Speaking
I Just Received The Best Compliment Of My Career!
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
Norman Vincent Peale
One would think that it would be about my art, or writing. I guess in a way it does have connections to that. I received this compliment by a member of the Houston Arts Association while lecturing on marketing in the arts. Next Monday is the workshop on the same topic. They have spaces open if anyone is interested. Just let me know you are coming.
“If you want a quality, act as if you already have it. If you want to be courageous, act as if you were – and as you act and persevere in acting, so you tend to become.”
Norman Vincent Peale
Anyway, the comment was as I talked about Norman Vincent Peale someone said, “You remind me of him.”
I do have many of my own goals in life, however, my deepest hearts desire is to help others get past their own stuff and realize their own goals.
To the member who likened me to Norman Vincent Peale, I am so very flattered. I can only pray that I achieve what he has in the ministry to others.
I’m looking forward to working with all of those who have signed up for the workshop. See you next Monday.
“Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.” ~”
Norman Vincent Peale
Speaking at The Lone Star Art Guild
Houston, Texas Studio
Emotion and Gesture- In sculpture, painting and drawing.
I’m so glad to be a part of the opening sessions and workshops for the Lone Star Art Guild Convention, May 20th. I look forward to meeting some new creative friends. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a master sculptor with a studio in Houston, Texas.
We all create art to initiate an emotional involvement. It may start off as our own emotional investment, but we eventually entice the viewer into a similar relationship. I have studied the emotional aspect of art over the years and have come up with some wonderful things to share. I also feel that a great deal of emotion comes from the gesture. Is gesture just figurative? Not always, a tree can have a gesture, as well as a still life.
In this workshop we will examine this simple aspect of emotion and gesture in art as well as take time to create our own emotional investment into a 3d form with clay. Let’s start off the convention being creative. I look forward to meeting you all.
See you Friday evening 7:30-9:30 PM at the Lone Star Art Guild. Check the schedule for the location within the convention center.
For those of you interested—You can see some of my work at https://creativesculpture.com or see my most recent creative endeavors on my blog https://creativesculpture.com/blog
_____________________________________________________________________
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
I Was Glad to Encourage At The Society of Children’s Book Writers And Illlustrators-Houston. Here Is How To Keep That Motivation
Thank you all at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)- Houston for having me out to speak for the second session of Marketing in the Arts. Many have been posting on the SCBWI list serve today with brains overflowing with thoughts about all that we talked about. I am sad to say that time was short and we were only able to get to half of the presentation. Perhaps we will have to continue next year.
I have stated, in the past, that this marketing workshop is intended for longer interactive sessions. Thus the reason why so many had the “Deer in the headlight look about them.” If you missed last night or part one or are unclear about some things, don’t fear. Here are some suggestions. Head over to the Creativesculpture.com/forum and become a member. (NOTE TO SELF: create a short video that walks people through the steps of being a forum member and the importance.) ( In 2020 the forum was replaced by an online private facebook group Marketing in the Arts and Small Business.) There are several reasons for this instruction. First, if you pose a question on the forum you create a thread. A thread basically is a thought or question that others can chime in on. So if Jill is having trouble making her “Jack is a Dunce for falling up a hill” blog then we can all offer our ideas and suggestions. I’ll try to come to the forum on a regular basis and chime in. I’ll also post the notes from the marketing workshop on a thread and in my blog https://creativesculpture.com/blog, as well as other helpful information and links that I find that are inline with this subject.
Remember when you are on a forum, that you should put your website or blog link into your post signature. That way you have a link to your blog on someone else’s website. This helps with traffic to your site and SEO (Search Engine Optimization. ) Another subject that we did not have time to fully talk about last night. Also, ask the members of the forum to come and see your blog or website. We can all chime in. And this can be a great place for accountability. Just like NANOWRIMO National Novel Writing Month it is about having a community or an individual that you can be accountable to. I highly recommend that.
I am more than happy to assist you in navigating this marketing labyrinth , but I have reasons for answering questions through the forum. My biggest reason is that often the same question gets asked over and over again. If I answer it on the forum, then those coming into the forum can read it and learn from our conversation. This saves me a lot of time. Also others can help to answer your question.
I am a sculptor, illustrator, writer, speaker, podcast host, owner of a small business and graduate student. As many say, over and over again, in the last two sessions, “When do you sleep?” It is true, I am very, very busy, therefore I could not conduct personal consultation as it takes away from my own creative time and… I would hate to charge for it. My speaking and conference appearances are what I charge for. (Though, FYI, I am known to chat over a meal, especially breakfast. I love going out to breakfast.) Another suggestion would be to have me come to do some of this workshop at your conference, with break out sessions to meet with individuals. I don’t know who would be in charge of that, but if you are interested be sure to let the “powers that be” know.
I want to encourage you all to proceed with your marketing. I have given you a lot of direction, but the point is to do something toward marketing yourself. If you have trouble figuring out just one thing to start check out the article, “100 things to do to market myself.”
