today.

from cloth paper scissors blog

i’m pretty quiet – most of the time. yet i’m capable of volcanic eruptions of energy and frenzied moments of eruption.  its just that i’m better with a brush than i am with words.  in many ways it can be hard for me to talk about my work – that’s why i paint – i’m trying to show you how i feel.

i am constantly asked by other artists how i’m able to make art a full time gig.  generally my answer is not taken well.  it is not pretty + it’s not easy.  i didn’t  start with a business plan, a studio, fancy business cards or an art blog.

i don’t really know when i started.  but it was slow.  i have a family so i couldn’t  just jump ship and announce i was an artist.  i looked for clients during the day, took phone orders for unfortunate pleated khaki’s by evening and if i could stay awake would paint a little after that – then do it all over again the next day.  honestly – not the peek of my artistic career – but i was part of the journey.

if i had only known then…

actually – you do.  you know it now + you can feel it – so do it.  do what you love – now.  do it at night.  wake up two hours early.  make it your second job.  replace your television schedule with a making stuff schedule.  whatever you have to do.  do it.  now.

don’t figure it out – because you won’t.  i still haven’t, no one has.  don’t wait for clients, don’t wait to be debt free, don’t wait for the right situation, for things to settle down, for your kids to go to school, leave the house or get out of diapers.  don’t wait for less hours at work, don’t wait for summer, don’t wait for winter, don’t wait to settle down – don’t wait.

everyday you wait is a day you won’t get back.

+ and for goodness sake – don’t be an artist.

what? #@!  artists are notoriously hard to work with.  they don’t make deadlines, are late to meetings, change their minds and don’t communicate.  artists wear ripped jeans and have paint on all their clothes. – because, they are so cool and different than anyone else.  [ever notice if you put them all in a room no one really stands out].  so surprise someone – show up on time.  get your head out of the clouds, use real words, put on something clean and and ironed – and deliver what you said you would deliver, when you said you would deliver it – surprise someone!

reveal yourself.  what makes your abstract different than my abstract?

the world is full of people and corporations who claim to be authentic, creative, game-changing, innovative, inspiring and paradigm-shifting.  sounds great – but that’s not good enough… i want to be with/ work with/ collect the work of someone who shows fall down, crazy stupid love for their work and want to be surrounded by people who are alluring, beguiling, blazing, bursting, epic, frenzied, ravenous and volcanic. i want passion to erupt.