Jane Davenport Blog

Spring in My Step © Jane Davenport - to purchase, click on image

How I wish this were the case. It feels as if spring had arrived! So i can make myself feel warm by looking at sunny summer memories….the ladybirds will be here soon….

Here is the latest video Angus and I just finished!
It’s me working in my Art Journal and having a lovely time.
I was playing around with ‘acrylic gel transfers’ for an online art class I am doing with Willowing. Basically, I can take one of my drawings and transfer it into my Art Journal and use it to create new work. The original sketches can stay safe and sound in their homes, and clones of them can come out to play.

Art Journalling is a wonderful way to experiment and it inspires new ideas. It is an active form of thought process for me. I have been transferring my photography in my journals as well, but I use a different process, which will be in future video. This has me considing my artwork in new and exciting ways.

Ps…my favourite part is the appearance Tinsel makes …that doglette is the cutest little critter…ever!

I can’t work out how to add the facebook badge in wordpress…something to do with Java…and the only think I know about that is how to drink it.

this is the link to my Facebook profile!

sorry – such a rookie! if you can help me – please do!

Ok, I have only just really cottoned on to the wonder that is Facebook! Since i got an ipad ( yeah, it ROCKS) i have really started enjoying ‘social networking’.
Tweeting, facebooking, forum chats… Loving it! Because it’s convenient now… Not intrusive in my work space.

This morning At 8am I was able to join in a live event with one of my favourite art teachers as she taught in New Jersey!

The camera was set up at the end of the communal workshop table, as if I was a real life participant. I was surrounded by the art supplies and class chatter and SuzIBlu would come and talk with ‘me’ every so often. We Also had a lively comments chat going on in the sidebar for the virtual participants! We were from all around the world and talking like we all knew each other.

It was cool! The future is looking very connected…I am so going to invite you all on a virtual photo shoot with me! Or how about coming to my next gallery opening? I’m soooo excited by all the possibilities!

Friend me!

Ps I am typing this on my iPhone as I walk along on the beach… Sooo blame any typos on that please…. Oooooh, look! Dolphins!!

This Follows on  from my last post of my top online creativity classes. I had to split the post this way, because it was getting too loooong!

oh, how I love a good workshop (read about my 70 plus courses here!). My ideal one would be more Matrix-like with the ‘dentist-chair-plus-spike-in-the-back-of-the-head-instant-download-into-brain-i-know-kungfu’ type deal… but then I would miss out on added bonus info from other participants in the group.

I would love to know of any classes/courses you recommend or are leading!

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1. Blogging Your Way
Summary: Blogging in your authentic voice
Course Leader: Holly Becker  blogging superstar of Decor8 and and Leslie Shewing from Color Me Pretty
Why I liked it: Holly herself is very endearing and likable and she somehow magically manages to translate that through her writing. She started each week with a podcast, and then some fantastic, in depth posts about her experience.

Her co- creator, Leslie Shewing also posted each week with photography information and lots of beautiful,inspirational images as examples. Holly had a stroke of genius by organizing a technical whizz to answer all the uploading/ downloading HTML/ blog questions. The whole look, feel and experience was very stylish, ans completely in keeping with the madly popular Decor8 blog.
The forums were incredibly active and the energy created a real buzz. I couldn’t wait to read the forums each morning. There was a huge amount of homework really, but it all related completely to our own blogs, so each student was making refinements and changes and able to get feedback throughout the course.
Our final assignment was to be split into teams and critique everyone’s blogs in our group. As a prize, for groups that did this ( our group had over 20 blogs – that’s a lot of reading!) we went in a draw to have Holly critique our blogs. My team won!

What I got out of it: excitement for blogging and confidence in putting my voice up here.
Where to find:

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2. Flying Lessons
Summary: Inspiration and insider tips to give your creative business wings!
Course Leader: Kelly Rae Roberts
Why I liked it: Kelly Rae is another blogging superstar. Her book is a best seller for the mixed-media category on Amazon. Her attitude and writing is a real joy to read. Her posts throughout the course were inspirational.

I didn’t get very involved in the comments in this course, I was too busy at the time and I regret that I wasn’t able to fully participate. But I absorbed the information and the very relaxed, down to earth way it was presented.

What I got out of it: Extreeeeeeeme gratitude for having the success I have had so far! The class was a refresher for many of the hard won life lessons i have have had. My experience of a Creative Business is very similar to Kelly Rae’s. How I wish I had a resource like this when I first started my crazy business, sorry creative business.
Where to find: I’m not sure she will be running it again for a while, but her site has an ebook edition of the course materials.

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3. SmArtist
Summary: Business tele summit for artists. “Listen, Learn, Earn”
Course Leader: Ariane
Why I liked it: Ariane invites very knowledgable speakers. It runs as a tele summit and forum. All the materials were downloadable and also sent to us on CD at the conclusion. A very professional class with lots of intense information

Ariane ‘s skill is keeping her guests on track and interesting. She asks pertinent questions and really presses the best information out of people. And it was complete information, not a bunch of speakers flogging their wares. We had a lot of course materials which have been extremely beneficial to me.

What I got out of it: most of the participants were practicing artists with a lot of diverse experience. The forums were full of lurkers ( love that phrase for a non- participant!), but those of us that did get involved, were passionate about creativity. Lots of kindred spirits from all over the world.

This year the emphasis was on Social Media and how artists can use it to share our work, getting in to galleries and ideas for ‘expanding the canvas’. There have literally been dozens of changes, refinements and actions I have made because of this valuable course. And because it was in the USA, I had to get up at 4.30am to tune in to the live sessions, so it must have been good!

Where to find: http://smartist.com/live-telesummit/home-study-edition/

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4. Artist Goal Wheel

Summary: Getting your self motivated, inspired and on target. Ebook self study with 12 months of email tip.
Course Leader:Tara Reed
Why I liked it: Tara Reed has an engaging style and is a natural teacher. her examples and real world experience make this course a pleasure to do. I really enjoyed it and I did find it very helpful…Her whole art licensing site is definitely worth checking out!

Tara Reed :www.artlicensinginfo.com

http://www.thegoalwheelforartists.com/

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Aside from just loving learning, I do keep telling myself that I will eventually have my own ecourses right here one day! Creative Photography with moi. No traveling, study as and when you please….meeting kindred spirits from a round the world…no projector for me to wrangle with to show some washed out examples on a wall. What do you think? Subscribe and I will let you know when it’s live!

P.S. I have no affiliation with any of these courses – just a genuine sharing of the LOVE!