I’m feeling cranky. You know, the kind of cranky that makes you want to do crazy stuff…like shave off your hair or something. The crankiness is coming from a feeling of lack of moving forward, a lack of creative outlet. Shaving my head would probably be the result of misplaced action and something I’d deeply regret…or maybe not…
Instead, I’m going to channel that frizzy energy into being pro-active. Part of being a creative person is the struggle with not only self-doubt but also with how to get your stuff out there in the world. That is where I’m perched. Ready to show my work and ready to sell some stuff but not sure how.
Today I’m filling out a form for the Angwin “Art in the Clouds” outdoor art show. It doesn’t cost much to enter, it’s only their second year, and the turn out will most likely be small, but I need to exercise some marketing muscle. I need to put myself out there just to see how it feels and get the ball rolling.
It’s coming up fast. That means I need to have stuff to show and small salable items that I stand a chance in hell of moving. The chances of originals being purchased are slim, so I need to head into the world of reprints…without breaking the budget to do so.
Can I do this? It’s coming up really soon : May 20th.
Pawing through the stuff I’ve already done, I found cards I’d had printed last year for Christmas. I have lots of extra I can package into card sets:
Would you buy a set of those? I’m also working on some octopus themed cards for thank yous and birthdays.
But therein lies a slippery slope. Do you make art for art’s sake, or do you make it to sell? Once you worry about your audience, the joy and the freedom of creating can quickly slip away.
I shall be navigating these waters in the next couple of weeks. Wish me well. I will keep you updated.
S
sharolyntownsend 
I think you make some for art’s sake and some for market, to support the endeavor of creating art for art’s sake. I think there is no shame (albeit not much joy) in doing so.
I think you’re right! Thanks for that!
One of my fave actors, John Cusack, makes movies that aren’t his favorites so he can produce the films that really excite him. That becomes the compromise we make when we can’t live our “passion” full-time. Sometimes we live to work, other times we work to live. Ideally, its both – finding what you love and making a career of it, until then compromise is good!
So very wise. Thank you for your thoughts. It’s a fine balance and compromise seems reasonable. After all, if I make art to sell I’m still making art and not doing something I totally don’t want to do!
I doubt you are selling your soul by producing commercial art. Look at it as a different side to your creativity. After all even artists have bills to pay.
Indeed. I’ve never been afraid of apparently “selling out” as many fellow artist feared. Always figured that if I was making money doing art in whatever form, it was still better than working retail all my life or some such meaningless (for me) work.