Want the whole world to know about your latest project or prize-winning piece? We just put up an article to help you maximize your exposure: Write a Press Release in 16 Easy Steps.

Michael Chesley Johnson takes the pain out of writing an eye-catching, concise press release with these tips. I couldn't agree more with some of them—like #4, "Give a precise location." You wouldn't believe how many press releases I get here at The Artist's Magazine that neglect to say what city and state the event is happening in.

The 11th tip is also important—keep it short! You've only got a few seconds to catch the interest of the editor or writer. No. 15 is a good one—make sure you're sending the release to the right person. Don't send a news release about your pastel workshop to a magazine or blog that only writes about digital art. And sending a release about an event happening in two weeks won't be of any use to a magazine that comes out quarterly.

Have any of you had particular success or spectacular blunders relating to press releases? Post a comment about it!

If you're trying to promote yourself as an artist, you gotta have a website. Or if you don't have a website, set up a blog you regularly update. But if you can't commit to posting frequently and HTML makes you dizzy, there is another option: the photo-sharing site Flickr.

The site is great for casual photographers—uploading party pics or snapshots of family members has never been easier—but it also can work as a networking tool for artists and other creative types.

As long as you have digital images and internet access you can make use of Flickr. You create a username and homepage for yourself on your site (your "photostream") that displays your most recent pictures. (Or not—you can make pictures you want to keep to yourself private, or share them only with users you allow.)

Having a photostream is a great way to show your latest work, or even your works in progress. Some artists like to share pictures of their palettes, or of their studios.

When you upload a picture, Flickr automatically resizes it, and you can add "tags" to it—words to describe the image and its content. For example, the artist has tagged this painting with terms such as "daily painting," "acrylic," "dinosaur" and "wood." You can also add your photos to groups, which is great way to get more traffic on your photostream.

I also like using Flickr as an image host—by linking to the resized image in my photostream, I don't have to worry about having the actual files on the computer I'm using to post images on my blogs. (Including this one!) You can also think of it as an external hard drive—when you upload images, you're creating a backup file. Very good in case of computer meltdown!

A basic account on Flickr is free, or you can pay $24.95 a year for a pro account that ups your storage limits and removes ads from the website. I've had a pro account for about three years now, and it's been well worth it.

Wise advice from Robert Bruce, including:

18. If you wouldn’t do it without an audience, don’t do it all.

Click here to see all 27 truisms.

Via Drawn

Portland, Oregon, always treats me well. It's developed a reputation for being a hipster haven—the rental market has been totally saturated because of all the refugee Californians and creative Midwesterners flocking to the city. (Moving to Portland might just beat out going to grad school as the preferred adulthood escape route for my generation.)

One of my favorite areas to explore is the Alberta Arts District, which stretches out over 15-20 blocks of NE Alberta Street. Amid the plentiful clothing boutiques and taquerías are a lot of great galleries and stores that feature a lot of local work. Here are a few of my faves:

REDBIRD STUDIO

I visited Redbird Studio last year and loved it immediately. This year, I happened to stop by on the studio’s second birthday, which meant free cupcakes!

Owners Paul Evans and Melissa Rau make a lot of the stuff for sale in the shop, which includes lots of stationery and cards, handmade accessories and screenprinted T-shirts and baby things.

I really loved the large-scale portraits by Kevin Noonan of political figures that were on display in the back of the store, which is a whole other gallery called Haiku. Melissa told me Kevin intentionally puts very affordable prices on his paintings. They were so low I seriously considered buying one and toting it home on the plane with me.

And if you’re in the neighborhood, right next door are HiiH Gallery, which sells beautiful handmade paper lanterns, and Guardino Gallery, which displays contemporary art and crafts.

Redbird Studio, 2927 NE Alberta St., 503/593-0833

TOGETHER GALLERY

Together Gallery popped up since my last trip to Portland. I arrived just in time to see "The Color of Nature," an exhibit featuring work from local artists Seth Neefus, Amy Ruppel, and Jill Bliss. Together also has a healthy offering of zines and small press publications, which I’m a big fan of.

Together Gallery, 2314 NE Alberta St., 503/288-8879

OFFICE PDX

Anybody who loves industrial-strength work supplies has a one-way ticket to heaven at OFFICE. The décor and the goods are heavy on the Americana, with a hearty dose of Japanese utility.

I got to check out Jill Bliss and Brittany Kate Powell's kooky "Califoregon" collection while I was there. And, like I always do, I spent too much money on letterpressed cards.

OFFICE PDX, 2204 NE Alberta St., 888/355-7467

I know a lot of you blog readers are Web-savvy types, but if you're thinking of building a website to promote your work, check out this excerpt from our March 2008 article "Top of the Web." We outline seven things you need to think about before you start uploading.

For example:

Take a field trip. Spend some time online and make notes about what sites you like and what sites you don't. Make sure to note what it is you like about each site. Do you like the color palette of a particular site? The way the navigation is structured on another? Does it annoy you how long it takes a certain site to load? All this information will help your Web designer create a design you love.

Click here to read the article!