illusions of grandeur

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

custom owl family (Dad, Mom & little girl) collage - vintage papers, ink & gouache - Susan Black

There is no right or wrong
only make & do

A petite art manifesto - unknown author


Illusions of grandeur : the Branding of 29 Black Street - Part 1
(file under true confessions & aha moments)

A few years into this blog, I'd say around year 2 (we'll be 5 years old this July 13th ), just after I'd become completely addicted immersed in the amazing & fantastic land of blogs I began to dream, hope, pray, want my blog - this blog to become one of those famous blogs - you know the ones with hundreds of comments on occasional posts, the kind of blog that has monthly visits in the 100's of thousands. Oh yeah, I had some big time illusions of grandeur - that my blog, and me & my world and my hopeful creative empire would become a go-to destination, much talked about ... and as a result of this fame would of course come fortune.

I wanted, craved, dreamed for my blog to become like a Posie gets Cozy, or a Black Apple and that my thousands & thousands of followers would become so enthralled with me, would hang so on my every word & every photo that they would wait with baited breath and great anticipation, then rush out to buy & clear out my etsy shop whenever I announced a new (tres occasional at that time) creative offering - it seemed it was happening for other bloggers why couldn't it happen for me ? I just needed to land on that right thing, idea, product ...

Ha ! that's not at all how things have turned out. After nearly 5 years of practically daily blogging - which I love & am grateful for - such an amazing visual & written record of 5 transformative years of my life - I have around 100 daily visitors, many who land here quite by accident, down a wrong google search path turn. But ... & a very big but - by way of a quite recent succession of domino effect events & realizations, a bonk or 2 on the head + a few aha moments I'm realizing through this amazing & ongoing evolution/revolution of me, my blog & my work/career want-a-be creative empire that - this daily photo blog isn't who or what I want to be known for anyway. Shut ! Up !!

My obsessive photography habit has been pushed to the back burner of late & replaced my this amazing new big pile of creative design/illustration paying work. After slogging away creating things feeling like I didn't have a clue who or what I was creatively or who I might become, who I wanted to become as an artist/illustrator (I knew that that's who I wanted to be)- what was my style, my niche ... my groove ?? I felt lost, all compounded by not making a living so my creative vision was constantly being filtered through the "will this sell & can I make money from it" lens - trust me - not a lens that's helpful I realize in hindsight because finding your own authentic creative voice is what you're looking for. But how do you do that ? make + do & don't judge, just make & do some more.

What's emerged from my recent 2 year struggle (& it was often very much a struggle) or as the Prince would say my ever constant "bold & persistent experimentation" is that I'm beginning to see not only who I am creatively but clearly where I want to go with all of this. That's branding - who are ya anyway ?? having an identity, understanding who you are & having a map of where you want to go. Doesn't mean you can't veer off the toad or take a detour here & there - but ya can't get where your going until you figure out where you want to go.

I took the amazinh e-course Hello Soul, Hello Business which helped me tremendously (under statement, understatement) uncover, discover the "who" & "what" of me & 29 Black Street, it encouraged me to dream big & set blue-sky goals. That course was definitely the fuel behind me creating this 3 page promo piece (& sending it out with individual cover letters to 24 of my big fish dream clients). The confidence that I've obtained from seeing this piece come together, along with the almost immediate positive response(s) I've received from a handful of those dream clients (with work, projects, licensing gigs + more work) is amazing & I'm embracing the whole shebang whole heartedly. There is a much bolder, braver & committed  step to my day to day creative life here at the teak topped desk + I'm having the most fun I can remember + I'm beginning to really make an honest living (again) - doing what I absolutely love. Hullo !!

More on the branding of les new 29 Black Street ('cause it hasn't even begun) coming soon in Part 2



20 comments:

  1. I don't know anything about branding, but I love coming to your blog. I am always inspired by your art and your photos.

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  2. Thanks so much for posting your marketing pieces...they are wonderful, and very good inspiration for some of my own marketing tools I've been trying to work on for my glass window art. Merci!

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  3. Susan dear your owl family is adorable and many of the other works posted here.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  4. That promotional piece is freakin' awesome!

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  5. thank you all for the sweet comments - Hey ! Judy & you've been stopping by nearly from the beginning, thank you for all the love & support. Dianne a package is on a slow boat to you (not a giclee print but an original - uh huh!) thank you Sara for giving me the "oomph" + push to put so many of my recent branding, identity, promotions & marketing ideas into a post & John, merci ! "awesome" is a pretty lovely word ;-)

    xo Susan & les Gang

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  6. This is such a great post and one that so many can appreciate about the "branding" journey. I'm way behind on that journey...still trying to convince myself that I'm actually an artist!!
    I'm in a little Mexican town right now and just last night met Visa's corporate director of branding...hope to have a chat with her about the whole concept of branding and what she does. I love your marketing promo page...it's full of lovliness!

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  7. With you all the way, Susan. Long may you continue..... x

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  8. So much I want to talk to you about. Thank you for the email yesterday, I will write you back:) From one crazy dog & cat lady to another !

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  9. I love your blog, I just don't leave messages.

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  10. Happy Blogoversary! You were my first favorite blog way back when I started blogging in 2008...and even though I don't always leave a comment...I read you on Google Reader every single day...

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  11. thanks for posting as Mom is obsessing about her "rebranding"...
    LOVE the promo piece. Tail wags always ~moose

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  12. Love this: "There is no right or wrong
    only make & do!" In fact, I love this whole post. Thank you for being so open!

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  13. Wonderful post! WONDERFUL artwork! Wonderful 29 Black Street: Empire of Creativity!! I have loved you "like, FOREVER"! So glad the universe (and an incredible amount of diligence & hard work) is showering you with good things! You deserve all this and so much more! Sending you a truckload of positive energy from Texas!!!

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  14. Vickie H said it well, so likewise from Australia Susan!
    Your Miss Winnie Dixon was star of the show for some very special children in Aust recently. The class of delightul intellectually challenged children were thrilled when I accessed many photos of dear Miss Winnie D from your blog to appear on their big classroom screen. (I had been given the book "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo from another teacher, to read to them)- they could not believe there was another big dog, a REAL Winnie Dixon,also similarly big and shaggy, on the other side of the world! She brought big big smiles to their faces!
    Your blog is great.

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  15. oh my Pam that story is amazing & Miss Winnie D (who was kind of named from the same source -Winn Dixie is a chain of grocery stores in the southern US) is thrilled to hear she was the star in a special needs class !! - Our Winn Dixon sends lots of love to you, Australia, Vickie H in Texas (Winnie's biggest fan I think) & a big thanks xo Susan & Miss D.

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  16. Oh Susan, Love, love, love your blog AND your artwork.

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  17. So proud of you. As a fan of your art, your blog and the way you express yourself -- I believe in you and have no doubts a dream client will be yours.

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  18. Oh, Susan you are awesome and so sweet, an original, oh wow!!!!
    I knew the package would take a while as they always do from Canada and America.
    Thank you sooo much, I can hardly wait to see it.
    Hugs and kisses
    xoxoxo ♡

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  19. First of all, I purposely come to your blog, not all stumbly-bumbly. I love your artwork and this promo stuff looks great. Thanks for the shot in the arm (i.e. creative push/support) that I need myself. The only thing I would change is nothing to do with content, simply the font size - I find myself mere inches away from the screen trying to read your witty, enjoyable verbiage.

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  20. It's absolutely brillinat, Susan, and I loved reading the process too above. What a great PDF! How did you find the email addresses of who to send to? I'd be afraid they woudl all get junked before anyone even bothered to read my email! OK, need to find part 2 now!

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