Monday, July 29, 2013

.so you want to be an artist.

Because someone went and hired me for an art job in which I talk to a lot of high school kids - many of whom are aspiring designers - I get asked for art career advice all the time.

Here's my first piece of advice: Go find a different career.
It's not that it's an impossible task to find steady work as an artist, but it's close. And it generally doesn't pay well. The number of "in-house" design/art positions are extremely limited, and are usually only with big corporate companies that will tear out your soul and have you under your desk conspiring about how to take down the man within a year. Freelance work isn't necessarily much better - spotty at best, with the arduous task of trying to get people to actually pay you. If you go into commercial design work you will be constantly questioned and second guessed and you have to take it because that's the job.
If you can find a job.
If you are young and glossy eyed and a tad ambitious this may sound like the gross exaggeration of a tired old person who doesn't try hard enough. It's not. Out of my graduating class of illustrators, only two other people are working in the field. That's bad odds.
Meanwhile you may be going over in your head the number of successful artists you've seen or read blogs of - I'll get back to that bit in a minute.

Second piece of advice?
Go to a cheap school.
You may get a slightly better education going to a specialty art school that cost $26,000+ a year - but you also might not. 70% of your education is the effort you put into it, which means doing your assignments, doing them on time and putting 100% of your effort into your education. My mother gave me the best piece of advice I've maybe ever received before I went off to college:
There is sleep, school, a job, and a social life.
Pick three.
She was not wrong.
Funny thing is, it's not very different after college, except you take out the school part and insert "attempt to function as a human adult."
But back to that "cheap school" thing... Unless your parents are independently wealthy and willing to foot the bill, you're going to end up with student loans. Hell, you may end up with student loans anyway - art supplies are not cheap and you go through a lot of paint and illustration board and newsprint and charcoal during that first year of Foundations. Looking forward a few years - you're going to be an artist when that's all done with, and you're going to have to pay all that money back. Starving Artist is a cliche for a reason.
Because it's true.
Meanwhile I know a guy with a two year associates from a community college whose the creative director of a huge design firm and doing fantastically. But he's also a creative genius.

Third piece of advice: Learn to do Without.
Assuming you go to college, graduate and find work - the art has to come first. When my husband and I first started dating we had this Big Giant Rule: The art comes first. We were not allowed to get angry and pouty with the other because they were working, but the art came first. Always. We didn't see each other much despite the fact that we almost immediately moved in together and that worked out beautifully. Our day job schedules were completely opposite so we had lots of quiet at home alone time to work on our craft (this despite the fact that he works much better in an open studio environment with people to talk to and I work better alone by myself in my basement hole).
The other part of that is the fact that art is not like riding a bicycle. If you don't practice every day you're going to lose all of that skill you spent so much time and money earning in college. And art supplies aren't cheap. And all of that adds up to eating Ramen at home and not going out to parties and bars every night of the week. Despite Damien Hurst appearances - the life of an artist is not all Glamour and Parties. Except that it is.
Except that it isn't.

Which leads to my last bit of advice.
You need, right now in this moment, to accept the fact that you are going to have to sell yourself.
It's a little like being a prostitute on a grimey street corner. Except without the prostitution.
Technically.
Noone is going to see the value of your work unless you sell the value of your work to them. Which is a different problem than actually selling your work. And you will have to accept jobs that you absolutely do not want to do, and you have to do them perfectly every time because if you went to high school you know how rumors spread.
It's no different in the art world.
Actually it might be worse in the art world because money is involved.
And then you have to sell your value and your work some more.
And the work never ceases. And no one can do the work for you.

And in the end, it's like I said back in November:
"You have to need to do it. You have to need to do your art so badly that not doing it is more painful than constantly failing at it."

Saturday, July 27, 2013

.things that happened this week.

• I made a plan, and I'm going to need a dumpster. And some nails. And some pallets.

• I cracked an egg with a double yolk in it which is supposed to be good luck. I call bull doodey.

• I burned the begeezus out of both of my hands (baking the thing with the double yolk in it no less). I thought I was going to be useless for weeks, but I somehow magic-healed myself so I'm only a little bit maimed (or is it a magic egg?).

• Dance classes! (I taught them - they're back to being at my house! More double egg bull hockey?)

• Our refrigerator died (EGG!).

• It was my last chance to hang out with Kevin, my college friend who's decided that New York is the better answer. Wish him luck! (Or hire him, if you're in the area).

• The beastie had angry carrier time. Then angry vet time. Then more angry carrier time. Now we're both exhausted.

