Saturday, November 28, 2009

More Than One Way to Get Published!

Submitting photographs for publication is a never ending job. I'll get on a roll and send a bunch out, then forget all about it for months. Then there are the rejections, which are definitely hard on the ego. Sometimes a piece that has gotten a lot of attention can't get published, or at least takes a lot of shopping around. Wouldn't it be fascinating to know how those decisions are made? Things like: it's the wrong color for this issue, or the only space left is landscape and your photo is portrait orientation. Wouldn't it feel a bit better to hear it that way?

But wait, there's an easier way! Sometimes publications just happen with no effort whatsoever! (Or almost.) In this month's issue of Art Jewelry Magazine, two of my pieces appeared in advertisements.


Tonya Davidson of Whole Lotta Whimsy asked me for an image of my carved bronze cuff a while back for their half page ad on page 17. Nice! And right next to that bronze bangle by Barbara Becker Simon that I've so admired, too! There was a tiny bit of effort required, to get it into the requested format and ship it off ASAP. Being prepared is key, I guess. I feel so honored to join the long list of artists whose work has appeared in their ads. I can't quite believe it! Thanks, Tonya!


On the other hand, there was absolutely no work involved in another ad on page 7, for the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB). I had no idea that they would use my Retro Lovebird necklace for the ad there. The only connection I can figure is that I did make and submit postcards for the Gathering last summer, which I thought would be great advertising for the Bead Bazaar that I couldn't attend. Just getting the work out there pays off again!

I adjure you to submit your work, repeatedly. Post it online, in a blog, in forums, on Flickr, on Facebook and Crafthaus...just keep at it. Really, it works!