Tortured Artist? or just Monkey Business?

The tortured artist, the eccentric artist, the mad/insane artist are all stereotypes that many folks can recognize. The interesting thing is that sometimes they are all true, even in the most normal of personalities. Choosing to create visual beauty for a career can really drive you to a level of insanity. Artists live on the edge, sometimes without even knowing it. Keeping a creative mind fresh and relevant in no easy task. It takes a level of strength and determination to continue to do this for a living. Most artist are not opening up a conversation about this or rarely talk about the dark side of this occupation or shall I say "Life" because it is more that an occupation. You have to live it...and that can be interesting.

I am usually a very positive person, always looking on the bright side of even the most tough situations. I carry myself with a level of confidence and positive thoughts. I am also very good at masking what is really going on inside my head. The pressure and feelings of rejection are always floating in the back of my mind. I get down on myself about most of my work in private. I never feel like it is good enough. Hitting blocks of zero creativity and/or creating work that is Shit happens more than I would like to admit. I know that this is all part of the process. I am willing to open up about the demons that play inside my head to create a larger picture of who I am as an artist.

Working with Galleries and Art Agents is all part of the business. It can be the most positive/negative part of the whole deal. We are all in it to make a few dollars to keep doing what we do. Business is business and most of it is monkey business as far as I am concerned. They are real good at stroking your ego to keep you happy. I just smile and know it is just part of the game. They know...that I know...but the dance still goes on. They are always on the "Hot Lead" and there is always someone that is real interested in buying your piece. Again, I just smile! Until that painting is out the door and I have a check in my hand they can do/say whatever they want to feel like they are relevant to me and my business as an artist. Like I said it is all Monkey Business.

I can have multiple great things going on in my art world, Wonderful shows, International acclaim, Galleries calling me to show my work, etc. etc. but all that it takes to bring me down is a drought in sales. How silly is that? It can cripple my whole creative mindset. The doubt in my work takes hold and grips me tight. Everything suffers!...Almost like I need that validation of my work through a sale. This is something that may be a flaw in my ego? When I am selling a lot it shows in my attitude towards working and I end up creating a lot of work. When a drought hits I get frustrated. Aside from the money why is that so important? It is a jig saw puzzle I am working on piece by piece and someday I will complete the whole 1000 piece puzzle to reveal the solution. It sounds crazy to me even as I type it out. Maybe I am just admitting it for the first time out loud?  

I Love my life as an Artist and I would not want to be doing anything else with my life. My talent is a gift handed down through my heritage and family. It is a legacy I intend to pass on to my children. I am honored that so many paintings of mine are hanging on walls all over the world. I am honored that folks take a piece of me into their homes and it becomes part of their world. I do not take any of this for granted. I just wanted to speak out a bit about some of the challenges that artists face. I live in the real world and not some Idealistic fantasy world. This is a job! I can spout out how being an artist is all about the art....or the soul of the artist....color and theory and any other thing that may be said. These are all part of it on many levels. Some can artists live those idealistic views all the time. I wish I could but reality sets in and I have to pay bills and raise a family. So I have to play the game....thus the insanity can set in? The crazy world of selling paintings, staying creative and keeping my life happy as an artist. No one ever told me it would be easy. Matter of fact all of the craziness and pressure actually are part of the fun in many ways also. Pressure pushes you to create and be creative. I sometimes paint my best work when I am in a tortured state of mind. Funny how it all works out in the end.

Artistic Freedom?

Artists are not chosen, they are born to create. Something inside of an artists mind and being pushes them to express ideas and visions through many sorts of mediums. We all search for some kind of success in this endeavor. Success is a personal vision and goal. Some feel like they want to make a living doing what they love. Some create just to create and care little about the business of selling and showing. Some do not care about anything but the art. Some use their talent for greed.....and on and on. Like I said it is a very personal thing. The challenge can be staying true to whatever your thoughts on creativity are. Sometimes for me this challenge can be difficult. The balance between Artistic Freedom and the "Brand" / business you have created.

