The Business of Art

Where’s your mask, young man?? Thank goodness we don’t have to practice social distancing from our pets.

There is a misperception about artists, that we just sit around waiting for inspiration, and then paint what and when we feel like it. 

Artists who do that are usually hobbyists. Professionals know that life is easier when you have money, and if you want to sell, you need to paint what people want to buy, and then make yourself and your work visible and available.

Treating art-making as a business means many things are necessary:

  1. Figure out what people want.
  2. Learn to paint well. 
  3. Pay attention to online marketing – using my website, an email newsletter, Instagram (nope, no Facebook or Twitter for this Central Calif. artist – I have standards and boundaries.)
  4. Keep in touch with real people that I know in real life rather than depend entirely on “likes” and “hearts”.
  5. Make sure that people know what I do. (Do you know?)
  6. Figure out what works and what is a waste of time and money.
  7. Pay attention to trends (remember coloring books for grown-ups?)
  8. Be willing to do odd jobs. (Oh yeah!)
  9. Be willing to accept commissions (I am and I do – murals, oil paintings, pencil drawings).
  10. Keep learning new skills.

I am reading Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller. He is an author whose memoirs I have enjoyed for many years, and “suddenly” (how did he pull this off from a navel-gazing author?) he has become a very wise business coach. His podcast, Building a Story Brand is one of my favorites, both for his business acumen and his sense of humor. I trust this guy and just really like how he communicates.

This is what I have come up with after spending time with his book; I think it really summarizes what I do.

Making art you understand, about places and things you love, at prices that won’t scare you.

(There is a parenthetical addition to the end of this little blurb: “because buying art shouldn’t require a degree.)

Now I just have to figure out how to incorporate that into all my marketing efforts.

I’d really rather be painting or drawing, but sometimes an artist has to do what she has to do.

(With thanks to my longtime blog reader and virtual friend Marjie who helped me streamline the words)

Tucker doesn’t have a strong opinion about this topic.

Easter

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. . . Matthew 28:6

I don’t know what the word “Easter” actually means or where it came from, but the words in the quote above are exactly what it means to me.

Thanks for stopping by today. May your Easter be full of meaning for you.

Out Into the Wild

These quail don’t require groceries, hand sanitizer or masks.

Thursday morning I left home at 5:45 in the dark, cold, and rain to go to Winco in Visalia. The last trip was in January, and it seemed prudent to stock up. (My Mom had a huge list too.)

This is a weird angle of Pippin, chosen to make you smile.


I managed to get both our lists at the same time into one very packed and heavy cart. It was disconcerting to see all the bulk bins empty, including most of the ones where you don’t actually have to touch the food with a scoop. I made substitutions, skipped some things, and only bought produce that came in plastic. Mom wanted things I didn’t know how to find, and just touching the bag of frozen okra almost triggered my gag reflex. (Really, Martha, are you that hungry??)

Pippin is a compulsive paw washer.


Winco isn’t banning people’s own bags yet but I didn’t know that. (I now have 17 plastic bags to use in sharing oranges with neighbors.) I had to put it into 2 carts once it was bagged, and then a stranger helped me pull one of them to my car in the rain. I should have taken the pick-em-up truck instead of Fernando (that’s my ’96 Honda Accord Coupe – have I ever disclosed that before?) Good thing I had no passengers.

I drove with the window open through Lemon Cove so I could smell the orange blossoms.

Time for a restorative cup of tea (I’m reading a novel based in England in WWII* – can you tell?), a bit of dark chocolate, and a reminder that spring is still happening and it is beautiful so stop whinging. (See? reading an English novel)

P.S. The neighbor’s dogs have stopped barking – there’s a bright spot in this mess.

*Coming Home, Rosamunde Pilcher

Saturday Bonus

How long will this “Shelter in Place” be in effect? What a terrible balancing act between economic health and physical health, with so many unknowns, and so much pressure to see into the future accurately. If you are a praying person, please pray for our leaders.

Meanwhile, let’s continue enjoying springtime.

