I have done very little blogging to date, but I am taking on a new creative adventure and I wanted to share the emotional rollercoaster ride with all of you out there in hopes that my bumpy road of learning’s can help someone else. But more importantly ‘spark’ something in just one creative person that say’s, I can do that too! So welcome to my little journey…
I have decided to make my primary focus getting my art ‘out there’ with the secondary being my more traditional business career. I am very lucky to have a husband that understands that I need to take this journey and see where it goes. I count my blessings every day.
How I got here…
I am a 51 year old woman (seems weird to see that number in
print) that was raised to be ‘responsible’ and told that art was not a career,
at best it was a hobby. Even though art
has always been what I loved to do, I chose to pursue Chemistry as a degree and
career. As with many others, Chemistry
is where I started out of college and through the years my career evolved out
of the lab and into the management and leadership roles. I always had a desire to keep learning. Looking back, it was likely that I was just
not fulfilled with the positions I was in.
This did turn out to be a great career model for me though, as it did
help me grow professionally and provided a stable income. Roughly 6 years ago, I made the leap to go
off on my own supporting my husband in his business and do project management
for clients as a consultant (rather than an employee).
Throughout my career, I have managed to squeeze in a variety
of art classes to feed my creative side.
I started with oil painting, tried my hand at watercolors (I have SUCH A
RESPECT for those that have this talent), did a little pottery and then
discovered glass. Oh my! I fell in love with glass from that very
first class. I could not get enough of
it. There is just something about
creating art from beautiful sheets of glass that ‘gets into your blood’. It has been my creative outlet for almost 25
years. This is an art medium that I see
myself working in for as long as my hands and mind hold out. ;-)
When I left my traditional job to work on my own, part of the
drive for this was to have time to ‘dabble’ in the art world and see what was
involved to move my livelihood in this direction (down the road). My traditional career and very supportive
husband provided me the luxury of taking some time to investigate the
opportunities in the art world. My long
term plan, when I retire, is to focus on art and teaching others, helping them
find the passion I found in art. Being
the responsible person I was raised to be, I needed to understand what that meant. Early in my investigation I found an art
studio doing fused glass. I was in
heaven! I quickly signed up for classes,
joined in on the open evening glass nights and discovered a very special lady
from my past. For those very early years
of doing glass, there was a shop in town that became my ‘hang out’. I bought supplies, took classes, and was on a
first name basis with many of the staff.
I enjoyed being a ‘regular’ at their studio and loved that they knew my
work. My heart was broken when it sold
and eventually closed. What I discovered
with my new favorite glass shop is that Susan, the owner, had worked there
before she went on her own and was still in contact with many of them. How wonderful is that! Susan added my art to her gallery and gave me
my first opportunity to professionally sell my art. I don’t think she will ever know how touched
and grateful I am for the opportunity she so freely gave me.
My first learning…. There are people out there that will
purchase something I made. Oh my! That is something you ‘hope’ for but when it
happened to me, I had this perpetual smile on my face. The fact that someone actually purchased
something I made because they liked what I created, made my heart soar! I would not be able to replace my traditional
job by selling a few items each month, but what an emotional high this
was. J Selling art
and making a living are not easily connected.
This is what I expected, and why I wanted to start investigating what
this art world was like. I sold pieces
and that helped pay for some of the materials, but it is nothing like the
income of the business world I came from.
This brings me to my second learning.
My second learning…. Artists, like Susan, who have marketed
their product to galleries around the country, do a far better business (of
course). To get to this level takes significant
effort, participating in art shows and investing a full time effort. Part time effort that I am able to do
initially, with a few items in a local gallery, does help me start down this
path. I CAN see my dream of having a
working studio where I teach others when I retire. BUT to see this become a reality I need to
get out there and work it!
Time is such a difficult obstacle for all of us and our
plans. The consulting side of my
business took off and at the same time my husband’s business took off, so it
was taking away from my creative time, once again. My first responsibility was to our business,
so again my creative work was slowed significantly. BUT I AM BACK. I can never stay away too long. J If I really
want my dream for retirement, I need to refocus on my second learning and give
it the time it needs to grow.
Where I am going…
I took a long weekend trip recently with my friend Shannon to
Sanibel Island and walked through a few art co-ops, dreaming about having
product in a co-op back home. When we
got back, Shannon found one and sent me the information. I have signed up and will be starting in
March (in just a few weeks). I have my display
ready (just need to get some product made) and purchased a few creative
businesses business planning books. It
will be good to learn from those that have blazed their creative business
paths.
This adventure will be interesting … finding balance within
the mind… the logical, responsible left side of my brain (where I have spent
most of my life) with the creative spirit of the right side of the brain (where
I choose to spend more of my life).
I am ready to begin… again.
I hope you find this blog interesting and
helpful as we take this creative journey.
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