I create whatever  comes to my mind. I enjoy a level of freedom in my art that opens me up to do what I really feel like painting. I paint stuff that some think is weird, beautiful, meaningful, moving etc. I get an idea and I want to see it come to life in front of me. Some of my work never is seen by the public or will never be hanging in a gallery. It is where I hide.

The thought on my mind lately is where is the line between what I create and what the business I have built. I put a post on my facebook artist page the other day to get some thoughts on this very subject.

Do you ever feel Censored by your own success? Pressure from Galleries, Dealers, your clients and fans to not stray to far from what you have done. Protecting the "brand" we all work so hard to establish but also holding ones creativity back in a nice package. 

I would like to hear some points of view on this subject...The classic Artist vs. Artist as business person...Walking that fine line problem...

I got some great feedback on the subject. I feel like this is an issue artist deal with all the time. Making a living and keeping the folks happy that are helping you make that living can be tricky. I have to say that when it comes down to it I am still the one in control, even though it does not feel like it all the time. I am the talent. I am the one that also helps them make a living (in the case of galleries and agents and all those crazy commissions). They like to make you feel like they are the ones in control cause they have the walls and the client list. I just let them have their complex and focus on creating.  We have to help each other find that middle ground.

Paintings or certain series of paintings are popular and I do enjoy creating them when requested by the folks I work with. I may have a conversation that states that these certain type of paintings really get a lot of traffic, buzz or we may be selling a lot of this type. I love that....It gives me a direction on aspects of my work as an artist. Some of my work may not be right for that gallery while one of my series may be selling like hotcakes in that very gallery.  

The reason this has been on my mind is that lately I have been working on some pieces that could be considered controversial in some circles. I want folks to eventually see them for me to convey the messages I want to put forward. I find that I have an issue in my mind with getting them out to the world as I may do damage to my Brand and the business relationships I have. It is a crazy balance between having and artistic freedom and the business side of it. I find it funny that we do this to express ourselves but sometimes becoming successful doing that very thing can take away a bit of that freedom of expression.

I know, I know, I will get the feedback about this issue saying..."Free yourself," "Don't let the Man or Money hold you back as an artist," "It is all about the art," Be true to yourself" and all the other Idealistic jumble we all like to convince ourselves is the way of an artist. In the real world we need to make money to keep food on the table. I guess if you are an artist as a Pro and your means of income you have to play the game on some levels. It is a hard pill to swallow! Even some of the greatest artists in history where told what to do and how to do it on certain projects. Matter of fact if you know your art history, self expression was not the way of most artists for centuries. You learned from a master and painted like that master. You painted portraits of rich people or where commissioned by the church! It was not really until the 19th century that artists started to break out and go against the grain. In the 20th century it all became about artistic self expression and we are all better for it!

The solution to my issue of creating some works that are controversial and having an outlet to get that message out is an easy one. Create, create create what you feel. Make it happen. It is important to create things that may cause a stir. Art is sometimes not about beauty but sending a message. I can protect my business and still push out a message. It just takes a different twist. Authors, Painters, Musicians have been doing it forever. It can be as simple as a Pen Name! An alter ego of sorts? A hint of secrecy with a dash of fun denial.

So artistic freedom is alive!!!! It can be done!!!! I will not be controlled!!! If you look hard enough and wok hard enough there is always a solution.

My little Rant is over....thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.
I do not have the answers......I hardly even know the questions!!!!
Peace and Love to you

I Van Gogh...Do You? A "That's Me" Ambassadors View

 I wanted to take a moment and give you a little bit of information about what I have going on in 2013...If you are hooked up with my facebook Artist page you may have seen a few things on the new Van Gogh Brand campaign and my relationship with them as an Ambassador for them. Royal Talens is one of the oldest and respected Brands from Amsterdam in The Netherlands....They continue to be a leader in the Fine Arts Paint world. They are used all over the world and a "Go-To" brand for many top Artists! 

