Back from vacation
I’m still off schedule from what I had intended to be a weekly Tuesday posting cadence, but something is better than nothing. I went pretty “screenless” last week while my friend was visiting me, which was a nice change from staring at my phone/computer/etc. while I was sick the week before.
I’ve also made some progress on my goals! I finished my beaded embroidery collection including the 7th hoop and embroidering two other hoops! I feel like I’m starting to getting back into the swing of things after getting sick and my stay-cation, and I feel rested and re-charged to take on my art business projects.
I’m still working my desk job, but my last day is in less than three weeks! While I’m wrapping things up at my desk job, I’m planning on mostly focusing on creating and painting and less on the business aspects of being a full-time artist and business owner, because the creating part is more familiar to me and I don’t have to think as much. But I know that I’ll need to revisit and work on the business aspects of being a full-time artist. I’ve been using the Five Projects framework that Charles Gilkey talks about in his book Start Finishing and have been applying other frameworks he covers in his book to scheduling out my time in the big picture (quarter, month, week timeframes) and in the day to day timeframe. For this month, my remaining project is painting the “Sand, Sea, and Sky” collection of 6”x8” oil paintings that I started back in probably 2020.
What I’m working on now:
I’m hoping to start painting again this week. Specifically, I am going to start up the “Sand, Sea, and Sky” collection of 6”x8” oil paintings that I started back in probably 2020. I have 2 paintings to finish and 3 paintings to start. My goal is to have this series of paintings finished by the end of September. I’ll be traveling at the end of September into the beginning of October, so it’s a nice goal to wrap up those paintings before my trip.
Inputs
I’m still reading Give and Take by Adam Grant.
In my e-library loans, I have Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod and the audiobook of Radical Candor by Kim Scott on loan right now that I would like to start and finish before they are due.
Outputs
My partner and I went up to Pacifica and Half Moon Bay this weekend and as we were walking around Pacifica, I visited a gallery. I talked to the owner and exchanged information with her and it may be an opportunity to display and sell my work on consignment at her gallery. I need to send her an email of my portfolio, which I should put on my to-do list for this week.
