Desk Notes: March 2026
- artisanadvantage
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 27
A snapshot of current projects, systems, and tools in use
March is off to a fast start. Several projects are in strategy mode and it feels like the right kind of busy.
This Month's Focus
Patterns of Meaning remains front and center. We are over halfway through the pilot year of The Patterns Intiative, and are now in preparation mode heading into year two. We recently created a Six Month Impact Report to review accomplishments to date and setting the stage for moving forward. This process is something anyone running a long-term project could benefit from.
Art Is An Advantage is getting steady content attention this month. The beginning of the year was tight for keeping up with the Art Is An Advantage Facebook Group. But it's rolling again, and if you're not a group member, please join us.
The Visibility Opportunity Database continues to grow, which is a collection of residencies, exhibitions, fellowships, grants, and open calls for artists. If you subscribe to the Art Is An Advantage newsletter, you'll have access. Sign up here if you haven't already.
A newer consulting project is picking up steam. This week's work included strategy development, building out a proposal, writing weekly content, and setting up systems to support the work going forward. Still early stages, but it's shaping up to be a solid engagement.
Research is underway for local advertising options for Robert Yonke Art at Deep Creek Lake as a potential next step beyond organic and event-based marketing.
What's Actively in Motion
AI exploration has been an ongoing project, but not in the way most are using it at the moment. The focus is less of a content creation tool and more of a tool for an operations, helping me build repeatable processes and systems for my clients and my own business. I built a couple of new workflows this month that are already saving me time on weekly publishing tasks.
For Patterns of Meaning, in addition to communications for their education Initiative, I build campaigns to share the artists' work across the website, email, and social media. Right now, I’m organizing and staging a series of paintings into a social campaign, with each piece connected to its Artwork Archive record.
Reviewing Pinterest’s Spring Trends Report to gather insight into how current visual preferences might inform how artwork is presented, without changing the work itself.
Tools, Systems, & Other Fun Things
Give Suite is on my radar. I'm evaluating it for a potential client and spent time watching their training videos and demo content, then had a call to learn more.
NotebookLM is another tool I'm testing out as part of my workflow for organizing source material and research.
Artstage was used to create mockups for some of the pieces in this Artwork Archive viewing room and blog post. It is a useful tool for quickly visualizing work in interior spaces.
More Resources
WordPress sites are getting hacked faster than ever. If you're self-hosted, now is a good time to log in, update your plugins, and delete the ones you're not using. Your website is your portfolio, credibility, and sales hub. It's worth maintaining.
If you're using Instagram as part of your visibility strategy, you can now edit the thumbnail that appears in your grid. This is helpful for making sure artwork is centered and your portfolio looks clean.
Artwork Archive is one the top tools I recommend for artists. This month they offer a guide to getting your inventory in shape, a key part to making the most of opportunities that come your way.
That's the first week of March. If you're building new systems or experimenting with AI in your creative business, I'd love to hear what's working. Drop me a line and tell me what's on your desk this month.
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