The business side of being an artist is getting me down today. I just want to get to the paints and get started on a new series of small paintings. Instead, I have been getting paperwork organized, sorting through a contract, preparing applications to art shows that I'm applying to, and trying to contact people over the phone only to get their voice mail. These are the things that frustrate me to no end, tire me out and sometimes bore me to tears. As much as I dislike this part of being an artist, I make myself a coffee, take a deep breath and trudge on. If I can get all this "stuff" under control then I can get to the best part. The creative part. The part that makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning and get right into the studio. The part that makes me love Mondays. Bring it on!!
I laugh when I think of the old "starving artist" stereo type. I don't buy into that notion. To me being an artist is my job. It's our second income. It's my business and that's how I handle it. I realized earlier this year while going through a bit of a personal "artistic crisis" that I was not spending as much time as I should be marketing my art, so I joined VAO and attended some seminars that they were offering. I started paying more attention to my blog and opened my online shop. I've also decided that it's time again for me to do a few art shows on my own as well as my gallery shows. For now it's back to the phone, a few emails, and some positive thoughts to keep me going.