I wonder which one is popcorn flower and what the other one is.

Penstemon already?
I love this wildflower, and it will not grow in my yard.
The light on a neighbor’s house just caught my eye.
This is some sort of a mushroom, although it looks like a piece of styrofoam.
What is that chick doing??

8 Things Learned in March

  1. Life is full of unexpected events, changes, and unknowns, making it important to stay flexible and continue to adjust. (We probably all knew this but are getting many new opportunities to put that flexibility into effect.)
  2. Mooney Grove is full of unexpected things, including random fruit trees. (I saw a newly planted apple tree, but didn’t photograph it because it wasn’t photogenic.)
  3. Painting on a north-facing wall is full of advantages, mostly the ability to paint at any time of day without having to dodge the direct sun.
  4. People are full of weird ideas when faced with a pandemic; the things they choose to hoard don’t seem to be in alignment with the situation.
  5. Pandemics are full of new phrases: “shelter in place”, “self isolate”, “social distance”. (Why not just “stay home”, “stay away”, and “stand apart”?)
  6. The Skimm is full of news summaries in a handy daily email form. I think it is fairly neutral in terms of its political leanings, but am not completely sure yet. This is where you subscribe: The Skimm
  7. The country is full of flexible, generous, and versatile businesses. Distilleries are now making hand sanitizer, auto factories are making ventilators, and all sorts of folks are sewing masks instead of preemie baby clothes or sewing as a hobby. Way to go, People!!
  8. This monthend’s Learned post is almost all related to The Thing or to Mooney Grove. 

I found the drawing of the Boy Scout cabin that I did back in 1999. That was last century. I didn’t know how to paint or that Mooney Grove does not have an apostrophe S; my studio was in Exeter, I still had my first best cat, my 1988 Accord, my dad, grandma, and all my brothers-in-law. (But I didn’t have 6 new nieces and nephews or the internet.)

Another Walk in Three Rivers

As this Thing continues, so many people are seeking respite from “shelter in place” by going to parks that most of those parks are now closed. I feel sorry for city folks during this weird time. They may have Trader Joe’s, lots of movie theaters, fancy stores, access to sporting events and plays and concerts, grocery delivery, big libraries, fast internet, mega-churches, and who knows what else, but they don’t have beautiful places to walk during this Thing. 

Those of us in rural places don’t have any of the cities’ advantages, but that is just fine. Life isn’t fair – I am not tall, blonde, thin, athletic, or young, and that’s not fair either. That’s okay – I have beautiful places to walk.

North Fork of the Kaweah
North Fork again, looking downstream with Blossom Peak just barely visible.
Can you see the Gateway Bridge in the distance?

And back home again.

Weird. Is it a calla lily? Where did it come from? I don’t remember planting this.

It is Sunday and I am breaking my rules about not posting on Sunday,. Now I will break another rule and post a Bible verse.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Fear not, friends! (But wash your hands a lot, okay?)

P.S. It came to pass; it didn’t come to stay.

It’s Still Spring and Still Beautiful

If you aren’t quarantined or under voluntary house arrest, I recommend taking a walk. You might have to be confined to your own neighborhood, but it is Spring, and much is in bloom.

Here are some photos for you to enjoy, without unnecessary chatter.

shooting star
Caterpillar phacelia (THANK YOU, LEAH!)

not bush lupine
California poppies

little bitty lupine
baby blue eyes
bush lupine
redbud
redmaid
bird’s eye gilia

Who knows?
owl’s clover

A friend sent me this:

One final thought to cheer you up: As soon as The Thing appeared in our lives, all robo-calls disappeared! Is there a correlation? Don’t know, just thankful and relieved.

Mooney Grove Tour II

More photos of Mooney Grove Park, where I took a walk each day after I finished working on the murals on the Tulare County Museum.

Speaking of the museum, let’s focus on that treasure today. I’ve included pictures of the Pioneer Village behind the museum (entered through the museum) and 3 photos inside the museum.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at a bridge, not my favorite bridge (Oak Grove), but a simpler bridge in a true oak grove.