Skip to main content

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!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jim Rockford was keeping me broke

Ah Rockford files, a comfortable and silly way to unwind after work. Yes, I am completely aware that I've turned into my Dad and watching Dad shows totally cements that theory. I had to start looking at the handsome James Garner in a new light though... He was a rich and famous star in his time and every evening spent curled up watching Rockford Files was an evening a painting wasn't getting worked on. No painting, no art show material. No painting, no galleries. No painting, no money. Would James Garner be watching TV every evening in a tired drowsy ball and not getting stuff done? Probably not.  So I pulled myself away from TV land in the evenings and devoted at least a little time in the mornings as well. Even if it's just ten minutes. Even if you are just filling in all the blacks, blues or whatever... It is progress. Something is better than nothing. I'm proud to say this little habit tweak has totally kicked my butt into gear and I'm producing at a rate I'
Post a Comment
Read more

How I had the best art year

  This was the year I got rejection letters from every open call I applied to. Granted, it wasn't very many I applied to because I am very picky about what I sign up for AND I am also very jaded about these things of late.  However, this was my best art year to date and I kinda love that it was all rejection notices this year and I STILL HAD THE BEST ART YEAR EVER. Takeaway: Today's open calls are very "agenda based" and the jurors they choose to judge have their agendas. Some want more millennials and younger artists and shun the older artists, some want you to tackle race, gender identity, politics, feminist, pro this or that.... And my art does not. I'm going to stick by  my "Nature is more important than most bullshit" stance till I die because the very atom of life and Nature is more important in my eyes than most of the stuff humans do to feel more important than another group.  But I digress! I did not get into the velvet rope clubs and it was gre
Post a Comment
Read more

The Backstory- cliff notes edition

  Skip navigation  little backstory I was totally working for myself as an artist and you know what? It was HARD! Harder than hard and harder than any job ever. But it was the most rewarding experience and I learned so much about so many things and I want to share that knowledge with you guys... My VIP art club. I didn't get a fair shake from the very beginning of my art career. I suffered a back injury at my "muggle" job which required a lot of physical therapy to get over and which I will have with me forever now. It was actually the impetus for me to quit my job and start being an artist! So I turned my bad luck into fuel for my fire. I saved 5k (painstakingly while enduring all the BS at a terrible job) and then I made the leap. I was so excited and optimistic about working for myself! I had sold little pieces here and there and was sure it was only upwards from there. 2 weeks into my freedom- my Dad died unexpectedly. What came next was indescribable DEPRESSION and a
Post a Comment
Read more