Even though there is much conflict and turmoil in the world, I feel confident that the human spirit will prevail. I see so much to be hopeful about, and I feel that art can be an important part of making the world a better place.
While I’m upbeat about the future, I understand that it’s not always easy to remain positive, and that doubt and fear have a way of creeping into our minds. As I’ve interacted with artists over the last year, I’ve heard a lot of concerns and worry expressed. Being an artist is hard and sometimes scary.
I’m not an artist myself, so I can’t understand all of the challenges and difficulties you face. However, as an artist working to sell your art, you are a small-business owner, and as a fellow small-business owner, I have faced many of the same issues you have faced in building your business.
At this point, my gallery has attained a certain level of stability. Though there will always be bumps along the road, experience has given me a certain level of placidity about the day to day issues that arise in any business. I know that things work themselves out.
This wasn’t always the case. For the long, initial years of our business, I spent many sleepless nights worrying about how we were going to get through our challenges. How were we going to pay next month’s rent? What could we do to increase sales? What would I do if the whole gallery thing didn’t work out?
I could taste my fear.
I don’t mean to imply that I don’t still have concerns about the future, there will always be some level of uncertainty in any business, but at this point, it’s exactly that, concern, not fear.
Growing up in an artist’s home (remember, my father is the painter, John Horejs), I saw first-hand the adversity that comes into the life of a struggling artist (and his/her family)!
Just to provide a short list, I’ve observed that many artists experience the following challenges:
I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface of the fears you face as an artist, and I hope you’ll share others in the comments below. Whatever your fears are, however, the important question is how can you overcome them?
I have several suggestions from my experience as a business owner. I don’t mean to imply that fear can be easily overcome, nor that these suggestions will revolutionize your life by helping you instantly vanquish your fear. You can start conquering your fear by doing the following exercises:
Remember, courageous people aren’t those who have no fear, but rather those who face their fear and overcome it.
What are the things that you’ve been most afraid of in your art career? What are the things that you most fear right now? How have you overcome your fears? What advice would you give to an artist who is facing fear right now? Share your thoughts, experiences and suggestions in the comments below.
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Matt A.A. Smith ( @smithmattsmith on Instagram) asked a fun question about painting dinosaurs from life. I’m fascinated how large language models navigate truth, satire, fiction, and comedy. We humans play all sorts of pretend games with each other, and I love the way the chatbot seemed to address the fact that we’re just having fun here. A wittier chatbot would have observed that birds are really dinosaurs, and that I’ve sketched chickens, turkeys, and emus from life.
@clarewashere asked a question that was a little tongue-in-cheek, and the chatbot gave her a sincere answer, if a little simplistic.
If you want to play with the chatbot in a different way, you can ask it to take on an attitude or a character, such as a pretentious blowhard or a film noir gangster, and it will oblige.
Be sure to bookmark the URL, which is currently listed on the Linktree if you click on my name.
For the five folks that I chose as winners, please email me your mailing address (it’s on the left edge of my blog), and I’ll send you a signed poster.
Here’s the epiphany that I had this week: A lot of artists are already publishing these small bits of information…on their blogs…where nobody ever sees it.
They just publish it out into the ether because they heard, somewhere that “you need a blog”, and they hope that it magically attracts a following. No wonder most artist blogs fail.
While it’s OK to occasionally publish some short updates on a blog, that’s not what builds a blog following. Building a blog the right way, takes a big commitment. A commitment to produce well-written, engaging, and compelling content on a regular basis, and a commitment to engage with your audience.
In short, it’s a commitment to hard work. To reap the benefits of a blog, you need well-written, well-edited, long form content that attracts people. You need to be telling an arching story about your journey that people want to follow.
It’s even better if the story is connected to some bigger idea that people can get behind. Yes, one of the benefits of blogs can be attracting new fans from search engine traffic…but only if you have the right kind of content.
And the “right” kind of content, generally, means something much more compelling than exhibit announcements and photos of works in progress.
So here’s my Seinfeldian revelation:
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Last month I was invited into a neighborhood preschool’s Makerspace to do a challenge with their 4 and 5yr olds. I made the decision to use the elements they experienced gathered for the house, which was a lot and loads of recyclables, plus I brought in a few of my own goodies and we manufactured recycled collages! Allow me explain to you all about the elements and the method.

