ARTDAILY

Changes to Shipping in the Listing Process Based on the feedback we received from members of the community, we’re making some small changes to the listing process which should go live later today. To make adding shipping more intuitive and easier to add to products, we’re adding in new buttons for applying shipping profiles and basic shipping costs. These buttons will make it simplier to apply shipping to an item, thus avoiding errors in the listing process. This is really just a minor change, but it should help avoid some listing frustration with new members! Have You seen the New Counter? We’ve added a new countdown timer on the Sign Up and Upgrade Pages letting people know exactly how much time they have to secure their $12/month Pro account. Once the timer runs out March 1st, new members will no longer be able to sign up at the $12/monthly rate, and will instead only be able to sign up at the $15.95/monthly rate. So if upgrading to Pro is something you’re considering, or if you know someone who is thinking of assigning up, hurry up before it’s too late! Peace and love, Sara  ...

Please start by telling us a little about yourself and your studio. I live in Chicago, born and raised in San Diego with a layover in Wisconsin. I grew up with two artistic parents thinking that it must have skipped a generation, until my mom convinced me to take a class at Lillstreet Art Center. Clay is messy, my drawing abilities are limited to stick figures, so I decided to see what the metals department was all about. I have been at Lillstreet ever since. What role does your family play in your art? My parents are both very artistic, it seems like they have just about every medium covered between the two of them. My mother can do wonders with clay and fiber, and my father can carve just about anything and is equally as good with drawing/painting. They always encouraged me to nurture my artistic side while never pushing their crafts on me. After college when I moved to a city where I did not know anyone, my mom signed me up for a metalsmithing/jewelry class at Lillstreet Art Center, where she works. So I owe this all to her. Where do you live and what is it like? I live downtown Chicago, it is amazing and I love it. Having lived many different places I know what it&rsq...

First off, what role does your art play in your life? Art is a very big part of my life. When I'm not painting, I'm thinking about painting, getting ready to paint, making prints of my paintings, looking at other people's paintings - you get the idea! I've noticed that every time I'm outside I see things in terms of how they would look as a painting, that tree sitting just there with those clouds behind it, or those fields with the sun bouncing off the tops of the corn framed by the blue blue sky... Where do you live and what is it like? I live in Southern Ontario, Canada and it is my source of inspiration. I love taking road trips to search out those perfect combinations of light, colour and landscape. Ontario has everything from rugged cliffs and jewel-bright lakes to rolling hills and secluded forests. I'm surrounded by paintings just waiting to be realized! Where did you learn to paint? I went to a wonderful high school that was just drenched in creativity - painting, typography, photography, life drawing, plein air and design. I took every art course I could, dropping those inessentials like math and science to make room. What are your goals with your ArtFire studio? Wi...

Shorty Award Update As of 1 pm Eastern Time this afternoon, voting for the Shorty Awards has closed. Thank you everyone who took the time to vote for us, we are at first in the running for Innovation with 361 votes! We greatly appreciate your support and really enjoyed reading your reasons for voting. The Shorty Award judges will be announcing winners for each category at the Shorty Awards Ceremony on March 3rd in New York City after the votes and candidates have been analyzed (although we’re hoping that they’ll let the finalists know a head of time whether or not they won). Until then, we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed! This Week’s SEO Roundup This week’s SEO post focuses on two small pieces of news. Caleb begins by explaining Google’s new practice of providing answers to factual questions (i.e. “How tall is the Sears tower?”) on the search results page, and what this could mean for sites showing up the search results for such questions. He also discusses the new option to “Star” Google News stories so that Google News can share similar stories of interest with readers in the future. Get the details on bo...

Last Chance to Vote in the Shorty Awards Shorty Award voting will be closing tomorrow at noon, Eastern Standard Time. This means that today is the last full day of voting, so if you haven’t voted for ArtFire yet, you’d better hurry. We’re currently one of the top finalists for Innovation, and with your help, we might come in first place! So if you like our Tweets and site features, please take a minute to vote if you haven’t already done so. Just remember to fill out a reason after the “Because” for your vote to count. Also keep in mind that if you already voted, there’s no need to do so again unless you wish to update your reason. Note: you must have a Twitter account to vote. Today’s Episode of Inside Handmade Today’s podcast focuses on social media and commerce, and how community has been influencing business online. They also touch on “web 2.0 gone wrong” or mistakes people make in social media. There’s even some statistical updates year over year for ArtFire from January to January. However, to get the details on any of these points you’ll just have to tune into the podcast on iTunes, the ...

We’re currently on the lookout for new Pro members to be spotlighted on the front page of ArtFire.com for late March and April. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we post an introduction to a new artisan’s interview, a photo of the artisan, and one of their products on the bottom of the front page. This spotlight also includes a link to the artisan’s studio and to their full interview posted on ArtFire. To be featured on the front page of ArtFire, all you have to do fill out our 10 question application about your business and then submit it to Sara@ArtFire.com along with your username and photo. This application can be found under the Promote/Learn section of your MyArtFire beneath the subheading Promotional Tools. These spotlights typically run for 2 to 3 days, and the interview will be remind posted here in ArtFire’s blog, the Art Daily.  Interview are then featured depending on the order in which they were received, so hurry and get yours in soon to be featured in March! We’re looking for all different kinds of artisans, so please don’t hesitate to submit your application. Please remember that is feature is for Pro members only at...

Please start by telling us a little about yourself and your studio. For me the whole creative process is a beautiful expression of me and who I am. My art is very personal, and creating is my passion. I love it and can so totally get lost in my studio and my handmade world. I sew when I am ecstatic, frustrated and sad....at times it is just great therapy, and then at other times it is an awesome expression of beauty and one of a kind creativity. And let’s not forget good old fashion need....my kids needed mesh backpacks, and I didn't want to pay the price for something that would fall apart, or a small zipper pouch for diabetic supplies...but it couldn't be girly…and the list could go on. Whether from need, creativity, or whatever the reason, art is everywhere if we just look. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it? Discover who God wants and intends you to be and embrace it in all you unique beauty!! This is so freeing and brings on the creativity. What role does your family play in your art? My family's role is HUGE. My husband is an awesome supporter, and built me an amazing studio with a custom, tall, huge worktable, and shelves to organi...