2013 is going to be a great year to be an Artist. Royal Talens|Van Gogh Brand Fine Art Paints and Materials is launching the "That's Me" Campaign. A campaign to Inspire folks to paint and create beauty through being themselves and taking some chances. I feel everyone in the world should create art! If you create art even for yourself you will find happiness in many other aspects of your life! You do not need to show anyone, you can keep it to yourself, a gift for your life. You never know though....You may someday want to show your paintings in a gallery or even selling/gifting some of your work to family and friends thus spreading the beauty of you....to others!!

I have been chosen to be one of the five talented artists from around the world to be Ambassadors for the campaign. I am humbled to be a part of this group of world class artists. It makes me smile and is a dream come true, as I have used Van Gogh Oils for the past 20+ years. I also use their other brand of oils Rembrandt on much of my work also....So I have been a Royal Talens customer forever....and now I work with them to spread my love of painting with the world.

I had kept this secret of being chosen as an Ambassador for many many months. it was so hard to contain my excitement. It finally came the time to start to release some of the info...(the launch of the campaign was set for 2013). So I thought I would share a bit of it with you today in this blog entry.....There is so many cool things going on I can only touch the bases in this quick post.....LOL

Well first of all I would love for you to take a look at the new Van Gogh Brand Website....Watch as the cover photo slideshow changes through all of the Ambassadors....You will see some of the greatest artists around....and me. Also click around and see what is going on....you will find some great info....Click on Inspiration and find out some info about the Ambassadors with some videos you should watch. In essence just have some fun and look around you never know what will Inspire you?
 (Here is the Link: Van Gogh Brand Website ) 

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A Quick Video moment with a Van Gogh Ambassador

Please take some time and watch me do some work and visit with you about painting beauty...

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Look for me in your Local Fine Art Supply Store

 The excitement of  2013 will also be the new Fine Art Paint sets that Van Gogh will be releasing to all retailers around the world....this is so exciting. I will be featured on a set that contains 6 large (200ml) tubes of Oil Paint and 2 painting knives. I created a painting for this (the painting in the video) and had some photo sessions so the fine folks at Van Gogh could put together this great colorful packaging...It makes me smile whenever I think about being a part of this!!!!! ....So look for it in a store near you!!! I would love for you to send me a photo of you holding it!!!!

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Here is the painting I created for the "That's Me Campaign"

"The Flow"

Oil on Canvas  -Palette Knife Impasto

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I just hope that through all this that I may be able to Inspire some folks to create! It is very exciting for everyone involved in the Campaign. I am planning on some visits to Amsterdam in The Netherlands to celebrate it all in 2013....I look forward to hanging out with the other Artists and folks at Royal Talens, and maybe do some painting while I am there?

I also want to take this time to give a huge virtual hug to all the folks at Royal Talens Van Gogh....You make me smile everyday with your products and your faith in me. You have made my dreams come true on many levels. I am honored by this!!! You all are Awesome!!!! Smiles, Peace and Love to You

I would Love to say thank you to YOU!!! The person reading this right now....You are the reason I do what I do........You Inspire me!!!!! I just hope that I can return the favor just a bit.....Thank you for your interest in my work....Lots more info to come....Stay Tuned....... I love you

Gallery Go..an Artists Review

I had to wake up early, very early. I had a feeling that this day was going to be a fun one. It was August 31st...near 100 degrees....and I had a 3 hour drive with a Jeep full of art to get to Aberdeen. We (meaning me and my girlfriend) took our little daughter out to my sisters home in Brandon SD (a suburb of the town I live in)...It was our first time being away from her. We set out on our adventure not knowing what we where getting ourselves into.....a familiar town but a new gallery!

A quick little background...the Aberdeen SD area is farm country, often thought as a town that really has little going on and maybe a bit boring and out of touch. It is far off the interstate highway system and is close to next to nothing. It is a state college town though, with a great art program (I actually had plans to go to college there but life made other choices for me). My family roots are buried deep in this area though with many members of my extended family still living in  the area. My heart has a place here! Yes, it can also be noted that this was where I born many moons ago.

