After enlightenment, the laundry. ~Zen proverb
This past week has felt a lot like this wise quote to me. The highs of enlightenment tempered by the mundane of doing laundry and keeping house. It seemed that each time I was close, oh so close, to have a good chunk of productive studio time, then I'd see a pile of clothes that needed folding, a dishwasher that needed to be emptied, toys to be picked up...you get the idea.
This has been one of the struggles that I have faced ever since I moved my studio into our home. It is so lovely to be able to run upstairs and jump into painting at a moments notice, but too often those moments are infringed upon by all of the obligations that call to me in my living space.
I have also been struggling to balance the business side of my art with the creative side, I know that all of us struggle with that. It is so exciting to have my hand in multiple pots, but then a few days this week were spent running around from a studio visit with an interested buyer, to replenishing the prints that had sold at Swallow (the gallery that carries my work here in Brooklyn), to sending prints for Etsy orders. I am not complaining about this abundance of opportunities to get my art out to the public, I only wish that my ability to successfully balance this part with my creative life would catch-up!
I was so inspired by this post over at Studio Enrouge yesterday. I felt a call to respond to Karla's ideas about this blogging world as an extended group studio space. I loved how she compared it to grad school, since I had a similar experience when I was at Parson's for my MFA. The studios there were like a rat maze of separate spaces, all opening upon a large common area where we would convene to talk and critique each other's work. I can't tell you how many times I'd walk into that space frustrated with a piece and walk back to my studio with a new direction or a fresh perspective.
Now when I have a creative block I go to your blogs, I visit your Etsy shops and websites, these are places that inspire me deeply and just like Karla says in her post....I would love to know more about process and working style of each artist that I know online. What a way to think of this community!
And so with that I'd like to extend an invitation to you, please, come into my studio. It's not very big anymore, but it's just the right size for what I'm working on these days. Don't be shy about sharing your mind. All ideas are welcome. All ideas are appreciated.
Come in.
This has been one of the struggles that I have faced ever since I moved my studio into our home. It is so lovely to be able to run upstairs and jump into painting at a moments notice, but too often those moments are infringed upon by all of the obligations that call to me in my living space.
I have also been struggling to balance the business side of my art with the creative side, I know that all of us struggle with that. It is so exciting to have my hand in multiple pots, but then a few days this week were spent running around from a studio visit with an interested buyer, to replenishing the prints that had sold at Swallow (the gallery that carries my work here in Brooklyn), to sending prints for Etsy orders. I am not complaining about this abundance of opportunities to get my art out to the public, I only wish that my ability to successfully balance this part with my creative life would catch-up!
I was so inspired by this post over at Studio Enrouge yesterday. I felt a call to respond to Karla's ideas about this blogging world as an extended group studio space. I loved how she compared it to grad school, since I had a similar experience when I was at Parson's for my MFA. The studios there were like a rat maze of separate spaces, all opening upon a large common area where we would convene to talk and critique each other's work. I can't tell you how many times I'd walk into that space frustrated with a piece and walk back to my studio with a new direction or a fresh perspective.
Now when I have a creative block I go to your blogs, I visit your Etsy shops and websites, these are places that inspire me deeply and just like Karla says in her post....I would love to know more about process and working style of each artist that I know online. What a way to think of this community!
And so with that I'd like to extend an invitation to you, please, come into my studio. It's not very big anymore, but it's just the right size for what I'm working on these days. Don't be shy about sharing your mind. All ideas are welcome. All ideas are appreciated.
Come in.
2 comments:
Faith, your writing is beyond beyond. I so appreciate (and was speechless at first) about the mention back to my post {thank you!}. You have really captured the essence of what I feel, too. . . and probably many others who read this. I catch myself grumbling at packaging a large painting to ship out because it is so hard to do -- trying to wrap it in an aesthetically pleasing way, get it into a box, all the cutting and taping--it takes me over an hour to package one. But then I take a step back and realize how grateful I am for the privilege of being able to sell a painting to someone who has professed their love for it. I feel bad that I grumbled in the first place. It's that constant balancing act -- I'm trying to learn that this is it! This is my life! -- with all of its woes and highs and juggling of everything. So, it really helps to hear you talk about it, too.
............
I loved seeing a little glimpse into your studio -- that soft violet color is so pretty and so you it seems. Plus it is fun to see a couple of the actual paintings after looking at the print images of them. I totally enjoyed this entire post! Thank you for sharing so much. : )
Thanks for sharing your lovely studio. That zen proverb is perfect. I say it to myself often and it always makes me smile when life feels a bit mundane.
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