Finally Figured it Out

Back in June of 2012, I did a post called "Make an Impression."  It was about making yourself memorable to others.

At that time I talked about the PMC Connection Level 4 class that was taught by Mary Ann Devos.  (Check it out.)  I felt that there was nothing about me that made me stand out.   

The other day I was meeting with Jamie Golob, the education cordinator at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, Florida.  For some reason, as I was driving home from that meeting, my mind wandered again to the idea that I had nothing that made me stand out.  Then it hit me.   I do have something......... the seven rings I wear which include the "Big Honker.  They are definitely noticed and people are always commenting on them.  I hadn't been wearing them much for some reason, but I will now.  It's who I am.  (It only took me nine months to figure it out!)

(Just wish I had young hands to go with the rings...... Oh well, there are lots of years in those hands!)

Make an Impression!

In May of 2011 I went to the PMC Connection's Retreat at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg  TN.  At that time I took the Level 4 Certification class from Mary Ann Devos.  The focus of the class was promoting yourself as an artist and as a teacher.

Now anyone who has ever met Mary Ann remembers her.  That is not an accident.  She stated in class that when we go into a gallery, we want them to remember us.  She advised us to be unique, to stand out, to make an impression.  She does this through what she is wearing; a glove, a feather in her hair, an unusual hat or a unique article of clothing.

I think it is a great idea (but again, that is not in my nature and something I would have to consciously work at........ basically I guess I'm boring.  I'm an only child and I''m supposed to want to be the center of attention. What happened?  Must have been my brother "the Boat!"  But that's a whole different story.)

Anyway, this post is about my friend Carol Scheftic.  (http://convergentseries.wordpress.com/)  I met Carol when I was seeking out a metal clay guild.  We've taken several classes together and gone to a couple of conferences together  (which is where we are now) and have become good friends.    Carol makes an impression. (I'm not sure this was her intention.) She wears a "fishing vest."  The vest serves the purpose of being able to carry many of her metal clay pieces since there are so many pockets in it. It's not only useful, but I really think it also makes people remember her.  It makes her stand out.

Another thing that made her memorable at the current conference was her necklace made from bracelets of charms collected at past conferences.  She strung together three such bracelets and of course is working on her fourth.

The charm exchange at the conference is something I always look forward to.  It's fun to have a visual memory of the people you meet.   My previous posts were about the charm that I was making.  In future posts, I'll share some of the charms I received.  

Marketing

Pmc Connection has four levels of Certification. The first three are skill based and the fourth level is business oriented. Level four focuses on marketing yourself as an artist and as a teacher. The retreat offered all three levels during the week.

I took Level 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday evening with Mary Ann and Ken Devos. It was an informative and interesting class. Most of the things we talked about I was already doing (but I need to get out there and do it with a vengeance.) It was a good refresher course and I did pick up some good ideas.

Marketing myself as a teacher is easy, (I've had 35 years of experience doing that.) Marketing myself as an artist is more difficult. Even though I was trained as an artist first and a teacher second, teaching was always my goal.

We had to write an artist statement and an artist bio. It sounded easy, but it wasn't. A bio is not a resume. So far I've written three and still writing. The lesson plan was a piece of cake.

As with any of these classes, there is much to learn and try. But what makes it all great is the friends that are made. The metal clay community is a sharing and giving group. I'm glad I'm part of it.