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~ Cardboard parts, just one for absolutely everyone (ours were being about 10 x 10 inches)
~ An assortment of compact, recycled products these as: minimize up toilet rolls, small items of cardboard, bottle tops, lower up egg cartons, wooden beads, buttons, corks, bubble wrap, popsicle sticks, cupcake liners, pine cones
~ Smaller plates, trays, and containers to screen components
~ White faculty glue (make guaranteed they all operate perfectly and are not clogged)
~ Jars with lids for paints (we love to use the Bonne Maman jam jars)
~ Comfortable brushes (I like Royal)
~ Elaborations like dyed rice, yarn clippings, and pom-poms

1. Commit some time collecting components. Enlist buddies, family, co-teachers to assistance collect. After you have an abundance of supplies (enough so you never have to talk to kids to halt producing their creations and really don’t have to stress about nearly anything working out), uncover your receptacles for presenting the components on the desk. I love working with berry cartons and wicker chargers, but you can use everything you have on hand as prolonged as it is minimal-ish and flat-ish. The extra the resources are in one layer the far better so little ones can see almost everything and really don’t have to dig all over to locate anything.

2. We experienced 6-8 pupils occur into the room at a time, so I manufactured sure they had almost everything they essential at arm’s reach. I set out a few sets of everything, furthermore they all had their possess, newly crammed glue.
3. Place a cardboard piece in front of every single baby. Write their name on a piece of tape and increase to the back even though they are operating.

4. We had fifty percent an hour, and most young ones were being completed by then. For early finishers, have a further autonomous action close by if you have space, like a block space or chalkboard. Or give them yet another piece of cardboard if they want to make extra.
5. Established out to dry. We did component 2 a week afterwards.

6. When I arrived back again the adhering to 7 days, I brought alongside some paint that I blended, in addition some dyed rices and yarn bits. I included white to the paint to make it additional opaque. And to dye rice, just place white rice in a major ziploc baggie or tupperware. Include a couple of drops of food coloring or liquid watercolor, and a splash of white vinegar. Shake, shake shake to cover all the rice. Then lay it out on a tray lined with paper towel to dry right away. I really like utilised coloured rice, it gives so considerably exciting texture and can be made use of in spot of glitter.

7. I set out two stations this time with similar materials so each and every boy or girl could arrive at. If I experienced a lot more house and time, I could have started out with the paint first, then brought out the toppers. But I only had 50 % an hour for section two, so I established every thing out at after.

8. Ahead of the kids arrived in, I punched two holes and extra the wire. In retrospect, I would incorporate the wire in the beginning upcoming time.
9. I also did plug in a incredibly hot glue gun just in circumstance some of the parts were not glued on appropriately the week in advance of. I secured all the things in advance of the young children came in.
10. I casually proposed that the kids start off with paint and then increase the other resources on prime. Some children went again and forth, and some even explored painting on prime of the rice. Very little was off boundaries!

11. Just about every collage was so one of a kind as each and every kid approached their style in another way. As the teacher, there was not a lot for me to do other than listen to their stories and get to know them. They were complete self-ample and have been equipped to share elements, get turns, and get pleasure from the course of action. This is this sort of a wonderful age because they really even now adore the course of action and are not nervous about a “product” or comparing on their own to many others. I imagine this age team tends to make the most resourceful perform.

12. Some young children definitely made use of an abundance of supplies. Sometimes as the grownup, we have to hold an open up and adaptable state of mind. We can have the urge to leap in and say, alright that is sufficient. Due to the fact we are made use of to preserving and being acutely aware of waste. But it is significant to keep our mouths shut and allow the creative course of action unfold — which is how we make it possible for kids to convey on their own and make resourceful confidence!


13. These closing parts are so expressive and colourful and interesting! Do you see how superb course of action artwork is? And how critical it is for kids to master all of all those social emotional techniques.

The college director hung their work and I enjoy how she employed the pink paper and the white scalloped cardboard. It’s a ideal exhibit for family members to see their child’s amazing creations!
xo, Bar
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Recycled Wall Art
Egg Carton Village
Shoebox Apartment
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