Making the Connection

Have you ever wondered why you often find a coupon tucked inside your cereal box, or get invited to a customer preview sale at your favorite department store? Those companies know that their existing customers are the best - and most profitable - customers they'll ever have. So it's not surprising that they'll do whatever they can to keep these customers happy and coming back again and again. Believe it or not, the same concept holds true for your art career. While you don't want to ignore ...
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The Importance of Travel for A Writer

Copyright 2005 Black Butterfly Press Dr. Maxine Thompson http://www.maxinethompson.com http://www.maxineshow.com 'Don't go into the city alone,' the blonde tourist warned me at the port of Belize. 'They will cut off your arm for your jewelry.' This was in October 2004, when I went on a Caribbean cruise which, among other islands, stopped in the country of Belize. As I have a friend (whom I'll call Natalia) who grew up in Belize, this made me curious as to how the people actually lived. ...
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Carolingian Art

History Ivory plaque, probably from a book cover, Reims late 9th century, with two scenes from the life of Saint Remy and the Baptism of Clovis Having established an Empire as large as the Byzantine Empire of the day, and rivalling in size the old Western Roman Empire, the Carolingian court must have been conscious that they lacked an artistic style to match these or even the post-antique (or "sub-antique" as Ernst Kitzinger called it) art still being produced in small quantities ...
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Inventory Tracking: It Can Make You or Break You

Keeping track of your inventory is vital for success at fairs and festivals, no matter what you're selling. Successful vendors of hot dogs, paintings, clothes, jewelry, soup, and anything else you can think of must properly track their inventory. Can you imagine having to shut down at a festival early because you didn't have enough product to keep selling? This would be a good day only if you had three times more customers than normal! One of the best places to start is, well, by making an ...
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Fix Access Errors with Ease

If you are a frequent user of MS Access software, it can be guaranteed that you will come across a variety of problems in your usage. Out of the many glitches, errors and crashes that MS Access makes you go through, database corruptions are considered to be the worst issues. Not only would a database corruption render your whole application useless, it would also jeopardize your labor by making the data inaccessible. Are you frequently bugged by database corruptions? As database corruptions are ...
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Reading and Resources for Artists

As an artist, it's very important that you stay on top of your chosen field of work. You'll want to do this by reading news about art, but if you're trying to sell your works, you'll also want to read about ways to increase your business. There are plenty of websites, books, and resources out there for artists just like you who want to make a living off of doing what they love. First off, you'll probably want to start with the boring but essential reading. Check out websites like your state's ...
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4 Golden Nuggets of Effective Listening

Why should I improve my listening skills?   It's a great question.  For the simple reason that a person's listening skills are a central component to most of the activities people care about.  Your ability to understand what others are trying to tell you, to grasp details about projects, to learn information about a customer's needs, or to understand what is going on in your family's life all depend on your ability to effectively listen.   While most people possess the ability to hear, many ...
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5 Ways to Look Professional when Starting a Craft Show Business

Starting a craft business can be a great way to make extra income. But, to turn your hobby into a business, you need to be professional.These five tips will help you be more professional at your first craft show.Tip One: Be PreparedPractice setting up your booth before you actually go to the show. Where will everything go? Keep a list of everything you use, so you know you won't forget anything. Also, take a picture so you won't forget the layout.Pretend you are buying something from your ...
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Ways to Help Your Business Survive & Thrive This Holiday Season

Are you worried about the success of your small businesses this holiday season?  With the economy still in the dumps and many consumers not spending money like they have in year's past, many small businesses are concerned about whether they can weather another holiday season.  The truth of the matter is that no matter what type of business you have, it might still be a difficult year. However, you can take the right steps now to ensure your success.  In fact, you can take steps now to make ...
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Millionaire at 26, Now Shares His Secrets with Others

CARLSBAD, Calif. ' It all began with the show 'Who wants to be a Millionaire?' It turns out that is exactly what most, if not all of us want ' instant wealth. That desire has spawned an entire culture of lotteries, on-line gambling, get rich quick infomercials, and television shows like the World Series of Poker, I Want to be a Hilton, The Apprentice, and even Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire? With the fourth edition of Donald Trump's 'The Apprentice' set for Sep. 22 and the new spin off 'The ...
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