My Appropriation Story...Biography and then some.

Old habits are hard to break, and even harder when YOU'RE old.

I am guilty of appropriation. But I vow... not in the future.
But how did I get here?

Here's the back story...

I could blame it on my revered High School Art Teacher, Mr. Levine. I loved him [not romantically]. He taught me a lot, but also some bad habits... including the DEADLY opaque projector technique.

High School - Photo by Robert Schimmel, double exposure.

I spent most of my spare time in High School in the Art room. Actually, spent some Chemistry, Geometry and Physics time in there, too. I was often fetched by a fellow student and dragged to class. My Math teacher, Babe Steen would just stand the hallway and yell - SCHIMMEL!!!! I only went to science classes [reluctantly] because Mr. Green was so cute. I would rather be in the art room than anywhere. But let us go back further...

When I was a very little girl, I was painfully shy. I started playing piano when I was 4. By ear. I have perfect pitch, and after my older brother's piano teacher left, I would walk over to the piano and play his lessons. My Mom was in the kitchen and thought Bob was practicing. When she realized it was me, she signed me up for lessons and immediately started thinking "child prodigy" and Julliard and the Ed Sullivan Show. Terror!

shy little girl in Reading, PA

I also started drawing when I was little.
I would stay in my room and draw. For hours. I always drew people. Or clothes [on people] or shoes [on people]. I can draw. I learned on my own. Did not get much help later on except a few classes I took on my own. What an easy kid for my parents to raise. Piano lessons, practice [ick] and quiet hours alone drawing or reading.

My favorite books were [and still are] about people. I read every biography book in my school. Mostly about Native Americans.
I still read biographies.

Left to my own devices [literally], I'll watch documentaries about PEOPLE.We went to the JCC in Reading, PA and I took lots of art classes. Ceramics was my favorite. I still have EVERYTHING I ever made, even if it's cracked or broken.

In 6th grade, I made a puppet. I put him a plaid kilt, and a Tam O'Shanter... I remember arguing with my teacher who insisted I had to decide whether he was Irish or Scots. What a bitch...how would I know the difference at 11? Now, on reflection...I'm thinking Scottish, I could swear it's the Black Watch tartan. I still have that puppet, too...molting away somewhere in a box. And now I know the difference.

In junior high, I really started thinking more about art and got great grades in drawing, and got an award for a portrait I did of my typing teacher [yeah... I'm THAT old]. Mr. Hobart really forced us to think outside the box... slapping metal rulers on the table and shouting "WAKE UP PEOPLE, it's the Pepsi Generation!"

I was not the "best" artist in school, that was Nancy Kintisch. And there were others. We were not in competition. The cameraderie in art rooms in high school was positive. But, encouragement on the home front was non-existent.

In the years between high-school and today... I bounced around colleges [4] and was an on-again off-again art major. I have to say, I learned very little in art class. One teacher I had for live drawing absolutely HATED me and ignored me all semester. At another college, one professor said "You know what you're doing, I can't teach you anything, just come back at the end of the semester with 12 paintings and I'll give you an A."
I was in a hard-edge acrylic non-representational phase for a while. But mostly, PEOPLE...always people. My degree is actually in Psychology [that's a long story about Eidetic Imagery experiments - on ME] ...but I did finish classes to get a BFA later.
Maybe I wasn't paying attention, or maybe it wasn't covered, but I never really learned how to BE an artist, how to make a living as a fine artist, how to get into galleries, or musuems, and I still don't know what a fellowship or residency is.
I'm not a joiner, and I need to learn things quickly. If I can't pick it up, I don't get it.
Well.. I got kicked out of graduate school since I could not pick a concentration. But, it was fun taking Textile design, and Surface design, and Metal work and Jewelry and Fiber Arts... even though I knew painting people was my thing.
And maybe fashion design...or shoe design...see, I'm still doing it!

So naturally, I went into retail. What a joke. But then came Display. Although I designed all sorts of things - from handbags to T-shirts to jewelry, my career in Display, Window Trimmer, Visual Merchandiser kept me alive. And fed the creative side of me. And painting on the side. Always painting.

Fast forward to the naughts. Frustrated in a corporate career, divorced, single parent... I decide to go get back into Art. After playing around with mosaics, I am finally SURE of what I want to do, a style, a technique I developed. Turning junk mail into tiles, and creating mosaics with them. Mosaics of PEOPLE. New husband, my angel, said quit your job and be an artist.