Well, we made the drive and pulled up to the front of Gallery Go, Located in beautiful downtown Aberdeen. I commented on the great location and vibe of the whole scene, the stereotype of downtown Main Street USA. The other thing I noticed, and had heard wind of, was the fact that Gallery Go shared the large location with a Mattress Store...Yes you can buy a bed and some great original art all in one stop! I thought this was the coolest surreal combination ever!!! When we walked in...I smiled!..The walls of the gallery where filled with wonderful, beautiful original artworks...The place was huge...to the right 1/3rd of the place was 2 rows of mattresses and beds set up and the walls covered with kick ass paintings. Now when I say covered...I mean covered! This gallery has so much great art for sale by so many awesome talents that it made me honored to have a wall for me to put up my humble paintings....The folks there where so friendly right off the bat. Matt Schaefer (the curator and main man in charge of the art) met me at the door and proceeded to give us the tour of all the art and artists. I was told that the newspaper had given me a full front page story on their entertainment section....Wow! Aberdeen blew me away in the first 10 minutes of being in town....

So I got all my work brought in, Matt Schaefer did a great job getting it hung up and I spent the next hour or so visiting and meeting a bunch of cool artists and folks that where getting the place ready for the opening. Food being prepared and set-up...Beer and wine chillin'....and smiles everywhere! like I said before "I knew it was going to be a great day!"

I was sharing the night with 2 other talented artists...Paul Thompson from the Twin Cities and Chad Smith from Sioux Falls SD....both had work that took the entire show to a new level. It was a scene of color and movement....an almost fantasy groove. I felt honored to be sharing the night with these guys.

The Work of Paul Thompson

 

The work of Chad Smith and a piece of mine

The reception started early, it was set to start at 6pm but the place was a buzz with patrons hours before and did not let up until they closed the doors at 8pm...A real great crowd was there the whole night. Lots of folks from young to old, hip to refined. Some local musicians played great music and the food was amazing! Wine was flowing to the delight of everyone....and again the music was awesome. Acoustic guitars, keyboards and great voices. It was truly a night of talent and Love!! I love to look around at a reception and see lots of smiles and folks visiting, laughing and talking about art. This filled the bill! I kept thinking Wow this town has it going on!! A packed gallery, music and smiles!! 

I have to say that for any artist what really makes the difference when working with galleries is the folks who run it...Matt Schaefer is one of the best. I have been to many reception and some are very stuffy and not so much fun....that was by far not the case here at Gallery Go. I also have to mention that within a few days of the show...Matt had sold one of my pieces, "Peace in Blue" was now in the hands of its new owner...thanks to Matt. He continues to move lots of pieces from many artists in the past couple weeks...he is on a selling frenzy!!!

I was real blown away by the gallery and its patrons. With the help of folks like Matt and many other cool folks I met, Aberdeen could be the art Hot Spot in this area.....Us folks in Sioux falls should take a lesson in what is going on up there. I thought it was good here in Sioux Falls (and it is actually pretty great here) but we need some Matt Schaefers down here!!! What is comes down too...is the people. Since Aberdeen is a smaller city (population like 24000) and it is in the middle of nowhere....Folks actually love to have events to go to....and they do!

All in All...Gallery Go was awesome...awesome everything! I cant wait to go back at the end of this month to pick up my work and attend  the reception for some other artists that night!! Going to be a great time....Peace and Love to you and thanks for reading this quick story

Want to see my Work with your own Eyes?

  If you find yourself in Eastern South Dakota, USA this summer there are a few chances to see some of my work on exhibit with your own eyes. Though the summer is half way over, there is still a lot of summer groove to capture through my work. Bugs thrive in the summer and they are going to be buzzing around at a few great shows and galleries. So make a day trip or plan a vacation around seeing some of the great art here in South Dakota......If you are lucky enough to make it to the receptions of these shows it would make me happy to meet you and hand out a few free hugs and smiles....

Here is a quick list of the shows that will be showing pieces from "My Bug Collection" and pieces from my "Abstracts Series" .

