Fresh Talk: Sarah Lewis

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Conversations About Creativity in the 21st Century 

In this episode, Sarah Lewis, a scholar, writer and curator, talks with Cathy Byrd about issues and ideas that inform her curatorial practice. Sarah's latest project involved selecting artists Leslie Hewitt, Jacco Olivier and Mike Osborne for the Artpace San Antonio 12.2 International Artists in Residence program. Active internationally, Sarah has held positions at the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art, and was a co-curator of the 2010 SITE Santa Fe Biennial exhibition the dissolve.  

Sound Editor: Leo Madriz 
Photo credits noted in captions 
Music: Esperanza Spaulding, Cuerpo y Alma

Fresh Talk: The Red Swing Project

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Conversations About Creativity in the 21st Century Cathy Byrd meets Andrew, creator of the anonymous red swing project, under the 7th Street bridge in East Austin. Andrew invented his spatial intervention as an undergraduate while studying architecture at the University of Texas, Austin. Since 2007, his open-source project has grown to encompass a volunteer corps whose members have installed close to 200 swings in the U.S. and abroad. Andrew takes his swings to the Biennale Architectura 2012 this August.  
Sound Editor: Leo Madriz | Photos: Cathy Byrd unless otherwise noted in captions | Music: Eden Gass, Little Red Swing

Fresh Talk: Tolly Moseley

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Conversations About Creativity in the 21st Century

Cathy Byrd meets Tolly Moseley in Austin to learn about her faceted creative practice. A book publicist by day, Tolly spends evenings writing for her blog AustinEavesdropper.com. She’s also a passionate aerial silks dancer who keeps a vivid blue silk hanging from a tree outside her back door. Earlier this year, Tolly started producing and hosting a series of webisodes for "Austin Eavesdropper TV" in which she interviews a certain quirky character and shares insider tips about Austin. In this episode, Cathy gets a sneak peek at Tolly’s brand new project for youtube.com/hungry. 

Sound Editor: Leo Madriz 
Photo credits as noted. 
Music: Tolly Moseley, AETV intro

Fresh Talk: Carolina Grau

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Conversations about Creativity in the 21st Century

In Barcelona, Cathy Byrd speaks with Carolina Grau, an independent curator from Spain, who has created projects in London, Madrid, Lisbon, Sao Paulo and Paris. Carolina describes what she learned as a facilitator for Rachel Whiteread and the late Juan Muñoz; her curatorial residency at the Center for Contemporary Art, Noisy-le-Sec; the evolution of her work with Martin Creed (Cubitt Gallery and Tate Modern, London; Sala Alcalá, Madrid); and how locals get involved with the one-weekend D.I.Y. biennial she co-organizes with Mario Flecha, in the village of Jafre, Spain. 


Sound Editor: Leo Madriz 
Photos: Courtesy the artists and Carolina Grau, except where noted 
Episode Sound: Martin Creed, Thinking, Not Thinking
 
En Barcelona, ​​Cathy Byrd habla con Carolina Grau, comisaria independiente de España que ha creado proyectos en Londres, Madrid, Lisboa, Sao Paulo y París. Carolina describe lo que aprendió como facilitadora para los artistas Rachel Whiteread y Juan Muñoz, su residencia curatorial en el Centro de Arte Contemporáneo en Noisy-le-Sec, la evolución de su trabajo con Martin Creed (Cubitt Gallery y la Tate Modern, Londres; Sala Alcalá, Madrid); y cómo durante un fin de semana, la gente se involucra en la D.I.Y. bienal que co-organiza con Mario Flecha, en Jafre, España.

Fresh Rx.8 with Kesha Bruce

Solutions to Your Creative Dilemmas


How do I cultivate a unique/notable/fresh brand
at the beginning of my mid-career?

Branding is a catch-phrase that has trickled down from corporate culture. In a very basic way, branding is really about your reputation and how you actively present yourself to the world. But unlike a corporation, as an artist, you are your brand. With that in mind, when it comes to cultivating your personal brand it’s important to start from the inside. This is true for artists at every stage of their careers.

To build your personal brand you’ll need more than a logo and a slickly designed website. You need to be clear about who you are and what you have to offer. I’m not just talking about displaying the type of artwork you have available for sale. I’m talking about how you present yourself and your personality.

What three or four adjectives best describe you and what you have to offer? What words would you use to define your personality? What are you passionate about? What emotions do you want to generate when people come into contact with you and your work? Are these values being expressed on your website, blog, your social media outlets, and every other piece of content or information you put out into the world?

Click over to your website and have a quick look at your “About” page. Are you communicating enough information about what you stand for that a new-to-you person could easily and quickly figure out whether or not they want to hang around long enough to get to know you even better? People who visit your website, blog, or even your twitter bio are going to judge you, in a matter of seconds, based on what they see. These people can’t feel attached to your brand if they don’t know what you stand for. So step up and tell them who you are.

Just like building your artistic skill, personal brand building takes a bit of hard work and practice, but the rewards are well worth the effort.By taking the time to define who you are and choosing the best way to communicate those ideas, you can better position yourself to make connections with potential art buyers who would be most interested in exactly the type of artwork you have to offer.

More on Personal Branding: How To Make It: Building Your Personal Brand

Send me your questions: freshartinternational@gmail.com. I'm here to help!

Kesha Bruce