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer and educator as well as a public speaker. Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a listing of all podcasts
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Preparing The Next Presentation For SCBWI
I will, once again be the speaker at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators meeting (SCBWI) November meeting Scheduled for November 1, 2010 at 7:00p.m. It is free and all are welcome to come Tracy Gee Community Center
3599 Westcenter Dr, Houston, TX 77042-5213
The topic is still marketing in the arts.
Last month we discussed-
* Setting Goals
* Target Marketing
* Creating a Platform
* Branding
It was a lot to take in, as there is a tremendous amount of information. I like what a former attendee said about my workshops.
“I left the room with the certainty that if fame and fortune were going to
be mine, it would only occur if I took the bull by the horns, and you
showed me not only where the bull was but how to get the horns, as well.
Besides your ebullient enthusiasm, which is highly contagious,
you also shared with us lucky attendees really practical steps to
getting where we want to go. I left the lecture with a suitcase of ideas.”
Mary Erbert
Artist-Houston
This next month we will be talking about
* Marketing Time Management- How much time should I spend marketing myself in my art?
* Setting Goals- Planning for Your Pony
* Using Social Marketing
* Creating a Blog
* Creating a website
For those of you who missed last month I am hoping to do this as an online webinar and will let you know when this happens. I do have this video that I created on the first few minutes of the meeting.
I also shared one of my gems. A special part of the workshop. Here is last months Gem HARO.
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer and educator as well as a public speaker. Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspirtaion/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a listing of all podcasts
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
The Speaking Engagement AAt ECVA
The Episcopal Church in Visual Art kick off event was wonderful! Even though I was a little hesitant about speaking. The rest of the speakers were either ministers, worked in a position of ministry in the dioceses or created liturgical art. I wasn’t sure my work was “spiritual” enough to be included, My sculpting is realistic and people understand the concept but, sculpting the deceased is a bit strange, as is the book I am completing, “Bringing to Life the Spirit of the Deceased—A Sculptor’s Journey” describes. When asked to talk about how my faith influences my artwork and my artwork influences my ministry my work is not as blatantly spiritual as liturgical art. Of course the God’s Word Collectible sculpture series that I created and sell on the Internet is blatantly spiritual. But the interesting way God has healed and helped through the ministry of my sculpting the deceased might not be so apparent. Writing the book over the last two years has been a fascinating journey into the process of creating posthumous sculpture, an intimate look at myself as an artist and the spiritual gifts that allow me to do this work with such emotion and passion, as well as the healing that God initiates in my clients. I only wish I would have had more time to share my research behind the science of the emotion felt in the art and the science behind what some refer to as psychic, or my research on the scientific documented steps of the creative process and how it compares to what others describe when they have a spiritual experience, but there was only so much time to talk. I am sure those in the audience that listened to my topic would agree, the artwork is just as deep, meaningful and healing as the liturgical work. It was also good to be reassured that ECVA is for all artists and writers, not just those who create liturgical artwork! It comes down to the Great Creator. He has inspired us all.
Thanks to the members of ECVA-Texas for offering me the opportunity to share and for indulging me as they listened to my woes of finding publishers for my books. I was thrilled to be able to share the children’s book that I recently wrote for my daughter who graduated from college this spring. It was inspired by, of course the Holy Spirit, but also Dr. Suess’ book “Oh the places you’ll go”. My daughter was concerned that she might not pick the correct path and wanted to be in God’s Will. I do hope that one day parents will be giving “God’s Will and God’s Way” to their children as they graduate from high school and college. I did fail to mention that I was reading it for the artists in the audience as well. As my lecture stated, growing up creative and trying to figure out how God wants you to utilize these gifts is not easy. Each of us wants to honor God with our gifts and sometimes you just don’t know how to find God’s will in your life.
I wish I could share the entire book, I cannot, but I would like to share these small excerpts.
There is really no map that defines all the places.
Keep God in your heart, you proceed in His graces.
Sometime it starts with just a small inkling
Of what you might like and what you are thinking.
Take one small step; find a place to advance,
Sometimes you just have to take a small chance.
Other times you’ll think, “I’m proceeding to there.”
Your goal will be firm and your destiny clear.
You’ll think that you are headed from point A to point B
How surprised you will be when you end up at V.
And you’ll say, “Why did I think B was for me?”
And you’ll marvel at the way God took you to V.
Of course there is much more to the book that describes God’s will in our life, but I would like to close with this other excerpt.
God’s will and God’s way, I’m sure you’ll agree,
Will fill your heart up and set your soul free.
Acknowledge his presence in all that you do,
You will find where you walk, God walks that way too.
Excerpts from the children’s book “God’s Will and God’s Way” © 2007 Bridgette Mongeon
(This book is unpublished, publishers inquiries welcome)
Please do not use without permission
Photographs by Georgina Langoria
I Will Be Speaking October 6th at The ECVA
It is for the Episcopal Church in Visual Arts.
I am one of 5 speakers, free lunch is provided with RSVP.