If you have been using Twitter as a networking and marketing tool for your art business, most likely you have tweeted with textile artist, Lisa Call. Lisa has a strong social media presence and she understands the importance of taking charge of your own art career in this ever changing marketplace.
I hope you enjoy a peek into Lisa’s daily life as she juggles a job, teenagers, social media and a successful art career!
“PowerArtists are the social media ‘rockstars’ of the art world! Not only are they talented creatives, but they understand how to harness the power of social media and use it to promote their art careers. #PowerArtists are inspiring and freely share their knowledge with others.”
Lisa Call is a visual artist that creates abstract contemporary textile paintings composed of her richly colored hand dyed fabric. Living in the southwest, her work is informed by the surrounding landscape and also her fascination with repetition. Her award winning artwork is exhibited internationally including Craft Forms at the Wayne Art Center, Fiber Art International, and Layers of Meaning at the Contemporary Crafts Museum in Portland, Oregon and is included in numerous private and public collections.
Lisa is a single mother to 2 wonderful teenagers and fill her precious free hours with yoga, hiking, gardening, cooking and reading.
Describe a typical day in the life of a #PowerArtist.
In addition to being full time professional artist, I work 40 hours a week as a software project manager at a large international software corporation, putting my 8 years of formal university education to use, so my typical days depends on if it is a day-job day.
Weekdays: I awake around 5-5:30 and spend the first hour in my studio as I feel starting my day creating builds a solid and peaceful base for my day. I’ll then spend an hour updating social media, answering email, shipping sold art, adding new art to my website and attending to other short duration art business chores.
Next up is preparing for the work day and getting my teenager off to school, leaving me with 1 more hour before the work day starts at 9:30. I spend that time either in my studio or on more in-depth writing projects (blog posts, content for workshops, etc).
The 8 hours I spend at the day job are my most social part of the day, as herding software engineers mostly requires chatting with them, as they pretty much do whatever they want to do. I also send a lot of email so I’m online and keep up with social media throughout the day.
After work, I’ll attend a yoga class or have dinner with a friend or make a home cooked meal for my kids. I try to spend another 2 hours in my studio or working on my art business. Last thing I do is make a list of the tasks I need to complete the next day. I intend to be in bed by 9:30 so I can get 8 hours of sleep but the reality is that it is often 10 or 11 before I’m asleep.
Weekends: My goal is to spend at 6-10 hours on the weekends on my art, depending on other family, social or home repair obligations. This is a mixture of creative time and business time. I tackle my largest writing and planning projects during the weekends as it is when I have the biggest chunks of uninterrupted time.
When the kids are away, I can spend 14 hours in my studio in a single day, it is pure bliss.
Give an example of how you use social media to promote your art business. 
- I use social media to build relationships by having conversations with friends, fans and followers.
- I use my personal profile on Facebook to share what my life is like as an artist but also as a mom, friend, software engineer, etc. It’s the most personal look into my life.
- I share my artwork, art news, inspiration, thoughts about being an artist and links to other artists that inspire me on my Facebook business/fan page.
If you could meet any artist: past, present, or future, who would it be and why?
I would like to meet the first textile/quilt artist to have a solo exhibit at MOMA. This is still in the future, but hopefully not too far in the future. Maybe it will be me. I certainly am open to the idea.
If your art could be displayed anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
The Guggenheim in NYC because when I was in high school my mother took me on a trip to New York and walking down that spiral ramp, looking at the abstract expressionist artwork, was simply amazing to me.
I grew up in a small town, Los Alamos, New Mexico, where science was revered, not art, and this was one of my first exposures to great art. I was awestruck. Having my art on those walls, to inspire others, would be a huge honor.
What sage advice would you give an artist who is just starting out in his/her career?
Be authentic. Make the artwork that you feel moved to make. Market your artwork from a place of integrity. Selling art is not selling out.
As a #PowerArtist, what do you do to ‘give back’ or ‘pay it forward’ to your community.
I started a website, http://makebigart.com, to empower artists to think big about their art, their marketing and their lives. I write articles on a variety of topics, and while I don’t yet have the time to update the website consistently, when I have the time to share my thoughts and plans with other artists, I do so.
In addition, I donate 10% of the gross income from my artwork to my community and causes that inspire me. I’ve written about what inspires this expansive giving here: http://blog.lisacall.com/2008/05/expansive-giving/
*****
Thank you Lisa for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your success secrets with us! ~Lori
To learn more about Lisa and her textile paintings, please visit the links below.
website: http://lisacall.com
blog: http://blog.lisacall.com/
facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/LisaCallFineArt
twitter: http://twitter.com/lisacall
makebigart: http://makebigart.com
makebigart on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MakeBigArt
Below are some other helpful articles on art and art business: …oh, and let’s meet on Facebook and Twitter! ~Lori
7 Ways to Improve Your Luck as an Artist
Embrace the Power of Giving
How One Artist Created a Successful Art Campaign
Painting Abstracts: The Process Behind the Art
10 Great Ways to Market Art & Develop Your Brand
How to Jump-Start Your Art Career
Inbound or Outbound: which Direction is Your Art Marketing Going?
3 Tips for Artists to Promoted Themselves and Their Galleries
3 Reasons to Start a Creative Blog for Your Business
Boost Productivity with Short Studio Sessions
How to Overcome 3 Common Barriers to Success as an Artist
7 Creative Ways to Approach an Art Gallery for Representation
Want to improve your art and art career? Check out this list of helpful books!
this was a fantastic interview, i’ve known lisa online for about 5 years and consider her a friend/mentor and first class human being. I love seeing her work morph, change…her life continue to expand and art always taking front row seat. here’s to you lisa!
Paula, I can feel your enthusiasm! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here.
Cheers-
Lori
Paula – thank you. Your support has been invaluable to me over the years also.
Thanks for sharing! Lisa is an inspiration to many of us!
Hello Jennifer,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing a comment. I am glad Lisa’s interview inspired you.
Happy creating-
Lori
Jennifer – thank you. I’m honored by your comment.