A model idea

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Economic times like these call for creative approaches to keeping business flowing. Developers, artists and not-for-profits have come together to call upon the "strength in numbers" philosophy. Beautilful model homes in posh Naples and Fort Myers, Florida are showcasing artists, changing each month and donating the commission to charity. Affluent home-buyers traffic through these lovely models throughout the day, plus there is a reception every second Saturday, giving good visibility to the art, possibly even more than in many galleries.

Something else that was neat for me was to see my art hung on the walls of a nice house. It was as if someone had bought a ton of my work and hung it, and I got to visit their house to see.

Micro-blogging and status updates

I'm virtually everywhere. Almost everywhere, virtually. Social networking comes naturally to me, it runs through my veins along with everything else that feeds my body and soul.

Before the internet brought us to this point of connectivity, I was already the person who you could find other people through because I kept in touch, the person who values relationships like water or air and makes a giant extended family of the world. I was also already obsessed with documenting life, it's what artists do - we write, photograph, paint, sing, film, play, enact - it's all part of an innate need to hold onto everything as it happens. Every moment is so poignant, it must be worth documenting, and someone must want to know about it, right?

So, yes, social networking works well for me. I'm excited to be in touch with so many more people than I normally would, I have great business contacts, I have met new people and learned new things, thereby closing in the global distance immeasurably. I love it.

There are a couple of side effects from micro-blogging that I've noticed, though. With the advent of sites like Twitter, text messaging and status updates on every other communication and messaging program out there, I have fallen behind on the longer blogs. That and I'm starting to think in status updates!

Jessi loves dancing in the kitchen. Jessi is invoicing. Jessi thinks the lyrics to this particular song fit some situation perfectly. Jessi is thinking of the next painting she'd rather be working on instead of a newsletter. Jessi is making coffee at 3:45 in the afternoon. Jessi misses someone. Jessi wants a new laptop.

Jessi has a lot to say that probably never needs to be published. LOL LMAO hahaha.