Friday, March 30, 2018

Meet the Artist: Sarah Annerton

Today, I'm excited to introduce you to artist Sarah Annerton, a business owner I met through a mutual acquaintance.

Sarah, what type of art do you create? 

Fine Art Storytelling Portraiture, particularly painted children's portraiture. 

How did you get started creating this particular type of art?

As a child, I could sit for hours watching Bob Ross teach the world to paint through his television show called, "The Joy of Painting."

One of my earliest memories is how fond I was of art class in elementary school. I loved photography from a very early age and one of my very first jobs was a photographer at Sears Portrait Studio. It was there that I learned the basics of portrait posing.

Though art was a passion of mine, I pursued a business degree and spent over a decade negotiating contracts for the US Government.

After having children of my own, I cherished them so much that I constantly wanted to remember every age and every stage of their lives. The problem that I encountered was that my memories of their early stages were fading as fast as they were growing. Candid pictures or even general portrait sessions didn't capture them as beautifully as my emotions felt toward them.


I began learning everything I could about photography and developed my painting skills. This unique combination allowed me to create emotive portraiture that truly captured the emotion I was feeling toward my children as beautifully as I felt it. I opened my commercial studio in 2012 after my second child was born.



Tell us the story behind one of your favorite creations. 

Blossoming Beauty is a portrait I created of a young girl as she began entering the tween years. I saw her constantly wrestle with feeling torn between the toys of childhood and the romanticism of becoming a young lady. We placed the toy behind her to communicate that stage of life is beginning to fade behind her while the rose represents the romanticism of becoming a young lady and is placed in the front of her to communicate that stage is beginning to blossom.


Learn more about Sarah's work:

Pixel Me Photography
Facebook
Instagram




About the Artist:

Principle photographer and studio owner, Sarah Annerton, CPP, is a PPA Certified Professional Photographer and an International Bronze Photographer of the Year. Her work and education programs are followed by clients and students nationwide.









Recent Posts:

Entrepreneur Encounters: Zach Bolton
Meet the Artist: Patricia AZ Phillips
Entrepreneur Encounters: Dottie Coffman
Patron of the Arts
Meet the Artist: Mark Spivey 
Just Because You Can ...
Meet the Artist: Corinne Danzl
Meet the Artist: Krystine Kercher
Our Trip to La Jolla
Dreaming of Vacation?
My Inner Artist


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Come join Tracy's journey through the screenwriting and art worlds at






Come visit Tracy's TMPix Art Shop on Zazzle!
Or her TMPix Shop on Etsy!
Original Photography Turned into Art
Some funky, some beautiful.
Some bold, some gentle.
Some playful, some romantic.




Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Entrepreneur Encounters: Zach Bolton

Today, I'm proud to introduce you to another hardworking and creative entrepreneur - Zach Bolton.

Zach owns Auto-Medic in Cartersville, Georgia with his wife Jessica.

How did you get started in this business, Zach?

I spent most of my career in the automotive industry, where I’ve held nearly every position, from general service technician to Service Manager. While working full time for a large dealership service department as a Fleet Service Manager, I found myself missing the day to day of automotive repair. I decided to fix vehicles on my day off just as a hobby and to keep up with my trade skills.

I decided not to pursue the general public for repairs, as I didn’t want to detract from any potential service work my dealership could perform. Instead, I went to small independent used car dealerships and offered my services at a substantially discounted rate. I soon came to realize the demand for this type of service and found myself working from 7am until sometimes midnight on my days off, just to keep up with the demand.

My wife and I decided that if we could duplicate the success we were having a few days out of the month, into something we did daily and full-time, we might have something. So we began to plan and found our first small brick and mortar location in Cartersville, GA.

Initially, it was only the two of us, but now, two years later, we've moved to a 25,000 sq ft facility, and employ 8 people. It has all moved quite fast, and we are excited for continued growth in the future.

What's your biggest challenge as a small business owner?

The biggest challenge for us has been staffing and all that entails, including payroll. Our particular trade requires certified technicians, with experience and the tools to complete the job. Skilled trade workers are at an all time low, as most young people attend college and pursue white-collar degrees. The second most challenging part is effectively managing payroll versus the accounts receivable that we deal with, since our business focuses primarily on servicing used car lots and commercial fleets. Balancing weekly payroll against monthly billing, creates many challenges, especially as a small business free of bank debt. Cash flow is always at the front of every decision.

