I received an email yesterday announcing a local Artist demonstrating her painting technique at a local farmer's market/art fair. My immediate reaction was, I couldn't do that and it got me thinking about some of the things that are challenging for me being an Artist.
Performing in front of an audience freaks me out; I am OK doing well rehearsed examples while teaching a class but my whole creative process is very private, a mostly quiet and a very solitary affair. I do not want to be pushed to be a performing seal because people want to see a "work in progress." Part of my creativity comes from the calm of being away from the Maddening Crowd, also, my work requires me to make huge messes before I get to the final result, it is hard to be judged by people who see the mess but not the final finished art piece, my process does not really work well in a demonstrating technique environment. But I am glad others can, so more power to them.
The other part of being an Artist I do not particularly like is marketing although it is an essential part of the whole "get out there and sell" process. If you want to sell you have to market. I was talking to a girlfriend the other day complaining that I had only sold a few pieces of art this year and had not been able to participate in any shows (due to ill health as opposed to just being a slacker or not being accepted to any :). She said, don't worry about that as long as you are having fun creating. That simple! That is one of the reasons our friends are so precious to us, they boost us up regardless just at the right time. So, I am taking heart in that statement and enjoying the creative process.
There is a nagging doubt that being an Artist is a glorified hobby and after 10 years of not making any money or even covering costs I am wondering if it is time to get a real job. I guess most artists do, don't they?
So, what kind of artist am I? A pretty typical one, I think, broke, frustrated my work isn’t seen more and would love someone to discover me!! (He! He!)
But I truly love being creative, being an Artist and a Seamstress gives me many avenues to explore and so I continue.
Happy Painting and Creating! :)
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3 comments:
I have this conversation with friends all the time...I still feel like im not an artist even though ive been creating for years...i dont feel comfortable with that for some reason
I received your beautiful scarf in last week's mail and can't begin to tell you how lovely I think it is. What a fantastic blog giveaway prize. One thing I truly love is that both sides of the scarf are finished and so pretty, which makes it reversible...2 looks in one ! :D Love that. My daughter is always looking for nice, reasonably priced gifts for co-workers, friends and her kids teachers, these scarves would be just perfect. I will certainly tell her about your etsy shop. Thanks so much for such a pretty present ! =)
And what kind of artist are you ? I think you're a great artist !
I'm with you. I cannot imagine putting my creative process on display for others to see! They would be bored! LOL! Sometimes creativity comes easily and quickly and sometimes (okay, ALOT) it takes a long time. Yes, if I have a project planned out and thought through, I can teach it. But not on the fly... at least I don't think so.
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