The Prepared artist: A Page from my Sketch Card Mania book

Image above shows a page from the book "Sketch Card Mania" (Penguin Random House, Impact Books, F&W Media) Authored by Randy Martinez & Denise Vasquez ©2011

👩🏻‍💻 For any creator, knowing how to stand out from the crowd can be overwhelming!

👩🏻‍🎨 I learned from personal experience at a very young age thru adulthood from being an actress, model, dancer, singer/songwriter/musician/publisher, comedian, host, producer, promoter, author & photographer…that no matter what you do, the most important thing is to be your unique self, never try to be a copy of what someone else already did…it’s already been done! Staying true to you is the first step in standing out.

📝 When I Co-Authored “Sketch Card Mania” with Randy Martinez published in 2011 by Impact Books F&W Media & now with Penguin Random House, my research, writing, interviews & focus in the book, was on the importance of Self-Promotion for artists.

📝 We started writing the book at the beginning of the digital age. Who remembers when Deviantart, MySpace, Wordpress, blogger, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube started to boom?

🎨 So many artists would reach out to me, asking me the same questions about how I promote myself, how did I get sponsors & endorsements from companies I work with & how did I book art & design jobs. That was the beginning of my inspiration to write a book that would help all artists, in every medium.

📝 So many things that I wrote about in the book are still relevant today: like how to be the prepared artist, the importance of having a positive attitude and how to approach opportunities on a professional level.

📝 Here are a few important tips I wrote about in the book:

✨Always share a smile & a positive, welcoming attitude! I can’t say this enough! You never know who you are talking to!

✨Carry business cards everywhere you go, with your website & social media sites to hand out to prospective employers, clients & fans.

✨Have little gifts to giveaway! I wanted to leave my mark with clients & potential opportunities for my trip to Nashville, so I prepared small gift bags with a postcard, my business card & button with my photography logo with the words “stay focused” 📸 pun intended.

✨Have samples of your best work ready to present.

✨Believe to achieve! Believe in yourself and share what makes you special!

👩🏻‍💻 To keep up with my travels, follow me online:

Instagram @DeniseVasquezOfficial & @DeniseVasquezPhotographs

TikTok @denisevasquezphotography

Facebook @DeniseVasquezPhotographs

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCallyZDiOzSkVDqUjMYdOaw