Another rant into how to trigger “IT” whenever you like.  I promise to be brief.

Have you ever tried to hold Jell-O in your hand?  The tighter you grip, the more it squishes through.  It makes for a stress reliever, but also is a metaphor for the creative process.

When you try to force “IT” when you don’t have “IT”, it’s just like that Jell-O – or maybe like a Chinese finger trap?  Both analogies work here.  The key is to relax.  The Jell-O stays, the fingers are released, your creative “flow” begins.

So let go and let flow!

To be sure, there are legitimate concerns and situations – many stemming from greed, many stemming from poor coincidental circumstances – but all seem to be depressing, frustrating, and hopeless.

I’ve been listening to “the economy” woes for 7 years now.  Of course we have tenuous moments.  Of course it’s relative to our standard of living.   Of course if can be overwhelming at times.  But every year has been better than the last for us.  Outside of ascribing it to living in a time of miracles and the favor of God, what reason can I give for it?

For argument’s sake, let me elucidate from a “pragmatic” view.  You can apply these challenges to your own career.  Most of them seem pretty universal to me:

1) Is your pride getting in the way?  Are you unwilling to do what it takes to survive and thrive?  Many people see certain occupations as “beneath them” while survivors find a new way (and sometimes a new career) that is more challenging and lucrative than anything they clung to in the past.

2) Are you in the wrong place?  Not just timing, but sometimes one has to admit that “this just isn’t my world”  Self-awareness – of one’s limitations, strengths, potential, and possibilities is wise.  Plant a tiger in the ocean and the top predator becomes prey. 

3) Do you fear change?  A definition of insanity is to do the same thing and expect different results.  The only thing that doesn’t change IS change.  Why fight the obvious?  Deal with things – don’t just ignore them.  That’s where the growth occurs.

4) Get busy living or get busy dying!  Great quote.  You can be a victim or a victor.  Re-inventing yourself, learning a new skill, hanging out a new shingle, diversification in whatever form that works – but TRY.  Don’t accept this as the end of your life.  As children, I doubt any of us expected our grown-up selves to be in the situation we’re in now.

5) Why not?  The greatest success stories have had the greatest adversity.  The challenge hones and sharpens and great minds often focus on the progress – any amount possible.  “Can do” attitudes prevail.

Practice, practice, practice – it’s all very logical and a way to ride things out.  In the end, those that do will be far better than those that were simply a part of the pavement.

I used to be a liberal with my recommendations.

Or perhaps I should say lack of.

In the spirit of being friendly and accommodating, I’d be happy to support any direction, style or medium an aspiring artist would like to work with for their art.  My teaching style is very nurturing, developmental, therapeutic and as such, I don’t like to deter the courage or adventurous spirit of a fledgling.

And there is some truth still to that because I’ve seen some amazing work using the most frustrating materials.  On the other hand, I’ve seen folks work with expensive tools and supplies and fail miserably.

So in my latter years of instruction, I’ve found that sometimes you CAN blame your failure on the paint brush.

And sometimes, the fault is yours.  A good instructor will guide to the right conclusion.

There is an element of customer service in education.  Preventing frustration by recommending the right tools for the skill level of the student. 

And there should also be a strong sense of customer service when one goes to buy materials – or to buy for the artist in their life.

Whether during the holidays or beyond, here are some questions to ask when shopping for someone else, or for identifying what kind of artist you may be:

1) Is the pursuit as a hobby or part of a career?  Also, what is the endurance or patience level of the artist like?  Investigating a medium is great fun but many treat it like a new year’s resolution and fall short.  Don’t go the whole 9 yards and waste money on an expensive setup for an impulse.

2) For the professional or serious student, the preference for a certain brand may all ready exist.  There are premier brands for everything, but economy doesn’t necessarily mean poor quality.  When in doubt, ask them! 

3) Kits are nice for the undecided, but some are kid-oriented quality and others are professional grade.  The price should be a clue, but look at what’s inside the box too.  Sometimes package deals combine both and you’ll find that the element the artist will enjoy the most is in shortest supply.

4) How-to books are fun – if the artist likes to read.  Many wax philosophical and ramble on about uninspiring approaches.  So make sure the how-to addresses the style the artist is attracted to. 

5) Buy from a specialty store.  Big box retailers with an arts and crafts section will not know how to direct you like a store that’s dedicated to the pursuit.  Also, the staff of a specialty store is likely to have first-hand experience with various products.  If you’re looking for clay advice, ask for someone who dabbles in sculpture – you’ll be glad you did.

