Being a career artist is more than just making art

There’s more to being a career artist than just making art...

There’s promoting, marketing, framing, documenting and selling one's work.

Applying and getting into:

Shows, galleries, residencies

Knowing when application deadlines are approaching.

Filling in application forms and submitting on time.

Artist in Residencies (A.I.R)

Updating resume

Updating website

Archiving, storing works.

Driving works to shows.

Spending time in the making/creating.
Spending time updating a Blog.

Costs

Cost of: Domain name registry

Cost of: Website

Cost of: Entry fee’s into shows

Cost of: materials

Cost of: Educational courses to stay up to date and current.

Cost of: Going to museums, galleries, openings.

Getting into the studio, or carving out time in one’s day to devote to the creative process.

Making work that is current... topic related... larger picture... a reflection of the times we are living in...

The creative process

symbols 

the dynamics of human vision

what it means to be an artist

what it means to be a human being

External and internal focus

External: objects, still lives, landscape, weather

The self - face and body

The inner landscape

Embodied vs. intellectual “mind” idea art. 

Identity

Women and art

Contemporary global culture

Themes of:

Abstraction

Rhythm

Altered Book

Motion and Memory

Chaos/Order

Narrative 

Decay

Creating as a process of discovery and mystery

Elements of style, composition and technique

Coming up with an original idea....

How art and ideas shape our world

Art history.... from Paleolithic to Contemporary

The evolution of art

Art’s relationship to science, religion and philosophy

Art from around the world

Creating works that touch, move or inspire.

Creating works that affect the viewer....

Reading.... art books... other books

Being influenced by ideas

Writing down the creative ideas that come through all the time.