Share a story with us about a specific moment in your business that changed you, or made a difference somehow in what you do.

Within just a few months of opening our first brick and mortar location, we were doing surprisingly well. We focused mainly on the average consumer, the drive-by customer needing service and maintenance and for having no customer base initially, it went pretty well. Then, we were suddenly faced with a horrible month, I mean it literally cost more to keep the lights on than we made. We were devastated.

It was in that devastation that we decided to really look at who we wanted to be as a company. Did we want to continue? What changes could we make? For the next month, we thought about what got us to this point and came to the same consensus: used car lots. So we drafted a letter, nothing fancy - a single page, and mailed it to 10 local dealers. Six of those dealers are still clients with us today. It made all the difference in our operation, it gave us a defined customer base to market to, and a niche within the auto repair industry that is slightly unique. By later emphasizing and incorporating small and medium business fleets (taxis, heating & air, plumbers) on top of our used car dealers, we created our own market segment that distinguished us from the repair shop on every corner.


About the Entrepreneur:

Zach Bolton is an entrepreneur with a background in automotive management and repair.

He lives in Cartersville, GA with his loving wife and business partner, Jessica. They share their day to day shop operation with their German shepherd, Dexter, and their chihuahua, Dolly, both whom customers and vendors look forward to seeing every day.


Learn more about Zach and his business on Auto-Medic Cartersville's Facebook page.


Recent Posts:

Meet the Artist: Patricia AZ Phillips
Entrepreneur Encounters: Dottie Coffman
Patron of the Arts
Meet the Artist: Mark Spivey 
Just Because You Can ...
Meet the Artist: Corinne Danzl
Meet the Artist: Krystine Kercher
Our Trip to La Jolla
Dreaming of Vacation?
My Inner Artist


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Come join Tracy's journey through the screenwriting and art worlds at






Come visit Tracy's TMPix Art Shop on Zazzle!
Or her TMPix Shop on Etsy!
Original Photography Turned into Art
Some funky, some beautiful.
Some bold, some gentle.
Some playful, some romantic.




Friday, March 23, 2018

Meet the Artist: Patricia AZ Phillips

Today, I'd like to introduce you to another new art friend, Patricia AZ Phillips.

What type of art do you create, Patricia?

Wildflowers combined with digital art greenery
I love digital photography. Technology has taken photography to a new level and it is a lot less expensive than film. I get totally immersed in a variety of photography genres that are not people related. I’m sure that tendency has to do with being an introvert. I enjoy photographing animals, nature, landscapes, still life, conceptual, and macro subjects. I take a lot of my shots with two digital SLR cameras, a variety of lenses and other equipment that supports those genres.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve taken a lot of photographs with my cell phone. I always tell people that it’s not necessarily the equipment but the photographer when they are surprised at the quality of some shots. Cell phone cameras have improved and with specialty lenses are capable of a lot more. The advantages over my other cameras is that the phone is lightweight and generally always with me. I also have a small cosmetic style bag that holds a variety of tiny lenses that I can attach to the phone for specialty shots. I do use the macro lens in that kit more than the other lens.

I mentioned technology because it’s so easy to improve and alter photographs these days too. I have combined some photographs with digital art elements for creative results. I also enjoy running some of my photographs through filters and apps giving them a unique appearance. That can get addicting and time consuming but sometimes the results are very pleasing.

How did you get started creating this particular type art?

I started in black and white film photography after joining the Army when I was 19 years
Digital photography mixed with graphic arts
old. I retain great memories in the darkroom with that distinct smell of chemicals watching black and white photographs appear like magic before my eyes in the chemical developer tray.

I soon found out that Kodachrome slides were a great way to store memories from all my travels. I still have trays of slides and a projector to view them. I gave up photography for about 12 years after having my cameras and all related equipment stolen during a military transfer.

When digital cameras began showing up on the market I decided to get an inexpensive “point and shoot” design to test it out. I loved the immediate viewing of images and that it was easy to manipulate the photos right on a computer.

It wasn’t long before I bought my first digital SLR camera (which I still use) and photo editing software. Soon after that I gave the stock photography business a try. I became disillusioned after a short time with the ever-changing requirements. When another photographer introduced me to Zazzle, the online print on demand company, I found a place to share my photography and opened my first store, The Aspen Stand, in July 2009.

