at hand, I’ve interviewed artists, attended art shows, panel discussions, and I spend my free time researching, which goes a long way. 

Motivational Monday: Stop Giving Your Art Away

(Melanie Gillman 2013:
pigeonbits.tumblr.com)

Over the past several months, I've spoken to a number of established multicultural artists who gave some great advice on being acknowledged in the art scene.

One piece of advice that really stuck in my mind was from award winning photographer, Miki Turner, who got this tip from others in the business. "There are [several] things that an artists can do. One is to donate to charity," shared Turner in an earlier conversation with Arts of Cultures.

Giving your work to charity is not only gratifying, but depending on the charity your work will be seen by those who appreciate art and those who has the means to write that check.

You must be wondering, 'When do I stop giving my work away?' To be honest, that's entirely up to you but do know that you have to know when to stop.