Government Grants for Small Business: Finding Them and Getting Them

Starting or expanding any kind of small business is difficult, but it can be especially difficult if you don’t have enough capital. Raising capital for start-up or expansion is often your biggest challenge. If a loan is not possible for you right now, and if you haven’t been able to line up any investors, don’t give up hope. There may be a chance that you qualify for government grants for small business from the U.S. federal government.Small businesses have historically played a significant role in the U.S. economy. That’s why the government has an interest in facilitating the growth of small business with government grants for small business. Even though small business is central to our economic health, the bureaucrats in Washington are not necessarily just waiting to give out government grants for small business. The government normally uses grant money to encourage business development in certain fields or specific locations, or to level the playing field for everyone. But there are quite a few bona fide government grants for small business and they can be substantial.Government grants for small business are available to new business start-ups and existing businesses. As you might suspect, you’re probably not the only small businessman looking for help in the form of government grants for small business. Be prepared for competition if you qualify and apply for a small business grant. Attention to detail in the application process can often make the difference between winning and losing government grants for small business.Depending on the amount of money involved, application procedures and forms for government grants for small business can be long and complex. The trick is to break the application into manageable pieces. If you don’t already have an existing team of business partners to help you, consider outsourcing some of the application work to a consultant or freelance writer. When it comes to government grants for small business, application deadlines are firm and turning your application in late is not an option.You can do some basic research on the availability of government grants for small business at the Small Business Administration’s website. The SBA is mandated with helping small businesses succeed, but they normally don’t give grants directly. Government grants for small business are usually provided by other agencies, depending on what the grant is meant to accomplish.If you’re interested in starting a small business or expanding your existing business, then you should start finding out all you can about government grants for small business. You may want to opt for an online directory service to help you figure out which government grants for small business you might qualify for. The structure of government can be mystifying sometimes, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on a grant you’re qualified for just because you couldn’t find it. You’ll soon learn that the secret to your small business success is to concentrate on doing what you do best, and outsource the rest.

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Three Ways in Which Ordinary Painters Typically Evolve Into Pop Art Practitioners

It is possible for ordinary artists to become full-fledged practitioners of pop art, and there are three ways to go about it. When we say ‘ordinary painters’, we are referring here to the painters who have started out in anything other than this art, such as conventional abstract expressionism. It is a fact that conventional art has always been viewed as being a bit elitist. It has evolved to this art, though; however, said evolution could only be described as slow. It can also be classified as evolution because, at the end of this slow transformation of the art form, the artists deemed themselves to have improved greatly as artists. Ordinary painter do not just wake up one day, pick up their brush, and start churning out this works. Although they come up with that works, they still do not let go of their conventional art works.After some time, you will notice a shift in their concentration, with them veering towards creating art works more than conventional art. A point eventually comes when they become dedicated to art completely, and when they therefore qualify to be termed as being pop artists. Let us try to define the various triggers to this evolution from conventional art to popular art.By exposing themselves to products of popular art movement, ordinary painters will have better chances at becoming pop art practitioners. Generally, ordinary painters like what they see when they manage to get close, or be exposed, to products of art. As a result, their curiosity is roused and they start to look into ways to come up with something similar. And that leads to a situation where they have to learn art practices and methods. In the process, they keep on getting drawn to popular art, until a point comes where they have absolutely no more interest in conventional art: a point at which their evolution into pop artists is said to be complete.The second way in which ordinary painters typically evolve into pop art practitioners is through exposure to the literature developed by members of this art movement. If you look at the popular art practitioners, you will find that they did not initially go looking for these literature. More often than not, they only happened to stumble on these literature. These literature are actually very informative, delving into that in great depth and showing how it fares against conventional type. You would even learn about how pop art is better than the elitist conventional type. Aspiring pop art practitioners find themselves getting a push, or become more convinced, to practice this type form over conventional after having read those literature.The third way in which ordinary painters typically evolve into pop art practitioners is through interactions with members of this particular art movement. if you compare practitioners from other artists, you will see how different they are. They seem to have more zest for their art. Apparently, they also earn more from the practice of their art. They also seem to find their art more meaningful or with more depth. The more exposure they get to other pop art practitioners, the more attracted they will be to the prospect of becoming one of them. Thus, from conventional art, they will then move on to becoming pop art practitioners, until such time that they make a name for themselves in that field.

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Technology and Design History (Timeline Infographics) Part 1

