Have you ever worked your brain so hard on something that you find the need for more calories? I found this out some time ago, but it still amazes me how much energy thinking takes.
I’ve been tackling my “fancy” drawings again – my more “serious” art. My stickers and postcards are truly a free for all space and a brain break for me. However, making a line of stationery needed my undivided attention, which meant my fine line drawings took a backseat.
Well, I think it is time to put my main focus back on that body of work and other ventures. I will continue bringing new postcards and stickers to life, but the bulk of that work is completed. And now it is time for fancy art:
I started this while I was at my last market, which turned out to be a total bust, so I used the time to draw. Not terribly attached to this one, it was more of an exercise, we’ll see where it goes.
Speaking of markets, I did my last outdoor market…might be convinced to do Pride next year, but we shall see. This last one kicked my ass as I had to hold on for dear life as 20mph winds blew through me for 2 hours straight. I learned my lesson from my stuff blowing away this last month, and although that didn’t happen this time, it took A LOT of effort to hold ground and the amount of anxiety surly shortened my life. I sold my tent the next day! Ha! I am done with that shit!
This week I dove into a new drawing that has a lot of intention poured into it. It is one of two I am hoping to pull into the world that mean a lot to me.
This is the humble beginnings of my newest work. I decided to go small so I can get the positive reinforcement of completing something. Hopefully this will get my engines running again to really get some new work turned out.
A little reference picture:
I hope to have both drawings finished in the coming weeks. I’ll be sharing them here!
Lastly, I’ve been thinking about how much social media sucks. Anybody else hate it? It just stole the magic of walking through the world and shoved it into a box for us to look into and become sad.
I keep asking, how does an artist sell their work and find opportunities without it? I fear I will become obsolete. I don’t know what to do, but I am quite sad about it.
Living life outside the box is nice. I do think some of the technology that plays a heavy roll in our life can be positive. Like the cell phone camera – I got to capture this beautiful view of my city:
Seen from the rooftop of my neighborhood bookstore hang out 😌
Last night I took some time to really think about my very real and very strong urge to abandon social media platforms. Something that came to mind is how I’ve been toiling away at it for 10 years and I haven’t “hit it big.” Not that I ever had plans for such an event, but ultimately it has only given a one off sale here and there. A small win for an enormous amount of my time. In person, I do exponentially better. The question I ask myself is what would happen if I stepped away from the screen and brought my work into the real world with more intention?
The real world would mean sharing right here on my blog, in my local art community, my art website, and finally moving towards those in-person engagements I dream up all the time. Can I find more success hitting the pavement and spending time in front of people?
It feels so silly to be grappling with social media. Just quit! Don’t get on as often! These are all meaningful solutions, if you’re not addicted to the platforms and under the belief that having an active presence is what will make or break a business.
What’s next for this conundrum is to fuck around and find out. ‘Cause whatever this living hell is, it’s killing my little artist soul. Dramatic, but true.
Speaking of my art website… stationery and original art make for cherished gifts. And, lurkers, I hate to break it to you, but the holidays are coming. Tis the season to buy from your local weirdo and watch the billionaires freak out because their sales took a hit. Cool shit here! I am particularly found of this one right now.
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