Tell us the story behind one of your favorite creations.

Puzzle Pieces & Fork
One of my favorite photos is a conceptual shot that came to mind while I was working on a jigsaw puzzle. I shot a couple of sessions and deleted a lot of the shots but finally came away with several (and particularly one) that exemplified what I originally had in mind.

The image is an isolated fork with several jigsaw puzzle pieces between the tines. Some might think this is an odd photograph to be a favorite but it was the first time I set up props for a photo session and the image has been a successful seller on business cards. The success of the photo on business cards and the fun with the shoot got me more interested in taking still life photographs.


About the Artist:

Patricia was born and raised in New England then spent 22 years in the US Army in a variety of assignments and locations. Upon retirement from the military, she and her Army veteran husband moved west from their last assignment location. The couple made several relocations heading west across the US in search of work and a place to settle down. Eventually, they stopped in the beautiful high desert country of northern Arizona.

They have a house full of rescued fur babies and a lovable old chocolate Labrador Retriever. You’ll see her animal photographs on many Zazzle products. Those images include her furry companions and other interesting critters that she’s photographed over the years.


Find Patricia on the web:

Zazzle Stores:
The Aspen Stand
PaPr Emporium

Website:

The Aspen Stand



Recent Posts:

Entrepreneur Encounters: Dottie Coffman
Patron of the Arts
Meet the Artist: Mark Spivey 
Just Because You Can ...
Meet the Artist: Corinne Danzl
Meet the Artist: Krystine Kercher
Our Trip to La Jolla
Dreaming of Vacation?
My Inner Artist


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Come visit Tracy's TMPix Art Shop on Zazzle!
Or her TMPix Shop on Etsy!
Original Photography Turned into Art
Some funky, some beautiful.
Some bold, some gentle.
Some playful, some romantic.




Come join Tracy's journey through the screenwriting and art worlds at








Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Entrepreneur Encounters: Dottie Coffman

On my journey as small business owner, publisher, student, artist, and screenwriter, I've met many entrepreneurs. We are all unique and original, but we also tend so have some similarities, including the ability to juggle many projects at once.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to radio personality Dottie Coffman who may be a familiar face, or voice, to many of you. I've known her for years - her humorous personality is infectious, her energy and resiliency is inspiring, her compassion is heart-warming, and her drive encourages all entrepreneurs. And like most entrepreneurs, she's a master at juggling multiple projects.

Dottie, tell us your story.

Scenario #1

Twenty-two years ago, our family opened up a martial arts school. The real owners/teachers were our 15-year-old sons, Nick and Matt Coffman, but because they were not of legal age, I, Momma Dottie, took on the legal responsibilities of the school.

Over the years Twin Tigers Martial Arts (the boys are actually identical twins) has moved around from rented space to rented space. Still very active in the community and always reaching out to schools, day cares, and other organizations to help children and adults reach their potential in all aspects of real life. After many many years of working other jobs to support their families, both Nick and Matt are full time teachers and administrators at Twin Tigers now. Lots of opportunities to help others as Twin Tigers was founded on Christian principles and operates on Christian principles. They not only teach Tang So Do and Brazilian JuiJitsu, they teach life skills, respect, self-confidence, obedience and the fruit of the Spirit.

Touching lives for Christ is really what Twin Tigers is all about. We are the only "church" that some others see. One profound encounter is absolutely unforgettable in my mind. One of our long-time students told his Godly parents that when he thinks of Christ, he sees the faces of Matt and Nick. Humbling, honoring, and somewhat terrifying. But that is the impact we have on our students and their families.


                             
Matt
Nick



Scenario #2
 

I had always been a stay-at-home mom. I had many varied interests and curiosities but nothing more important than my four children and my husband. Writing was one of my passions but had to remain on hold until my kids grew up. And I indeed did write a book, Struggle to Bloom, and had it published just a few years ago. My "career" didn't even begin until I was in my mid 50's. And that was a surprise and totally God-led.

I began volunteering on a morning show at a radio station close to my home. Then the manager asked if I would host my own talk show----they needed female representation. The Dottie Coffman Show began around 2007. Later the radio station was bought by a new owner who within a few years of being cheated and lied to by the station manager, asked me to take over and manager the station because I was the only one he trusted. I told him that was Jesus he was seeing. I managed the station until I moved about an hour away and then had to relinquish that position. But I kept The Dottie Coffman Show going and learned to record and produce it myself from my computer. Today, the show airs on Victory Television Network (Radio) and WPCG in Canton, GA. VTN airs in over 60 countries and is growing.