My first Mosaic experiment...a self-portrait

So, with an anthem to rock, we built a studio and never looked back.

Okay - it's gonna be people. What people? I scour through magazines and pull out photos. I paste them on my studio walls. I draw from them, I simplify, but... I am using photos from magazines for my subjects. Look, I never lied about it - it's just he way I worked. My whole vision was to USE those very objects - women's faces - and create something new.

My latest work is my last appropriation. The photo on the left is from W magazine, and is by Patrick Demarchelier. I loved this girl's face and the composition. So, I drew from it. I made enough changes that I believe it is "transformative," and the new piece has new elements I added...having started out thinking Tudor age then switched to a Renaissance feel. There she is on the right - in my messy studio. Either way, I am guilty of appropriation and that's that.

But now, I've decided to stop doing that. I have a lot of commission work going on through the next several months, but starting in the spring, I vow to create my own images and work from those.

In the spirit of letting go, I'm holding a clearance sale now through Christmas to clear out the studio and my head.

Looking forward to a new year and new direction. Cheers!

Sandhi

"Peor es Nada"

So - who are you - the product of your DNA or who society labels you as?

This is a new, original mosaic portrait I created in my "True, the Looking Glass" series.

In 1835, a schooner named “Peor es Nada” left one of the Channel Islands after gathering the the last of the surviving natives, the Nicoleño people. One woman was left behind. The accounts of the reason vary - perhaps her baby was not on board, or she went back to the village for a prized possession. Did she jump ship or just not make it in time? A storm arose, she had not returned and the ship sailed back to the coast of California.

Over the next 20 years, this Nicoleño woman lived alone on the island. She learned to make baskets from wild grasses, to fish, to hunt seal and otter and built a dwelling from old whale bones. She sewed herself a garment from cormorant feathers and seal sinew. She survived inclement weather, fought off wild dogs and alluded hunters and hostile visitors to the island.

Meanwhile, her people were sent the San Gabriel Mission in California, and she was all but forgotten.  Her people were absorbed into California and all aspects of their culture and language disappeared.

Eventually, Captain George Nidever landed on San Nicolas Island in 1853 and found the lost woman. She boarded his ship with her bone needles and a basket, wearing the feather garment [and not much else!]. She was taken to the mission in Santa Barbara.

Now, she was a ward of the Nidever family and the Mission. No one could understand her language, including Chumash Indians from other Channel Islands.

The lost woman was given a new identity - new clothes, a new name, a new religion - she was baptized Juana Maria [even though she did not understand what that meant] and something else - foods she was unfamiliar with. This new diet quickly made her ill and she died within seven weeks of her “rescue.” She was buried in an unmarked grave, used for "Indians."

The phrase “Peor es Nada” can be translated as “Better than Nothing” or “Worse than Nothing” - This portrait is my loose interpretation of this story of lost identity - the two faces of the woman - the ward of the glittering church with a fresh new identity - and the brave, wild native woman adorned in cormorant feathers. I’ll let you decide which interpretation of the phrase works best.

The medium used - recycled paper, paint, feathers, jewels and yarn. On canvas: 24x36” Due to the delicate nature of the medium, it must be framed behind glass. Please contact me for pricing.

If this story sounds familiar, a fictionalized version was captured in the book Island of the Blue Dolphins  and later into a film of the same name. If you have children, it is a wonderful, well-written story, albeit frightening for little ones.

The “truer” story of the woman can be found here.

My Dinner with a Super Model!

How does an unknown Virginia-based artist end up having dinner with a super model 

and her boyfriend at Cipriani in New York City?

Faire* question.

Answer: Kismet

and to modernize this charming word in familiar terms - FATE.

But, let's also recognize the significance of the internet in this story.

Some time in 2010, yours truly perused the Neiman Marcus fall catalog. Came across a photo of a beautiful young lady and ripped it out. 

Put it in a drawer full of inspiration - magazine pages, photographs, and many other images. Popular culture, fashion, beauty - yes, these are my references. It might not be an accepted or respected resource material, but it's my artistic vision to recreate one image of beauty from another:

"My work reflects our society's obsession with beauty through advertising - and the endless images that bombard us daily. It is a purposeful intermix of images derived from advertising and thousands of incongruent pieces - images and text - from advertising that arrives through my mailbox. Assembled like a mosaic; the junk mail paper tiles create an entirely new image - an eclectic and tactile portrait reworked in my imagination, utilizing materials that would otherwise go to waste."

