Putting some money on it!

You have researched your subject and inspiration for hours, maybe days. You've been out here and there, trying to capture something special on a camera, something that would just be the starting point... Then you've pondered, and sketched, and pondered again (over several cups of tea), to finally put down on canvas. And you will spend hours, again maybe days, occasionally weeks, working to achieve a perfect masterpiece, which too often it isn't, but you start again anyway. 

And somewhere along this repeated, long process you accumulate and choose some worthy pieces, the ones you would be proud to show and hopeful to sell!

But how do you put a price on that?

It certainly not an hourly rate. And if you go too cheap, you're out of a really good potential market, one that is difficult to enter but could mean making a living out of your art. If you go too high and don't get your big break, you've priced yourself out of a wider, certainly less active but excessively more accessible market! Talk about Catch 22.

I've adopted the slow pace small steps approach personally. I was not in a position financially to wait for the big break, it had to sell and it had to sell NOW!! So I started with small paintings, smaller prices. Some other artists commented at my very first show that my paintings were too cheap but in reality, as I pointed out to them, they were more expensive than theirs proportionally and more importantly: they were selling. To balance it out, I always had a bigger painting on show, proportionally priced again, clearly showing that my paintings were not cheap... they were only small!

As the time go on, I put the prices up slightly every year and I also increase the size by a few inches. And I intend to keep the same strategy as long as it sells.

Some might say that to sell in galleries, the prices have to be higher, it still works my way though; galleries want big paintings anyway!

The once-a-year diary

Oh dear, yes let's hear it, it has been a shameful 8 months+ since my last entry. Apologies, personal life has got in the way and it will probably happen again, but hey, let's enjoy the moment where I remembered I had a blog without making me feel too guilty.

Still a wanna be artist, yes, still excellent at procrastination, absolutely!
At the end of 2015 I was faced with a dilemma that tormented me (ok that might be a slight exaggeration, I don't torment easily), let's just say that I flirted with the idea of going solo. And what I mean by that is I contemplated the possibility of leaving behind the part-time work and putting all I have into the Art business.
I pondered for some months, I did, especially being between contracts, it would have been an easy transition (but I'm sure a rough ride) It is only a couple of weeks ago that, having a job offer I couldn't refuse, thinking of my young children still not in full time school, and also being a bit chicken Maybe!.. Well, I chose the status quo. Suits me for now. I know the same dilemma with visit me at the end 2016, but one thing at a time and I'll paint that bridge once I reach the river.

In the meantime, I have reasonably set my resolutions for this year at only 3:
1-Enjoy every moment with my young ones (so, so cliché. I do love a good cliché)
2-Paint, paint, and paint again.

And most importantly:
3-Weekly entry on the blog, Facebook and webpage! It's all under control, I have it written down in my diary (not this one, well yea this one but also my other diary (very well chosen Christmas present), the one I consult and follow everyday. almost.

À bientôt!!

My life without my computer

Disaster strikes, my laptop goes on strike. It's not the first time it's happened, after all he is getting on, in computer years that is. The last couple of times, it's cost me, so when a friend offered to have it repaired by a friend for cheap I handed the machine without a second thought.
Through the long and difficult 10 days without my precious lap warmer, I did have second thoughts (and third and fourth), worried that it would never come back to me the same as before. The agony was made only worst by my fruitless attempts to work from my "smart" phone; it is either way too smart for me or just frecking stupid (pardon my French!), because I just had to give up, frustrated and helpless!

To cut a long (read boring) story short, I got it back, in full working order. I would have thought that after so long, I would spend 48h straight pianoting but instead I realized I had got used to not having it and it took me a bit of time to make it's acquaintance again (that or I was just holding a grudge for having been let down so unexpectedly!)

During all the spare time I found I had while he was gone, I got thinking at how much I depended on technology for everything:
I wasn't able to research, or print, or shop for stocks. I wouldn't have been able to supply my stockists if I needed to. I got worried as to when was my last backup, and what wasn't backed up!!
I was stuck when it came to banking (who goes to the bank anymore!). I couldn't get my godson a birthday present, as he lives in Canada and I normally order something online to deliver directly to him, and it was too late to send something from here...
I couldn't market, update my website, take online orders as efficiently...
And I am sure I forget plenty of things, but very importantly, I wasn't able to post on here and that's my excuse for this month!

I am thinking of a second device, because when it comes to doing business, one just cannot go any amount of time without a computer these days!

Positive sides though: I got a whole load of reading done, watch boring television, and certainly got a few more hours sleep!

To beat or not to beat... yourself up over missed deadline!

I have a small, young family. Most things revolve around them, the rest has to fit in, somehow! For the past 2 months, as I mentioned in the last post, bugs have got the better of us. After the children being afflicted, it was my turn. Don't you just love childcare years!
While it is exhausting looking after sickly kiddies, you can still pull out of the bag some energy to get things done. When it's yourself taking to bed rest, it's another story entirely.

So, I put my hands up, I am still now working on things I hoped to finished in March, and time is constantly ticking in my head. That's when I thought: what is the best thing to do now? Beat myself up or not?

If I take a casual approach on the whole thing and take no notice of my missing deadline, not fulfilling my objectives, well then does it subtly makes me believe I can allow myself to pretty much miss them whenever, under whatever excuse?
In that case, what is the point of setting them in the first place?
I could fool myself and think that when the deadline will involve a stockist, a customer, I will then be able to meet it, it will be more important, more motivating...
Or I could think that I'm unable to keep to deadlines and therefor I shouldn't make any promises on delivery time frame, etc.

Suddenly I feel very uncomfortable with the uncertainty of everything...

