I recently wrote about good I am feeling these days and how happy I am with my work.
I want to comment more now on how much I feel priviledged to be working as an artist and how I'm so thankful for those folks who buy my work and for those who give me moral and emotional support.
As an artist/craftsperson we each put our hearts and souls out there for the world to see. That's a very brave thing to do. Many times what we care about gets over looked or mis-understood. Sometimes people step on it or cut it down or turn their noses up at it. It's hard as hell when that happens. I have felt crushed when I have gotten rejections to shows, or to craft schools, or to galleries. I have cried, and been depressed and looked at myself in very small ways over the years for various reasons. It's not easy being an artist. We are often sensitive, unsure, lonely, self abusive, and have the self confidence of a maggot at the bottom of a trash bin.
But we get to do what we love! We get to draw or paint or make things or write or play music or whatever. We get to be serious, or playful, or goofy and we get to make up things and to push ideas and boundaries all over the place. Sometimes we even get paid for doing these things. We get to teach others too! That's totally cool.
I had no formal education to go into the arts. I can't really talk about art history or sound intelligent when I see a painting I like or say what exactly makes a good pot or a beautiful piece of music. I can however draw on my experiences and what I've learned and try my best to make some sort of difference in my life through that and maybe in some others lives too. A handmade cup is pretty much my gift to whomever will take it and use it. I put all I can into it and then go and make another one, maybe better, maybe not.
I feel like I've really been focusing on my marketing over the past few years. I know many artists hate this part of it and say they don't care if they ever sell anything. That's fine, and I do feel sort of strange posting all my Etsy listings on Facebook all the time. Still, I want to make a living from my work. I don't want to go back to the DOT or the deli or landscaping. If I have to do those things so I can buy more clay I will though.
No matter what I've been through that's been crappy and rough and depressing, I've continued to make pots over the past 19 years. It's the one thing I've found that I love to do and I go out there everyday and work on something. Usually in my free time I'm thinking about pots or drawing pots or looking at pottery on the internet or whatever. It's my life, I'm surrounded by all the great pots in our house and I can't even go on vacation without seeing pots in windows or going through our hosts cabinets looking for a special bowl or mug.
Anyhow I need to wrap this up, but I wanted to say how grateful I am to be able to do what I want and that I have seen some positive movement out there in the retail world of craft shows lately. I am so thankful for the people who have bought my pots over the years and those that continue to. I hope my work is enriching their lives.
I also want to thank those who have commented here on the blog and have sent me messages about my work. It's so amazing, this online family that I have. It's great to log on each day and read what folks are doing and see what they are making. It's cool to be a part of each other's journey.
Okay that's all for now. Sorry that was a bit of a ramble.
I want to comment more now on how much I feel priviledged to be working as an artist and how I'm so thankful for those folks who buy my work and for those who give me moral and emotional support.
As an artist/craftsperson we each put our hearts and souls out there for the world to see. That's a very brave thing to do. Many times what we care about gets over looked or mis-understood. Sometimes people step on it or cut it down or turn their noses up at it. It's hard as hell when that happens. I have felt crushed when I have gotten rejections to shows, or to craft schools, or to galleries. I have cried, and been depressed and looked at myself in very small ways over the years for various reasons. It's not easy being an artist. We are often sensitive, unsure, lonely, self abusive, and have the self confidence of a maggot at the bottom of a trash bin.
But we get to do what we love! We get to draw or paint or make things or write or play music or whatever. We get to be serious, or playful, or goofy and we get to make up things and to push ideas and boundaries all over the place. Sometimes we even get paid for doing these things. We get to teach others too! That's totally cool.
I had no formal education to go into the arts. I can't really talk about art history or sound intelligent when I see a painting I like or say what exactly makes a good pot or a beautiful piece of music. I can however draw on my experiences and what I've learned and try my best to make some sort of difference in my life through that and maybe in some others lives too. A handmade cup is pretty much my gift to whomever will take it and use it. I put all I can into it and then go and make another one, maybe better, maybe not.
I feel like I've really been focusing on my marketing over the past few years. I know many artists hate this part of it and say they don't care if they ever sell anything. That's fine, and I do feel sort of strange posting all my Etsy listings on Facebook all the time. Still, I want to make a living from my work. I don't want to go back to the DOT or the deli or landscaping. If I have to do those things so I can buy more clay I will though.
No matter what I've been through that's been crappy and rough and depressing, I've continued to make pots over the past 19 years. It's the one thing I've found that I love to do and I go out there everyday and work on something. Usually in my free time I'm thinking about pots or drawing pots or looking at pottery on the internet or whatever. It's my life, I'm surrounded by all the great pots in our house and I can't even go on vacation without seeing pots in windows or going through our hosts cabinets looking for a special bowl or mug.
Anyhow I need to wrap this up, but I wanted to say how grateful I am to be able to do what I want and that I have seen some positive movement out there in the retail world of craft shows lately. I am so thankful for the people who have bought my pots over the years and those that continue to. I hope my work is enriching their lives.
I also want to thank those who have commented here on the blog and have sent me messages about my work. It's so amazing, this online family that I have. It's great to log on each day and read what folks are doing and see what they are making. It's cool to be a part of each other's journey.
Okay that's all for now. Sorry that was a bit of a ramble.