Have you ever wondered what attracted you in a new iPad, new smartphone, or any other modern gadget? Was it its fascinating technology or its simplicity of design? Design has become an essential communication tool and it’s hard to imaging new technology without it. I wanted to look at the history timeline to define correlation between technology and design and their impact on each other. I used an art history timeline to compare evolution of both areas.1750-1850 The Industrial Revolution and Romanticism.The first prominent interaction between technology and design (art at that time) began with the Industrial Revolution. Needless to say, the Industrial Revolution was the starting point in modern technology development and has changed the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times.Design existed mostly in the form of art at that time and was in transition from Baroque movement (1600-1750) to Neoclassicism (1750-1850) and later – Romanticism (1780-1850). While Neoclassicism was inspired from the “classical” art and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome, Romanticism was already a reaction to the Industrial Revolution with its population growth, and urban sprawl. Romanticism portrayed the achievements of heroic individualists and artists, whose pioneering examples would elevate society.Highlights of the period:1765 Steam Engine.
1783 First Hot air balloon.
1796 Lithographic printing process.
1816 First photographic negative.
1835 First photograph.
1843 Typewriter invented.
1847 Rotary printing press.1850-1900 The Second Industrial Revolution and Realism.The second part of the Industrial Revolution is also known as electromechanical age. The technological and economic progress lead to the development of steam-powered ships, railways, electrical power generation, and many more.Visual art of the period was about truth and accuracy and was called Realism. Many paintings depicted people at work, emphasizing the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution. The advances in photography, made through 19th century, took popularity of Realism to the next level, creating a desire for people to reflect everyday reality. Art during the second half of the 19th century was called Impressionism and emphasized an accurate depiction of light that could have been influenced by discoveries of photography.Highlights of the period:1867 Dynamite.
1876 Telephone.
1879 Electric light bulb.
1892 Diesel engine.
1894 Radio waves.1880-1914 Art Nouveau. By the end of the 19th century machine-made art production was increasing. The first device that could easily and quickly set complete lines of type for use in printing presses – the Linotype machine (1886) – revolutionized the art of printing. This invention increased demand in typography and resulted in design of Akzidenz Grotesk (1898) – the first sans serif typeface to be widely used.The same 1898 was a year of the first commercial motion picture. Soon followed by many others, initiating a new, separate form of visual art – Motion pictures.This period was critical in the history of design as it branched out from the art, making its way into all types of commercial design. The movement called Art Nouveau initiated graphic and advertising design and by 1909 magazines had become major ad channels. Art continued evolving from one movement to another – from Post-Impressionism, Expressionism to Cubism and others.Highlights of the period:1886 Linotype (typesetting) machine.
1892 Alternating current generator.
1900 First mass-marketed camera – the Brownie.
1903 Powered airplane.
1907 Color photography and helicopter.
1908 First mass-production of the Ford Model T automobile.1910-1930 Art Deco.The growth of the professional graphic design industry has grown in parallel with the rise of consumerism. While technology continued improving and monetizing its inventions, design was evolving into communication tool. Art Deco was an ornamental design style based on geometric shapes inspired by technologies such as aviation, radio, electric lighting, and others. Its linear symmetry was a distinct step towards simplicity from the flowing asymmetrical organic curves of its predecessor style Art Nouveau. Art Deco design was suitable to be read from a speeding car.In 1919 the first model of the modern art school was founded in Germany – the Bauhaus.It had a profound influence in art, architecture, typography and all forms of design, eventually providing the framework for modern design.Highlights of the period:1919 First air service and first electric typewriter.
1920s Regular wireless broadcasts for entertainment.
1923 Television Electronic and first sound film.1930-1945 Modernism.Technology of the Industrial Revolution found its way into daily life of ordinary people. Electricity, the telephone, the radio, the automobile created the most visible social changes of that period. The need to learn, work, and live with the technology demanded new skills and ability to perceive lots of information.Modern ideas in art and design appeared in commercials and logos in rejection of the ornate flourishes of preceded design styles. With increased amount of new information that an average person had to grasp, the need for clear, easily recognizable and memorable design increased as well. Straight lines, minimalism, lack of clutter, primary colors prevailed in the design and art of Modernism.Times New Roman font was designed (1932). First TV commercial was aired from Bulova Watch Company with the slogan “America runs of Bulova time!” (1941).Highlights of the period:1936 BBC began transmitting world’s first public service.
1937 Jet engine.
1938 Ballpoint pen.
1941 Kodak negative film.
1943 Aqua-lung.
1945 The atomic bomb.1955-1980 Pop Art and Minimalism.Post-war technology of that period cheered us up with various great inventions and gave birth to a new type of human species – geeks. Invention of a personal computer dramatically impacted and forever changed the way people live, work, and communicate.In art history this period is known as Pop Art and Minimalism, which we can see reflected in design as well. The rise of different media forms and the modern advertising industry increased the need for a readable, easily displayed typeface. The new font, designed for simplicity, was Neue Haas Grotesk font (1957), later renamed Helvetica. With the rise of personal computing in the 80s, Helvetica was replaced by Arial as a digital standard.Minimalism played critical role in advertising as well. Among clustered and flashy ads appeared a new, simplified advertising approach. “Think Small” ad campaign (1959) for the Volkswagen Beetle became the No. 1 campaign of the 20th century.Highlights of the period:1951 The Universal Automatic Computer (Univac).
1956 Videocassette recorder.
1961 The first human to orbit the Earth.
1968 First computer mouse.
1968 Computer video game, compact discs, and email.
1974 Personal computer.1980 – 2000 Postmodernism.With the release of first Macintosh computer in 1984 a new era has began in technology and design – an era of collaboration. Technology continues to open new doors in consumerism and every day life, but design drives the esthetics and usability of the most tech innovations. Apple computers gained popularity not for its unique technology (first personal computer was created a decade before Mac), but for its unique design and simplicity.Apple created a new standard in design – in web, print, advertising, marketing, product design, but didn’t invent any of the above. It surely was the first to successfully leverage symbiosis between technology and design.In 1990 first Photoshop software was released and at that point technology gave everything it could at that time to invite design on its side.Highlights of the period:1984 First Macintosh computer from Apple, featuring bitmap graphics.
1985 CD-ROM; digital imaging processor by Pixar.
1990 World Wide Web.
1994 Online Advertising.
1995 DVD.Ever since industrial revolution technology began developing rapidly and today it occupies every corner of human life. Though art as a form of communication existed way before technology (since cave men), it only became a powerful communication tool after merging with technology in the mid of 20th century.So, even though art and technology had different roots and developing process, both are now parts of one inseparable unit. One cannot exist without the other.

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