One profound moment in this career happened when I was working at WIMO and was constantly at odds with the station manager. He hated it when I referenced Jesus, God, or anything "religious." He was constantly telling me to not mention those things. He even hated my laugh. I had tried to quit the job before and he amazingly tried to get me to stay. So I did. But the second time I was determined to leave. The manager showed me statistics of how good my show was doing and told me that I had a God-given talent for radio work and I needed to continue. This is the same manager that told me to stop talking Christianity. I heard God say in my ear, "listen to him, I even listened to a donkey." So I stayed.


About the Entrepreneur:

Dorothy (Dottie) Coffman was born in Washington, DC, raised in Northern Virginia. Her varied interests included Girl Scouts, music, dramas, field hockey, basketball, softball, roller skating, and even powder puff football. She spent many years in government service at the Pentagon and at the Veterans Administration. Life changing events such as 4 bouts of cancer, surgeries, her Christian faith, a divorce and remarriage to her husband has all contributed to her subjects used for writing and motivational speaking. Dottie finds that everyday life seems to be the best subject of all.

Dottie was General Manager of WIMO Radio in Bethlehem, GA, has recorded and produced her own The Dottie Coffman Show for many years, has emceed parades and banquets, judged beauty pageants, hosted Atlanta Live on TV 57 Atlanta, authored her book Struggle to Bloom, and is involved with film work.

Dottie lives with her husband and Zeke the dog in Monroe, GA. She is close to her four children and three, soon to be four, grandchildren.




Recent Posts:


Patron of the Arts Meet the Artist: Mark Spivey 
Just Because You Can ...
Meet the Artist: Corinne Danzl
Meet the Artist: Krystine Kercher
Our Trip to La Jolla
Dreaming of Vacation?
My Inner Artist


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Come visit Tracy's TMPix Art Shop on Zazzle!
Or her TMPix Shop on Etsy!
Original Photography Turned into Art
Some funky, some beautiful.
Some bold, some gentle.
Some playful, some romantic.







Saturday, March 17, 2018

Patron of the Arts

Are you a patron of the arts? Have you ever heard that term used before?

Merriam-Webster defines a patron as:

a : a person chosen, named, or honored as a special guardian, protector, or support ~ a patron of the arts

b : a wealthy or influential supporter of an artist or writer

Artists and writers of the past had patrons who contributed money to them so they could keep creating art and/or keep writing, without having to flip burgers at Mickey D's to keep the electricity on or to keep food on the table.

William Shakespeare didn't have flip burgers - his patrons were Queen Elizabeth and King James I.

Members of the Medici Family were also great patrons, supporting da Vinci, Micheangelo, and many others over the generations.

King Saul was a patron of the arts.

Mozart and Beethoven had patrons.

Ambroise Vollard served as patron to many artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Pablo Picasso.

The thought that these artists and writers and creators may never have been known today if not for their patrons is rather mind-boggling.

In his article, The Lost Art of Patronage, Charles Erlandson writes, "The concept of the patron in the arts is crucial to an understanding of the arts. More than this, we as Christians must understand our calling to patronize the arts if we are ever to reclaim the domain of the arts for Christ and His kingdom."

Today, some artists and writers are able to tap into grants to provide for some of their support, but grants are limited. (Funds for Writers is a great resource to locate grants.) Grant writing is a special breed of writing in and of itself, and requires a lot of time to assemble required packets. Some grants may be worth the time and effort, but writers and artists must weigh the costs of spending time and resources to put together grant packages for the possibility vs. the time taken away from actually creating.

I recently discovered another option, and I'm thrilled to announce that, while I'm admittedly no Shakespeare or Picasso, I've joined the 50,000 (or so) other creators on Patreon, where I'm now known as The Thriving Artist!

This video does a good job of explaining what Patreon is and how it works:



The best thing about Patreon? You don't have to be a royal or the wealthy elite to be a patron of the arts! Patrons pledges usually start in the $1 to $5 range per month or per project, and go upwards from there. I think the most expensive level I've seen so far is $150 a month.

