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spicyhoneyheart · 4 years

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Presence

Happy Saturday!

Things got jumbled around this week so I lost my sense of time and day by the end of things. I had originally planned to dive into concepts behind my work for this post but I've decided I'd like a little bit more time with writing that one. For today I'll just run over some current things and further explain where you can follow my work and reach out to me!

Some announcements I'd like to get out there; my Commissions for Cause ends on Monday, my birthday! So far I have not received any orders, which is to be expected for the first time. I wonder to myself if the fault lies in how it was organized, how often it was updated, or if it was too late to do so (if people already donated to the Australian Relief efforts by the time the event started, that's no fault at all). I received some positive feedback mainly from paid ads, but I had some people in my personal friends list who were also interested in the idea. I will try again in the future, most likely with an issue closer to home.

There's still time to donate, so click here!

I have also launched a new design in my online shops!! “Lonely Hydra” is a vitreograph in the works but once getting the digital rendering done I went to town with colours and orientations. This is the biggest collection I have, which is fun!

You can find the design on my S6 and Redbubble shops.

Now, onto social media talk. If you found my blog perchance, unrelated to my social media, that's fantastic! My website acts as a portfolio platform, a central hub for all my work and philosophies. You can see my best pieces under the Work tabs. Lately I've been retouching the site since starting the blog, investing in RSS widgets and refining buttons to make everything as smooth and connected as possible. I have some works I wish to get properly documented so expect some new faces soon. Websites require more dedication when it comes to updating so I usually save it for rainy days.

I try to update regularly on my Facebook and Instagram. They're automated for posts and stories, which I find very helpful. You can see anything I'm working on, including process, sketches, workspaces, and finished items. I also use it for announcements and documentations of events I'm attending as a guest or vendor. They are worth enabling notifications for, since we are in a time where we are constantly bombarded by information. My updates are usually drowned out and hard to come by, so enabling this feature on my pages will ensure you don't miss anything. You can do so on my profile on both platforms. These run under the handle @willowindstudios.

My other handles run under @spicyhoneyheart. I have a personal Instagram with that name but all art, including art done under Spicy Honey Heart, is posted on my business account, Willowind Studios (it's not as confusing as it seems). Spicy Honey Heart is my excuse to play digitally with my existing artwork, as well as illustrate things that don't always correlate with my artist statement. Glass and print are not always readily available to me and my studio space is always in the works. So Spicy Honey Heart keeps me busy and creative. All those times I was reprimanded for being too illustrative in school? Works out pretty fine here. I run some online shops with this name.

Society6 and Redbubble are print-on-demand online shops where I post all sorts of designs for purchase. Some of my more formal pieces get a photo-manipulated makeover for some designs, but I otherwise keep this branch very open. Most of what I sell here are based on my favourite things, such as books, video games, movies, glass culture, and general things I love about life. I have also claimed an account on Art of Where, which is a Canadian outlet. Their design system is quite interesting, and while I do have content on there I'm still working on making them more refined. Unlike Society6 and Redbubble, it allows print on both front and back of items, which is really exciting.

Tumblr will just mirror this blog (you’re reading it the mirror!). Entries are carried over and posted on the platform as a fishing line, if you will. I had originally thought to post the blog there and dedicate this space to the audio blogs but I thought I might as well utilize both. What's nice about the blog being on tumblr as well is the fact I can also reblog art, craft and concepts that connect with my own, so it's worth swinging by from time to time. Tumblr has changed through the years I've known it and I'm optimistic about its potential, if not a little nostalgic.

Pinterest is a great place for people to follow my boards for projects, process, and products! Very simple to use and I'm sure a lot of you have experience with it. Currently I’ll be working hard to organize my boards for a better reach of my products.

Finally, something I want to tell all my fellow artists and makers, I'm on Ello! I highly suggest you sign up for this platform. It's like Instagram, deviantArt and Tumblr combined, geared toward creators! They offer opportunity for jobs and collaborations, and they send call of submissions for awards! I haven't been on the platform long but wish to delve into the workings of it all. It seems to have great potential. You can navigate to my profiles on their respective platforms by clicking the bold texts!

I think that's where I'll leave off today. The weather looks grim but I still intend to drive up to Oakville for the weekend. A early birthday gift to me! I will still be available so if you need anything, you are welcome to it.

I hope that you consider commissioning something while my charity page is still running! Remember, Jan 27th is the last day!!

Take care,

Gosia

#artist #artistblog #blog #print #glass #printondemand #illustration #commission #commissions #charity

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ernmark · 7 years

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were you able to see mikaela buckley's nsfw art on her Secret Patreon Blog? because 1. i'm pretty sure one is based on one of your fics and 2. i would love to see you write something based on any of them

Thank you for thinking of me!

I did, actually (I admit I’ve been dragging my feet about it, but it occurred to me that @disasterscenario‘s comic and her Penumbra stuff brings me a lot of joy, so it’s only natural that I should actually give her money for all the media I consume. Also, you’re not the first person who’s informed me of Penumbra porn, and apparently I have very little willpower in that regard.)

My great big ego took one look at the picture in question and went “OH MY GOD, IT’S THAT FIC!!!” A more rational part of me realized that a whole lot of people probably had the same idea, and she’s as likely to have gotten it from one of them as she is to have come up with it herself. Regardless of where it came from, I freakin’ love the pic.

Ahem.

If you want to see that art in particular, or you’re also a general fan of Mikaela Buckley’s art, you can check out her patreon hither.

If you have seen The Post, then you might recognize what I’m describing from one of the images. If not… well, I’d call it “handsy”. (Okay, so I may have drawn from a couple of pics, but one in particular comes to mind.)

I think it’s safe to say this fic is NSFW.

Ramses isn’t exactly the first rich guy who’s offered to keep me on retainer– I’ve had a few clients with deep pockets and lots of enemies, but most of them are the type that make me want to scrub down with steel wool after I’ve shaken their hands, so I tend to decline. Sure, the pay is good, but I’m not that kind of girl.

Besides, what am I gonna spend it on? More booze? Or a new liver once the one I’ve got finally decide it’s had enough of me? It’s not like there’s anything that I want desperately enough that I can’t wait for a paycheck or two to clear (as for anyone… well, money wouldn’t fix that, anyway).

So I sit on my money. Buy my booze. Pay off the debts I’ve been neglecting. Get a tune-up for my death trap of a car.

And when I’m energetic enough to be bored and bored enough to do some window shopping, I make an impulse buy.

