Getting the lead out

Progress is being made....

In the past few days I opened up a ebay sellers account and put some art up for bid. Then I opened up a site on ImageKind a user friendly print on demand style company. So hopefully something will sell soon... *fingers crossed.* I can already tell that posting my work all over the internet is going to be a bigger time consumer than I initially thought. Opening up a successful Etsy store is my main goal, but I feel like I need more inventory to sell before I jump into that. I just ordered lots of new supplies and materials today so I'm going to be busy cranking out the crafts soon.

I finished some new paintings too:

This is "Blackbird" inspired by The Beatles song of the same name. I listen to The Beatles a lot in my studio so it's no suprise they showed up in my work. Kind of fitting for my life right now too, although I'm a little scared to try and make a living as an artist, there is a freedom I feel in committing to that quest. Like I've been let out of the cage perhaps?

Since I was a child I always had a fantasy about having a baby Orangutan to pal around with. He would hang around my neck and we would go on all sorts of adventures together. But, let's face it, the reality of taking care of that animal would not be the fantasy I imagined.

So I painted one instead, just for fun, ain't he a cutie?

Step 1: Admitting you have a problem :)

Tonight I was watching "U.S. of Tara" and the angsty teenage daughter was complaining to a new friend about how much she hates herself. He says to her "Shoot yourself and walk away. Change. It's your life." Meaning why complain any longer about things that you have control over. That moment stuck with me because it was exactly what I needed to hear.


I am a artist at heart, I work in many different mediums but I haven't been able to figure out how to use my skill set yet towards a sustainable career. I've become so frustrated lately because I feel like I have a lot to offer, but I can't seem to find success. I've tried many different creative career choices and can't figure out why I still feel so unsettled. Part of it is because I've bounced around from several different creative pursuits and have "artist a.d.d." The other part is that I'm afraid to try and make a living as an artist because of all the stigma that comes with announcing that as a profession. I've never fantasized about a ordinary career choice and it's time that I put my energy towards what I really want to become and follow my heart.


Join me on this journey as I set forth on the task of becoming an independent creative freelancer. I want to share with you the process I'm going through in hopes that it will help out someone else going through the same sort of thing. Claiming that you are going to be a independent professional is a huge leap of faith, but what gives me hope is there are many out there that are a lot like me who are successful. When I see what others before me have achieved I think "why not me?" So I'm going after my piece of the pie. Who's with me?

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.
Ralph Waldo Emerson