Creators choose whether to set their reward levels by project or by month - and both ways are popular, depending on what the creator is actually doing.

I chose to set my reward levels by the month - I do so many different things, from freelance writing, screenwriting, book writing to photography and photo art - that I knew I would be producing several projects a month and it could get confusing for patrons, so I decided the monthly option was much simpler.

I also set very basic reward levels of $2, $5, $10, $25, and $50. Yes, you can become a patron of the arts - my personal patron - for as little as $2 a month! Quite a bargain, I think.

Setting the rewards was fun and I decided to get a little creative with the reward level names.

Anyone who knows me or my websites knows I love tulips, so I set named each reward level a different kind of tulip. I will now be on the hunt for the different kinds so I can take pictures of them to put on Patreon!

[I went to a local store to take photos. I found a gorgeous display of tulips and asked if I could take pictures for a project. They gave me permission so I started snapping away. Then I began reading the labels in and on the pots: red tulip, pink tulip, yellow tulip, purple tulip. Ha! No names of any kind! But the tulips were all the same kind - just different colors, so I'm going to have to look elsewhere.]

I invite you to come over to The Thriving Artist and learn about the different rewards I'm currently offering. I appreciate your consideration on becoming one of my patrons. I'm excited to see where this journey will lead!




Recent Posts:

Meet the Artist: Mark Spivey 
Just Because You Can ...
Meet the Artist: Corinne Danzl
Meet the Artist: Krystine Kercher
Our Trip to La Jolla
Dreaming of Vacation?
My Inner Artist


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Come visit Tracy's TMPix Art Shop on Zazzle!
Or her TMPix Shop on Etsy!
Original Photography Turned into Art
Some funky, some beautiful.
Some bold, some gentle.
Some playful, some romantic.







Friday, March 16, 2018

Meet the Artist: Mark Spivey

Today's featured artist, Mark Spivey, lives in Australia. Last week, I spotted his adorable designs on some metal lunch boxes, and knew I wanted to share his work with all of you!

Mark, tell us about the type of art you create.
Dream Big

I am presently drawing fun cartoons of animals, birds, fish, insects, etc. I like to create pictures that have an element of humour or silliness. Much of my art is inspired by growing up in the Western Australian countryside in Albany and observing the funny side of creatures that live there as well as the farm animals and ocean life.

I sell my art printed on clothing, mugs, greeting cards and many household items though my Zazzle store. That way it is being used in a practical way and is seen and enjoyed.





How did you get started creating this particular type of art?

Funny Fish Fishing
I was always interested in drawing from an early age and did very well at school art
classes but was not encouraged to pursue it as a career so I studied electronics instead. I used to also read a lot of old farm style cartoon books from artists in Australia and New Zealand and this has influenced the style I use today.

In my late 20s and 30s, I experimented with drawing small cartoons on paper and colouring in pencil and making these into magnets to sell at a local petrol (gas) station to tourists, which was successful. A couple of years later I also became interested in playing music and began recording CDs and doing the same which also did quite well. This convinced me that yes, there was a way to produce art and actually make it pay the bills.

In 2012, I discovered POD services like CafePress and Zazzle and began to work with a computer and drawing tablet. But it wasn’t until recently (after getting married and working long hours to pay a mortgage) that I was able to devote some real time into my drawings, which is what I do after work and on weekends now.

As I work on the road in my job (Community Aged Care) I usually do rough sketches on paper during lunch breaks and scan these into my computer when I’m home before creating the final result with drawing software.

To draw and colour digitally I use an old Wacom DTI 520 (hard to find these days) that I purchased off eBay which allows me to draw directly onto a computer screen and this works for me.


Share the story behind one of your favorite creations. 

Frog Artist
I always was a big frog fan from an early age, catching frogs and tadpoles (living near a creek does that for a small boy) so this picture which was originally meant to just be part of my store logo ended up being printed on a number of smaller items such as this coffee mug.











Learn more about Mark and his art at his websites and Zazzle store:

Website: The Frog Factory

Zazzle: The Frog Factory

Music Website: Mark's Music Australia


About the Artist:

Mark Spivey is an artist and musician living in Perth Australia who draws fun cartoon style designs of fish, birds, animals and other cool stuff for kids and adults who are kids at heart.

His sense of silliness and whimsicality (is that a word?) printed on customisable everyday items is designed to add some colour and happiness to your day.