It’s a practical purchase, really. I have needs, after all, and Ramses keeps me too busy to do much on the dating scene… and besides, after that disaster with… with what’s-her-name, I’m not in any hurry to get back into it. This is a nice substitute: a short-term interface that lets me see and feel and fuck like there’s a whole other person here with me, except without the awkwardness and expectation of reality. All the met needs and none of the mess.

Yup. Exactly what I need.

Okay, so maybe I shove it under the bed and don’t touch it for a few weeks. Buyer’s remorse is a thing.

Only, like I said, a lady has needs. And they’re not the kind of needs I’m interested in dealing with on my own. So I break out the interface, and I read the instruction manual a few times over because like hell am I calling in Rita to help me figure it out, and then I put it on.

It’s a hell of a lot of work for a process that shouldn’t take all that long, but hopefully it won’t take so long after I figure out the basics and get it set up. First I need to program in the auditory failsafe, then I need to program in everything I am and am not okay with, and then I start entering in my preferences on partner– gender expression, physical sex, body type, all that stuff. You can even scroll through the profiles for all the models they use. They’re all fairly attractive, in one way or another, but none of them really stand out to me. I’m near the end of the very long list and I’ve pretty much decided to settle on whatever when I spot a name.

It isn’t a name I know, but it feels familiar all the same. Seeing as I’ve got nothing better to do, I make the selection: Solomon Clay.

My every muscle tenses at once. “Halcyon,” I tell the interface, triggering the failsafe. “Goddammit, I said Halcyon!”

I yank it off me, breathing hard. It can’t be. It goddamn can’t be. He wouldn’t be that– that stupid, not after all the effort he put into hiding his face. He wouldn’t be that bold–

Okay, so he would be that bold. Especially if the profile is hidden in the farthest corners of a decently expensive program. And it’s not like most people buy a porn interface to look at the stars’ faces.

Slowly, carefully, I put the interface back on. I was right about it being faster the second time: my preferences are all saved onto the software, and this time I don’t even have to search.

“Give me Solomon Clay.”

And suddenly I’m on an expanse of silk as far as the eye can see– or I think I am. I’m not exactly paying attention to the decor so much as I am to the man who’s sharing it with me. Peter Nureyev is lounging in front of me, wearing an amused smirk and not much else. Well, a little bit else, but the big crystal necklace and ear cuffs and bracelets don’t really count, and the rest is perfectly tailored so it doesn’t actually hide anything. God, it looks good on him, though: gloves so long they almost reach to his shoulders; silk stockings that stop at his perfect thighs and held in place by a slinky garter belt, and a slip of fabric that might be called a thong if it had less dignity. All of it is black, all of it so thin it’s almost translucent, all of it classy and refined and so very Nureyev.

“Here at last,” he purrs, resting his head on one knuckle. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

There’s a spike of adrenaline, and I almost use the failsafe again– but no. No. This is just a pre-recorded message. It’s part of the program. It’s got nothing to do with me leaving him in that hotel, or shoving the interface under my bed and pretending it didn’t exist.

He hums contentedly. “So. Where shall we begin?”

I should begin with an apology. I should begin by groveling at his feet. I should…

But that doesn’t matter, does it? Because no matter how much I apologize, this is just a program in a computer. A digital projection of him. No matter what I say, he won’t really hear it.

“I just…” my voice breaks. “I just want to look at you for a minute.”

Another warm hum. “That sounds lovely.” He lays back, sprawling across the silk so I can see every inch of him.

He looks younger– he must have been in his twenties when this was recorded– and he’s somehow even more lean and willowy than when I knew him. His skin is flawless, his muscles toned and perfect, his hair artfully disheveled. But it’s him. Oh god, it’s really him.

My hands are shaking when I reach out to touch him, and his skin is warm and smooth under my fingertips. I can feel muscle, and beneath it the hardness of bone. While I run my hands over his chest, he tips back his head and sighs.

“You like that?” I ask, my voice dry.

“That feels wonderful.”

And that’s… that’s permission, isn’t it? To keep touching him.

What am I saying? It’s a porn program. Of course it’s going to be okay with me touching it. But I have to ask. I can’t look at that face and not ask.

I touch him slowly, reverently. He deserves more than that– he deserves more attention and care than I know how to give, but I have to try anyway. He chuckles when my hands brush his bare skin. Moans when I card my hand through his hair. When my fingers slip under his garter belt, he gasps sweetly, his leg rising like a reflex. I bend over him, pressing my lips to his knee, and then slowly make my way down until I’m kissing his feet. I don’t know how else to let him know how badly I fucked up, how sorry I am, how much I need him to forgive me.

The program probably interprets it as a submissive gesture, because he’s sitting up now, his gloved elbows on his stockinged knees, and the look he gives me is dark as an oil slick.

“Do you want me to take over for a while?” he asks, and I nod frantically. I don’t know what else to do with myself. He’s here but he’s not and there’s so much I want to say but I can’t–

"Come here.” The command in his voice is inescapable. “That’s right. On your knees.” The silk of his gloves glides across my skin and circles my entrance. A single finger slips inside me, and I’m gasping.

“It’s lovely to see you like this,” he purrs, stretching me open with an inexplicable slickness. It’s happening faster than it rightfully should, but I don’t care. I can feel the stretch, the burn, the sweet friction of his fingers inside me, and I push against it.

With his free hand, he swats at my ass, and I gasp. The sting of it sings against my senses.

“Not until I say so,” he warns. “You’re not finished yet.”

“Goddamn getting there.” I’m panting, my whole body shaking as he plunges deeper inside of me. I grab at the sheets, just to have something to hold onto. And then his fingers find just the right spot, and it’s like I’ve been lit up from the inside. I’m writhing on the sheets, trying to press myself against his hand just so he’ll do that again.

His free hand wraps around the back of my neck, pressing me back into the sheets. “Ah-ah. Not until I say so. You’re in my power now, remember?”

“Yes,” I gasp, trembling against him. “God, yes, whatever you say-- just please do that again.”

“You’re lovely, do you know that?” He laughs, his fingers twitch against my prostate, and I might just melt here and now. “Absolutely beautiful. And nobody else gets to have you this way. Only me.”

“Only you. You’re the only one I want. Nobody else.” I’m babbling now, but I don’t care, not when he’s pushing me closer and closer to the edge. “God, Nureyev, I need you, I need you so bad, please--”

“Very good.” His hand tightens around my neck. “Now there’s one last thing I want you to do.”

“Anything.” My voice is muffled in the silk sheets. My back is arching. “Anything, please. I’ll do whatever you want, just say the word. Please, just--” It ends in a frustrated keen.

He leans close, his lips inches from my ear. “I want you to come.”

I wouldn’t dream of disobeying. I don’t even know if I could.

