an artist's musings Archives – Celebrating Color

How Do I Prevent a Train Wreck?

June 18, 2019 By Carol McIntyre

Have you ever tried to avoid a train wreck — not literally, but personally?

My body has been sending several unhappy messages these past few months and it’s time for me to acknowledge them. I am mentally exhausted; sleep isn’t what it used to be and there I days I wake up not wanting to do anything. I dread opening my email or trying to think of something creative to write for a blog post. These signs indicate that all is not well.

Instead of waiting for a train wreck to happen, which would force me to stop, I have decided that it is time for me to take a sabbatical. My tank is empty, and it needs to be re-charged. Writing, producing, printing, marketing and distributing my book I Just Want to Paint: Mixing the Colors You Want! has drained my reserves. I entered this book publishing journey not knowing the extent of the time, energy and money commitment required nor that it is like an elderly uncle who won’t leave.

The amount of information and experience I have taken in during the past two and half years has been like a graduate doctoral crash course. Not only do I need to take a step back to re-fuel, I think I would benefit from assessing everything that I have learned and accomplished.

Interestingly, about the time I started to think about taking a sabbatical, the World Health Organization stated that Burnout is Officially a Workplace Crisis. Its handbook International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems lists burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It is characterized by three key factors: “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.” This announcement didn’t surprise me .

When I began taking stock of my emotional and physical state, I started journaling and asking myself some challenging questions, such as:

How did I get here?
How do I want to live the rest of my life (I am 68)?
What does joy mean to me? What brings me joy? Etc.

These questions lead me to several insights, the one that stood out the most is:

I was an artist who wrote, who became an author who paints. Ah! Time to switch back to the former.

No regrets as I love the quality and content of I Just Want to Paint! It is doing exactly what I intended it to do as stated by the many testimonials I have received such as this one from Ruth Jansson:

Carol McIntyre has done an extraordinary job taking a very complex subject and breaking it down to its simplest form, unravelling the mysteries of color mixing along the way. Not only is this book very attractive, it is easy to follow and understand and is written in a wonderful conversational style rich with colorful graphics and photographs.

Whether you are a seasoned painter or a beginner, if you want a clear, concise, easy-to-understand explanation of how to mix the colors you want, this book belongs next to your palette.

Best of all, I found a renewed enthusiasm for painting.

I love knowing that my book is helping to unleash the creative spirit.

Another positive aspect of I Just Want to Paint’s is that its evergreen content, which means I do not need to be the hare anymore. One of the challenges with taking a sabbatical will be to see if and how I will shut my book marketing engine down. As a person known for her persistence and high expectations, I suspect that throwing the throttle back might take some time. It will also require learning how to let go, even though it is temporary.

The good news is that I have lots of paint, yummy art materials and blank canvases to distract and re-direct me. Soon, I depart for my annual month-long stay at our remote mountain cabin, which is my sacred place.

Me in the cabin’s porch last summer hanging-out on the hammock

Fortunately, I Just Want to Paint! sales are going well. Most importantly, I have a fulfillment company that can take care of any sales that come in while I take a break.

I won’t be disappearing completely, though my appearance in your email box and online will be sporadic announcement of events and blogs as my muse moves me. At the time of this writing, I plan to take a two-month sabbatical, but is could be longer.

I do need to return to marketing my book, teaching and coaching, as I have over 1,000 books to get out into the world! Your assistance is welcome.

How might you help?

Continue to spread the word and tell your artists friends about I Just Want to Paint!
Ask your library to carry it.
Write an Amazon Review. Currently I have about ten and I need 25 or more to motivate the Amazon algorithm to give I Just Want to Paint! attention to people browsing the site. Please go to: https://amzn.to/2F4FWZ1 and scroll down a bit. On the left you can write, after you have logged in, how my book has impacted your painting and/or solved your color mixing problems.
Consider having me speak or teach at your art society or art center in 2020-21.
Jot down ideas for appropriate podcasts and other events and send them along to me.

Have you ever experienced burnout? What did you do? How did you recover?

With deep gratitude and appreciation, your support and understanding are cherished.

Colorfully yours,

Carol

What Are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book? | Part Two

May 17, 2019 By Carol McIntyre

In my recent blog post: What Are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book? | Part One I introduced you to these five phases of publishing a book and discussed phases one through three:

Incubating and Conceiving the Idea
Writing
Producing
Marketing
Distributing and Shipping

In this post, I will discuss the last two phases – 4. Marketing and 5. Distributing and Shipping. Although the five listed steps imply a linear progression, the journey is never quite straight and/or sequential, as in any creative process. For example, in the book publishing process, marketing activities underly all of the stages, because it actually starts when the first viable draft of the manuscript has been written. This surprises most new authors.

Marketing is the most important and the most complex phase. It is a long and arduous process that is not unlike having a child. I say this because the book needs constant and consistent attention over a long period of time, particularly if your content is evergreen.

[Disclaimer: This article describes my author experience of independently publishing a non-fiction art instruction book to be sold internationally. Off-set printing was used because color is on every page and it is a hard back so that it is durable, lays flat for better usability, and is marketable to a variety of venues, including libraries. Every book carries its unique goals.]

Phase 4: Marketing

What is marketing? It is the business process of creating relationships with and satisfying customers. With its focus on the customer, marketing is one of the premier components of business management.

