I’m still finding it hard to adjust. I don’t know if it’s because I’m still tired, or simply because I don’t want to be back into the old routine.
20 days away from work has just given me too much to think about.
I was faced with a barrage of emails when i got back – plans for the future. Of course, I could have answered emails while I was away, but people waited patiently for my return before asking questions.
I had a Q & A from the Barnaby festival. ‘What advice would I give to budding artists in Macclesfield?’ I answered without even thinking – ‘Don’t try to make a living from your work’, then I regretted sending it. It isn’t for me to say what people should or shouldn’t do. For me, I have tried and it left me struggling for money. Someone else may be more successful.
It really did get me thinking though. I don’t even try to make money now. I go to work and rely solely on that money to live on. Should I try harder?
I hovered over the next email about an Open studio tour. I do my own work from home, as it’s more convenient for me, but I wouldn’t open up my home to strangers.
I had been offered use of a free space in town for the duration of the studio tour. All I needed to do was pay for inclusion in the brochure and map. £45. I wasn’t sure if it was worth it. I don’t do ‘studio work’ as such and I knew of several artists who’d signed up last year who only got a handful of visitors. As artists, we just seem to be paying out all of the time and not getting any return.
I suppose though, my trip to the US was a lot about breaking new ground, taking risks and being out of my comfort zone.
I signed up. Maybe I can sell £45 of art work? It actually made me think about earning money, so much so that I’ve set out a plan or at least an aim to try to make X amount of money by Christmas and if I succeed I will drop a few paid work days. (I wouldn’t go the whole hog and say that I will give up work as that would be plain stupid wouldn’t it?)
I suspect I will fail as the opportunity for selling work isn’t really there. Not the sort of work I do anyway. At least I would have had a go though and if it doesn’t work out, I can instil my knowledge and experience on another set of poor unsuspecting young artists.
My attempts of getting myself out there seems to have backfired a little as I suddenly realise I have double booked myself for both the open studio tour and Barnaby festival – both on the same weekend http://www.barnabyfestival.org.uk/art ( my name is Factory by the way. I asked if I could have just my name instead, but they wanted the exhibition title. Ho hum)
Perhaps I will worry about that problem nearer the date. In the meantime, I really need to do some work!