I come so hard I’m left shaking on the sheets. I’m soaked-- there’s sweat dripping down my skin and tears from my eyes and come pooling in the sheets underneath me. I’m still weak-limbed and nearly limp when he gathers me into his arms, cradling my head in his hands. I’m too hazy to understand the words he’s whispering in my hair, but I don’t think they matter when he’s holding me like this.

I reach up and touch his cheek. He feels so solid and warm and strong.

This moment is everything I’ve ever wanted. It’s absolutely perfect. He’s absolutely perfect.

That’s how I know he isn’t real.

It’s weakness that makes me draw it out. I wait until I stop twitching before I open my mouth. “Halcyon.”

He stops short, his lips frozen around a half-spoken word, and then he disappears. The come and sweat and tears are still there, but now they’re uncomfortably cold, and I’m alone in my room.

I pull the interface off me and shove it back in its box. I should throw the damn thing out. I should smash it into pieces. I should drown it in the kitchen sink until it short-circuits.

Instead I shove it into a dark corner under the bed.

Sooner or later I’ll talk myself into using it again. Sooner or later I’ll be desperate enough to pretend that I’m looking at him, and not some digital echo. I’ll probably hate myself then as much as I do now, and I’ll probably think the same thing that I do now:

That it was worth it. Because just for a few minutes, I had him back.

#Anonymous #the penumbra podcast #writing prompt #fanfiction

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canbayinc-blog · 5 years

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How to frame your Local SEO Marketing Strategies

I am new in the city & want to have my favorite Expresso, but how and where? I am wondering. Wish business owners follow local SEO marketing here as I have the great option but to search for this online.

Well, this is the best way to find yourself that great cup of Expresso by searching for it online on the basis of the location where you stay and typing in the keyword Expresso. As you do so, you get a great list of places where you get enticing Expresso to reboot your day close to your location as you needed. You might browse through all the options but most likely is that you will go through the first three search options. This search result is generally referred to as the local pack which gives the results locally which is closest to your search query and a website coming in this listing generally adds your local SEO marketing campaign.

Local SEO Marketing benefiting you

Local SEO off-late has started to gain a lot of importance owing to the enormous SEO benefits that are yours for the taking. Also, people feel they have the added advantage with local SEO of physically checking the result by visiting the place. So it gives the impression of being more trustworthy. From the point of view of business, Local SEO is very pertinent to the fact that it easily noticed by the footfall of the store too. The rise of the traffic is indicative that yes your Local SEO is working for you.

When planning a Local SEO marketing exercise we have to make a game plan as to how one should go about doing about it. One must keep in mind that local businesses are generally small and not like big business houses having innumerable businesses under them. They are more connected to the man walking down the road, thus his needs need to be met as he is your target customer, we need to catch him. Your target customer could be impressed by a hawker who could just shout out to him and grab his attention. You need to outsmart this hawker by being on top of the online search results and making him realize that you are the best and the only solution to his need. Making you known amidst search engines for the particular service locally is the catch that Local SEO marketing campaign achieves for you and in turn pushes in business towards you.

Let us study how best you can attract and retain this customer of yours in the best possible manner and make Local SEO marketing work for you where you see enhancement for your business. There are a few simple yet very critical things which need to be followed to make your Local SEO campaign and website ready.

Local SEO Marketing Strategy at Your Finger TipsEstablish your Google my business page:

To begin your Local SEO strategy you must create your Google My business page. What is Google My Business, you must be wondering? This is a totally freely available very user-friendly tool used by businesses, organizations, and institutions to manage themselves online. This is generally notifying their existence to the online world so that they can perfectly manage them and show to the world that you exist as well as showcase what all you can offer to the world. Adding to this further you can also show Maps and search options. By placing verified and up to date information regarding your business, you can assist your potential customers to find you and reach you without any hassle and with absolute ease. Not just this you can even write a few lines for your business too telling the people all about what you do. It’s a great way of interacting with your present and previous customers as well. Let’s talk about what benefits are there if you are on my Business Page.

You can manage your information-You can easily manage the information that Google users can see about your business products and services that you offer. One must remember that people value Google a lot and it is considered that anything on Google has a good reputation. So let this aspect work to your advantage. Also when you are there on the Google my business page information like your

Hours of operation,

Your website,

Your street address and everything that will make your customer informed with ease is conveyed. Also, another thing to be kept in mind is that whatever information you give should be the same which you give anywhere online as well on the internet so that a discrepancy and confusion does on arise at any moment.

Interact with your customers-you can read what customers have to say about your products. You can reply to their comments and have a conversation there. You can add a photo and you can easily see a rise in requests there and people will ask you for more queries and would like to have a conversation with you.

You can analyze and expand customer base visiting you: a complete analysis can be carried here on the people visiting through my business as to how many called directly after seeing your phone no. on local search results page, maps and the search page. Also moving forward if it suits you can easily create an AdWords campaign where you can easily track the performance of the campaign and also spread information on your business and your work.

Go the mobile way-One must go the mobile way. You must download my business mobile app and update all the information online sitting anywhere and keep everything updated there so that local SEO marketing can get you your customers and enhance your reach.

Get your business listed in the local listing Page:

Get the company listed in all the local listings if possible. You can use the services of companies like Yext etc. This is, of course, a paid directory but as it says the more the better. In fact, you can manually list your websites in directories like Yelp, Angie’s List, Yellow Pages, FourSquare, BBB, Kudzu etc.

But the only word of caution is that you follow a consistency in all the channels that you make a profile. All these platforms will ask for your business name, phone number, address, description, categories as well as social profiles.

This information must be accurate.

This information must exactly be the same in all the channels. If you are logging in a new channel it should be the same as the previous channels previous listings, this we are reiterating again.

You can carry out manual submissions and automated submissions as well for listing. The difference being those manual submissions will be easy on your budget whereas with the automated listing you can carry out the listing in a couple of directories in lesser time thus accentuating your local media marketing exercise as a whole.

Get some great reviews:

Word of mouth and reviews have always played a great role especially when it comes to suggesting someone for business. It becomes very comforting for a person if he gets a review that a particular company is good and is safe to do business with.

Many times you have had a great working experience with a company and you share a great working relationship. In such a situation you can silently take the liberty of asking the company for a nice rating like a 5-star rating, which will work perfectly for you and your business in times to come. Here it will no doubt leave a great impression and make you choose as a business partner and do business with you. Well, generally it is considered that people leave a review when they are unhappy with a service. However, in Local SEO marketing, this makes it work the other way for you. Let it earn you new Business as the geographic of a place can work for you. Here word of mouth works and your potential customer can simply walk into your office too.

