25% creating time and 75% promoting time

There was a very interesting discussion in one group. A new member was asking about how to go from hobby to professional artist/artisan, and how to promote.
Don't we all want to know the right path? Even if you have been a pro for a while, the road is not easy and marked. Although there are awesome people that can pintpoint you here and there.

Years ago in a workshop I took, the painter said that you should spend 25% of your time creating and 75% promoting, but I don't know about that.... that 75% can turn easy into 101% if we are not careful. And at the same time, if what we do is original and catchy, the 25% can turn into a 90%, once you have an audience or have selected the right networking for your craft.

Along with the talk on widgets for blogs, art websites and online shops, we talked about some cool sites.

I am tempted to do the Tumblr too, and there's another interesting site called Posterous which looks very nice and has a lot of audience too. Oh and lets not forget Devianart, just to name a few.... Some time ago I posted about this same thing, with like 200 networking sites! Agh!
But  the thing is to keep up with the postings! Not to spread too thin because it is easy to get lost in the "networking" and soon you are not really creating.
There are sites that allow you to post the same thing everywhere. Can't remember the name right now, but I did not like the idea to have the same text posted all over...? And what about reading the wave of comments? (That is assuming anyone feels like commenting! -insert lonely cricket sound here-) LoL

In 2009 I did a heavy duty cut in my online stuff: Left groups and activities that I was not really into it anymore, or were not giving me back something positive; left websites and all kinds of online places, and reduced my time too, so that I do have the time to work on the things I love. Slowly but surely.

It was hard at the time, but made me feel so much better.  How do you deal with it? What steps do you take to "make time" and let the world know?
UPDATE: Just by coincidence I saw This Today, and its pretty much what I was thinking about  when I posted in my blog. Very interesting!

Snail on the run

Having a kid that loves animals has taken me back to my own childhood, when I myself loved ALL animals. The only difference is that we didn't have a carpeted house (where animals indiscretions can and will leave an undetected mess for days) And the fact that my dad had a magic trick, where all my collected animals would randomly disappear eventually. All except my adored chihuahua, that lived with us for 18 years.
We have rescued, fixed, helped, fed a bunch of animals which usually we manage to find a new good home for them.... As you might remember our latest experience with Scrofie's 5 boys. :o) (I'll get updates on them soon!)


So, while working in the yard few days ago we found a HUGE snail, and of course we had to place him in a little new house, right? Well, after making a snail house out of a plastic bottle with a net secured with a rubber band on top for ventilation, and a jungle of leaves for food and habitat, he settled in the kitchen by a shady wall. They wanted to name him "Keeper". I wanted to name him "Goner". We settled for "Cooper"
Yesterday I found the bottle horizontal, opened ....and snailess! agh! The only thing left was his poo :oP
Where is Cooper??


After school, I showed the kids the empty "snail house" and asked them if they knew why it was opened and if they have seen the snail.
Imagine my delight when I heard my daughter say "oh, maybe they went for a stroll together"
They?
"...I brought another snail to keep him company" she said.
I'm speechless for a minute. agh!

At least it wasn't as bad as when I was her age, and brought a bag full of snails to my grandma's house, and forgot it in her bathroom. I was so proud of myself, I had collected like 30 in my little paper bag.
They were still finding snails in strange places a month later. XoP

As it turns out, Cooper was art inclined. I found him by my paint's box, tucked in behind the corner. He is residing outside again as you can see in the picture, but he didn't want to smile for the camera. The other one, I guess will be in a French l'escargot dish when I find him, sneaky thing.... XoD