Portrait Artist Rod Evans has become renowned for his innovative portraits by combining an intense love of art and a visionary style.  He has been requested to lecture nationally as well as internationally for a host of venues including PPA’s Imaging USA, WPPI, and Senior Portrait Artists Events.  Rod’s images have been exhibited in art galleries, showcased in Canon training books as well as magazine publications, and he has been featured on the cover of Professional Photographers of America Magazine.  He is also featured as one of 11 top photographers for Canon USA’s workflow training DVD.  He is a PPA National Award winner who has been on Photoworkshop.com and PhotoVision Video Magazine.  Rod was selected to be member of the prestigious Society of XXV and the Canon Explorers of Light Program.

Rod’s background in art and photography has taught him to relax and study his subject, bringing out the best in each person he photographs.  The art is in communication and learning to feel the image verses just seeing the image.  This is how he is able to create art in each subject he photographs.

 “Photography is more than a two dimensional media to me, if done well you can capture a beautiful part of a persons soul.”  -Rod Evans

Here is something else cool about Rod.  He is a fun, upbeat guy.  I interviewed Rod today and had an absolute blast.  What was refreshing about Rod is that he is seemingly without ego.  For someone at his level in the business he is grounded in what is real and what is important.  That is huge.  Rod also understands the importance of  a business plan and marketing.  A rarity indeed.  Although I would argue that most of the people at high levels of success in any industry understand this.

Listen to Rod’s views on studying or listening to PMA (positive mental attitude) book’s, cd’s and dvd’s.  He has unique insight specific to self help as he worked with an industry giant that you have heard of.  We talked about mentorship…is it important, how does it work.

Rod also exposes a few hot marketing campaigns that they are working right now today.  Would you be intrigued if there  was a 4 digit increase in one area of business using some of  these?  Yeah, 4 digit.  Awesome. And finally,  thoughts and comments on creativity and keeping fresh, social media marketing, digital painting, and much more.  Go see his web-site and check out his work.  He has some awesome things coming up.  A digital painting instructional DVD and…… Italy anyone?  go to Rod’s site and get the scoop on a digital painting workshop in Italy. Then next week check out this podcast.

Here is access to a few other resources we talked about in the interview.

The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind”

Think and Grow Rich”

The Secret”

What if you could take your passion for art, or writing, or singing or any other hobby and turn it into a money making business? Give yourself a moment to reflect on the things you love and ask yourself this one important question: Why am I not doing this already? Hacking it out in the work a day 8-5 world may seem the norm as that is what we grew up with. You know the whole get good grades so you can go to college and get a good job. But what if there is real merit in taking stock of your lifestyle and re-arranging priorities so you can find what you love in your life and turn it into a profitable business. I am in fact a known contrarian so I think that is exactly what we should do. Jones’ smones’s. I have been in so many crazy businesses at 100 hour weeks its sick. Why? Money it seems. The lack of proper planning. Not realizing what really is impportant.

Who has a 9-5 and hates getting up in the morning and getting ready for work? I know a lot of people like that and I bet you do too, if you’re not one of those people yourself. I always ask them why they’re not doing something different. I try to impart this into friends and family all the time when they see that I am on my own, doing what I love to do, answering to no one, and making money at it. (Speaking this into existence because as of this date I am just starting that journey again). Now, I want to give you some thoughts to take with you today on turning your passion into profit and hopefully I will spark the fire inside of at least one my readers here.

Let me tell you a short story. I have told it many times and for various reasons. The reason I share it here is that was the catalyst of awakening for me.

As this is a new blog not many of you know me. I have four kids. My oldest son Josh, who at this writing is 20, had a serious accident 4 years ago. He was coming home from his basketball game on a cold January night and hit a cow. Broke his neck and put a tiny nick in his spinal cord. C-5 quad. We don’t need sympathy because life is good. See, Josh is a winner….as well as the rest of the family. Josh graduated with his very supportive class on time. He went on to college locally for the first two years and is heading to University of Arizona in the fall to finish the last couple years. But here is the thing. That type of thing happens…it has obvious financial consequences. As I have struggled to get on top of things and provide like I have it struck me that having jobs the last few years has made me crabby. I am not a job guy. I went back to the work force for money and “good benefits” what a joke. I sold out. I was afraid to “trade down” or do whatever we needed to do do I could stay self employed. So iI miss being self employed and will bet there again within a year. The real kicker is I am quite sure that as I transition into this I will be making more money on less time…..oh and a small serendipity I wont be such a bear.