I could beat myself up and work overtime, into the small hours of the morning to catch up and, just guessing now, end up worn out by the whole thing by next month and miss all of the following month's deadlines... Not very productive, defeats the purpose.

So I will adopt my favorite position in most situation: a happy middle ground.
I will reschedule the things that are not as urgent, will prioritize to an inch of my life, and will get on with work as I would normally, allowing overtime whenever I feel like it, or if an order needs completion.

My motto always remain: after all good work comes enjoyment, but good work only comes from enjoying the process!

The struggles of the Part Part-time Artist

Well it's been a while, and that just goes to prove my point: it is hard to be a part-time artist. This month's excuse was children sicknesses. Next week could be work overload from the part-time job, and next month something else again. Juggling between looking after young children, working three days a week and finding time for the Art business is just something that requires a strict discipline, I understand that now, it took a while to accept it.

Making creative time sacred

There's a huge difference between doing something because it has to be done, or doing something only IF there is time to do it (There will never be time to do it!). And the only way the wannabe artist will become one is to make creative time something that MUST be done.

For me the solution was to have a planner, on the wall, that was pointing it's finger at me every so often, sending me with my marching orders straight to the studio. I was able to allow three evenings of studio work, that's about 7 to 9 hours per week. Not a lot, but since I can't afford daytime work yet (it will come soon, once the kids are in school every mornings), I still wanted to give myself some evening ME time. I often do more, especially when I have some deadline or special commission, but at least, when I do take the night off, I am guilt free.

Work that can be done with children running around should be done when children are running around!

Researching the internet, making simple updates to a website, flicking through magazines, looking for inspiration, updating your accounts, in addition to all the household chores can, in general, be accomplished when children are around and without completely neglecting them!!
If it is another employment that is taking your time, use your breaks to sketch a bit, browse pinterest, update your Facebook page. I am lucky enough to have a part-time job which requires me to be very creative so I am constantly getting the brain in right gears and I am fully hands on as well. But if it's not the case, a few minutes here and there through the day is all you have so make the most of it.

The 3 P's:
Planning, planning and planning

I mentioned above my week planner, I also have my year planner on which I try to always have the three months ahead planned out with 4 to 5 general objectives per month. For example, for April I intend to
1.revisit and review my stockists
2.Complete my 1st quarter review
3. Make product samples
4. Look into SEO and into business set up
May and June have different objectives, but I haven't planned out everything further ahead than this because things take shape as I go along. That keeps me focused.
I also have a To-Do list which is always with me. That planner is for specific things that have to be done in the days ahead. At the moment: -finish Dublin painting, -Print store signs. -Deliver prints to... and -Blog (Check!! That's the most satisfying thing about lists and planner, when you get to score them off!)

Making all the spare time count

That's not to say work all the time, but for me, I find very little satisfaction in just sitting watching tv. That's my spare time (normally an hour before turning in) and I'm allowed to do what I want and since I enjoy my work, I choose something that is easy, relaxing and pleasant. I do enjoy a good net browsing (even if they say it's not good before bed), or looking through art magazines and books, or browse all my photos for the inspiration for the next painting. Whatever it is, if it has a creative side it will count, and I am less tempted then to browse the internet when I should be productive in the studio!

Dear diary... where do I start?!?

Well, from the beginning might be a good idea...

I said 10 years didn't I? Well that's just ten years of contemplating that maybe somehow, someday, it might be possible to be a full time artist... That was a lot of maybe's underlined with plenty of if's. Before that, I just didn't think it could ever be anything else than a hobby. And my work was eclectic, unrefined and I wasn't practicing with enough discipline and regularity to improve it! See for yourself!

                                           
With my twenties came the move to Ireland, and the discovery of a place that welcomed art with open arms... but closed Gallery door.
Mistake no 1: Rushing into it.
I gathered a small body of work, with no real quality, with no real unity and sent a rather basic portefolio to some galleries. Unsurprisingly, I only got negative responses and you know what, I would say no myself looking at it now...
                                                                                                                                   

                                                 

 I had somehow got it into my mind that the only way was to get into galleries, and at the back of that same mind, was resolute to die a poor, unrecognized artist!

And let me just go back on the title of this blog, "Wanna be..." I know has the implied meaning of someone who lacks the qualification and talent, and that's where I was, lacking qualifications from lacking practice, and lacking talent for not allowing my hands to do what they wanted to do and over thinking what would make me different, what would make people buy me.

But then I painted these, and for probably the first time I thought; you know what, I could be onto something after all:

 Coming up:
The struggle of the Part-Part-Time Artist

NEW TITLE, NEW CONTENT! What's this all about anyway...

First things first, if it's the first time you stumble on my blog, let me just briefly introduce myself, save you a bit of trouble to search the archives if you're interested!

My name is Jessica Baron, originally from Québec in Canada and now settled in Ballydesmond, West of Ireland for nearly 10 years. I am a painter, or at least a wannabe painter.

And that's really all you need to know about me for now.

I have been wanting to be a painter for the guts of the last 10 years or more, and in the scheme of things, haven't got very far YET.
And that's the whole point of this blog, in which I will share my bumpy road to becoming an artist so far. If you're in a similar quest, I will hopefully somehow offer a few tips, share the traps I fell into in the hope you won't get caught yourself. I will express all the frustrations that pop-up now and again, and the delights that come with the successes, however small and trivial. And who knows, I may someday have to change this title again, when I can call myself a full time artist and drop the "wanna be"!!

So that's what this whole change of direction is all about. I already have a facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/jessicabaronartist)
and a website (http://www.jessicabaronartist.com to take care of all promotional stuff, so I can't see the point in having a third page for the same purpose. And there is still a bit of a selfish reason to it: I believe that looking back on how you got where you are can be of great support in looking ahead at where you want to go!