- Tell us something about yourself, your background
To say that I was born with a camera around my neck, canvasses and art history books tucked under my arms and paintbrushes and paints clutched in my hands is an exaggeration but symbolizes that ART has been part of me from the onset. I am an artist who believes in engaging in important social issues and in blazing creative trails. My ability to articulate my creative process as well as engage and inspire others has made me an advocate for the arts; and, in so doing, my art exhibits, notecards, book, curatorial exhibitions, etc. have received media and public attention. I don’t consider myself an entrepreneur but must have entrepreneurial proclivities that come from within. I am filled with passion, integrity, humor, and confidence in what I present and find a way around stumbling blocks when they occur. My undergraduate and graduate training was in art, education and administration and was mostly a middle-school art teacher in a former life. That’s probably where I developed the determination to engage and electrify. A believer in the Darwin adage, adapt or perish, I embrace change as opportunity for discovery and innovation.
- Let us know about your ventures with a brief explanation of each:
It found me. My husband and I had this plan that when we retired he would market and promote my photography…but he died before it could happen. I threw myself into my art and travel to stay productive and positive… and by chance, unexpected things happened and the media too notice. Sharing my Galapagos photographs with the Galapagos Conservancy led to my work being used in the 2002 Annual Report. My first web site designer thought it would be a good marketing strategy to turn selected exhibited art work into notecards so I created naturenotes.com. The cards became a hit and when the American Museum of Natural History ordered a large quantity of my butterfly notecards, I became incorporated and outsourced the printing. My problem has always been having too many ideas and not enough time so many opportunities were never maximized. A chance meeting with a watercolour artist in 2014 led to a collaboration that grew into our book Parallel Perspectives: The Brush/lens Collaboration
- How/Why did you start as an entrepreneur? What set you off?
As stated previously, entrepreneurship found me. I love the arts and the energy and positivity that come from creativity and want to share that with the world. I have something to say and marketable goods that I believe are worthy and I will do what I can to be seen, heard and wanted. Having a unique personal vision that sets one’s product, in my case art, apart from other, is a first step. Truly connecting-engaging with people and the process of connection has been my key to whatever success you ascribe to my accomplishments. I am on the alert 24/7 for opportunities to engage/promote and I like to use each opportunity as a stepping stone to the next opportunity.
- Tell us about each of your ventures
- Galapagos Annual Report 2002—I just wanted to share my work with the Galapagos Conservancy folks and they became excited with what I showed them.
- Shutterbug Magazine 2006—Featured my website. Essential with glut of creatives and no-so-creatives inundating social media/internet, it is important to make one’s position and vision stand out from the pack.
- Naturenotes.com—Branding blurb with small headshot and contact information were professionally printed on card backs. My printed and signed photos were glued on the card fronts. They were packaged individually and as boxed sets and sold in a variety of venues.
- Parallel Perspectives: The Brush/Lens Collaboration—I had no idea that when Ward Hooper and I met that it would lead to a 6-year journey resulting in this book that continues the momentum.
Where are you now?
Becoming a Vendor for NYU Langone
How it happens is all part of the journey. There is no magic formula. Having a personal vision that excites and inspires and keeping at it is the key. Every posting…every image…every article is a hook…and when that hook connects…bam! My posts on LinkedIn connected me to Innovations and More and that was exhilarating! I am delighted to be part of this platform, Another biggie occurred in 2015 when NYU Langone contacted me to purchase 14 of my images. The ART buyer found me by surfing the internet for needed photographs of the Long Island landscape…and I was made a vendor! My work has also been purchased for Stony Brook Hospital and I invite the corporate world to check out my ART.
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