Customer Reviews

Holy Moly Mackeroly! Reflections on the Business of Art and the Art of Life

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Holy Moly Mackeroly is the story of one woman's journey on the road to developing a successful art business. Gloria Page tells the stories of her life with equal parts fact and philosophy, so you get to know who she is as well as what she did. Starting with a few art supplies and a belief in possibilities, she accomplished what many of us only dream about.
This book will give you practical advice about creating an art business. More importantly, it will tell you how it feels to have an art business - to walk into a gallery and show your work to a buyer, to endure the cycles of too much work and not nearly enough, to be celebrated by some and rejected by others.
If you want to know what it's like to make your living with your art, if you want to believe that it's possible for you, you must buy this book. Gloria Page is an inspiration to everyone who dreams. Her book proves that dreams can come true.

This book and the nurturing, empowering spirit it brings came into to my life in the fall of 2003 like a fortuitously timed visit with an old friend. In this soft back large format book that begs to be highlighted and have notes written in the margins (of course I have) artist, knowledge-seeker, mom, college lecturer and real-life woman Gloria Page shares tales of the everyday and the amazing with simplicity and grace.

Bringing to her subject matter - the art of life and a life in art - a spirit of sharing, Gloria lets us walk with her through short takes on time, obstacles, changes and multiple aspects of not only art and life but also the art and science of combining the two in ways that could actually prove sanity preserving.

The voice of honesty and experience that comes through on every page provides a candid and accurate reflection of what make making art or any sort of self-employment a daily journey that proves challenging, rewarding and well worth considering.

Be prepared for Gloria's tiny snapshot stories to sneak into your random thoughts well after you officially turn the last page. In my case, I pulled the book out so often it has crept stealthily into my studio and now found a home just an arm's reach from the comfy chair I curl up in when I need a dose of art-fellowship or an infusion of inspiration.

Holy Moly Mackeroly by Gloria Page is a lovely book that gives excellent,inspiration, idea's & energy to get on with pursuing your own creativity. Plus helps you to decide do you or don't you want your own "card business."

Page is a down to earth creative lady who gives energy & real down to earth feelings in this book. Sharing this kind of information,plus writing about real life happenings made me feel that Page gives INSPIRATION, IDEA'S & Creative ENERGY from her heart & soul. Anyone interested in starting a "card business" or even "thinking about one" should read this book. Also would like to add that she autographed my book, sent me a wonderful lovely book mark.

I actually really liked this book. I really like the person that wrote it and I found her adventures in making money as an artist helpful, interesting and fun to read about. She's open-hearted and candid. I like that. What I didn't like is the layout and design of the book. This baby is hard to read in long stretches. It is truly wall-to-wall words, no images, no breaks, no white space ... whew! I would suggest hiring a good graphic designer to recreate the layout of this fine book and then republish it. It would be worth it.

While browsing through one of the rubber stamping magazines, I saw an ad for Holy Moly Mackeroly. I was intrigued. It said, "....from 3 Art Stamps to the Smithsonian..". I had to have the book. The publisher of the magazine forgot to include where to find the book. Fortunately, I emailed them and they humbly asked for forgiveness and gave me the information I needed to get the book in my hands.

The book quickly arrived. I opened it with anticipation. I sat down and started to read. I finished the first reading in a weekend. This book has changed my life and I believe if you are a creative person, it can change your life too. It has some simple steps to move forward into taking your art to a new level, great ideas of how to start selling your art and a wealth of wonderful personal stories of the journey of an artist.

If you have always dreamed you wanted to be an artist, this book will help you realize that dream and "Make It So".

Gloria Page demystifys the process of starting your own business and in a very homey down to earth manner she tells us stories of her journey. I have often wondered how people get their start in an artistic business....was it a linear process or haphazard? When i read about Glorias process i could see that she was meant to be doing what she is doing....that the Universe did in fact want her to succeed by putting her in touch with the people who could help her along the way....golden opportunities which Gloria was only too ready to take advantage of . It was not a linear journey but after reading her book you can see that all of the experiences in her life lead her to have her handmade cards ..in the Smithsonian Institute ! Don't get me wrong......Gloria's journey was not all rosey....she had her ups and downs, tears and moments of discouragement but dispite the challenges she forged on to create her wonderful handmade card business.

If you are looking for inspiration to take that first hesitant step into having your own art business or if you are just interested in delving into one woman's journey to "follow her Bliss" you will not be disappointed. Grab a cup of coffee or a cup of tea and sit down to enjoy Holy Moly Makeroly. You will feel as if Gloria is sitting across the table with you speaking directly to your heart!

This unusual book cannot be classified into only one specific genre because it's part memoir, part "how to", part inspiration.
Put all those parts together and you have the wonderful wise voice of author Gloria Page telling you of the real-life journey of her artistic cardmaking business. I'd recommend this book as a MUST HAVE for anyone who dreams of making a living with art. The best part is -- she'll tell you that you CAN do it!

Page's writing voice is colorful and dynamic, crisp and clean, and as enticing as it is encouraging. Best of all, though, is that she is blissfully REAL, forever quieting the intimidation and self-criticm that can be felt by readers when approaching the work of recognized, professional artists. The combination of inspiration and practical know-how that Page deftly weaves together could have saved me hundreds of hours of artistic "pain and suffering", had I read it years ago! If only!

Thankfully, this is not the last we will hear from Gloria Page. I am awesomely fortunate to be her collaborator in a new project, a multimedia eBook titled, "STORYTELLERS: Dance around the Fire". We will be exploring the treasured lives of women artists all over the world, listening to their stories, embracing their truths, sharing their creative worlds. Working with Gloria Page is an honor, and I eagerly anticipate sharing the next installment of her exquisite writing with those who hunger for stories that feed the yearnings of the the creative soul.

Still in the process of reading - but decided not to wait to review it. This book isn't a 'how to' in the typical sense, but it does give you much food for thought on 'how to' do it. It's an extremely helpful and personal approach to what life is like when you have an art business along with just getting through life in general. - - I feel as though I know Gloria Page personally - would love to meet her, she sounds lovely! - If you're looking for inspiration to make that 'leap of faith' this one will give you the 'push'!

Holy Moly Mackeroly is written in memoir style which I found more helpful than a bare bones book on how-to-start-a-home-art-business. In her stories, the author relates her apprehensions about taking each "next step" and how she worked through those fears to go forward. Every artist with a case of the jitters about putting their stuff "out there" will relate to this author's inspirational warmth that comes across on every page. I read the book from cover to cover and would definitely recommend it to any artist needing inspiration.

If you are hoping to turn your stamping hobby (or obsession) into a money making venture, you simply must read this book. The wonderful stories detailing her adventure into the art business are both inspiring and entertaining. She offers practical, down-to-earth advice and makes you feel as if YOU can do it, too!

I have read several other books about turning your hobby into a business, and was always put off by the impersonal, "Business 101" style in which they were written. This is exactly the book I have been looking for. A personal success story, where she shares the ups and downs, triumphs and disappointments of the journey, from her first sale to the Smithsonian. There is plenty of practical advice from one who has "been there, done that", such as making sure you are using Angel Company stamps, advice on pricing your work, whether or not to use a "rep" to sell your work for you, and so much more.

Gloria has inspired me to get out there and give it a try. One of my favourite quotes in the book: "You may never know what results will come from your actions, but if you do nothing there will be no result"(Gandhi). I'm ready for results!!!