This week the lottery was 250 million smackers… I played it like it was my job and perhaps I have been “let go” because the paycheck never rolled in.  I’m sure you all realize that being an artist has it’s romance.  Everyone pictures the bohemian lifestyle full of interesting characters, invigorating conversations and art work that either makes you sick or makes you squeal.  The reason why the lifestyle may be romanticized is because a good portion of it is true.  

When I think about how my life is so difficult sometimes and how frustrated I am about  this, that, or the other- I think about what I am here really doing.   And the gist of what I do not do is this:

1.  I do not sit in a cubicle without a window.  

2. I do not have to wear sleeves and control top pantyhose or be banned from open toed shoes.

3. I do not have to punch in and out of a time clock or answer for how many hours I have worked/not worked.  

4. I do not have to take 2 separate 10 minute breaks at a vending machine and drink diet soda or microwave my dinner.  

5. I do not have to sit in a corporate center with a headset on for 40 hours a week never to know what the weather is  because I am suffocated in air conditioning.

These are things that choke the life out of me- I did it once and I think I cried every single day I went to work.  So yes, I miss the stability of what a job like that brings but I wouldn’t trade the flexibility, time and evocative people I meet on a day to day basis for punching a clock.  I need to remind myself that from time to time because the bohemian thing does catch up with me.  

The reason why we artists are so intriguing is that we have the guts (or insanity) to take a risk and follow a passion.  I love that and I love meeting other people who believe that much in something to do so.  It’s an exciting life to lead and the people in it are just as exciting.  It’s kinda a whole other way to learn about the world- filtered through someone who has thought about a concept, processed it, and developed a whole other language to express that thought.  And I love to see someone as passionate about expressing something they care about  as I am about my own work.  It’s a really great place to be.

Yesterday afternoon I got an email from a student thanking me for the semester they just completed with me.  I don’t get them often so the fact that I received this email really meant a lot.  This was his first art class and had struggled a bit in translating ideas to fruition.  He mentioned that he knows he has a long way to come and in thinking about what my response was going to be I realized that as an artist we always are looking for a way to solve a creative problem.  We do that everyday and as we continue to do so we build our vocabulary.  We always look to improve.  So I told him this was the beginning of a life long class of lessons and problems we look to solve.  We, in essence, are always students.  It’s the passion that conducts the syllabus organization.  

my gorgeous wood

I’m still working on my most current “creative problem” which is my PCA installation.  Lucky for me I have located my site and will be installing in a few weeks- just in time for First Friday at Banana Factory.  I’m excited!!  It seems to be the most perfect window!  I also have been pulling nails in my gorgeous piece of wood that I am recycling from a failed piece I did a few years ago.  I have a bevy of blisters on my hands but this wood is worth it.  It seems the piece is slowly gathering the energy it needs to build some momentum and be something.  It’s a battle sometimes but all I have to remind myself is that there are no pantyhose involved…

view from the window i will soon conquer