On page optimization should be just perfect:

For SEO to perfectly work for any website the on-page optimization with all the tags should be just perfect, the descriptions everything should be effectively done so that they can add to your ranking and get you the traffic that you want. Also, let us just remind you of a few SEO principles that you must follow to expedite your local SEO marketing here:

Get good quality backlinks to your website

Publish genuine and good content

Always Follow White hat SEO strategies

Write genuine informative blogs and articles on other websites as part of article syndication exercise.

Very specific and location specific Keyword search:

Very strategic keyword research needs to be carried out so that the customer reaches you instantly. We are all aware that the local SEO strategy works keeping in mind the location of the place. By this we mean don’t forget to add the name of your location to your keyword, this is utterly important.

To give you an example if you are looking for a men’s salon in Rochester then you can find many in Rochester but if you want one just next to your house then you have to be more specific. Like Jefferson Road is the place you stay in Rochester then your local SEO tips will guide you to target the keyword as affordable men’s salon Jefferson road Rochester. This is the kind of keyword targeting we do for you to keep your local SEO marketing in top position.

Get Schema data:

Local SEO marketing is a little caught up with language constraints as at times websites are written in a different language. To counter this one must incorporate the local business schema so that it can be easily picked by Google and you are not left behind in achieving ranking. The information on the schema code is available over the internet. Do incorporate this for your page and see the traffic coming.

Summing Up:

Local SEO marketing is also continuously evolving by the minute like any other SEO campaign strategy. However, the premise of local SEO services for your business and in fact for every business remains the same. All you need to be is open to accept newer things and keeping yourself abreast with the newer aspects happening in the world of local SEO businesses so that your business does not get left out and you become an unrivaled king.

Originally published on https://www.articlecube.com/how-frame-your-local-seo-marketing-strategies

#seo #local seo #search engine optimization #local seo services #local seo benefits #benefits of seo #local targeting #local advertisement

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booklr-penpals · 7 years

Photo

Ahem.

Hey, everyone! It’s finally time to hold the second booklr pen pal submissions for the summer of 2017. Last year in September the first one was held and we had over fifty submissions. Which is crazy because I never thought so many of you would want to join in on the fun. This time around, though, I want to make it even better and have more people take part.

What’s this project exactly?

I’m happy you asked, my dear friend. Even if you didn’t, pretend you did so I feel better about myself, okay? The aim for the project is to bring those who have a love for books together to create new friendships and bring the community closer together. A lot of people join booklr every day and I’ve noticed a decline in interaction between people on here. Many people are also shy and don’t know how to approach potential friends. So, out of the goodness in my already shrunken heart, I decided to take it into my own hands and be a match-maker in a way. (Want to see the post for the first round? Click here.)

Interested? Below will be the details and questionnaire. It might be long so feel free to like this post as a bookmark to read for later!

So you clicked the keep reading tag. Which means you’re interested. Or maybe you just like the way I write things and want to continue. Either way, thank you for deciding to read further. It means a lot to me since I know my style of writing can be incredibly annoying for some people.

I have always loved writing letters and talking to people. Pen pals have been a way for me to meet new people and experiences different mindsets and cultures. A newfound appreciation for us as a complex being stemmed from all of this. So why not share the wealth with all of you? Why not help you broaden your minds?

You do not need to be following this blog. This isn’t a project to gain a shit ton of followers. Please know we will be updating on this blog and answering questions we receive from people. Frequently asked questions will be placed somewhere on the blog for your convenience as they come in. Basically, all the information you need will be somewhere on this blog.

This time around there are major changes. Last year wasn’t exactly a shit show, but I will admit there were some issues with it. So, to make things easier, I’ll list the new updates. Feel free to skip this if you’re not interested.

Updates:

We have our own blog! How exciting. Last year it was held on my main blog (@bookssentials). To make everything easier I decided to make a side blog for the sake of convenience. I will admit I enjoyed the attention on my blog because it boosted my already elevated ego, but I thought it was time to dedicate a blog completely to the cause.

An admin has been added! Jamie (@swanbooks) has volunteered to help me with the pairings. It’s difficult to pair up people with only one set of eyes. With two, though, I hope the pairings will be more compatible than last time. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, right? If you would like to be an admin to help out, feel free to send me (Emily) a message. We’re always looking for people to help out.

Submissions only. Before I offered three different ways to submit the questionnaire, but after a while it became too confusing. So, to make it easier for all of us, we will only accept questionnaires through submission. That way it’s all in one place and it’s easier to read and write down.

More questions have been added to better the compatibility.

Anyone interested in books can join! I know it says “booklr” in the title, but it’s opened to all book lovers.

Now with that out of the way, here’s how it will all go down.

The deadline for the submissions is May 6th, 2017. If you’re serious about filling out the questionnaire, we ask that you number each answer to correspond with each question. You don’t have to rewrite the question because we aren’t cruel people here. As long as we know what you’re talking about everything is fine. Once you’re done filling out the questions you will submit it here. You will receive a message form us confirming it went through later on.

On May 17th, 2017 we will announce the pairings. We will message you individually and share with you the answers your partner provided.Their URLs will not be revealed. At this point you can either accept or decline your partner. Your comfort is important to us, so if you believe you won’t get along with this person or you think it’s not a good enough match we will pair you up with someone else. Please note it may take some time for us to find you another person. If you accept, we will message your potential partner your answers to the questionnaire. After you both accept one another we will finally reveal their URLs to you. (In the past people asked if they can have a trial period with the other person to see if they are compatible. We can make it happen if you wish to do this.)

Here is the questionnaire (If you have no preference, please say NP):

What country do you live in?

Do you want a domestic or international pen pal? (If we don’t have a pen pal for you who lives in your country please know it may take time for us to find someone for you)

Snail mail or social media? (If using social media, please list the social media you wish to speak on. Email is placed in this group as well)

What is your age?

What age group are you comfortable talking to? (For example, if you’re 20 years old you may be comfortable speaking to people between 18-22)

Off limit topics? Triggers? (These are sensitive topics, so if you wish to tell your partner directly when you’re paired please write “will tell partner”)

Interests? (Please be as detailed as possible and list more than five.)

What’s something interesting about you?

What is your idea of the perfect pen pal?

Are you looking for an introvert, ambivert or an extrovert? (Please note which you are as well.)

Are you looking for someone you can speak to every day or someone you can speak to a couple times a week?

Anything you wish to add? (This space is for you to add anything you think will help us find a perfect match for you!)

Easy enough, right? Any questions you may have can be directed to this blog or @bookssentials. This project is meant to be a fun and exciting experience for you. Because making friends is supposed to be fun. Not feel like a bother.