At the right moment, I pulled out that photo and created a painting on canvas. The image is a jumping-off point. It is only a sketch, and then I make up a story as I go along. I often don't know who the model is, unless it is a celebrity... As I created this piece, I realized this beautiful young woman reminded me the serene beauty, sexiness and confidence of a young Catherine Deneuve in the film Belle de Jour. The colors I chose became a 60's pop scheme reminiscent of the time of the film...and the title "Faire" is one word from the some phrase I translated from French - "Do I remind you of someone else?"

 

The composition is mixed media - a paper mosaic. All of the pieces of paper were hand-cut pieces of junk mail, or paper that would go to waste. The background includes scraps of scrapbook paper that a friend was going to throw away! I don't color the paper - that is the color of the material - it might be a magazine fly card, a postcard, advertising, catalog cover, menu...anything. I save everything paper to upcycle/recycle/repurpose into my art.

The piece was shown in NYC at Art Expo, and afterwards was sent to Translations Gallery in Denver - one of the galleries that represents my work.

If you know me, you know I post images on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, I blog, I send out emails. I can't help it, my background is in marketing, and I don't just make art, I do whatever I can to get it into the hands of the collector who I made the art for...

finding that person is the challenge for the artist, the gallerist, the collector!

Екатеринбу́рг is somewhere in the Ural mountains in Russia. An artist there saw a blog which featured my work. She followed the link to my site and realized the subject of one of my pieces, "Faire" looked a lot her friend, Masha. She sent Masha a link to the blog - who followed it to my web site. She and her boyfriend, Adis were certain "Faire" was indeed Masha Philippova!

That night, they called the phone number on my web site. Adis told me he thought I created a piece of art of his girlfriend. I felt a bit awkward, I didn't know where the conversation was going. We talked for a bit, in the meantime I was scouring the internet for photos to confirm Masha was Faire. Adis wanted us to meet, but of course, we're in Virginia, he and Masha are in NYC. He would have loved to have a reproduction of the piece - BIG.

However, my husband Norm and I were headed to NY in just a couple of weeks. I thought I would see if I could get the original piece from the gallery to take to NY. 

The next day, I called the gallery in Denver. "Sandhi, great news - I just sold one of your pieces!' Judy told me. "Which one," I asked. "Faire." Uh-oh. Yes, that is great...and the timing couldn't be stranger!

I created a reproduction on canvas - as large as possible. We took our trip to New York [we were going on a pilgrimage to see Ronnie Earl play at BB King's in Times Square anyway]. Adis invited us to Cipriani [you know, like Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy...where W Somerset Maugham [my favorite author] and Hemingway used to drink!].

We had a lovely dinner, the four of us talking, eating and laughing - thinking of how impossible the circumstances were to bring us together. Adis is charming and dynamic. I spent a lot of time looking at Masha's incredibly beautiful face, and there was much mutual admiration around the table. I am hoping we can meet again and work together showing and sharing my work with the world!

In the meantime, I signed the reproduction of "Faire" on the bar, and we went our separate ways...for now. 

And that's how this [temporarily] [hopefully] unknown artist had dinner with a super model!

The connection between advertising and art [mine, anyway]

original ad [I found it]

An ad for Target a year ago was SO cute I hung on to it. A girl with a wistful expression and long straight hair in a cute spring dress...flowers in there somewhere.

original painting

A few weeks ago I painted a woman with long hair... and a long neck...and although I always start with a painting, my work doesn't always end up looking exactly the same [to me, anyway]. I still had that Target ad in my head. But, I didn't use it as a reference, and as someone with eidetic imagery, I didn't need it. It's not the girl from the ad.

I started the mosaic. I had drawn a lot of diverging lines, but ended up using only a few as a guide. Black, grey, white, cream... cutting all my pieces and placing them just so...

Somewhere in there, I decided on ditching flesh tones for the shadows. Gray highlights in her hair got a coating of periwinkle metallic glaze.

I found a piece of junk mail [to me, anyway] from a food bank in Israel [?] with gorgeous tones of periwinkle. That ended up being a key color, so I sorted through the "blue" box to find coordinating pieces. Nothing matchy-matchy.


What's the connection between advertising and my work? Well, for one thing, we're bombarded with images of beauty in advertising. They are the basis for the images I paint. Then, I use images from advertising to create my paper tiles.

