Image by psd

The Big THANK YOU Project

Back in 2009 I wrote a status asking what you thought would be a good way to thank you for being such great fans, and of course someone said I should give away an original painting.  She laughed, but it got me thinking.

I’ve been reading to Seth Godin and listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s audio book Outliers which I highly recommend if you are interested in being a remarkable business or business person. And I am intrigued by Gladwell’s 10,000 hour theory. In short, he suggests that great bands, athletes, artists and others don’t just have “greatness thrust upon them” they’ve all done their time. About 10,000 hours of practice to be precise – which works out to be around 7 years give or take.

In my 30 Days experiment (Nov 09), one of the main benefits I received was skill. The hours of “practice” creating small paintings really made a tangible difference. I feel more confident with colour choices, I approach my work more directly and I have a better idea how things will turn out if I take a creative risk here or there.

Doing more small work really excites me and I want to test out the 10,000 hour theory. I also want to show you individually that I appreciate your attention and your comments. You are my muses and my best motivators and that is a huge gift to me.

So here is how I say “Thank You”! 

I will create one 5×7 inch original painting for each fan – It will be an acrylic painting, either be on illustration board or heavy weight watercolour paper.

To keep track of people and details, I’ve decided to process everything about this project through my Facebook fan page. If you would like a free, original, personalized painting, join my Facebook fan page (if you haven’t already) then send me a message via Facebook through my personal page http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5598377&id=144229535489#!/laura.tetrault.art?ref=profile  (unfortunately Facebook has yet to give fan pages their own “email” accounts). I’ll need you to include your current mailing address, your favourite colours and the titles of two or three of your favourite paintings (that I’ve painted –  after all I couldn’t recreate the Mona Lisa for you – what I’m looking for here is what kind of style and subject you like. )

Each week I draw three names out of all the names I receive – I’ll announce the names at the beginning of the week and I will post the photos of the finished paintings at the end of the week.  After I’ve posted the pictures, I’ll pack up your painting and take a trip to the post office to get it on its way to you.

Now for the Q & A:

Q: Is it really free?

 A: Absolutely, I’ll create your painting and I’ll handle the shipping (regular post). I want the practice and you want the paintings so I think that is a pretty good win-win. I wouldn’t ask you to pay for a thank-you gift!  =)

Q: How do I send you my contact info and when should I send it?

A: To keep it simple, send me a message through Facebook.  That way I won’t accidentally miss your email in my inbox or in the comments here on the blog. If you have any problems or questions you can still send me an email at lauratetrault (at) hotmail (dot)com.

Q: What do you do with my information?

A: Nothing. Well, almost. I will use it to send your painting to you. I won’t sell it to anyone. I won’t send you junk mail or release your info to anyone else. I do keep records of the paintings I’ve created and the names and addresses of people who have purchased works from me are included in those records.

So what are you waiting for – go send me a note and get a free painting!