Afterwards, when everyone has had the chance to speak to their partners, feel free to submit photos of letters/gifts or write about your experiences or funny memories! It’s fun to see how pairings are doing and what they’re up to. Don’t be shy. Don’t feel like no one will care. Chances are there are people wondering the same thing and who want to share their own stories, so you can inspire them to speak up as well.

I hope to see a lot of you this year. Whether it be repeats or newcomers. Bringing people together is something I love doing, and to be able to help you find new friends means the world to me.

xoxo,

Emily

#booklr #booklr pen pals #booklr penpals #pen pals

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elleleh · 7 years

Note

Hello! I absolutely adore all your Qrow and Summer comics, and everyday I'm always super excited to check and see what you've posted! I was just curious, how do you manage to post so consistently? I'm wanting to start uploading my own stuff on a more consistent schedule, and was just interested in seeing how you go about it. Anyway, please keep up the amazing work, its much appreciated during this RWBY haitus especially! ☺️❤️

Okay, I’m not going to add a drawing to this just because I want to answer you PRONTO.

Thank you so much, by the way! I’ll give you all the information and knowledge my professors handed down to me and what I’ve learned since being a committed artist to Tumblr.

Basically, you have to commit at least 100%. You may laugh, but I’m being serious. View this time you spend as an investment for something better in the future. It is not ‘messing around on the computer’ or ‘just having fun’, it’s your job (that hopefully leads to a paying job at some point). Don’t just say that to yourself, either. Tell other people that if they ask. Own it. It’ll make the commitment that more gratifying.

Ask yourself, “Are you ready to commit yourself to your followers and your art? Are you in, or are you out?” because there is no ‘half-assing’, for lack of a better term, this type of work.

My routine: I get up in the morning, make tea and breakfast, and if I don’t have work (I have a job besides doing this), I hop on the computer, eat, and just start drawing or writing depending on the day and mood. Sometimes I split the day between the two so that I don’t get too anxious or bored with what I’m working on. My butt, however, is glued to my chair unless I need to stretch, use the bathroom, eat, or do any chores.

I’ve mentioned this a couple times before, but I’m obsessive. I live and breathe this kind of work and this amount of output. It gets me up in the morning just to know I can get a sooner start on my art for all of you! I am in a committed relationship, and I make myself give him my time on the weekends and at least an hour out of each day. Sometimes I can’t sacrifice more than that, because to build a career in the art field, it takes energy, time, blood, sweat, and tears. If you’re not trying to make a career, then you have more leeway.

TIPS AND TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Make it a point to post at least once a day. You do not gain a following, fans, or exposure by posting once a week or once a month. If you have a following, then it’s a bit more easy to manage and draw out your time in between submissions. Fans love seeing any of your work! Doesn’t have to be a whole script or masterpiece. Can be a snippet or a doodle. They’ll just be happy you updated.

Engage with your followers/fans. Let them know they’re welcome and safe on your blog to express ideas and just to talk with you. Be friendly and open minded when you do this, but don’t allow yourself to be a doormat if someone wants to push you around. Be firm, be civil, and move on.

Keep negativity from your blog as much as possible. Make coming to your page a positive experience. No one likes to see pages and pages of drama.

No Politics. No Religion. You are here to create, not to debate.

Take requests. You don’t have to always do it, but do it in the beginning. This allows you to also engage with the people who follow you and love your art/writing/work. Plus, you meet some cool, wonderful people in the process!

Don’t be too greedy with ideas. This is a creative world, and while credit should be dished out where it is due, don’t get too possessive of small details. I welcome people to use ‘petal’, ‘short-stack’, and ‘hummingbird’ in the fndm. I could be a mean, scrooge about it and tell everyone to keep their hands off, but I don’t want to do that. If someone wants some of my work or ideas in their headcanon, then great!

Don’t let people plagiarize or blatantly copy off of your work, though, either. You all know what art theft is. I don’t need to explain.

Take a break when needed. This is very important. Don’t push yourself too hard where you make yourself sick. I often forget to feed myself when working and then wonder why i’m anxious, dizzy, and feel sick to my stomach. Usually, I keep trail mix at my desk and a glass of water in between meals, but if you need it, get up, walk around outside, enjoy the day, lay in bed, do what you need to do to feel better. Your followers will understand.

Collaborate! This is one of the strongest tools we have as artists! We can join forces and create with one another! This not only exposes you to a whole OTHER group of people, but you make friends through this process, too!

When in doubt, nothing wrong with looking at references. Every single artist, no matter the skill level, needs references. I use references and images because the human body is HAAAARD. I also need them for inspiration on architecture, animals, landscapes, ect.

Do. Not. Start. Fights. I can’t stress that enough. If you get hate mail in some form or another, read it once then walk away from it. Delete it if you have to. You do yourself no favors responding to that. Be the adult in the scenario. Also, do not look at someone’s opinion online and then reblog it, only to argue and say that person is wrong. They’re called opinion’s for a reason. Just do yourself the biggest favor and avoid that kind of media. I know I have to. There are bloggers on here who are so aggressive and mean about what I like, but I do not approach them because I’m not a moron. No good comes of it.

Push your comfort zone. You do not get better by staying with what you know or with what is easy. Challenge yourself to do something different. Do that every single day. I work on human poses and interactions that make me struggle because after I nail it once, it is so much easier the next time around. I also know I need to push myself with my color theory as well, but that’s another matter entirely.

Color does not make it better! If you don’t understand color theory, study it before you color anything. Watch youtube videos if you must. I try to stay away from color because I feel it is a distraction sometimes. You don’t always need it. Line is hard enough. Get that down first.

If you need to get better at drawing human form, draw naked people. I don’t mean images, I mean take a class (if you can) and go draw ‘from life’. I improved greatly from doing that for just a year in school! You learn through drawing the real deal, not by copying photos. This applies to everything, by the way. Not just nekid people.

Lastly, draw what you love. You will not enjoy this if you don’t adhere to that rule. I’m not talking about commissions, or anything where you get to be paid to draw a certain thing/subject. There will be time for that. No, draw in the style you want that is most fun for you, and draw the subjects you want. Jump around with style. Want to do simplistic cartoon AND anime style?! Do both! No need to limit yourself.

OH ONE MORE THING. Develop your style. You want to be noticeable. When someone sees your art, they know its you. This will take you a while. I JUST found my style after over 10 years of drawing and 4 years of school. Be patient, be true to yourself, and take inspiration from others. It’ll come.

I hope this has been helpful and informative! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask or message me! I am always open to talk to you wonderful people!