No magazines, I use advertising that comes to me... mostly junk mail: flyers, postcards, catalog covers, advertising ephemera, fly cards, etc. Even gallery cards. 

almost done

I thought I was done. Background done. Stood back... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bored?
Did it need something else?

I revved up that eidetic imagery and "remembered: that ad again - that original inspiration from a couple of years ago and decided to use that as a "jumping off" place. I designed and hand cut flowers. And stems. I placed them where I thought they ought to be. All the while thinking, geez this is going to look like that Target ad - busted!

But, after all - I'm no longer bored. There is no story to this image. No deeper meanings. Something beautiful that hopefully evokes an emotion. I really like it, and whaddya know, it looks NOTHING like the Target ad.

"Poppy"

What I won't do, darn it!

I love my collectors. They obviously have great taste, they like my work! They "get it." Most of the time. But I have to say...at this point in my career, I am no longer open to "suggestions."

I've spent my lifetime developing a style, a technique, a voice. I do what I do because it works for me. It brings me great joy. I know what I like, I know what I'm good at.

I also know my art is not controversial, not earth-shattering... I utilize a couple of gifts and quirks - I am eidetic, I have synesthesia, I can draw, I can paint, I have skill in cutting up paper to make my work.

I create portraits, I think they're beautiful. I am inspired by women's faces, by fashion, by travel, color, or an idea. I'm not curing cancer, I'm not trying to be clever, I make pretty pictures.

I am not a performance artist. I don't arrange shoes or shower curtains "just so," I don't dig up galleries, I don't utilize bones or doilies or pornography in my work. I don't pee or smear poop on my work.

I usually don't paint men. I'm not great at landscapes. I might feel like painting flowers but it goes away.

I want my work - the work that comes out of MY HEAD to sell. I will not apologize for wanting to make a living as an artist. Sorry, I don't want to either suffer for my craft nor do I wish to sell out. 

I do NOT paint dogs. Or cats. I do NOT paint cars or motorcycles. I do NOT do company logos. Yes, people so insane for their pets and yes, people spend a fortune on them... and yes, people with money have cars.

I have friends who paint pets and motorized vehicles. They're really good at it, and they make money selling their work. And, they LIKE it! I have graphic artist friends who create logos for a living and they're happy, too.

Me, I'm happy making beautiful women out of little pieces of junk mail and discarded paper. It's my thing. I love it. I am thrilled to be able to make art every day. I am also thrilled when it sells. It's confirmation that this work makes my collectors happy, too.

I show my work in galleries, have had a few museum shows, and I continue to work hard making better work every day. Thanks to you who appreciate my point of view, I love you, too!

Visit my web site to see more...
Schimmel Art

and please email me to chat!
Sandhi

Contemporary Art Fair NYC

I am really excited about participating in the Contemporary Art Fair NYC. I grew up in New York, and my two oldest, dearest friends live there, so it will be a great time!

I hope you'll come see the Contemporary Art Fair and Craft Fair which run at the same time. 

 

For a discount ticket, go online to click on a discounted ticket. 

I am bringing only 10 - 12 original works, 

most of them are new.

I've gathered these from gallery shows in several states, and I'm thrilled to show them in NY.

Contemporary Art Fair NYC

Please visit November 19, 20 21

Jacob Javits Center

655 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001

 

Show Hours

Fri. Nov. 19, 3pm - 7pm
Sat. Nov. 20, 10am - 7pm
Sun. Nov. 21, 10am - 4pm

Visit my web site to see the entire collection.

Mind over Matter

My artwork is not about the material used, instead it is about the mind, the thoughts behind the composition. What I use as an art supply - is something I happened on as a solution to a problem.

1. When approaching a new canvas, I don't think about the material, I think about the composition. I have long conversations with myself about what I am doing. Every line, every movement is thoughtful.
2. My purpose in creating my work is totally about the feeling I wish to evoke through the portrait, through the image.
3. I use paint to create a face. The colors I wish to use, the decisions about where on the canvas the subject goes... shadows, eye color - everything is in my mind and not influenced by material.
4. I respond to my resource image [real or imagined] and the improvisation starts there.
5. The process that begins once I finish the painting is all about manipulating the materials at hand.
6. Sometimes, the material used relates to the subject or the emotion, but it is not ruled by the material.

I want you to look at the work and respond to the image first. Then, you can look closer to view the materials, then you can think about the process I created to place each piece exactly where it needed to go to create the image.

