Emerging Art Form: QR codes

Constraints as a Channel to Creativity

Most artists will admit, there is something creatively exhilarating about constraints put on the creation of your work. Some art exhibits require work done in a certain medium–like the Transparent Watercolor Society’s requirement that the art actually be completed in transparent watercolor– not opaque. Or the challenge of a small size for the work, like less than 100 sq inches, in a variety of shows, Richeson’s Small Works show (note to enter the show for this year, entry is 11.4.11).  Or, see a fantastic example of small space art–less than 8×10 at the Soap Factory’s $99 fundraiser, MN.  As an aside, this is a genius way to raise money for an art gallery.

I have a friend who constrained herself to paint only on hub caps.

One time I had run out of watercolor paper, so I painted on manila folders. Not too bad;  not my best work, but a change of materials can be enlightening. I can’t tell you the number of times I and other  watercolorists have dipped their brushes into their coffee instead of their water. Partially due to that happy accident, now some watercolorists have  reverted to painting with coffee. It makes a beautiful sepia tone, although I would not consider it archival. I’m quite fastidious about archival materials.

On the “social-media-meets-emerging-contemporary-art” scene, I am newly intrigued with the challenge of creating eye-catching, stunning, silly or brand-sensitive QR codes. They are those odd little boxes that look like a scrambled-up bar code– which is sort of what they are. The “Quick Response” code can be read by downloading a scanner app and scanning the code. It can provide coupons, videos, content, etc.

A startling QR code for the thrid season of HBO's True Blood.

From the artist/designer’s perspective, it’s certainly a constraint to design an image within a defined shape containing elements that are readable by a downloadable app and still carry the double meaning of the code AND the message of the artist.

Mashable.com has a discussion on how to make QR codes more beautiful.  In a recent Facebook post on Mashable’s page, a discussion grew about if a QR code is more appealing, are you more likely to download the app and scan the code? Although some people said they would prefer a more tangible reward (like food) the consensus was yes; the beauty of the image would motivate them to behave in a way the brand wanted them to.

Note the little trees in the south-east quadrant.

Ahhh-h-h-h, beauty wins again. Or on the True Blood one; maybe it’s gore that’s winning. A little creepy–but you can’t ignore it’s power. In any case, superb design gets a nod for efficacy.

Constraints can come from necessity, accidents, forgetfulness, a drive to challenge one’s self, or just goofing around.

I think constraints can actually can lead to more innovative art.

 

Pro Artist? 6 Social Media Tips for Savvy Self-Promotion and Pete’s Peppers, too

Know how to eat up the life of a professional artist? Juggling priorities, keeping up with art trends, sparking personal creativity, volunteering, chasing money, marketing your “brand,” pitching to galleries, and actually CREATING art.  After all that, you might think about social media.

Original waterolor by jane M. Mason. (C) 2009. All rights reserved.

As a professional artist, I found that frequently I could spend only about 10% of my time creating art.

The rest was spent as described above.

At the end of the day, after you’ve manage everything else, social media seems daunting. But, even if you’ve ignored it so far, you can’t ignore it any longer. So you’ll need to take a deep breath and add it to whatever else you do to promote yourself. It costs less out-of-pocket than post cards and other methods of promoting yourself. Although realistically, since your time is a primary component of your “raw materials” it will take some time and therefore has a real cost.

Now, please don’t give me that “I’m too old to learn it” excuse. FYI – the fastest growing age group  on Facebook is people 50+. And According to Branding Yourself, the average age of a Facebook user is mid-30′s. Kind of surprising, huh?

Here are 6 Social Media Tips to Advance Your Career  & Connect with Prospects:

1. Limit yourself to what you can keep up with. Perhaps a Facebook page, LinkedIn and Twitter is as much as you can handle. Some experts suggest a blog is essential… but you know your own capacity for writing and keeping up on non-art creating tasks. These are in addition to at a minimum a web page or website. You can see mine as an example at janemmason.com. Also consider adding yourself or your studio to Wikipedia.
2. Keep it one-to-one — consider that you are having a conversation with one person, and a bunch of people are that one person. (I know it sounds weird, but that’s really what it is.) Ask your prospects, customers and peers how they want to hear from you and how often.
3. Ask questions and listen. Don’t do all the talking. You don’t even have to respond to a question with an answer. Sometimes another question works best.
4. Have fun with it. you can let your “real” personality come through. You want to stay professional, but you can act as you would among a group of friends who are also professional peers.
5. Load images, photos, content, links, videos, retweets, “shout outs,” questions, calendar dates, columns you’ve written, openings, big successes, little successes, idle chatter (briefly), important life-changing thoughts–you get the idea–be fruitful, and your thoughts will multiply via social media. (Be cautious about loading images of your two-dimensional art to sites, whether your blog, Facebook, etc. There is so much content sharing without regard to  intellectual property rights, that you are putting your images at risk whenever you put it in any format on the web. Posting to the web is forever, so think it through before you post.)
6. Talk to experts. Check out sites such as Mashable.com to browse through what’s new. (You don’t have to understand it all. It just keeps you in the loop.) My new favorite book is Branding Yourself, Erik Deckers and Kyle Lacy. It’s a simple read with really great tips. If you are new to Twitter, Lacy has “25 Small Business Twitter Tips.” Simple, but on target ideas to get you started or hone “best practices.”

Have any home runs in social media you want to share with me? Let me know!