So why not brainstorm your life a bit and see what you really want. Money is only the tool so dig deeper. What can that do for you? Buy time so you can spend it with your young children or parents? Help your parents with escalating medical bills? How about taking your kids to Europe…for three months in the summer, with a homeschool agenda. Whatever it is find out.

As you are doing this break down everything in your life and figure out exactly what it is you love to do. Maybe you love writing stories or blogging about your life. You might also love music or sports. Some people I know love to cook. What stirs your emotions? Regardless of what it is, take out a sheet of paper and write down everything you love to do. Don’t worry about making it in order or neat and clean yet, you know the drill just brainstorm, freeform.

Once you have a list completed of the things you love, then figure out what about these things really makes emotional. What emotion? Why? If you chose sports as something you love, you could break it down and put that you love the competition of the game, the strength you need or endurance and skill. Maybe you just like the lifestyle these players have. The object here is to fill out your sheet with as many ideas as possible. The messier the better, just get things on paper.

This is where it will get really fun. We’re working on getting you outside of the cubicle and doing what you love! You may be like Allison, my wife, she loves her job and is doing exactly what she wants and gets paid well to do it. It works for her. Very Cool. But if your like me, seemingly stuck, sit down with that paper and give yourself 5-10 minutes for each topic you wrote down. Really think about any ideas that could make money. From big to small, anything goes. These ideas might spark some other thoughts or profitable ideas, so don’t let any of them go unnoticed.

Alright next, go through everything you’ve written down and format the list in a good order so it’s easier to read and follow. Now, once you have the list done, step back and look at it for a minute; you’ve just written up the foundation of your new life! Regardless of what others might tell you, having the beginning thought about an action you’re wanting to take is the most fundamental thing you can do have when building your business, and you just did it. I’m sure out of your list you can find 1 thing that really doesn’t seem very hard to create as far as manual labor, pricing and marketing costs right?

Well lets look at some other things here as well. How about the PROS of doing what you love?

1. You’re doing what you love
2. You’re working for yourself
3. You’re creating a life changing product
4. You’re freeing yourself from dependency on the cubicle
5. Potential profits are endless
6. You have passion for your business

The CONS of doing what you love

1. Finances aren’t promised; at first
2. People will think you’re crazy, although this is changing

I doubt you can come up with many more cons to doing what you love! In my opinion, there are many other additions you can add to either of these lists, but I believe these sum up the basics of them and really show you what you should could be doing with your life on either side of the fence. There is one last thing you have to ask yourself to make this whole process complete; Do I want to spend the rest of my life fulfilling someone else’s dreams or is it time to chase my own?

Day by the hour….life by a vision.

Hello fellow artists! Actually I am more of a marketing geek than an artist. An Artist wannabe perhaps. No, actually I am an artist I just choose other methods to make a living. I think for me I can be much more effective in changing peoples lives as a teacher than as an artist. So for me that’s what I do. I still get to paint, I just don’t have an commercialization pressure on me at all. OK so this is the first post here. What our focus will be is primarily art marketing. And alot with the whole social networking part of the internet. It is the new frontier and I think we have tremendous opportunities there. I also will check out books here with the book review page. Readers are leaders. The content specific to the book reviews will be business, marketing, positive mental attitude and of course “How to” content from all of you talented people out there. As this is a new blog please check back often or subscribe to the feed. We will have many changes go forward…I just wanted to get it up now. If I waited until I thought it was ready I never would have it up. Also in a week or so the podcast will be up and running (I hope). I have several recorded it is just getting them here that poses a challenge. I am not a techie, so blogs and webs are a challenge for me just as they may be for some of you. Wrong side of the brain for me. Ok so thats it for now. See ya tomorrow.