Skip to main content

Breakers

Take it where you find it...

As a freelance artist of the starving type you most likely won't be able to afford a "vacation" like most people. You really can't afford to not be hustling or completing projects and you most likely can't afford a plane ticket anywhere. So it's important to take your fun where you find it- and hopefully as cheaply as possible. For me that was 3 luxurious days in a row SWIMMING at a local pool. I hadn't been swimming all summer and the summer before I went swimming once so I was taking advantage of it but not irresponsibly....I was up early in the studio making sure the days work got done before I hit the water. Building boxes to ship prints in, to the post office mailing out orders and painting and graphic designing before the bikini could be put on.
I knew my body was about to revolt and could feel the pains coming on and my symptoms flaring up but the relaxing water and fun really helped and as soon as it was over...pain flared up. I have to remember stress aggravates my condition. BREATHE! Let it go! 
Yesterday found me at jury duty...and I'd rather not relive the experience again if I can help it. As a person who doesn't like giant throngs of people and who unfortunately had to go through a horrible time visiting my brother in jail and his own court trial....not a place I like to go. Anyway, let's move on because that truly sucked.
The week has new projects... a record order for a friend, finishing the very last minutiae of a graphic design project and working on some small pieces for a charity I helped with last year -the Reading and Radio Resource. Luckily my shelves are stacked with small blank canvases I bought at an ambitious time in my life thinking I would fill them quickly. Riiiiiight. Also primering a stack of records in hopes of getting cracking on those soon. Let's not talk about my poor abandoned painting sitting on the easel behind me, I can feel it's neglected pouty stare on my neck right now. :(
In a nutshell... BUSY. Oh yeah, some stupid tax stuff to do today. Sigh. I am missing that swimming pool right about now. BREATHE! Let it go! And take your fun where you find it!


Comments

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'

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

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