I host a weekly conference call for artists (to get the invite register at www.artistsuccessstudio.com) and last night I talked about one of the greatest artists of all times...Rembrandt.  The inspiration for the topic came from an article talking about the 400th birthday of this great artist.

One of the things they focused on heavily was Rembrandt's use of self in his paintings.  He painted over 70 self-portraits, a lot for an artist in his day, probably even for today.  It's interesting because many of the celebrations in his honor are utilizing his self-portraits for marketing.  Back in the day I don't think Rembrandt thought much about marketing, but painting himself allowed him to show is ability and talent and literally get his face out amongst the public. 

He utilized himself for self-promotion saving him lots of money and he was able to work on utilizing his own timeline.  It may have caused a stir in the day with people thinking he was overly self-involved, but at further study, it allowed him to perfect the face and painting emotions he felt from his subjects. 

It's an interesting thing to consider...how do you self-promote so that you become recognizable?  What stylization or technique are you using that sets you apart from your contemporaries?  How do you want people to refer to you.  Give it some thought and let me know!

Intrigued...
Greg