It never hurts to pay attention to the relationships you are in even if they are coming to an end. Partnerships change over time and they don’t always work out. It isn’t that they fail that matters, it is how you leave them that is important. We all have long memories in this business, and we all travel great distances. Nothing goes farther than a […]
Personal Investment vs. Professional: learning to let go
Why do you create art? Who do you create it for? I create art because I will be loony if I don’t. The thought now of giving it up makes me hyperventilate, seriously. I have said it before, it is the act of creating that is important to me. Once it is done, I need to start something else. I have found my stopping point; […]
The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask.
Many would argue with the above statement – they have teenagers who will work hard to find the dumbest question possible. For the rest of us, what do I mean? There are times in our lives where we have missed the application boat by a few hours, wanted to be in another spot in a show, wished we had signed up for 20’ instead of […]
The Rest of the Story….
I’m thinking on an artist named Heade. When I was in college, I had a seminar class on art history. The instructor opened one class with a story about an antique collector. The shopper bought a painting at an estate sale for a very minimal amount. $20 maybe? She purchased it for the frame because the painting was so dirty, she couldn’t even tell what […]
Miniskirts, unicorns and economic indicators…. What is the plan for those?
The headlines scrolled across my TV today as I wondered what the new day would bring. “Recession Looming” is the one that stood out to me and I rolled around the complications in my head. As a person that is trying to make my money in art, I am always watching for economic indicators. Mini skirts, car sales, buttered popcorn, unicorns…. The list goes on […]
It’s a Keeper! Maybe.
I got an interesting question this last weekend, “How do you let go of your art?” It’s easy for me, I told the woman in front of me. I am a “Process Oriented” artist. That means, I find my joy in the creative journey when I paint. Other artists find their joy in the finished piece and they are “Goal Oriented”. I believe it is […]
When to quit
The hardest decision an artist faces is, “When is a painting done.” I am teaching classes and I will literally take a painting away from a student and say, “You’re finished.” Students generally tend to be grateful when I do that because they have a difficult time recognizing the finishing point. Let’s not kid ourselves; figuring out a finishing point is a gut wrenching, mind […]
Going with the flow.
Being an artist is so wonderful at times. It isn’t always but there are serene moments that take my breath away. I get caught up in what I should be doing to the point of losing the perspective of Doing anything. Today for example, I got so caught up in the chores of my craft; I felt forced. It hadn’t been a great day prior […]
Being a grownup;….. yuck.
About 6 years ago I made a conscious decision to be a “Professional” artist. I was going to be dedicated to my craft. I would work towards having things like; Inventory, Customer Database, Mobile Retail Space, Show Schedule and Dedication. I was raised by a Pro, I felt I knew what I was getting into. There was one problem, her footsteps no longer lead to […]
Who wins when we pay it forward?
I got caught in a Starbucks “Pay it forward” chain today. If you don’t know what that is, let me explain. It all started when the company put in drive thru locations. The person in front of you; who is probably much more energetic than a coffee addict has a right to be, decides to share their joy of the day and buys your […]