• Oh yes....more circus dancing.


Really it's too bad it wasn't an egg in an egg - because that's actually spectacular...

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

WHOA!!!!

If you were coming to my class tonight at the KC Circus school,
DON'T!!!!!
 I told you Tuesdays were awful.

More info forthcoming - or just send me an email or something.

.boycott tuesday.

I had a really really excellent boycott planned - but them I burned the crap out of both of my hands trying to take something out of the oven last night. I am now essentially maimed.
So since I'm finalizing music choices for the MashUp edition of Raqs Bohéme next month....here are some choices. I put them to you.





Boycott Tuesday. Boycott Decisions.
I need some gummy bears.

Monday, July 22, 2013

.accidental dance shoes.

As a bellydancer, I feel like I'm constantly looking for good dance shoes that will work indoors as well as outdoors. Street performances, festivals, fairs, weird backyard gigs, and of course the Renaissance festival where my dance surface is mostly gravel. And here's my answer (for this year) lurking in Urban Outfitters of all places.

 
$29.00 at Urban Outfitters

I totally missed the ball on this one.
Several months ago a friend and co-worker was wearing an adorable pair of flats, and even though I immediately asked where they came from (we have a tendency to be Twinkies anyhow so we generally try not to exacerbate the situation), I also almost immediately forgot to go and order some.
Then around June I remembered - right around the same time as I was ordering the Nike Studio Flats, and I went on the UO website and found them. Her's had been a cute cream, now they only had black.
And they were back ordered.
I crossed my fingers and made a wish and purchased them and they've just arrived in the last week.
And they are fantastic.
Comfy. Easy to wear. Easy to walk in.
And then I had that circus performance on Saturday night, and I forgot to take them off while getting into costume, and I forgot to take them off before going on stage (did I mention that they're comfy?) and they actually worked brilliantly for dancing in.

Being that they were affordable I went back to get a backup pair, and naturally they now only have my size in the Berry color I'm not sure about but might be able to mod up or something. But based on previous shoe experience better to have them than not.

Be warned that like any shoes they have a breaking in period, but it's not too bad, and they do show a little toe crack - but that's not too bad either.

Hooray for shoes!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

.things at happened this week.

• FLORIDA!

• The mall tried to kill me.

• Sleep: still not optional.

• Raqs Bohéme: we all danced bunches - video forthcoming!

• Fringe - I'm dancing with a circus,  though that's happening tonight. But still: MOAR DANCING!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

.i should have gone into advertising.

I was in Orlando for work for the last several days and was stuck eating all of my meals at a mall which was awesome let me tell you all about it - three days of mall salads, which around day three my body roundly rejected all of.
By the time we got to the airport yesterday I was glucose deprived and probably crazy and devoured half a bag of Swedish fish, which got me wondering about the history of Swedish Fish, which got me searching, which eventually led me to this:


And that about made my week.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Monday, July 15, 2013

BLOOMERS!!!!!

My friend Lydia makes awesome bloomers.
Really really fantastically awesome bloomers.

And noone knows about them.

After about a year of prodding, I finally helped to convince her to set up an etsy shop - and really, I'm not sure how long she's going to tolerate it so if you like them buy them now before she quits. They are super comfy - super comfy. They tie, but there's magic elastic involved so if you move, they stretch with you (or if you bloat up sometimes like I do, or just eat a giant Thanksgiving feast, or whatever) and are totally wearable under skirts. Truthfully I half live in mine.
This is yoga pants comfortable people, but way cuter.

Her shop is here!


Saturday, July 13, 2013

.things that happened this week.

• I watched "The Walking Dead." All of it. All three seasons. Actually that concluded on Sunday, after having seen World War Z twice. I am now paranoid around small yappy dogs. Basically that entire week of the Fourth was terrifying.

• I attempted to rescue some chickens.

• I realized I lost the formula for the perfume scent Pond. That's right - no more Pond. (Actually, this is the last bottle available.) If you have Pond, consider yourself lucky because there is no more to be had! I've worked up a reformulation - but it is a darker more mature scent, and I'm calling it Amelia.

• At some point I decided sleep was optional. Or that sleeping when I had time to sleep was optional. This was a horrible decision.

• St Louis!!!

• I realized sleep was not optional.

Perfume Review! You call Shenanigans? I call you a bad researcher!

• I dyed a hotel room blue (along with my hair).


Monday, July 1, 2013

.july goal.

Somehow convince my husband that if we do not build/buy/obtain a Tardis Cat House for our living room - life as we know it will become unbearable.