My personal goal always was to " make my living" as a working artist. Well, I guess I am there. I list that as my profession, and give the government their share of all profits.
Art is a passion; a path; really a need inside of me, wanting to come out in a tangible form. However, every day I am reminded that it is also a business.
For example: I just spent a large amount of time to figure out the EZ form that the state came up with to pay sales taxes. How to undo pushing just one button in an incorrect way? I like it when I get a human to help, but that can be a lot of time on hold. We all know about waiting for the " next available person" on the telephone.
Recently there was a complicated shipping dilemma. Add an upset client into the mix and it becomes a total lesson in patience and sanity. Rarely is one paid for all this time to sort out these basic functions. Yet we must smile, and do our best to keep the customer happy.
Now that is my goal also. Without a patron, my ceramics will sit on the shelf, or my calligraphy hang on the wall, forever. So there is both the fiscal and the human need to keep things flowing smoothly.
If we are in galleries there are shows to enter, time spent promoting ourselves and our work. Often, we must pay to be rejected. Heck, you can go out into society and get that for free, but not in the art world.
It catches me by surprise, and some sorrow, how all artists must borrow time to go into the studio and create. I guess I wish that image of the artist as the " free spirit" were more truly available.I know I chose this path, but it sure gets steep and rocky sometimes
I invite other artists to comment on their feelings about the "Biz" side of art
I love butterflies. Here I am at the butterfly farm on the faraway island of St Martin, in the Caribbean. It took a while, but I finally got this trip for my Birthday present.
I had to sit very still until one decided I might be a nice place to light. I have noticed with most creatures, if you are still, they may seek you out from curiosity.
I guess that my be my lesson in "life imitating art". When you are still, ideas often come. I was recently looking at a series of ceramic wall pieces I have had for a while. They are unfinished.The more I stared, the more ideas came to me. I had to go to my boxes of goodies and see which colors and decorations would capture the vision . No, I haven't done them yet, but it will become clearer as I start to work. Much like the butterfly which undergoes its metamorphoses.
After mating the female butterfly lays her eggs on the host plant. When it hatches, the caterpiller eats that plant. Shedding its skin often, it suspends itself by silken threads and sheds one final time to reveal the chrysalis, from which eventually, a new butterfly will emerge.
So it seems with art. It often has to go through phases of creative hatching. Finally it will emerge, like the butterfly. There are over 17,000 species spreading their unique beauty throughout the world. Like artists.
Well, here I am in my pruning gear. You know it is interesting that we have to take away in order to give space to grow.In trees they need sunlight and space. How does that apply to art? Well you can start in the studio. If it's too crowded you can't find anything and then your time is spent hunting, not creating. And one of the most difficult decisions on your piece is when to stop. You put on the last adornment, then another. No wait, it's too much. Time to take away, so that what you have started can have room to stand out and shine. Complicated. I think I will have to comtinue this later. I must go to a meeting. Now there's a whole other blog.