Art Festivals...Why I do a few a year

Just like a comedian who works small nightclubs to try out new material, I participate in a few Art Festivals here and there.
Here's why:
It is a great way to meet people, show my work, get feedback and input.
I get a good read on what is in favor with a broad group of people.
Sometimes I even sell a few pieces to collectors I might otherwise not have had the chance to get to know.
I work solo in my studio, so I need a little face time with the public on occasion.
My husband likes to travel.

Which ones?
Some, because they are close, some because they are prestigious.
Some because they're located near family, some just because.

What I don't do:
Undercut the galleries that represent my work.

See you this weekend at one of the highest rated art shows in country: Scottsdale Art Festival in Arizona.
Next month in Palm Springs and San Diego.
You can always check the events page on my site: http://schimmelart.com/events.htm to see if I'll be near you.

Doing it the hard way...call me Make-ee Do-ee.

I am all about having my hands in and on everything I do.

I was working in the studio last night and the piece I am working on now is taking me WAY too long! I thought I was doing something simple, but I just don't know how to [or won't] take shortcuts.

I paint everything by hand. Sometimes over and over until I think it's right. Then I cover the whole thing up!

I cut everything by hand. I was thinking about maybe getting some kind of die to cut pieces... nah, I do it by hand.

I have to touch everything. I have to place everything. I have to think about every single little piece I place and the direction it's in, which piece it's next to...

I MUST BE CRAZY!

I suppose there are lots of shortcuts I could take, corners I could cut, but it just wouldn't be my art. A friend calls me "make-ee-do-ee" and that is just the perfect nick-name. I make it, I do it... there's a lot of heart and soul and a million touches in every piece I create.

Interview with Sandhi

I got these questions for an interview with a magazine. Not sure what will be published, but here are my answers - Why I got into art and what I do day-to-day. Let me know if you think it's interesting!

1. What made you decide to pursue art?

I have always been one of those "creative types." When I was a child, I started playing the piano at 4 [I have perfect pitch] and was always drawing… drawing shoes, drawing people, drawing clothing. There were better artists [from a technical standpoint]. I had a great art teacher that encouraged me, but my parents did not. I'm of the generation where marriage was the goal [not to me, though!] - and career choices ranged from nurse to teacher... and only as a fall back.
Although I majored in Art in college, I ended up with a degree in Psychology... mostly because I spent a lot of time in that department. It was discovered that I am an Eidetic [it's sort of like a photographic memory] and spent a couple of years as a guinea pig and research assistant. I did go back to school for a BFA.
After college, I actually had to find work. I started in retail - working my way up the corporate ladder but was jealous of the display people. I ditched the career arc to dress mannequins, do windows, etc. I stayed in Visual Merchandising - which is a legitimate art form [read: paycheck!]. I started my own Display company and designed and built displays for clothing companies, boutiques, shopping centers, etc. Our company also created decor for special events - and I learned about event management from my clients.
I was also in charge of the company's advertising, marketing and sales - which I learned on the job.
The business closed after several years and I went to work for a non-profit in marketing and events - my boss gave me amazing challenges - creating events, managing volunteers, shooting campaign videos, corporate communications, graphic design, writing assignments, sponsorship marketing - and I was a quick study - these events were highly successful and creative.
I stayed in non-profit, eventually becoming the Senior Vice President of our state's largest non-profit organization - directing all advertising, marketing, public relations, community relations, special events, non-traditional fundraising, educational programming, - including online presence, e-marketing... web storefront, etc. Although I had no formal education in technology, I knew what I wanted and how I wanted it to work. We were early adopters of web based marketing and online fundraising.
I always painted at home - or did some kind of crafty stuff. I taught myself mosaic, [you should see our bathroom floor - 40 shades of glass tile!], can make jewelry, fuse glass, throw a pot... but painting is my dearest love. Slowly, I developed a new art technique, my style really jelled, and I started pursuing opportunities to show my work.
Once work started selling, my husband encouraged me to quit.
I did. That was 3 years ago.

2. What were the biggest obstacles and how did you overcome those?
Insecurity is a big one - I kept expecting people to say "How dare you call yourself an artist!" I still die a thousand deaths creating custom work. I am sure the client has a strong vision which I don't fulfill... and half expect my clients to hate their finished product. [it hasn't happened] It takes a while to develop a thick skin. I may not be the most talented artist on the planet, but I am better than most people. And, I am better at creating art than I am accounting, driving a fork-lift or blowing up bridges. In the beginning, I thought someone had to bestow the title "artist" upon you, but after a short while, I decided to print cards. They say - Sandhi Schimmel Gold - Artist. That's all you need! See, I'm an artist, I have cards that say so. So, I don't have the MFA, I didn't go about this career in the traditional way, that's the way I am.