When Mark is not drawing he is supporting the elderly in the community, playing music at his local church and sometimes actually doing what his wife asks him to do.


Recent Posts:

Just Because You Can ...
Meet the Artist: Corinne DanzlMeet the Artist: Krystine Kercher
Our Trip to La Jolla
Dreaming of Vacation?
My Inner Artist


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Come visit Tracy's TMPix Art Shop on Zazzle!
Or her TMPix Shop on Etsy!
Original Photography Turned into Art
Some funky, some beautiful.
Some bold, some gentle.
Some playful, some romantic.





Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Just Because You Can ...

Fair warning - I'm likely to step on a few toes with this post. I'm sorry for any discomfort I may cause, but my hopes are that by the end of this post, we'll all understand each other a little better, and can help others understand, too.

I am a professional publisher.

I am a professional writer.

I am a professional editor.

I am a professional photographer.

Please note the key word in all four of those sentences. PROFESSIONAL.

That word does not necessarily mean I "act" or "present myself" professionally (although I hope I always do).

In this instance, the word PROFESSIONAL means that I make my living publishing, writing, editing, and taking photographs.

Consumers pay people for services (like plumbers, electricians, mechanics, doctors, dentists, landscapers, lawyers) and goods (like groceries, clothing, electronics, vehicles, furniture, houses, eyeglasses, office supplies). People earn their living performing these services or creating/growing/building/manufacturing these goods. We pay for meals in restaurants, to attend movies and concerts, to park our cars. We pay for just about everything we do and everything we consume.

Yet invariably, almost on a weekly basis these days, I am asked by someone if they can HAVE for FREE something I created or produced. Or they want me to write for them for free. Or edit for free something they wrote.

Writing is NOT my hobby. Publishing is NOT my hobby. Editing is NOT my hobby. Photography and art are NOT my hobbies.

I do each one of these things in order to make a living for my family. To put food on our table. Literally. To put food on our table.

And so do most of the writers, photographers, editors, and artists I know. We are creators by profession and perhaps calling, and we have to make a living just like everyone else.

Creatives deserve to be paid for their work, just like you do.

This concept of expecting free writing or free photos or free books is hurting the publishing and art industries as a whole.

One award-winning professional photographer recently told me, "The proliferation of devices for taking photos has created the idea that all photos are shared in all spaces. And that all photographers are now somehow equal - there's no line between professionals and enthusiasts. It has hurt many working photographers by diminishing the monetary value of their work."

We continued this conversation, with me explaining that the same thing was happening in the publishing industry. Now that everyone can publish a book, everyone seems to think they can be a book author, even though they may not even know how to create properly structured sentences. People are writing full-length manuscripts without having an ounce of training or studying the craft of writing or learning anything about how the industry works. Then when they face their first professional assessment of their work, and receive negative feedback, they decide to self-publish because they can.

My photographer friend said, "Experience and training don't seem to be important any more."

Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD. Just because it is easy to do, doesn't mean it is LEGAL to do. A person's creation is copyrighted the moment he/she creates it, so unless he/she grants you permission or sells you the rights to use their work, DON'T DO IT.

Just because you see a photo floating around online, or a book offered for free on a random website doesn't mean it's truly free for the taking. It means someone created it, and most likely needs to make a living by selling it or someone else has pirated the work and is stealing from the original creator.

If you need free photos, there are plenty of websites where generous photographers offer stock photos for free.

They offer these photos for free in hopes of drumming up other business for their paid photos and artwork. Just like authors offer free books to drum up business for their other books or service platforms.

As my husband frequently says, "Nothing in life is free."

Next time you think about asking a creator for something they created, ask instead how much they charge and make them an offer. You might actually be helping to put dinner on their table or gas in their car.






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Come visit Tracy's TMPix Art Shop on Zazzle!
Or her TMPix Shop on Etsy!
Original Photography Turned into Art
Some funky, some beautiful.
Some bold, some gentle.
Some playful, some romantic.


Related Posts:
Meet the Artist: Corinne Danzl
Meet the Artist: Krystine Kercher
Our Trip to La Jolla
Dreaming of Vacation?
My Inner Artist









Hitting a Milestone

As 2022 ended, I had plans. Nothing extravagant, but perhaps a couple of adventures and a fall conference to prepare for and attend. But I q...