Stay Lovely~

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shiborigirl · 5 years

Text

Sometimes I stay away from the blog or social media in general just to hear my own thoughts without a lot of feedback. Sometimes I want to share something but feel that it’s better to think and wonder about them by myself for a while.

I haven’t posted on Instagram for a while and I’m not even exactly sure why. I know most people really love Instagram because it’s fun to look at lots of pretty pictures-I don’t disagree. Sometimes I don’t feel a lot of connection there to be honest. And really when it comes right down to it if, I’m going to share something online or even in person, there has to be a connection or communication that occurs to inspire that sharing of something.

I can tell already that this is likely to be a long, and rambling post. Please brace yourself.

We’ve had a lot of rain here lately and it’s been quite windy at times as well. Everything is wet, the garden is alive and well, and the weeds are growing furiously. It makes it difficult to work in the studio which is really outdoor and subject to all of the whims of weather. Not to mention that the wind really did a number on my outdoor wet studio area.

Actually pretty much did it in. I’m trolling craigslist and letgo for a bargain on a used replacement canopy.

I’ve pulled out the floor mats in the studio several times now and dried them in between rainstorms. Turned on the box fans in there just to keep things dried out. When too much rain falls too fast, it floods the floor of the studio.

Looks like we should only get a small amount of rain in this coming week so things can dry out a bit.

The garden doesn’t seem to mind one bit however. I’ve been enjoying doing a little bit every chance I get, in between rainstorms.

The garden keeps me sane. I don’t know what I’d do without it really.

I finished an especially lovely order of shibori ribbon which will head off to France tomorrow. It included some colors I haven’t made in a while as well as some old favorites.

My biggest disappointment this past week was the rejection letter I received from Quilts Inc. (Houston Quilt Festival) that none of the workshop or lectures I submitted were accepted for this year. I actually had to laugh at myself in the end because when I got the letter via email I was confused. I didn’t understand what it was saying (granted the part about not choosing any of my submissions was in the second to last sentence in the second paragraph) and it wasn’t explicitly direct. I guess I was just used to being included. Things change. Unfortunately, it likely means that won’t be taking a booth this year either since the costs of doing the show has increased to the point that I really depended on the combination of classes and booth sales combined to make it work out financially. I have always been very frugal when it comes to doing a show and the associated expenses. In fact, I’ve rather enjoyed making an art form out of it!

I’ve really grown to appreciate my customers and students there and I will miss all who come to see me in Houston so very much. It’s a big disappointment. The first Quilts Inc. show I did was the spring market in 1995 and I think I only missed one year since then when I was transitioning from the porcelian company to life as a shibori dyer. I haven’t been teaching there that whole time but over the years I did start to teach there as well. It has been good for me as I really do enjoy the teaching as well as the vending aspect there. It takes time to build a following at a show and I always worked very hard, took it seriously and did my best, both in the classes and in my booth. So for now I look in other directions. There will likely be some more in-studio workshops, more hand dyed goods in the shop, maybe a new online workshop, perhaps an additional Japan tour with a slightly different focus. *****************************

So here we are again, a week or so later and I never did finish this post! Got some orders off, had a birthday, went to the Integretron in the desert for a sound bath, and saw the snow in the desert with Phil and the kids!

snow in the desert among the joshua trees

Integretron

green from the rains and snow in the distance

beautiful cactus

Nothing like a little local getaway to clear your mind! Get a New View!

So now back to it all and working on the tour details. I’m excited to get to know this years participants! Yesterday I sent out an email to the 2017 tourmates that one of the craftspeople we spent time with last time has passed away. We were informed of his passing while making final checks and schedule confirmations. Ume san was a fellow that frequented the Kyoto temple and shrine sales collecting vintage and overstock shop aprons which he then re-made into spectacular bags. Hirata san met him in the market there one day and was invited back to his workshop nearby. After some discussion, Ume san offered to meet up with the tour group when we visited the market the following year as well as arrange a luncheon and trunk show of his work. We had a fabulous time walking the market and streets of Kyoto with him and the trunk show was wonderful. Lots of his bags made it into suitcases and went home with participants. I received many sweet emails fondly remembering our day with him. I remember him eagerly asking my opinions on his bags and he was keen to apply any suggestions to the making of them. His daughter told Hirata san that she will arrange one last trunk show of his work for us this year with the goods he had been making. We will definitely miss this colorful and creative spirit! Arigatou Ume san!

Ume san- Everyone at the market knew him.

setting up…

delicious lunch

decked out!

I think I’ll end this here and start on the next post- a shop update! It’s going to rain again soon so must go out and batten down the hatches! Should clear up again after the weekend. I see Northern California is really getting hit hard by flooding. We will be fine here. Mata ne!

Tribute to Ume san and then some… Sometimes I stay away from the blog or social media in general just to hear my own thoughts without a lot of feedback.

#flea market #handmade #Houston International Quilt Festival #kyoto #silk study tour #temple sale #Ume san

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jessicakmatt · 6 years

Text

How to Get on a Playlist: The 9 Step Guide to Doing It Yourself

How to Get on a Playlist: The 9 Step Guide to Doing It Yourself: via LANDR Blog

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published Jul. 11th, 2017, but has since been updated to bring you up-to-date information on the playlisting landscape.

There’s tons of articles out there with ‘hacks’ on how to get on a playlist.

Some artists get handpicked by Spotify, Apple Music or Deezer playlist curators. They get tons of plays overnight. And sure, they get a spike in revenue from being heavily streamed…

But I’d be lying if I told you there is a guaranteed, quick and easy way to achieve that.

Once you release your music, you have to promote it. Otherwise it’ll collect digital dust and no one will listen—let alone playlist it. All good promotion starts organically, from great music and a real feeling.

The way we discover and listen to music has changed. Algorithms are heavily involved. They’re serving us personalized playlists. They’re breaking artists who have data to back up their success.

But the most important thing to remember is that the human element hasn’t totally disappeared—even from the most data-driven streaming platforms.

Tastemakers and playlist curators still make some of the best playlists. And your fans are still… real humans!

All good promotion starts organically, from great music and a real feeling.

So here’s everything you need to know about getting on playlists, how to approach playlisters and how to craft your promotional strategy after releasing. This won’t get you on Spotify’s Fresh Finds tomorrow… but it’ll put all the chances on your side to get your music heard.

Here’s the gist of the lists!

1. Get Your Music on Streaming Platforms

Joe Holtaway is a singer-songwriter from England who’s also a part of the LANDR community. Last May, he told us that his song “A Little Love” got featured on the BBC 6 Introducing Mixtape.

“I feel songs want to be shared. I feel it when they start to come through—the first thread of melody woven with some words. It’s as though they already know the day when you’ll say the words: this is a new one I’ve been working on.” says Joe.

