I’m thinking this evening about the whole process of artmaking. Inspiration to out-the-door. Because, well I am in a studio filled with packing boxes and things to ship.
For readers who are artmakers, you may participate in this whole process, or only part of it. For readers who are patrons (THANK YOU!!) it may not always be easy to see the artist’s job beyond the creative in-the-studio part.
A friend in the DeLand art community once described what it means to be a working artist. Step 1 – all alone in the studio, the artist says, ”Wow. I made something. This feels good.” Step 2, the artist, often with great trepidation, shows the work to somebody else. “Look. I made this. What do you think?” (That’s how all those drawings of dinosaurs get on Grandma’s refrigerator.) Then, step three, “I made this and would you like to purchase it from me?”
It is certainly A-OK to have artmaking be intensely meaningful and personal and never attempt to show it to anybody or sell. It’s not a bad thing.
But I know many artists who dream of step three but for one reason or another just don’t get there. My advice is: do it. Go for it.
From my experience as an artmaker, I can say that the completion of the whole art process — getting a finished work in the hands of someone who values it enough to pay for it, is just about the most pleasing and rewarding thing there is. I am honored and grateful every time I sell a piece of artwork.
There is definitely math involved in the process. How much does it cost me to produce a piece of art? How much could I reasonably sell it for? What kind of investment in materials and supplies do I need to get going? Can I launch this effort with the expectation of just coming our a little ahead, or do I need to actually make a living?
And there are personal decisions. Some people find the process of selling terrifying. I understand that to the core. It’s hard. It takes practice. And there are choices. Face to face contact with patrons – as at street festivals? Pursuing sales through a gallery? Creating a website and finding customers online? All can work, all can fail, and not every method suits every artist.
For me, my driving motivation is that I love to create artwork. I waited a long time to reach the point in life where I can do this. And I am diligent in my studio practice and I fairly prolific. The creating is what I like most.
So… now that I have (I say this very gratefully) had a nice surge of recent sales — I get to create more!
An art quilt-in-progress in my studio
Thank you for reading.
I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi
bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com
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