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Art Plunging- How to do it....

My "studio" aka The Dining Room aka The Cat Room

This is going to be a MULTI-PART blog, oh Lord...because I have so much to explain about taking the ART PLUNGE and I don't want to bore you in one fell swoop. Yesterday I got a wonderful email from a dear friend of mine I have never met in person. We've been internet pals for years ...since the....watch out theres about to be a dirty word dropped here...MYSPACE DAYS. She's a fellow creative, artist, fun soul and also a blogger so I've been able to keep up with her adventures and mishaps through the years. Much like me she isn't afraid to bare her soul and in that regard I feel like I know her well through her postings even if we've never met. She messaged about how I inspire her and she wants my advice in doing just what I did- leaving a life of misery to follow your artistic dreams and feel fulfilled. So I promised her all my my most helpful advice and since I know she isn't the only one who might be curious I'm writing it in a blog in case you need that advice to. Right up front and without any shame I'm going to say this: I AM POOR
And I mean that in the most wonderful sense of the word... because to the world it means lacking in money. This is true. However on the flipside of that I AM RICH. I am rich in what matters most to me, being fulfilled that what I am doing is offering my gift to the world on a daily basis...that gift being my artistic services, my drive, my motivation to others, etc. So if you are really willing to make the sacrifices and go through with the ART PLUNGE I'm just going to simply tell you what I did. The reality of working for yourself. The reality of going without certain luxuries because the luxury of time, of working on you and your art might outweigh certain pleasures like exotic vacations, sushi dinners every week, cable tv, a shopping habit, etc. 
If you keep in mind that this was my way of doing things and I am unique in my thinking and approach to things as you are to your life and some things won't work for you as they have worked for me. But keep an open mind and as I've said...OPEN HANDS...you can make things work for you, even obstacles will become rungs on a ladder to climb. Ok, so keep checking here and I will update with all my tips, experiences and hopefully motivating writing....always showing you the hard reality so you don't think this is candy land. Even if it isn't I would have it NO OTHER WAY. This feels like REAL LIVING finally. 
Until next blog...be thinking on this....your monthly budget! What does it take to keep you in shelter, food, utilities, medicine, etc for a month. What are you willing to cut if anything? Theres a magic number there that will keep you floating. Figure that number out.Imagine what it might be like to do without some things. You will have to get creative sometimes but then again if you're an artist- you're good at that already.
See you in the next post!

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