The first step to getting your music featured anywhere is… to release it! It might seem obvious, but many artists don’t know where to start. You might have your music up on Bandcamp or SoundCloud. And you’re wondering “How do I get my music on Spotify and Apple Music?”

It’s a great time for DIY music creation. You don’t need to be signed to get your music distributed anymore. Independent artists can do it too.

LANDR lets you do just that: release your music easily, right from your track library.

Log into your LANDR account

Click on ‘Releases’ in the top menu

Upload a lossless file

Enter the info for your release (titles, album art, etc.)

Now you’re good to go! You just need approval and some time for your tracks to hit the stores (typically 4-5 days) . Once they’re in the stores, you’re ready to start promoting towards those playlists.

It might seem like distributing is a long ways off from your first placement, but if your music isn’t available to get listed, there’s nothing to list!

But the work doesn’t end here. Now it’s time to promote your streams!

2. Get Verified

So you’ve released your music, good. The next step is to take control of your artist accounts and show that you’re legit (even though we know you are).

Spotify

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Once upon a time you needed to get 250 followers to earn the little blue verification check mark on your profile. Luckily, Spotify has opened verification to all artists.

Go to Spotify for Artists and click ‘Get Access.’

It takes a little while (a few days, or a week) but once they verify who you are, you get access to your artist profile. It lets you edit your photos, check your stats and more.

Apple Music

Go to iTunes Connect to link your iTunes account and claim your artist profile.

Click on the plus and add ‘Artists’. Search your name (your music has to be on there already. If not go back to step 1!).

It takes up to a week or so to get the verified status.

Hot Tip: LANDR Promolinks lets you create one simple webpage for your streaming links. Use it to give your music to your fans no matter how they choose to listen.

3. Build An Audience

Your music is up on all the right platforms with blue check marks—now what? It’s important to build a network of supporters both online and in person. Here’s how:

In Real Life

Get involved with people face to face. It’s still key. No matter how many algorithms govern our lives, fans and journalists are human beings first. Establish a genuine relationship to give yourself a better shot at a sustainable and successful journey for your music.

“Sharing to friends, music writers and radio has the same feeling for me—it’s about having a relationship with the songs and knowing when the time, person and place feels right” says Joe Holtaway.

Your first supporters are the ones who get you off the ground: your friends, family and internet pals (like that one Twitter friend who likes all your posts).

Remeber: to get fans, you gotta be a fan! Exchanging music and compliments with other fellow musicians you admire is a fantastic way to build your network.

At the grassroots level, it’s often other musicians who organize shows and help co-promote each other with things like their own playlists. Cross-promote with everyone in your network and build a community and following organically.

“I keep a journal—drawings, paintings, quotes, and in there I put addresses of those I meet at gatherings and shows. Often sharing recordings starts from there with a note the next day, a shared song link” — Joe Holtaway

Online

Getting and using the right social media profiles is important whether you like social media or not. Get a few that you can manage and keep them updated: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud or Bandcamp.

Make an a good artist website and artist bio.

Get your friends to follow your Facebook fan page by clicking “Invite Friends.”

Link all your profiles together. Put all your social media links on Facebook, SoundCloud and on your website.

These are the spaces that keep your momentum up if you maintain them. Share your story and your process, it all counts. But don’t be spammy.

The best rule-of-thumb is to treat your fans like your close friends—if you’d be excited to share it with your friends, then share it with your fans. You wouldn’t spam your friends 5 times a day with a “check out my Soundcloud” post. So don’t do it to your fans either.

4. Submit Your Unreleased Music to Spotify Playlists Directly

Spotify’s new beta feature gives you access to direct playlist submission to curators and Spotify’s editorial team.

If you have an unreleased track you’d like the Spotify team to consider for playlists, head over to your Spotify for Artists account to get started (If you don’t have a Spotify for Artists account yet, here’s how to get verified on Spotify).

From there, you can select one unreleased track to submit. You’ll have the opportunity to include information about your track, so make sure to be as detailed as you can.

Stuff like the genre, subgenre and mood of the song is good to note. Spotify also suggests to include “the instruments on it, whether it’s a cover, and the cultures you or the song belong to.”

The playlist curation is a mix of data-driven algorithms and careful human selection, so the information you provide is important for playlist consideration (take the time to make it count!).

Plus, Spotify states that no one can pay to get their track on a playlist—which is quite a relief!

5. Make Your Own Playlists

Get your feet wet with playlisting by making your own! Chances are, streaming platforms, playlisters and fans will appreciate it and they help to build your story as an artist.

Make it thematic (e.g. your influences) or genre-specific (something you know well). Think about how you can naturally fit in 1-2 of your own songs. But don’t make it only about you!

Show your taste and how your track fits with other awesome music. Add 30-100 songs by other artists that work well with yours.

If you don’t know how to do it, check out these helpful guides:

How to create a playlist on Spotify

How to create a playlist on Apple Music

How to create a playlist on Tidal

How to create a playlist on Google Play Music

And of course, don’t forget to share your playlist on social media and get your fans to follow it! Reach out to the artists you’ve included and mention that you like their stuff. This will encourage some nice cross-promo and the opportunity to reach new audiences with your music.

6. Know the Right Playlists

Knowing the playlist landscape is essential for promoting your music in the right places. Spotify recently reported that there’s over 2 Billion (!) playlists on Spotify.

That’s a lot of lists… So to widdle it down a bit here’s what you need to know about where to look for listing opportunities.

The Big Ones

Of course, you’d like your new single to end up on Spotify’s Rap Caviar (7 million followers), Fresh Electronic (1.5 million followers) or The Apple Music List.

And I’m sure we’d all get a boost from being on major label playlist like Sony’s Filtr, Warner’s Digster and Universal’s Topsify.

But let’s be real: official Playlists are not easy to get on. The Playlist Editors who make them have their own way of selecting songs—digging on blogs, having industry relationships, keeping an eye on new releases and looking at the data for what gets traction on their platform.

You can always do some research online to find who the Playlist Editors are (LinkedIn or a quick Google search). But keep in mind that they receive hundreds of requests daily.

So what’s the solution? Start small by reaching out and submitting your tracks to independent blogs and playlist curators you follow and trust. Their playlists are often the launchpad to bigger playlists.

It’ll take some research and digging, so take the time to do it right. You’ll probably find some amazing music along the way anyways, so it’s worth the time no matter what.

Independent Curators

Music fans like you and me make playlists. Some of them have quite a bit of following. Brand and blogs also make playlists that have thousands of followers.

Do your research and find playlists that fit the genre of your song. Search the major streaming platforms directly or use sites like Playlists.net.

