According to Gary Vaynerchuk, whose keynote at the MediaBistro Career Circus at Comix Comedy Club in Manhattan, yesterday – the Future of Content creation and making a living  is now requires “Working the Room” and being a “Digital DJ“; especially  in New York City, where there are so many opportunities to connect.

I was at MediaBistro Career Circus all afternoon and part of the evening – and “worked the room” which is natural for me, though, I can’t say I like hustling, which Gary Vaynerchuk maintains is neccessary to make money, blogging.      Gary feels that no one gives you anything in life, you have to go out and get it for yourself, and know how to ask for it.

I am painting tonight in my studio, finding myself working on older work.

Reminds me, over a year ago, friend Drew Knapp came by to look at the work I did up to that point; he liked a fee pieces but council me to make more of a commitment to my work.

Btw, writing on the IPhone, no links, sorry.

It didn’t have to do with time spent as much as a willingness to re-examine and rework paintings that might take time and perspective to finish, like this one, that I am reworking today.

Uprising – 2009 Marshall Sponder – Acrylic / Oil Pastel on paper 22? x 28?

Could say much more about this painting – but I grew up with the concept that art can speak for itself – if it’s good enough, art could stand on it’s own merit – it doesn’t need an explanation (though explanations can enhance work though they can’t sustain a work, alone).

Yesterday I walked, A LOT, – maybe 5 miles in all, first to Kris Walherr’s Gallery/Bookstore/Salon in Midwood where I talked with Kris for about an hour or so on Art/Life/Travel/Tarot, etc, it was a nice conversation; we talked Art/Life/Cezanne/Monet/Rodin/Italy/Aix/Tarot/Life Energy/Sirens and Mermaids.   Fun.

Kris even had a Tarot for Obama event in her Salon in October – she also has regular events or Salons, usually on Friday evenings, and sometimes, it’s also a Tarot Salon (interesting).   I tend to be vary particular on who reads my cards, but it looks like she has a pretty good community of Tarot Enthusiasts – and she even created a few of her own deck of Tarot Cards which can be bought in stores, and in her salon, and Kris Waldherr’s Salon was also featured in Time Out NYC – as a dating/meeting place.

There was also a nice French Restaurant around the corner from her studio Salon- sadly, it was closed when I went and ended up going to Georges Diner, and old standby resturant,  where I ran into an old friend who still works there, Ralph.  Maybe I’ll try the place next time (I’ll be there next Friday, and try to come for Feb 6th Salon).

Anyway, I went to paint after that and while I started something new, decided not to photograph it – and worked on RejectionToo again, which I think I may have finished (to the extent that anything can be “finished”).  After that I went to First Saturdays at The Brooklyn Museum of Art

Had an idea, of sorts about Social Media from viewing The Black List Project at the Brooklyn Museum – what if I could take every one of those names and see what kind of visibility they have on the Web, and compare them – say the persona from the photos to how that’s reflected on the Web.

Just a thought – don’t know if I’ll ever get around to it, but it’s an idea.

Sometimes people contact me with worthy causes – worthy sites – sites about Art in New York – and what could be more abotu Art in New York City than ….. www.NYC-ARTS.org and www.NYCkidsARTS.org ?

I took a look at NYC-Arts.org and it looks good!  Now, I do think they need to add a Social Networking aspect to the site, and I will speak to Joe Harrell, the Director of Marketing for the Alliance of the Arts, here in New York, about that.

But the sites, as they look now, are first class – they look good.  In fact, what I’d do, if I ran those sites, is add the content from Artcards.cc and also have artists, like me, go out and cover shows and post them to an accompying blog – that feeds into the NYC-Arts.org site – that would generate a lot more content.

Not sure what to say about the kids site – I have a son, but he’s almost 16 years old – and I think a kids site has a different demographic than me – (unless I’m trying to reach out to kids and their parents – in which case, maybe it’s relevent).  At any rate – these are Art Sites about our community – here in New York City – and they ougth to be supported.

Here’s the information about NYC-ARTS.org and NYCkidsARTS.org from recent press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alliance for the Arts Launches NYC-ARTS.org and NYCkidsARTS.org in Beta Testing

NEW YORK – November 25, 2008 – The Alliance for the Arts has launched the beta versions of its new NYC-ARTS.org and NYCkidsARTS.org, the most complete, customizable and dynamic source of information on New York’s cultural institutions. Curated by people who know the scene, NYC ARTS provides an inside view of New York’s cultural life.

The NYC ARTS Web sites have launched during beta testing. The public is invited to participate in testing by submitting feedback through the “Send your feedback” button at the bottom of every page.

NYC-ARTS.org

Locals and tourists will find in-depth information on cultural organizations and their events, programs and activities.

NYCkidsARTS.org

Educators and parents will find the most comprehensive information on cultural activities for children, including arts education programs that support teaching in many subject areas.

Alliance for the Arts Research Center

The research tools in the Alliance for the Arts Research Center will provide easy access to accurate quantitative data on the nonprofit cultural sector in New York City.

In the increasingly competitive entertainment environment, NYC ARTS and NYCkidsARTS ensure that New York City’s arts organizations stand out in the clutter of choices. The NYC ARTS brand is a powerful promotional identity both for large cultural institutions that command high visibility and smaller groups with less promotional muscle. Unlike commercial cultural listings that have a narrow focus, these sites give all arts groups equal opportunity to promote their programs and attract visitors. The power of the NYC ARTS sites extends beyond the walls of the Web sites with weekly e-mail updates, interest-specific RSS feeds and connections to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Cultural consumers need a strong brand to help them navigate the rich and diverse resources of New York City’s five boroughs. Through recommendations, curated collections and other features such as “Events ending soon,” the sites will be proactive in directing individuals to cultural opportunities they might otherwise overlook.

The City of New York is the major underwriter of NYC ARTS. Because the system supports hundreds of cultural organizations and their events in all five of the city’s boroughs-in effect shoring up the cultural infrastructure-the City of New York has invested $1.5 million in capital dollars for the first release of the system. It has also pledged additional enhancement funds for future releases of NYC ARTS.

New York’s philanthropic community has joined the City as investors in this project. Local foundations and corporations supported the research and development of NYC ARTS.

About the Alliance for the Arts

The Alliance for the Arts serves the entire cultural community through research and advocacy and serves the public through cultural guides and calendars. Through its NYC ARTS guides and calendars, the Alliance promotes New York cultural institutions. Through its research studies highlighting the importance of the arts to the economy and to education, the Alliance helps government and civic leaders understand the importance of cultural organizations to New York City. More information on the Alliance’s work can be found at the new www.AllianceforArts.org.

Contact:

Joe Harrell, Director of Marketing & Product Management

Alliance for the Arts

jharrell@allianceforarts.org

(212) 947-6340

Again, what I think is needed is Social Networking that supports and encourages community – and I’ll help where I can, being of this community – we want to not just have engagement – but encourage it with Social Media for Engagement.