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ARTELLAGRAM 3-27-08:
"In the Studio"
An Interview with Artist Carmel Clover

(This interview is continued from the March 27 Artellagram"...)

Artella: Do you find that creating art helps you deal better with challenges in life? Does art play a healing or helpful role for your life?

Carmel: Oh definitely. It's a pity that art isn’t used by everyone for this purpose. I'm sure I would not have survived some of the challenges in my life without the benefit of art (I include writing, music etc.). All art is therapeutic. One of my favourite therapeutic art forms is the analog ... I encountered these in one of Betty Edwards' other books, Drawing on the Artist Within. Analogs are sort of abstract doodles which allow us to express how we're feeling through line, shape, colour etc. rather than words or realistic images. Some of my analogs are possibly the most creative things I've ever done.

Artella: What do you do to promote your art? What tips can you give to an artist who is trying to get her work seen by more people?

Carmel: There are so many options that it’s hard to know where to start. The Internet presents many opportunities, but you have to work at it. I’m embarrassed to admit that until now I’ve done very little. I’ve finally admitted to myself that I AM an artist, and that, if I want to support myself from my work I have to do some serious marketing. I really don’t want to be just a hobbyist (though there’s nothing wrong with that). Last month I joined in the smARTist Telesummit, which was simply wonderful. Unfortunately, there’s a whole year before the next one takes place, but you can visit the websites of any of the excellent presenters and get lots of tips...other than that, start a blog, join online artist groups, and - of course – use the excellent resources at Artella.

Artella: Your eBook, "Games My Grandmother Played", looks fascinating! How did this project originate and unfold?

Carmel: I’ve always been interested in vintage objects, especially books. Recently I came across a book from the early 20th century containing all sorts of activities for children. I was fascinated to find that many of the activities and games were popular when I was a child, and some are still popular today. It was wonderful to think of my grandmother playing many of the games I’d enjoyed myself. I set out to put a selection of these games together in an ebook, illustrated from my collection of vintage photos. I love the idea of using modern technology to bring these games to a new generation of children ... or to allow adults of my ‘vintage’ to reminisce.

Artella: How do you find the time, and what tips can you offer for busy people to help them find time for creativity?

Carmel: I don’t have any magic formula, but I suspect it’s a matter of priority. I read a book once where an artist was asked just this question. Her reply? “I don’t have any trouble finding time to make art. I have trouble finding time for all the other things.” I think I’ll make that my mantra.

To see Carmel's art and eBooks in The Shoppes of Artella, click here!

Want more artist interviews from Artella? Want more artist interviews from Artella? Take a look at our eBooks Artist Profiles Assembled and Artist Profiles Assembled, Vol 2, and look at the "Ask the Artist" column every single day in The Artella Daily Muse, our daily online creativity newspaper. You can even sign up for a free two-day subscription to The Artella Daily Muse, to see what it's all about.

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