Brookings Arts Council 36th Annual Fine Arts Open

Brookings Arts Council
August 1st - 24th
Reception August 24th
Brookings, SD

Will be showing: "I am Just a House Fly" and "I am Just a Grasshopper"

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Lance Jeschke and Chad Smith at Gallery Go 

Aug. 31st - Sept. 28th

Reception on Aug. 31st

126 S. Main St. Aberdeen, South Dakota

I will be showing works from "My Bug Collection" and my "Abstract Series"

"I am Just a House Fly"

"I am Just a Grasshopper"

"Wasp, the Yellow Jacket"

"The Monarch Queen"

Abstracts that will be shown are still not set yet but will include: "Germ #1" "Peace in Blue" and maybe a few surprises and\or unpublished works. You will have to make it to the show to see.....

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Washington Pavilion First Juried Art Exhibition

 Sept. 14th - Dec. 2nd 2012 

Reception on Sept. 15th

Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

My piece called "The Monarch Princess" was selected and will be in exhibit at this great show.

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Piper Fine Art Gallery

 You can always view some of my pieces at Piper Fine Art Gallery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Right now there are 4 pieces at Piper Fine Art for your viewing pleasure and purchase Click Here to see what is Hanging out

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These are some great chances to see my work and the work of other world class artists from South Dakota. If you would like any further info on these shows or any of my work please do not hesitate to drop me a message....I would love to hear about your adventures in art and any reaction to the shows I am involved with. There will be many more...including Artists Against Hunger 7 in December. Peace and love to you all

Hope to see your smiling face at one of my shows!!!

I Need Your help....Custom Jeschke color?

Jeschke Orange Cream

(color in full strength and 50% tint)

I have a huge favor to ask....but first a little background. I am not the type of artist that gets involved in the online contests that pushes you to ask all your fans and friends for votes. I see it it my news feed all the time and I do think it is cool to some extent. There are a lot of cool companies and art groups that put together contests for many reasons. I dont like to use my fan base for a means to win a contest. I am more interested in spreading color and love through my paintings. I feel the reason they "like" my page is because they want to be a part of it or "in the Know" of what I have going on with my work. Some folks may even just like me as a person and could care less about the art (my personal profile is boring so many of my friends just keep up with me through my artist page hehehe). I guess what I am saying is I do not like to get spammed with stuff and I am sure my fans do not either? But from time to time a contest may come along that peaks my interest.....like the new Royal Talens Rembrandt contest...called Create Your own Color 

The fine folks at Rembrandt have created a contest that artists from all walks of life can submit a small proposal of a custom color to be produced for a limited time with your name on it (hence the Jeschke Orange Cream) They will sell a limited number of tubes. I would guess that they are going to make a batch of it...put it in the custom tubes with your name on it and get it out to the world in a very limited fashion. There are what they call 3 color rounds with votes being taken in every round....The top 3 vote winners will then be put in front of a panel of experts...they then pick which one will get produced. There are 3 rounds with a total of 3 winners through out the contest. I want to be one of those!! hehehehe That is where I need your help.....

I have been a faithful Royal Talens user for my whole painting career. I Love the Rembrandt and Van Gogh line of oils. They are my "go to" paints...I love them so much that I must make orders for them through companies like Blick...cause they do not carry them in the local art stores. It would be a dream for me to have one color named after me, even for a limited run!!! The other prize in the contest is that they will send me 9 tubes of my namesake color.....

The rules of the contest state that if chosen I must send them samples of my color...easy beans!! I have mixed and used that color often...and since this whole thing is really about color...I will explain to you what the story behind it is.....I was thinking Orange Cream....Like a Orange Sherbert or a great orange Cream frozen treat...an Orange pastel color that is still bright but smooth..... This color would be a great base for some flesh tint or a fade sunset.  The photo is not as good as the color in front of my eyes on the canvas but I am sure you get the idea!! I mixed this color using Rembrandt Titanium White (PW6/PW4) and worked in the Rembrandt Cadmium Orange (PO20/PY36) I then added a few touches of a Lemon Yellow (PY3) to get a bit of brightness into the mix. (the tint fade in photo was done using Titanium White). Oranges can be tricky...Cadmium Orange can be to harsh sometimes..Thus in the mix I add the Lemon Yellow to soften and add some light and brightness to it....When tinted down with white Jeschke Orange Cream turns into a wonderful cotton candy color....lots of life to it.

