Every once in a while, I see something that leads me to ask myself, is this for real or is this somebody%92s idea of a bad joke?

I%92ve been seeing ads on TV lately for %92new Diamond Shaped Shreddies%92. The commercial shows the assembly line with the square ones, and all of a sudden, there are some diamond shaped ones, and everyone pretends that they%92re a different shape and not just the same ones tilted sideways. It%92s cute. And apparently, you can actually buy boxes of regular shreddies, as well as boxes of %92new diamond shaped shreddies%92.

I suppose, in the world of marketing, that is not stupid but genius. It%92s meant to be humourous and to attract a lot of attention, and ultimately, to increase sales. And it will probably work. I wonder if there are really people out there who will not see this for what it is and truly think they%92re getting something new when they buy the diamond shaped ones? The mind boggles, doesn%92t it?

Another example of stupid/genius marketing: billboards have been appearing nationwide with captions like these: %92When Amy started to think for herself, we knew we had to nip it in the bud, with Obay%92; and %92My son had ideas of his own; Obay put a stop to that%92. The ad shows a bottle of pills, and at the bottom of the billboard, in small print: %92from the makers of %92WhyBecauseISaidSo%92.%92 This one is apparently a teaser campaign; the product has not yet been unveiled, the campaign is to generate interest ahead of time. Crazy like a fox, right? I wonder how many people will line up to get this wonder drug that makes children behave and listen to their parents.

Advertising is big business. Convincing people to see things your way and buy your product, that%92s what drives the economy, isn%92t it? Do you ever wonder if we%92re being manipulated, brain-washed even, by all this advertising? Of course we are. Is it doing any harm? I%92m not sure but I would say, probably, in some cases, it can.

Comments always welcome.

"You need to be the best or you need to be different." (author unknown)

Suzette

PS: Check out my %92Most Recent%92 studio (see right sidebar) to see 3 new paintings just completed and posted.

We, in the western societies, live in a world of abundance. We have so much. So many goods, so many choices; too much sometimes. Whenever we see something we like, even if we can afford to buy it, we ask %92%92do I really need another XXX, what will I do with it, where will I put it%92%92. So we have to make choices. When I shop, when I visit art studios or art festivals, I see a lot of things that I like but I don%92t buy everything. Sometimes I buy things that I put away when I get home and they stay put away for months, or years. I clearly didn%92t need to buy them, and I tell myself that next time, I will not buy things I don%92t need.

With this in mind, I am reminded that whenever I%92m doing a show and find myself wishing that I would sell more, I often wonder why those people who said such nice things about a certain painting, didn%92t buy it in the end. When they clearly loved the painting, why did they walk away? Perhaps, like me, they are asking themselves whether they really need another XXX.

There%92s more to selling than making a product that people like. There%92s a psychology of connecting with buyers in a way that they happily part with their money. Unfortunately, few of us know or understand this psychology. I wish I knew how it all works, but sadly the answers elude me.

And why is it so important to an artist to sell? How does an artist stop caring about selling? For me, selling is validation. I don%92t paint to sell, but selling is the acknowledgment that the work has value. When someone is willing to part with their money, it speaks louder than any words, it means more than %92what a beautiful painting%92, or %92I just love this work%92 (even though such comments are nice too). It%92s saying, %92I don%92t really need another XXX, but I WANT it%92.

Is it wrong to attach so much importance to the selling part of art making? Is an artist supposed to feel fulfilled simply by creating the art? Clearly, the rewards of creating the work are substantial enough to keep most of us going, even while sales are low; if they weren%92t, there would be a lot fewer artists around. But selling is %92outside, impartial%92 confirmation. And it feels good.

"Half the battle is selling music, not singing it. It%92s the image, not what you sing."     (Rod Stewart)

Your comments are always welcome.

Suzette

Getting older is something you think will never happen to you, and then one day you wake up, and whammo, you realize you%92re getting old. You look at yourself in the mirror and realize that your skin is sinking in on itself forming deep gorges and lines; your hair is getting thinner (yes, it happens to women too!); your body tries to compensate for the thin hair by growing extra ones on your chin; and your body, well, let%92s just say that the silhouette you see in the mirror belongs to your mother, not you.

However, I%92ve discovered that getting older comes with counter benefits. For example: in the morning, I have trouble putting on my eye make up because I can%92t see very well without my glasses. The counter benefit is that my eyelids are so droopy that they hide all the eye makeup anyway so you can%92t see what a poor job I%92ve done. See? Counter benefit: a benefit that offsets a problem.

My memory is getting worse all the time (I think; I seem to remember thinking that a few times....). My attention span is shorter than a two-year-old%92s. I%92m in the living room, I think of something I need in the kitchen. By the time I get to the kitchen, I can%92t remember what it was that I wanted. I have to go back to the living room and then I remember what it is and have to go to the kitchen again. The counter benefit here is that I get extra exercise which I really need anyway.

I%92ll grant you, there are other things in life that have counter benefits that have nothing to do with old age. Pets for example. My cat has long thick hair. He requires regular brushing, and even at that, he leaves little clumps of hair all over the carpet, or worse, hairballs. So he requires a lot of care, can be annoying, but (counter benefit) he keeps me company and I love him. (Actually, now that I think about it, it%92s the same thing with husbands.)

I am reminded of the words of fellow artist and blogger, Charlotte Madison: "There was in her, one last bloom of her beauty, brought forth by the joy of freedom."

All I can hope is that there is also in me a last bloom of beauty brought forth by the freedom which comes with getting older and not caring so much what other people think, and finally being able to do exactly what I want. It%92s grand.

Suzette