High finance of low Art

I have been trying to fix my shopping cart. No I'm
not homeless. I have a website with a shopping cart.
I get the site from Costco for 15 dollars a month.
They partner with Valueweb - which seems to be a good
company. 24-7 toll free phone support, friendly, helpful
techs. Problem is they partner with a company called
Miva, who I could not same the same about.
If I was in the mood for buying tech stocks, which I
am not...I would not buy Miva (MIVA) but I might bet on it
failing. Their slogan incidentally is "Miva means business."
Here is a little email exchange that took place with them...



Hello Joy,


Well we do charge for tech support and since Valueweb is a hosting partner of miva, you can open up a ticket there to solve your problem. Unless you want to go straight with us, we do charge either 399.00 for the year of unlimited e mail and phone support or 99.00 for ONE incident.


Regards,

___________________________________________
Edward | Tech Support
MIVA Small Business | MIVA, Inc
Tel: (858) 490-2570 | support@miva.com
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm (PDT)

MIVA Means Business
smallbusiness.miva.com | NASDAQ:MIVA
___________________________________________
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
INFORMATION IN THIS MESSAGE, INCLUDING ANY ATTACHMENTS, IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL USE OF THE RECIPIENT(S) NAMED ABOVE. If you are not an intended recipient of this message, or an agent responsible for delivering it to an intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this message in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete the message, and return any hard copy print-outs. Thank You.


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From: Joy Dellas [mailto:artstreet@cox.net]
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 6:22 PM
To: Miva Technical Support
Subject: RE: confusion



Edward,

My host provider is ValueWeb through costco.

I'm not sure what you mean - by opening a ticket -but I

have a website online with them if that is what you

mean.

Joy

artstreetgallery.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Miva Technical Support [mailto:support@miva.com]
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 5:14 PM
To: Joy Dellas
Subject: RE: confusion

Hello,


Who is your host provider? You might need to start their first by opening up a ticket with thim.


Regards,

__________________________________________
Edward | Tech Support
MIVA Small Business | MIVA, Inc
Tel: (858) 490-2570 | support@miva.com
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm (PDT)

MIVA Means Business
smallbusiness.miva.com | NASDAQ:MIVA
___________________________________________
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
INFORMATION IN THIS MESSAGE, INCLUDING ANY ATTACHMENTS, IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL USE OF THE RECIPIENT(S) NAMED ABOVE. If you are not an intended recipient of this message, or an agent responsible for delivering it to an intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this message in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete the message, and return any hard copy print-outs. Thank You.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Joy Dellas [mailto:artstreet@cox.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 6:12 PM
To: Miva Technical Support
Subject: confusion



Hi,

I signed up for miva merchant through costco's
deal with valueweb.
At one time I had my shopping cart up and running.
(it was no easy feat!)
I switched a few things - internet providers, computers, etc.
and now all the work I did on miva seems to be for naught.
I have not been able to use or access the shopping cart
feature for many months.

I decided to take another go at it but it seems nearly
impossible to even log in to administer my account.
I can't get to it through the contribute/macromedia access
I use to work on my website. I can't seem to access it
through any of the valueweb or miva pages.

The miva pages have lots of places to log in for different
products and services - mostly all of which involve additional
purchases. It seems almost on purpose that it is so
difficult to access the administration login for the low end
miva product.


I have never found miva help/support to be particularly
accessible or helpful either. Chances are if the experience
was more user friendly and customer service oriented I
would end up buying additional products from you.


At this point I would most likely be directed to your
competitor. I am not telling you this to be hostile.
I am only telling you or whoever reads because I am
a grassroots business trying to get on my feet. Everything
I read about doing business says customer service is
Where Its At.

I hope someone Can and Will help me and I won't have
to keep hunting for user friendly shopping cart service.

Thanks in advance.
Joy Dellas
Artstreetgallery.com



So here are my latest challenges in the art world.
A lady comes to the gallery and decides to buy
my painting of a morning glory. It is painted on
recycled board (actually it was destined for kindling).
I have shlepped this particular wood painting around
a few times and it has gotten nicer each time
it re-emerges from my studio. Often I will show
a piece somewhere, like a hair salon -believe it
or not! Or maybe a urologist's office (my word!) --
is this any place for a 47 year old artist with
25 years of experience behind the easel to be
showing!! So anyway, then the piece comes down and
ends up in my studio again where the brush is
wiped on it here and there because maybe it wasn't
right the first time. Maybe that's why none of
those ladies spending a hundred dollars on their hair
decide they need to have this art in their life.

So this particular morning glory was up to its
reworked best and the woman in the art gallery
decides she's got to have it. It is only $65
after all. What's that? So this gal, a member of
the artist co-op where this piece is hanging
gets the art off the wall and there behind the
piece is an old price tag that says $50.

Negotiations ensue. The morning glory painting
sells for $50.

Just another day's work.

So today, I get the box in the mail. In it are
100 art pins. I think I have around 70 cents each
into them not counting the time. But it is way
cool. Here are all these campaign style buttons
with MY art on them. My dog. A quintessential
Dellas image. I show them to my son's counselor.
I am thinking maybe I can get 3.50 or 4.00 for each
one, but she suggests $5. Now I have to decide.
How much will the market bear?

Think I will go ahead and try 5 dollars. I can always
have a sale later and sell them for what I would
have been happy with anyway.

Anyone want to buy some art?

portrait of the artist




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Symbol of Resistance

Psychedelic Calico Cat

red dog

Self Portrait

To whoever comes across this in their surfing
however they find me.
I am a new blogger so bear with me.

I have a lot to say about whimsy and folk art. At least I think
so. For me art is something that defines my ability to
function on earth. Or maybe my self worth.
Art is the backbone of my spirituality.
Art is the expression of the godness I revere in
nature.

I am almost 50. I have managed to survive this long.
I do art. I make art of many things that most people throw
away. I am getting more political all the time.
When it becomes hard to muster up the energy to
pick up a paint brush, or a tooth brush, after
catching a glimpse of corporate news on the
neighbor's tv...someone's confirmation,
another bunch of senseless human sacrifice in
the name of paternalism, patriotism, glory
and justice and god. God-damn...as
Nina Simone would say.
Who said "the personal is political?"

My website is
artstreetgallery.com.
I make really cool big limited edition art postcards
and sell them really cheap (only $3.50 includes shipping
and handling. You can see all 10 designs on my website.
They are really sensational to frame up and send your friends.
Or just mail it and your postal worker will think you are cool.

You can know that you are contributing to an
honorable lifestyle. I do no harm.
Someday I may even buy a health insurance
policy again.


http://notjustprettypictures.com.hosting.domaindirect.com/id23.html

I have a question for people who buy my work.
Or people who look up folk art and outsider art.
For people who want to own original art.
What is it that motivates you to pay an artist money
for what they create?
Do you do it more for the investment?
Or for the way it completes your home environment.
Or because you would have like to be an artist yourself?
Or because the art speaks to you in some other language?

I hope to hear from you.
Joy Dellas