In my experience, the store I would recommend locally for pricing, service and quality of selection is United Art and Education (and no, I don’t own stock) I am careful about whom I recommend for service because of how it reflects upon me.  But I have never been disappointed with United Art and Ed.  If you subscribe to their mailing list (e-mail or snail) they even send coupons!

For photography as an art form, Sunny Schick is the best resource in town – and they’ve never failed me either.  In fact, once they convinced me NOT to buy something in their store because of the direction I was planning on going with the project.  (That’s integrity!)

Regarding materials, there are many different medium, but here are a few brands that have never let me down:

For all things drawing or coloring: Prismacolor

For drawing paper: Strathmore

For acrylic paint: Liquitex

For pastels: Grumbacher or Rembrandt

In the categories of sculpture, the fabric arts, and some elements of painting (such as canvas, brushes or watercolor paper options) much success is dependant on the effect you want to achieve and therefore the correct tools for the job are important.  I’ve found brand to be irrelevant.

Happy shopping!

I’m living the dream.

I may not be living your dream, or even your idea of what my dream should be, but I am enjoying success.

It’s an eerie feeling in a way – almost as if this is the end of it all, I should be awarded a medal or somehow credits should be scrolling in front of my face. 

On the other hand, not a lot of people ever get to this point.  It’s worth savoring for a while.  And the fact that I’ve achieved it at so young an age, (again a relative point) is even more exciting and disconcerting at the same time.

The dichotomy is a bi-product of a clear focus I’ve had since I was in 2nd grade.  I’ve always known that I wanted to be a professional artist.  I still remember the internal dialogue and had it all figured out by lunch time.

Yes.  very rare.  Freakish even, no?

Of course I’ve run into nay-sayers, negativity, backlash – all the things that can either galvanize your resolve or derail you completely.  I don’t know anyone I could define as “great” in any category of life who hasn’t had such adversity.

So, at the continued risk of sounding cocky, what do I do now?

I spend a lot of time reflecting on the choices, decisions, paths I’ve taken, and the directions I’ve influenced or led others to take.  The conclusion I’ve come to is that it’s important to keep raising your own bar.

I don’t know anyone who will continually challenge or expect more of me.  I’ve got to be ready to shoot for the next step.  Even if I’m living the dream, maybe it’s time for a new one.

People I find interesting are always doing this.  It’s not the same as job-jumping or being one of those annoying free-spirited people with no responsibilities or (even worse) someone who never has to worry about money.  It’s a paradox of satisfaction and hunger.

So it may take a change in attitude, outlook, location or even circle of friends, but what do you expect?  And even more important, what happens WHEN you achieve it?

I find myself discussing the nature of the professional with many clients.  It can be an intriguing conversation.  While I’m under no illusions that many people in the world can do what I do, few can do it well.  Even fewer can offer the service as a professional.

But why and what does that mean?

It seems every category of business has it’s definition – from simply being paid for the work to a library of handbooks and corporate dogma.

In our world, it’s an elusive topic because the stereotypical artist is alive and well.  Creativity outweighs a lot of conservative traits.  In fact, we almost WANT our artists to be weird to be qualified, don’t we?

The downside is that it also makes art and its creators dismissible.  The devaluation of talent is world-wide.  When it comes to business matters such as negotiating a contract, ascribing philosophy to a project, or just having the verbal skills to discuss something outside of one’s profession, too many artists fall short.

Ironically, the reverse seems to be true also.  With the right marketing, a talentless hack can make a fortune (”It’s good art because it’s expensive”)

And I’ve yet to find an art program in continuing education that prepares students for marketing themselves and their services.  So it seems the trend continues.

But in light of this, here are a few universal truths (as I find them) that separate an artist from a professional artist:

1) The professional communicates thoroughly and seeks to understand the need of the client – not promote their own agenda.  This means being sensitive to the client’s availability to discuss things - and being patient with them if necessary.

2) The professional confirms all details and doesn’t leave anything to assumption.

3) The professional shows up early – with enough time to prepare for a successful event

4) The professional does their best work – always!

5) The professional doesn’t disparage, cater to drama, subscribe to gossip, and always speaks well of others (especially in public – someone always sees or hears everything!)

6) The professional delivers what was promised

7) The professional does a thorough and complete job and doesn’t cut corners (on time, materials or quality)

The professional checks for satisfaction and addresses any concerns to the best of their ability

9) The professional says thank you!

10) The professional follows up for the next event!

You’ll notice that the type of service and the price are not points of professionalism.  Intangible things matter most. 

How do you compare?