I Am A Success Because…

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What defines success? It’s a good question. So many see it as money/sales and fame. While I am really happy that my artwork sells, it isn’t the biggest part of how I define my accomplishments. It’s actually quite small…

I thought today would be a good day to remind ourselves of all of the “good” in our lives and what truly makes us a success. It’s a simple little exercise that might take some thought, but surely success can be found in even the smallest of things…

Pick one or more ways you are successful and leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!

I will go first…

I am a success because: in my life, the people around me have always underestimated me. When they said “you can’t do it”, I always did. Whether it was mucking horse stalls in Florida’s Summer heat, defeating cancer naturally 15 years ago or selling my art and earning a living with it. When they said “no way”. I’ve done it!

2013 An Intermission…

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I am interrupting my regularly scheduled blog to make a reflective post today.  Yes, my blogs have been scheduled for the past two weeks because I felt it was more important to spend time with my husband, family and friends.  I took an intermission.  I scheduled rather than leave each day empty because I’ve had a lot to say in 2013 and I felt some bore repeating.  From all of the great comments, retweets, shares and likes I have received, I know it was the right choice.   

For me 2013 was an amazing year both personally and business wise.  There were a lot of changes and in retrospect each of them were positive.  Sure I made some mistakes, but there is no success without some failure.  

One of the changes I made was to focus on marketing my prints.  For years I resisted selling prints with the mistaken belief that it would somehow cheapen my original work.  I have discovered the opposite to be true.  While my prints sales continue to increase, the sale of originals remains steady at much more appropriate pricing.  I no longer feel like I am under appreciated.  I can live off my prints and create for the sheer joy of it without a single worry about selling originals or commission work.  I can now explore photography and digital work with great passion that is undiluted by constant struggling for sales.  This is a great place to be as an artist!

Personally, I have had to let go of some negative people who were keeping me from being my best.  A few friends and even some family members no longer have a place in my inner circle.  I am what they call “middle aged”…..And I find in this second half of my upcoming life that I plan on being a lot more selective than I have been in the past.  Mistakes will be forgiven, but abuse will not be tolerated in any form.  With this said, I have finally found a wonderfully small yet supportive group of artist friends who consistently promote my work, share experiences and send me love/support when needed.  And I do the same for them.  In 2013 I learned that with a better attitude, I can attract better friends.  I have also renewed my relationships with my sister and brother and have found great friendship, love and support there as well.  I celebrated 10 years with my wonderful husband in a romantic getaway that restored and invigorated us.

I have so much great work and camaraderie planned for 2014.  Everything is in place for me to have the BEST year of my life!

My hope is that each of you reading this blog can reflect back on the passing year and see the good in all of your experiences.  That even in the negative you can find the good lesson.  I wish that each of you look to 2014 with optimism and grace.   Happy New Year!

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind…..

So You Wanna Work From Home?

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“I work from home.”  Most people really like the sound of that, but after living the “dream” for over 10 years, I can tell you that there is definitely a dark side.  Most people probably picture me drinking wine, smoking dope and cheerfully splattering paint around my studio.  I might be listening to some classic rock while I work and taking frequent naps as desired.  They might assume I only work a few hours here and there and that I can go on vacation anytime I want to and just leave it all behind.  I am an artist, so people are always nice to me too.

The fantasy above could not be farther from the truth.  The fact is that this “working from home” career has been the absolute most challenging and stressful job I have ever had.  There are things about it that I absolutely love and wouldn’t trade for any other position.  Creating is my passion and if I could afford a team of employees, that is all I would do most of the time!  Let me break down my experience:

Pro:  I get to set my own hours.  Con:  I work all of the time.

Pro:  I can work in my jammies if I like.  Con:  All my clothes look like Ernie the paint man’s rejects.

Pro:  I get to do what I love…paint and create.  Con:  I also have to do everything else including but not limited to cleaning, purchasing, marketing, customer service, technical support, etc.

Pro:  I have no pesky coworkers mucking up my productivity or causing drama. Cons:  It is very lonely and I have no one to talk to all day.

Pro:  Since I do it all, I can always make sure everything gets done to the highest of standards. Con:  When things go wrong, there is no one to blame but myself.

Pro:  I can run to the store, do a load of laundry, exercise the dogs, fix meals, etc. during the day.  Con:  The family often expects me to do all of those things on top of my demanding job because I am “home”.

Pro:  There is no bad hair day.  Con:  Without the critical eye of female coworkers 5 days a week, I often go way too long for haircuts and pedicures often scrambling at the last minute when invited to a dinner party.

Pro:  I have running water.  Con:  My job is a very MESSY job!

Pro:  When a lot of work comes in I can make a lot of money in a short period of time.  Con: I cannot delegate or share my load so at times I get overworked and exhausted.  Also, there can be long dry spells without any work (i.e. cash flow)

Pro:  I do not have to drive, fight traffic and worry about being late.  Con:  There is no con here!

Pro:  I have been able to always be home for my daughter after school, every single day of her school life.  Con:  Again, there is no con here and ALL of the cons above are worth having been able to do this for my girl. 🙂

 

Finding Balance

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It can be difficult to find balance in your life when you have so many demands pulling you in different directions.  Family, friends, work, health, etc. all need a place.  I create and list a lot of work and many have asked me things like “Do you sleep?”  I get 8 hours a night. I also market my work heavily and some have wondered how on earth I do it.  With experience, I have become extremely efficient at marketing.  I am also pretty handy with the camera and scanner.  I do most things quickly….I always have.  Patience is not one of my virtues!  I not only run a thriving successful art business, I also grow an organic garden, care for my daughter, care for animals and cook/prepare 95% of my own meals (Celiac).  I shop for my family, clean house and exercise every single day.  I go to dinner parties, family gatherings and art shows.  I play Scrabble.  I do not have extra hours in the day.  I am just big on balance and scheduling.   I do not allow myself to get distracted in web surfing or reading endless posts on Facebook.  I stay focused.  I have time slots for my work and I stick to them.  This ensures I have time for what is important in life.  I eat on a schedule too.  By keeping all that I do in priority when I am working on them or experiencing them, I never run out of time.   If I am at the park with my family, that is what I am doing and thinking about….not work. If I am working, that is my focus.  Some things you cannot help coming into your life to throw you off, but I have found that MOST of what keeps us from using our time wisely is useless.  How many cat memes have your read?  How many political posts? Farmville?  Tweets about what you had for lunch?  Do you sit on the toilet and get lost in a magazine?  Do you watch T.V.?  I don’t. That is how I do it…I do not waste time, so that I have plenty of it for everything I want in life!