Newsflash!
The latest Shy Artist book was recently published. 
And I'm excited to say that it actually reached the #1 bestseller spot in the Kindle Art & Business category! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews.

And, why should you care? Well, I'll tell you. If you are an artist, crafter, photographer, writer, musician, or any other type of creative, you have probably made a bunch of mistakes. These mistakes can get in the way of your success as an artist. And, if you know what these mistakes are, you can either avoid them or fix them. This book can help.

The 10 Biggest (and Totally Avoidable) Mistakes that Keep You From Being a Successful Artist

This book is filled with all that stuff that we artists do to sabotage our success. Things like trying to do too many different styles, or wanting to try every bright shiny object, or trying to make things perfect. I give examples of these 10 mistakes (Actually, there are 11. I threw in a bonus!)

So, if you want to improve your art and your art career, then this book is for you!

Sell More Art and Crafts! How to answer all those questions and comments you get from customers.

The Shy Artist's Guide to Answering Questions is now available!

This book is full of all those responses that you wish you had said, but didn't think of in time. Instead of being tongue-tied, you'll have this handy reference so you'll know exactly what to say for most of the common situations that you will encounter while selling your work to the public. Click the button below for a preview.
35 Questions to Ask Before Applying to a Show
The Shy Artist's Guide to Researching Art and Craft Shows

What you'll find at The Shy Artist...

On this website you will find lots of resources to help you, the artist (or crafts person), to better deal with the public. As artists we spend a lot of time in our studios in solitary pursuit of our art. This is good for our art, but not so good for our people skills.

I have been shy for as long as I can remember. As an artist I have learned a lot about relating to people and how to deal with the public. So, culled from my 20+ years of experience of doing arts & crafts shows and my years of gallery ownership, I have put together a series of guide books to help you in your struggles with social anxiety and shyness, dealing with customers, doing interviews, and anything else my imagination can come up with.

And, it all started with a toilet...

The Shy Artist, Loretta Alvarado posing with the art
When I owned the How Original! Art Gallery, I curated many art competitions. The one which received the most publicity was called, In the Toilet, An Exhibit of Art Meets Function. The publicity included several television news interviews and one was even a live broadcast.

It was at this live broadcast that the first place winning toilet artist froze. She was so nervous and terrified of speaking in front of the camera that she wanted to run. However, she recognized the opportunity and she managed to pull it off. Colleen did very well and was the inspiration for The Shy Artist. Watch her interview on the video page.
The Shy Artist
Join the MeetUp group for Shy Artists in the Southern California area. We meet about every 8 weeks for fun, networking, and learning. Previous Meetup classes have been on Getting Started Selling Your Art or Crafts at Shows, and How to Talk to Your Customers.

The next Meetup has not been scheduled. Here's the info from a previous meetup:
http://www.meetup.com/The-Shy-Artist/events/230232972/
TheShyArtist.com, an online resource of instructional guides and videos for artists who need help overcoming shyness so they can make more sales.