Given the above definition, to write and sell a book, the author must understand that he/she is starting a book publishing business. Most authors do not fully comprehend this phenomenon, which can cause angst and frustration. I arrived in my book publishing journey having taken classes in marketing and I worked in a marketing department within a medium-sized corporation many years ago. Hence, the principles were and are not difficult for me to grasp. If you do not have similar knowledge, I recommend that you take a basic Marketing 101 course BEFORE taking advantage of the many books and online resources available on the subject of marketing books.

It is important to know who will be reading your book and whether they represent a viable market. Along this line of thinking, knowing the problem(s) your book will solve and providing solutions to this problem is also critical. If these are not completely thought out then your book will not sell. [Read more…]

What Are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book? | Part One

April 24, 2019 By Carol McIntyre

“Carol, you have written and published a book! Congratulations! How did you do it?”

Writing I Just Want to Paint: Mixing the Colors You Want! has, as many of you know, consumed much of my time and energy the past two years. As I depart the launch phase, I have been reflecting upon the process and I thought I’d share it with you. Some of you might like to hear one author’s insight to becoming an independent book publisher. The latter is sometimes referred to as “Indie.”

Readers of my blog and my book, know that clarity is foremost in my mind when explaining a concept or skill. I believe clarity is key to understanding or learning something new. I also think it is a skill I have worked at developing. Here is my attempt at explaining a complex and time-consuming process.

What are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book?

Caveat: I write this article solely from my perspective. I am not a book publishing coach or consultant. I have never seen the process described in phases as I have identified. My book publishing story is about writing a non-fiction book — a how-to art instruction book. I outline the phases I have experienced though many nuances and details of book publishing are skimmed, so consider this an overview.

The Phases are:

Incubating and Conceiving the Idea
Writing
Producing
Marketing
Distributing and Shipping

Even though I have portrayed them as a sequence, publishing a book, like any creative endeavor, is not linear and be a bit mushy with lots of overlap. However, I think these five phases represent a model and provide a good framework to take an aerial view of the process.

Phase 1: Incubating and Conceiving the Idea

[Read more…]

Which Colors Are the Most Controversial?

March 20, 2019 By Carol McIntyre

Are some colors more controversial than others? What do I mean by controversial colors?

I am referring to the colors that cause different, if not opposing, emotional and intellectual responses. Controversial colors evoke both positive and negative reactions either separately or simultaneously.

Which color is the one that comes to mind first when considering its positive and negative impact on viewers?

Most likely the first controversial color to come up is the color red.

Psychologically, red can symbolize love, sensuality, passion, energy and romance, whereas it can also convey hate, war, danger and fear. For some of us, it is a color of agitation and for others is is more calming and not scary at all. The shape of the color can also have an impact. Hence, a color cannot be isolated when analyzing your perception of it, but needs to be considered within a context. Our life experiences also add to our different perceptions of color.

Fore example, in my painting Crimson Fusion, some viewers would perceive the red as drips of blood, whereas others, like myself, see it as energy breaking through to the next level — as if it is being set free. (I think I need to change the title of this painting, don’t you?)

The interpretations of this painting have been quite varied and I believe it is because of my use of red. Feel free to look within my portfolio of paintings to see my diverse colors schemes and explore your reactions to them based on the colors used.

The other color I believe is highly controversial is yellow. This may surprise some of you. Yellow is often considered the color of happiness, fun, warmth, the sun and child-like activities. Yet, it is also the color of caution — think of road signs — as well as illness. We love seeing yellow out in nature, but it is the least liked color within our homes and fashion. It can be a jarring color and is not considered calming. (I am referring to the more saturated yellows.) I have been told be gallery owners, that paintings with a lot of yellow in them do not sell as well as paintings with a small amount of yellow or no yellow at all.

What are your thoughts and reactions to the color yellow? What other color do you think is controversial? Orange perhaps? What are the possible positive and negative reactions to orange?

On the flip side of this discussion, which colors are the least controversial? I my opinion these would be blue, green and most purples. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please write them in the comment box below.

If you found this post interesting, please share it with others.

Colorfully and gratefully yours,

Carol

What Role Does Color Play in Your Paintings?

February 25, 2019 By Carol McIntyre

Have you ever wondered what role does color play in your paintings? Or…

What is your relationship with color?

How important is color to your artistic process and what you are trying to visually communicate?

Do you consciously step back and consider the impact your color choices have on you? On your viewers?

Or do you essentially copy the colors before you, such as a landscape, portrait, still life, without giving color much consideration? Or do you choose different colors on purpose from what you see before you? Or any combination thereof?

When starting a painting, do you choose particular colors because of a mood or message you want to communicate? Perhaps you choose the colors as you get further into the painting process and the painting starts to ‘talk’ to you. You then make more strategic color choices.

In my painting “Untethered,” the color red makes a strong statement. Imagine it in a different color and the impact it might have. Interestingly, the interpretations of this painting varies across the board, which is another topic of discussion when it comes to color — we all have personal reactions to different colors.

There are more questions surrounding this yummy and complex topic of color. And there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. However, I believe they are important for painters to ponder periodically. May I suggest that these might be good questions to ask in a small art group or during a critique. [Read more…]