Money is an obvious obstacle. I was lucky our family could live on my husband's income. That said, our lifestyle changed drastically. No more vacations, dinner out less often and eating less expensive food. Turning off lights, getting rid of cable channels, not shopping for new clothes – the same things we all do to cut back. We have had our share of bad luck – medical expenses or the crazy lady that totaled my car [still no settlement]. I made sure my art expenses were paid out of my art earnings – but those are quite slim at the beginning! A financial advisor friend called me crazy.

Time-Management – when you work at home, you’re never at home, you’re never at work. It is easy to get distracted by TV, email, the phone, laundry, or meeting friends for coffee. In addition, as an artist, you do a lot more than create art! You’re also responsible for marketing and advertising, applying to shows or galleries, accounting, customer relations, web-site maintenance, shipping, inventory, taxes, travel planning, event preparations, framing, and networking. The best advice I learned is to have a place to go [I have a studio outside] and go there. Just because you work at home does not mean you’re available. Get up, get dressed [okay, I work in pajamas] have your coffee or tea and GO TO WORK. Stay in there until you’re done. The truth is, I get up by 7 every day. Work in the studio or office until 5, make dinner, relax for a little while and then work in the studio until 11 p.m. And, take care of a child, 3 dogs, a husband and a house. We have to work as a team.

Standing out in the crowd. I have a hook. It is imperative to have a unique voice or vision. And, I have a big mouth. I look for every opportunity to promote my vision, to market my work. It is not about me, although it seems like it to many people. I don’t want the attention for me, but I do want my art to be seen, I want it to sell. I am not shy about this. I am not good at networking events, but I am good at marketing through direct mail, email, pr, etc. I am good at using social networking sites to talk to people I would not otherwise meet. I have a lot of friends that are artists. They don’t know why they have not been discovered… I put myself out there and take opportunities to promote my work – from Hollywood gifting lounges to First Friday events, hanging work in restaurants, as long as my art is not compromised, and I have the time to do it – I’m there. Oh, I’ve made mistakes – I’ve wasted time and money, but I look at it this way – I am building a business brick by brick. But if I hadn’t put myself out there, I would not have met people who have propelled my work forward. The “starving artist” persona – not me.

Dealing with the public.

So, you’ve created a masterpiece. You take it to an art festival. You will be asked a million stupid questions. You will be asked personal questions. Children with sticky fingers will touch your precious work. You will be insulted [I did this in grade school!]. This is part of the process. You have to learn to be patient, gracious and kind. You have to decide if you want to give away proprietary information or not. If you feel like teaching art or selling art. You will make an impression – one way or another. You can be nice or you can be temperamental – it’s a hard lesson to learn, but you’ll find out who you really are.

3. What do you enjoy more about art in comparison to your previous job?

• There’s no I in team. My art is all about me. I thought of it – I make it – I market it – I love it. I know what inspired me, I am involved in process all the way – physically, emotionally, technically.
• I work in my pajamas. I am not a suit-wearing, high-heel type. I don’t like wearing make-up if I don’t have to.
• My boss is myself and my clients.
• I love the day-to-day routine. I love being in my studio. I love it when I’m inspired by something that keeps me working until 2 in the morning. It’s almost instant gratification.
• I love that I can take care of my child when she’s sick without the wrath of the boss.
• I love selling my work – it is SO rewarding!
• I do what I want when I want. That sounds like fun, right? Yes – but I am disciplined.
  
  4. Tell me a bit about your business, and a typical day now, compared to a typical day running websites.

What I don’t do now [not that I didn’t enjoy it, just different]:

• Go to meetings – staff meetings, strategic planning sessions, community event meetings, budget meetings…
• Please a boss, or board or directors
• Direct staff or deal with their issues
• Do payroll or budgets
• Juggle a hundred different projects with different deadlines, staff, outcomes, etc.

That said, I still do strategic planning, manage a budget, go to meetings, and juggle different projects. However, I enjoy a lot of it – and have to squeeze in things like paper work. I handle my calendar, attend gallery openings and events, clean the house, do the laundry, see family and friends, etc.

What I do on a typical day:

• Check email, Facebook & Twitter
• Drink water & tea – take vitamins
• Answer important emails.
• Most days, I head straight to the studio and work.
• Take a break, check email, eat lunch
• Back to work in the studio
• Family time
• Back to work in the studio
• Check emails
• Try to go to bed.

