Intrepid Murmurings

The Artist's Work
Lest you think all I ever do is think and obsess about pregnancy, here's a post about something ELSE that I'm actually doing. I have been getting back to some art work in the past few months, after a bit of a break where I was totally uninspired and uninterested in doing anything. Currently, and for the past few years, I have not been working outside the home. Before that, I was a 1st grade and then kindergarten teacher and pretty much felt like I was working or thinking about work ALL THE TIME, every day, and stressing about it profusely. I was sick all the time as well, which was the final straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. I felt very lucky to have the choice to quit teaching and not have to look for another job immediately. At first I did lots of projects around the house and yard, and then started doing more art in my home studio and volunteering at a few places. It has been an interesting process, learning how to work as an artist without the pressure of a boss or other such workplace structures. Unfortunately, I tend to (at least in the past) do my best work under extreme pressure and have huge motivation/procrastination issues if I do not have looming deadlines set by forces outside of myself. This is exacerbated by all the distractions my house provides to me just steps from my studio. Though I know the importance of setting a "work" schedule, actually sticking to it has not been a strong point for me. Not at all. It has also been a challenge for me to recognize and acknowledge all the other aspects of work an artist must do, besides just the "creating art" side of it. Things like researching new ideas or techniques, working on resumes and portfolios, shopping for and learning to use supplies, and pricing, marketing, and selling or showing ones work. These are things that eat up huge amounts of time and energy, and really are critical aspects of being a successful working artist. But it has been hard for me not to think of these things as somehow separate, time spent frittering away the day away and not really "working" in the sense that I've always seen it in my minds eye. In the past few months, some things happened to help me make a little progress on all this. I was lucky enough to have someone interested in buying some of my art and photographs, so I finally had to dig in and do the technical work that had to be done. I figured out the details on editing and printing my digital images, and researched and made decisions on pricing, framing and shipping options. Some of these tasks took way more time than I expected, but others were much easier, too. I was also inspired to get my website in better order, with photos and pricing, both of which were long overdue! Most recently, I just finished two commissioned mosaic pieces and now have to get started on an encaustic piece I've committed to entering in a memorial art show for a high school teacher of ours. I realize I need to continue to line up things like this, things with deadlines and intentions expressed to other people, since that keeps me on track so much more than those I just set for myself. Hopefully I'll get better with that, too, over time. Of course, there is another deadline looming for us come May, and I have a feeling all bets are off for working on art for awhile after that! Hopefully I will be able to get back to things after a bit, though? Am I kidding myself? Hope not, but we'll see...