How can you help? please click on this Create your own color ot go to Rembrandts facebook page and look in their tabs for the Create your own color tab. Then scroll down till you see my entry...and hit the vote button...now there is going to be a popup that asks you for approval and such...don't fret...this is just for reasons to prevent voting fraud that has happened with other Royal Talens voting contests...You may have to scroll down a bit and even look through the pages to find me..(the contest system is kinda clunky and not the best system?) but they said that it ran well in tests? Who knows? but it is what it is and I can live with that heheheh......You do not need to fill out anything but may have to "like" the Rembrandt page...which is a good thing anyway!!! If you go through all of this for me....It would really make me smile!!!! and help a small dream come true to me on a personal level.....I know it is a lot to ask of you!!

Please also join the contest if you have some ideas....If it will not work out for me at least I would love to have one of my friends have the chance.....I just want to have my chance at this....(if you do please at least hit a vote for me heheheheheh) Get involved..Have fun....Share this blog post!!! It is all about spreading color and Love!!! and the folks at Rembrandt are great at that!!! 

If by some luck or chance I would win....I would have a few extra tubes of the custom color (and I am sure would probably purchase a bunch?).... and in the spirit of spreading color....I would give some away to my fans and friends....so even if you do not vote...leave a comment and who knows you may get some Jeschke Orange Cream......( I would do a drawing or best comment type of thing) In essence I would Love to have some of my fans using my color!!!!

Thank you for taking some time to read this.....and whether you vote or not just know that without all of you none of my dreams would have come true....You fans are more important to me than my name on a tube of paint....You make me smile everyday just by showing an interest in my humble work....I dont ask much but when I do it is real important to me......Thanks again........It is a long shot but at least I have a shot?

Peace and Love to you my friends.....

Your Page Sucks...

Not Your content.....but the format you built it on.....


Maybe I felt like stirring up the pot a bit, or just getting some things off of my chest that have risen in the past few months? I guess I better watch out for the social media Gestapo after voicing my personal opinion? They can be relentless!

Facebook has ruined a good thing!.....I will reflect on an old piece of advice "Do not fix it if it is not broke!" Yes I am talking about how facebook pages (and even the personal profiles) really suck now. I am an artist and I have spent a lot of time networking and showing the world my work through the magic of facebook. It used to be fun and a great way to interact with other artists and fan of art. I have even written blog posts on how to improve your facebook pages experience. I still spend time on facebook and will continue too. It is a part of my work flow to catch up and post thing that people have chosen to see. I have made some great friends from all around the planet and it is a good format for sharing what is going on in my art world. I made the page to share Color and Love.....

My main bone of contention is the outright censorship of things I post. I am not talking about things like anti-government, nudity, or race posts (which I can understand on some level aside from the freedom of speech stuff...but we are on their servers and interface). I am talking about a photo of a painting of a huge house fly, a colorful abstract. or just me telling my fans what I am working on. It is now the job of facebook engineers to decide who gets to see it. They get their math wizards and code engineers to make the decision for you!  When you have hit the "like" button on a page you are asking to see content from that page in your news feed, Right? not in their eyes! They only let you see what they figure you want to see! Who are they to make this decision for me. When I " like" a page I want to see all the content they post. I can make my own decision on if I will look at it, react to it or comment on it. The funny thing about it is that they even tell you how many people see your posts and the percentage. The did this to encourage you to spent $5 or $10 to reach your whole fan base (who has chosen to see it anyway.) Has it had the opposite effect?