This is 7 days a week.

5. Any suggestions for those looking to leave their current job and become an artist?

I truly believe actual artistic talent is only a small fraction of the equation.

• Can you afford to quit? If not, start by doing as much during the hours you are not working. Say good bye to a social life and sleep. Start part time – take your work to art festivals, galleries, find places to show it and see if it sells. This is important. If you want to quit, you must be selling. This is a business. You must be prepared to treat it as such, otherwise, it’s a hobby.
• Are you disciplined? Can you set aside a space and time for your work – where everything and everyone is else banned – no one can hang out with you. Maybe music, that’s it. Can you spend hours every day creating – with no attachment to an outcome?
• Do you have ideas – more than you can possibly turn into artwork? Do you have sources for inspiration? My favorite place is the library. Or the History Channel. I find inspiration in nature, in history, and in other disciplines.
• Do you have a role model or mentor? Find some and pick their brains.
• Can you create a business plan, a marketing plan and stick to it? There are many resources available for small businesses. It is a good exercise in getting you focused.
• Do you know how to set goals? Learn the techniques of creating a strategic plan with goals and objectives and strategic outcomes. You many veer off course now and then, but it is a good way to keep you focused on your ultimate goals.
• Do you have money to spend on marketing efforts? If not, learn how to barter, and use social networking to your advantage. It takes time – and time is money.
• Can you blow your own horn? You’ll have to do it yourself for a long time. I made myself a T-Shirt that says “I talk to strangers.”
• Can you create your own story – and stay on message? Are you camera-ready? Practice what you’d say during an interview – and have a friend tape you – watch yourself and see what you have to do to come across clearly.
• Can you develop a thick skin – you can’t be sensitive or easily hurt by criticism. Everyone is a critic, everyone has something to say. You can’t let it bother you.

If you have a burning desire – and can do some or all of the above – go for it!

Creativity and Inspiration and Work

The last two posts have been about the links and patterns in my thoughts and memories that lead to inspiration and my best work.

I listened to a teleconference about time management yesterday - I got a few good nuggets out of it. And, since I have had three conversations lately with friends struggling with their creativity and how to use it, I thought about a few things that have helped me stay focused on my work. Maybe I can share a little with you.

How to approach art as work:

First and foremost - if you're an artist - it's your job. You must get up and go to work every day. Don't wait to be inspired. Just do something. In the middle of the process, even if it seems like drudgery - keep going - something will spark. Think of it this way - if you were a lawyer, or an accountant or a bus driver - you don't wait until you "feel like it" to do your work; your JOB is the same way. Otherwise, it is an avocation, not a vocation... ask yourself if it's a hobby or how you want to make a living.

This notion that you must be dead first to make it as an artist is ridiculous. Why bother? We can all name some artists, crafts people, writers, etc. that have made it big in their lifetime. Aspire to be one of those. Someone's gonna make it - why not me? Why not you? As the old adage goes - "there's always room at the top."

Not everything you create will be genius to you. Every artist produces duds. But, your dud might be just the thing for someone else - it might speak to them - so don't judge, just produce your best work!

If you're a writer - you don't have to write the next great American novel - if you're worried you won't be able to back it up with the next novel... how many people freeze if they can't do the best? Gee - have you seen a movie lately? Someone is buying up that crap.
Can't paint the Mona Lisa? Gee - have you seen a shark in a tank of formaldehyde? That "art" sold for millions?! Can you explain the popularity of Thomas Kincad or Ed Hardy?
Worried your next dress design won't make the cover of Vogue? Gee - a lot of people shop at Kohls.
What I am saying is - the world of "art" runs the gamut from Renoir to Velvet Paintings...from "War & Peace" to "I Love New York." Know where you want to be in that continuum.

Set goals. Read or listen to the greatest business people, every motivational speaker on earth and they will all tell you the same thing. Set goals. Write them down. Write down the steps that will take you toward fulfilling those goals [they're called objectives] and do them. You can listen to "the Secret" all day long - and it won't make anything happen by magic - you have to move your ass - you have to work on achieving your objectives to make your goals.

Stay focused. If you are an artist, building your business is a brick-by-brick process. Don't take on projects that are not in your goals - and don't get distracted.

