Twitter. Microblogging.

This is only a micropost to say that I'm twittering!

It is curious, because I never thought those social media online could work for me. And I have much work to do, so maybe I won't have much time to write "tweets" (that's the way one defines on Twitter a short message).

Yes, I'm surprised because for the first time a social media online interests me. I can see clearly that it can be useful for me, and the most important part: there are very good people out there; you can help others and others can help you.

The idea behind Twitter is great: microblogging (in a few words we can say many useful things). The great idea is SIMPLICITY. Twitter understands it. A brilliant idea (which could be represented by Google, Blogger, Twitter...) mixed with simplicity almost always works, almost always wins and is successful. People who launched Twitter, no doubt, were clever people.

Yes, Twitter is very simple. And it is also very USABLE, takes care of USABILITY and users. Twitter is very simple and easy to use, yet it can be used in a great variety of ways and has tons of different possibilities for every person, and without never forgetting its original simplicity.

In Twitter you can ask a short question or answer other people's questions, you can join interesting groups, you can search what interests you, you can make friends. And you can inform of your activities as well. "What are you doing now?"

Surely each person uses Twitter differently. Strange, the past days I've used Twitter as a sort of "meditative journal". I know, I know, alas! I won't have much time to do that in the future, but I'm exploring the possibilities of Twitter by now. I know that even could be addictive. But I permit myself to wander a little...

I've said that I use Twitter as a sort of personal journal. So I'm not following people "as I should", and very few people are following me (obvious). But only in a few days I am fully aware that Twitter has tremendous possibilities for people who have the time to write "tweets", ask questions, help others...

I've only pointed here a few features of Twitter. Twitter is a great country and I've just arrived in this land.

Ah! I forgot: you can find me in Twitter here: www.twitter.com/juanbielsa

By now I only have 4 followers, but I'm proud of them :)

Juan Bielsa

My shop on zazzle.com

Sweet Fairy
Oil on canvas, by Juan Bielsa
© Juan Bielsa

I've launched very recently my shop on www.zazzle.com/juanbielsa. You can find there very few products by now, but it is a start. I'll be adding new items in a regular basis.

In recent years my main artistic activity has been to paint oils. I'm an specialist in that. I'll continue, of course, painting in that way. I love oils. But it is time now to regain my passion for drawing and design. In fact, drawing in different techniques has been always a real passion for me, although I've neglected it for some years. But I won prizes with my drawings in my early career. And I've always had a lot of fun drawing and designing. So, let's work!

FOCUS

New items, as I've said, will be added very soon to my shop on www.zazzle.com/juanbielsa and to other blogs of mine in different languages which I want to turn into blogs/shops (like polideza.blogspot.com, in Aragonese language). Letting aside my poems, my main activity in the future on the Internet will focus on creating and selling. I can't avoid it, I'm a poet (mainly in my native Aragonese language), so I'll continue to write poetry, but aside from that, I want to focus on selling my creations. I'm convinced now that that is the best thing for me to do.

CREATING BEAUTY

And never again I must stop creating art. Never again. That's what I really am: an artist and a poet. Yes, I've another great love: metaphysics. But I understand now that the Internet is not a very good place to show that kind of subjects, at least I think now in this manner. Anyway, I already show my particular vision of metaphysics in my poems.

Maybe Internet, basically, is a place to buy and sell, at least I think now in that way. And we can create and sell so many beautiful, wonderful things, art and objects that many people can truly love!

ARTISTIC MAPS

For example, I LOVE artistic maps, to begin with. When I was a child I was already in love with maps, it was a wonderful way to dream... Yes, I can even create marvelous maps, and another wonders. And you can create even greater wonders. So, let's work!

Juan Bielsa

Sensuality and mysticism

Landscape of Pyrenees
Photograph by my Aragonese friend
Migalánchel Martín Pardos

So many days reading and thinking...

Sometimes it is very late when I go to bed.

It is pretty clear for me now. My vision of things will always be, somehow, politically incorrect.

It is for me difficult to think and act without connecting all to a certain transcendence. But certainly my idea of transcendence is very particular.

My spiritual ideas don't exclude sensuality, but normally they refer this sensuality to a higher plane.

Sinners are creatures loved by God, because they have a spiritual spark that never dies, and God IS Compassion. This sensual world of us can be a wonderful tool, if we have good will. Money can be absolutely sacred, if used correctly. Money can free us from the tyrannical power of things, if used correctly.

I think arrogance is a terrible sin, though. It is the worst of all idols. Is your religion the only "true" religion? Do you think that many people are spiritually "wrong"?

You can read the great mystics of all time: they all teach the SAME religion. But then here comes arrogance, here come those who know they are "truly" religious people, and with them here comes horror, and lack of compassion and love for ALL creatures _human beings, animals..._, here comes lack of understanding, and division, and violence.

Better to love sensuality, but without adding to the world more horror and sufferings.

Better to paint and draw sensuality pointing to the Infinity.

