The old ways of marketing books and creativity are fading away, Maria and I, both creatives working for ourselves and now promoting our own work, are always thinking of ways to market what we make. I do the blog, promotions, subscriptions, photos, give-aways, podcasts, videos, Maria has her own blog and when she makes something new, she sometimes asks me to photograph it. Sometimes I feel we are running Bedlam Farm World.

But you know what, I have come to like it, and we are getting good at it.

Our favorite marketing studio is the side of the big barn in sunlight, we always have a rapt audience of curious donkeys, dogs or sheep. If it isn’t too windy, or even if it is, Maria will take one of her wall hangings outside, hang it up on the wall, pinning it to keep it flat in the wind, not always an easy thing to do. We do some of the notecard photographs on this wall, sometimes the other wall if the sun is out in the afternoon.

I’ll take a photo, choosing my lens carefully and watching the light, then Maria will post the piece up on her blog, or I’ll post it on my mine. Once upon a time, galleries did this or publishers, but no longer. The creative is on his or her own when it comes to marketing and selling work. I was horrified when I realized my publisher would no longer try and promote my books, but I have come to like promoting my own books and helping Maria to promote her work. I like taking responsibility for my art, so does she.

I think the donkeys like it too, they will often stand and bray at us while we take our pictures.  The donkeys and dogs love to enter the spirit of things, they are a part of our world. The New World Of Marketing.