Everyone will have great ideas for you. I can't tell you how many people have told me to paint dogs. I don't want to paint dogs- the thought of it gives me hives. Do what is true to you - but do remember this - you have a product. Whether it is a painting, a screenplay, a dress you designed or any other "thing," you have to take that product to market. Someone has to desire it. You need to sell it - so you can be true to yourself, as long as you know your customer base wants what you're making.

You will hit low points. You will feel like a failure. You can stay depressed and go nowhere, or you can use your time to dust off and move forward. If you want something enough that you can see it, taste it, smell it - if you can picture it, you can do it. Take a Psycho-Cybernetics course if you need a workshop that will help you reach goals. Listen to Zig Ziglar or any other speaker. None of them will tell you how to build your business, really - but they will tell you to set goals.

It's great to be creative. It's not great to wait until you feel creative to do something.

My favorite place for inspiration is the library. I'm lucky that I'm interested in so many things. I know exactly what stacks to hit - grab a bunch of books. I always find a jumping off place. The best thing is - the library is free.

For me - creating every day is part of who I am. No matter what I am painting, I look at it this way - I'M PAINTING!
As much as I want to keep working on the series I've started, I do have moments when I stray... I just finished a portrait last night that is very different than the others I've done lately - it was like a little break.

And, I like it. Someone else will like it, too.

Lastly - it might just be up to you to sell your work. Until someone else becomes your biggest cheerleader, it's gotta be you. There is nothing wrong with marketing yourself. If you don't believe, who will?

Go to the library and get "The War of Art," [not the Art of War] and read it or listen to it. It will help you figure out a way to make your art your job.

NOW GET TO WORK!

Yes, I am the smart-ass artist

I make art for YOU. I am in love with each piece as I create it, but then I am happy to let it go.
Here are some of the questions I get asked every time I show my work. Yes, I am a smart-ass.

FAQ:

1. "Are YOU the artist?" - When people meet me in person, they seemed to be surprised at my appearance - were you expecting someone taller? younger? male? thinner? African-American...blonde?

2. "How long have you been an artist?" - I've never not been an artist.

3. "How long have you been doing this kind of work?" - I've done mosaic work forever. Check out photos of my bathroom on my web site. I created mosaic portraits in many versions using several techniques - years ago. I created a mosaic landscape in high school. I've always painted in this style...so it's a natural progression. The first portrait in this style probably happened in 2004.

4. "How did you come up with this idea?" - I'm brilliant! Sounds like a smart-ass answer, but what else would it be? I'm clever, I'm talented, I'm an artist, I'm creative...!

5. "Why is it so expensive?" - Compared to what? How do you put a price on my talent... or the time it takes to create a fabulous piece of art from nothing? A canvas is blank - and after a while it is filled with color & texture - my vision transformed to a sustainable image you can own forever. A "Kelly" bag from Hermes can cost $30,000.00! A pair of Manolo Blahnik designer shoes can be over $1000.00 [and you won't wear them next season!],

6. "Where do find your materials?" - the mailbox. And, stuff that might have been heading into the recycle bin. Yes, it's all mine. I save everything.

7. "Oh, so it's JUST paper?" - JUST paper? Yeah, and Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" - it's just paint...so are the masterpieces created by Picasso, Klimt, Jackson Pollock - Michaelangelo's "David" - it's just a piece of rock... Rodin's "Thinker" is just metal, Warhol's soup can... just ink...the famous windows at Notre Dame Catherdral or Chagall's masterpieces at the U.N. ... are just glass [which is just sand]...the army of terracotta soldiers in China...just dirt. Does it really matter what the masterpiece is constructed of? Some of the world's most amazing places were created by just water [the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls] or wind.

8. "What kind of glue do you use?" - this is probably the most common question. My question is - why do you need to know? I created the concept, the technique, the style... what difference does it make? All you need to know is my adhesives work and are acid-free... the pieces stay on and the color doesn't fade.

9. "Do you hold workshops?" - I've gone around and around on this. I'm not a patient teacher. What is most important is knowing how to create a composition, have an eye for color, be willing to spend hundreds of hours sorting and cutting pieces... I can't teach you how to paint or how to see an image in tiny bits. So, at the moment, I'm not having any workshops.

10. "Do you have any other talents?" - I've been playing piano since I was 4. I am a good painter [acrylic, watercolor], I can draw, I can design needlepoint, handbags, shoes & clothes, I can throw pottery, fuse glass, make paper, set tile, I can cook, I can ride a bike. I focus on my artwork so I continue to create every day in a style and technique I love.