Actually listen to their playlists and suggest where your music would fit best before you reach out. Keep it personal. Don’t shoot out the same email to a hundred playlists.

Here’s a list of independent playlisters to contact:

IndieMono — Contact them on Facebook

Songpickr — Contact them on Facebook

[PIAS] Playslits — Contact them via their website

Soundplate — Contact them via their website

Pop Justice — Contact them via their website

Marcus Butler — Contact him on Facebook

Indie Mixtape — Contact them on Facebook

7. Reach out For Press Coverage

Even in the age of data-driven success stories, it still matters to have press and music journalists on your side. It’s the human seal of approval that gets you noticed by new fans and maybe even those official playlist editors.

When your release is ready and you’re about to distribute it, do some housekeeping:

Update your social media profiles (e.g. Add a line like: New album ‘Let’s Go’ dropping next month!)

Get a fresh set of press photos taken and put them in a folder that you can send out with a link (on Dropbox or Google Drive among others)

Think of approaching blogs with an exclusive release

Make an exclusive music video, sample pack, tutorial or mix to go along with your project

Remember what I wrote about journalists being humans? Build relationships with music writers before you want something from them. You have something in common: A love of music. Start a conversation first, suggest your music second.

Blogs To Reach Out To

If it’s your first release, start with smaller local blogs. Trust me, THEY COUNT! A placement on ANY blog is an important asset for your press kit and music bio. There’s no such thing as small peanuts when you’re just starting out.

Hot Tip: Certain blogs are indexed by Hype Machine, a curated music aggregator that puts music shared on blogs into one handy feed. Reaching out to independent and smaller tastemaker blogs that are indexed on Hype Machine can have 2 positive outcomes:

First, if your music is featured on the blog that’s some nice promotion right there. Second, your music will then go into the Hype Machine feed where other blogs and playlisters can pick it up as well.

Here’s a list of all the blogs indexed by Hype Machine. Search by genre, region, or name to find blogs to reach out to.

Once you’re ready to make the leap into the bigger pool, here are some of the bigger blogs: Gorilla vs. Bear Pigeons and Planes, Consequence of Sound, Stereogum, Indie Shuffle, Resident Advisor, Dummy, Discobelle, Tiny Mix Tapes, Pitchfork, Inverted Audio, etc.

Approach them well in advance, and with a set release date you can follow through on. Get in touch with radio stations too. Everything counts. From the smallest mention, to a full on exclusive feature.

Hire a good publicist… eventually

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Hiring a publicist is not typically something you do right when you’re starting out. Many artists do all their promotion themselves up to a certain point, or even forever!

But if you’re sure you’re ready to put some money into a campaign for your release, it’s worth looking into hiring a publicist.

A publicist’s job is to help artists get press coverage and manage it. They’ll help you plan your promotional campaigns and deal with journalists. Publicists already have relationships with the media and they know the industry well.

If you think you’re ready to get a publicist, do your research and talk to artists they represent. Make sure they are legit—and not just there to make a buck without doing the legwork.

8. Approach Playlist Curators

The key with approaching playlist editors is getting your track in the right ears at the right time.

“When a song is in the hands of someone who loves it, it will be shared on. Some recent radio plays with BBC 6 Music came this way. A friend suggested I could send some songs to their Introducing Mixtape program. I had a look and it felt good, encouraging and supportive” says Joe Holtaway.

Here’s a few things to consider when you’re doing your own reaching out.

When a song is in the hands of someone who loves it, it will be shared on. — Joe Holtaway

Get Creative When Approaching Playlist Editors

A simple cold email might not work—so get creative.

Introduce yourself in person if you can. Festivals often include panels and workshops in addition to performances. Don’t skip them. Get involved in the Q and As and try to continue the conversation after.

If you’re gigging near someone, send them a guest list spot and invite them to the show personally.

If an in-person meeting isn’t in the cards, online reach out can work as well, but remember:

Aim to start a meaningful and legitimate interaction. A good conversation (about something other than your music on their playlist) goes a long way.

Get In Touch With User Generated Playlist Curators

A playlist is usually associated to the name of the curator, look them up. If you find them, don’t lead with “can you put my track in your playlist.”

Work up to it. Say why you are approaching them specifically. Start a real relationship based on your mutual love of music!

Other artists make playlists too. This is what’s worked for me: make a playlist and tag the artist on Facebook when you share it. Most times they won’t notice. But artist’s have messaged me to send thanks for playing their song.

A network isn’t just huge pool of email addresses you mass-message every time you release something. It’s a series of meaningful creators united under the love of music and the craft of creating.

Each time it started a musical friendship. We’ve been exchanging music ever since!

A network isn’t just huge pool of email addresses you mass-message every time you release something. It’s a series of meaningful creators united under the love of music and the craft of creating.

9. Don’t Rely On One Single Platform

Don’t get too focused on one single platform or playlist. Try to hit as many listeners as possible—you’ll have all the more chances to get heard.

Hot Tip: Build a landing page that gives people the option to stream or buy your track on their favourite platform like LANDR Promolinks. It makes your promotion efforts what more efficient and streamlined no matter who’s listening.

Put a free preview of your track on SoundCloud and add a ‘Buy or Stream Link.’

Give it to your DJ friends to play in their sets and radio shows. Send it out to online radio stations. Like I said before, every little thing counts.

Keep it Real

It’s great to try and promote yourself online and hit all the playlists big and small.

By putting all the chances on your side—distributing music, getting verified, making your own playlists, reaching out to tastemakers and playlisters—you’ll put yourself one step closer for getting listed.

Remember that there’s no perfect recipe. The music has to be good, and luck has to enter the equation. But making face-to-face and real connections by playing shows and participating in the community can push luck further in your favour.

It’s hard work and it doesn’t happen overnight, but it all pays off eventually.

Yes, some artists blow up on streaming platforms because they get on a high traffic playlist. But sometimes those artists have trouble filling up a bar if they play a show—because people don’t actually know who they are. Only one of their songs got a lot of plays in the flow of a playlist.

Streams are nothing if you don’t have real fans who will support your shows, buy merch and get stoked on your next release. So make sure you cover all your bases in an organic way: both online and offline.

“I feel as songwriters we have a responsibility also to encourage others—there’s no need for competition, let’s be open hearted.” — Joe Holtaway

The post How to Get on a Playlist: The 9 Step Guide to Doing It Yourself appeared first on LANDR Blog.

from LANDR Blog https://blog.landr.com/get-on-a-playlist/ via https://www.youtube.com/user/corporatethief/playlists from Steve Hart https://stevehartcom.tumblr.com/post/176487159714

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