Better to write sensual poems and to offer them to the Light.

Better to be a sinner who strives to improve every day.

Better to love Beauty and Love.

Better to create and live with humility, better to aspire to reunite our spiritual spark in the Spark.

Better to be an artist, a poet.

Better to be a simple being.

Better to be a sinner in its way into paradise.

Juan Bielsa

Dreams

The dreams you carry and nourish in your heart are your most noble part.

Mark Fisher and Marc Allen
How to think like a millionaire

How to sell art online

Animal Shirt Design
by Gino Orlandi
© Gino Orlandi - Color Overload

In my long experience on the Internet, I've seen the works of extraordinary artists who show their great art on their blogs and webs. What a marvelous possession for anybody would be to have one of their creations!

But in many cases these wonderful artists don't find the right way to sell their works, despite the astounding quality of them. Selling art online is not easy, it is even much more difficult than offline.

Something is missing.

We artists must have the necessary confidence in ourselves to create Art. Most of us fortunately have such a confidence, me included. We believe in our capacity to create wonderful creations. But what if we ask ourselves: Am I a good seller of my art? Can we market it properly? Do we have the necessary knowledge to build a successful brand online as a platform to sell our works? In this case many artists lack such a confidence in themselves. I must admit this: I consider myself a very good artist, but I've not been a very good seller so far.

GINO ORLANDI

As in any field, in art there are also experts who know a lot about how to market and sell. They have the necessary experience and knowledge that we lack. Certainly we can learn a lot from them.

Gino Orlandi is an expert on marketing and selling art. One of the very best. I you want to know more about him, you can check some of his blogs, covering subjects like Graphic Design, Clothing design, and others.

I have visited Gino Orlandi's webs and blogs and I can say he has broadened my vision and expectatives about what an artist can accomplish online. We artists have on the Internet many possibilities available; only we must learn how to profit from them. Gino Orlandi knows many useful ways to do so.

Who is Gino Orlandi? He is an artist, graphic designer and Internet entrepreneur. During many years he has had the experience online both of a designer and an entrepreneur. He has always focused his attention on the twofold aspect involved in any business: creation/production/quality and marketing/branding/selling. If one of these components fails, our venture will ultimately fail in the long run. I've mentioned a very important word: "branding". Building a brand for ourselves as artists is essential. Even the name of any artist can be considered a "brand"; in fact it is so. Gino Orlandi considers branding as extraordinarily important, a cornerstone to success for artists as well.

HOW TO SELL ART ONLINE

Gino Orlandi has released recently an ebook, FUEL FOR ART, a guide on HOW TO SELL ART ONLINE. On it he pays much attention to how to build a successful brand for artists. He says: "Artist, brand Thyself! Did you know that you are a brand? You must develop an effective and memorable brand identity in order to stand out as a successful Artist that can be taken seriously. FUEL FOR ART will show you how with lots of great tips culled from years of personal and business experience". This ebook, FUEL FOR ART, focus on all the important aspects in which we must concentrate to market and sell our works successfully: The best places to sell our works online, how to display our art in a variety of ways, how to make easy for the customer to buy, how to pick a good niche, because "in the end is up to you what you want to paint, but do consider the niche of your paintings if you are looking into selling paintings online"...

As I've said earlier Gino Orlandi's fresh ideas, creativity and talent about how to sell art online have opened to me new ways and opportunities as a professional artist, most of which I was somehow unaware. Only an example: thanks to him I've known the existence of an extraordinaire site called www.zazzle.com, and now I'm beginning to display my works there.

Yes, by following Orlandi's path, it is now clear that if we want to sell our work properly, we must pay great attention to marketing and branding. Even we must pay great attention to aspects like how to get great number of visits to our blogs and websites, all of which is explained on his ebook, FUEL FOR ART about HOW TO SELL ART ONLINE. Certainly, Gino Orlandi knows perfectly how to do this: his websites and blogs are widely known, and he is a very successful designer and marketer. He even has a club of fans following his artistic career and listening to his valuable advice. He talks and writes directly from experience. As a designer, he has also written an ebook on HOW TO START A CLOTHING LINE.

Yes, if we want to sell the "products" of our soul, we must take seriously some aspects which apparently seem more "materialistic", such as how to sell art online. In the long run, this only can make stronger our determination to succeed in in our career. We must effectively learn how to brand, market and sell our work. And I honestly think one of the best way to do this is following the example and advice of people like Gino Orlandi; he has gathered through many years valuable techniques and experiences on how to sell art on the Internet (and even offline), all of which can be found on his ebook and visiting his websites and blogs.

Juan Bielsa

Definition of success

Landscape of Pyrenees, in Aragon (Spain)
Photograph by my Aragonese friend
Migalánchel Martín Pardos

To be a genius simply means to do what you enjoy doing. That is the true genius of life. Mediocrity is never daring to do what you love, for fear of what others will say or for fear of losing your security.

Mark Fisher
The instant millionaire