Facebook is now a publicly traded company, they play by new rules now. It is the job of the executives to generate profit for the share holders. Plain and simple! "They give you the golden goose for free but make you pay to see it." The rise of facebook is a great story...American brilliance at its best....nerd steals an idea...turns it into the greatest new thing....everyone flocks to it like sheep....nerd becomes filthy rich....puts it on the NYSE...nerd now controls one of the most important ways of communication....nerd learns that censorship can be profitable for him and his share holders....and starts to change the product that made him rich....Is the next step nerd looses everything and goes the way of Tom Anderson from Myspace? It could happen....Myspace was huge! But do you even have a Myspace now? If you do when was the last time you looked at it? 

Timeline, Pay to post and facebook metrics all epic fails from the point of view of most who use this free service. Yes it is free and I cant complain to much about the cost but when you start changing things without even letting folks know, that is a bit creepy and underhanded even for a free site. They made everyone and pages go to this Timleline interface....gave you a great place to put a huge photo and then gave you rules on what you could actually put in that space. They also took it upon themselves to make it difficult to see what others have posted on the page (which made it suck for pages that promote artists work, and please share your artwork here sites) You also do not get your news feed in order it was posted....now it is up to those engineers to let you know what is important to you. Sounds like some governments from the past or future (hehehehe ever see 1984 or V for Vendetta) Just the other day they went and changed all of your email addresses to one they have control of. (Yeah go check you email address on your profile). What is next? I know a lot of folks who use it on their smart phones...they link the number etc etc....how long will it be before they have some control of that too? They even ask you for that info when you sign in and make it seem as if you do not have your phone linked up to them something may happen or you may not be able to recover a password etc. etc. etc. Remember folks this is how it all starts....

I have seen a rapid decline in the amount of "likes" per week and interaction from others who have "liked" my page. I know some of this is caused by rapid movement of the news feed (especially if you have a lot of active friends and such) I also know that some folks are only on facebook a few times a week, thus they would not see all the content anyway....but I notice a huge difference! I also check those "insights" from time to time and have noticed a huge difference from the ones I printed a few months ago....and I had way less "likes" back then. Change is hard.....and after things get to a feeling of normal and we are used to the way it is now this may be all mute? and We do not have a choice anyway....if we want to use facebook and interact with everyone we have built up, we must play by their rules....or wait for the next big social website....which will happen at some point. Google tried, Twitter is confusing and Myspace is the way of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker (gone but not forgotten, at least the lessons are not forgotten). I am sure there is some way to make a statement to facebook...they opened up the door by becoming a publicly traded company and must play by the rules of a corporation and regulators.

I am by no means an expert on this stuff....only wanted to get some stuff out of my head! I may be totally wrong and will take the guff if I am. I just think they ruined a good thing....for them and for us! We spend way more time on that interface when we get content we asked for in the first place. When I get a lot of interaction with folks I spend way more time on facebook....when the interaction has been low (lately) I find myself just checking on it a few times a day.  As an artist, I run a small business, I want folks that chose to see my content to see it. I want to spread Color and Love to even more folks. I am a mellow, laid back dude that loves art....very easy to please....I do not ruffle to many feathers unless thing just do not seem fair and right. I just wanted to get this off my chest and get back to spreading Color to my friends and fans!!! I wrote this to give you something to ponder.....and maybe look at how your facebook life has changed. Do we all need to say goodbye to it and build up our Google+ sites? Do we just deal with it with a smile or a frown? Do we do something about it? Do we ignore and just let things be? or should we all just spend less time at the computer and more time creating and living life in the real world?....Who knows?....it is all up to you to decide...I am just bitching!!!!!!!

Peace and Love to YOU!!!! (that is if you even see this?.....watch out for the facebook police!!.....It will be interesting to see what my facebook metrics look like on this one!!!!)

Please Please share this post!!!!!!!!!! I really want to hear from you also....I want you to post some comments.....(you do not have to sign up or anything).....I just want to hear some of your stories and thoughts......Please Share!!! I would love to hear from many folks!!!! again Peace and love to you and thank you for taking the time to read my Rant!!!