A Caged Bird S.I.N.G.S…

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With the recent passing of Maya Angelou, I was inspired to go through my books and find a few of hers for a reread.  A favorite is “I know Why The Caged Bird Sings.”  It has been said that a caged bird sings because it wants freedom. I’ve had a bird and he sang whenever he was in his cage, but he also sang when he was freely moving around my home.  He sang on my shoulder as he nuzzled my ear. He sang when he was having his bath.   He even sang when he was eating.  In fact, the only time he didn’t sing was at night when I would cloak his cage in darkness.  Only then did all go quiet.  I believe we are all like birds.  We sing because we must.  Whatever your song is be it art, music, writing, cleaning, building things, dancing, speaking, etc. it is something that you MUST do.  A deep yearning within that moves you without thought.   I do not ask myself why I create art.  I simply do it.

Rest In Peace Maya…

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Gimme A Break…

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abstract art, art, Artist, earth, faabest, figurative art, girl, impressionism, impressionist art, landscape, nature, painting, play, summer, travel, vacation, women, work

The weather in Florida is really lovely right now.  It is not too hot yet.  I have been working really hard on commissioned paintings for the last two weeks and have been taking some much needed time off.  A nice stroll by some water…getting in touch with nature…..taking photographs with my husband. This is what a day off looks like for me captured in the art above titled “Summer Stroll In The Park”.  I absolutely love what I do when I am creating for myself or for a collector.  Art is my passion!  But even I need to take breaks now and again. 🙂

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Never WHORE Yourself!

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appreciation, art, art career, artists, artwork, earning a living, hard work, job, making a living, never whore yourself, painting, photography, respect, self appreciation, self esteem, self respect, sharon cummings, value, whore, work

 

It sounds crude.  However, to this day I can still hear one of my favorite college professors saying “Never whore yourself.”  He was an art teacher who had paid his dues in art shows and endless submissions.  He had worked it for many years and learned the hard way that self esteem and satisfaction to an artist comes not only from creating but also from being compensated for the effort.  That’s right, creating paintings, photographs, sculpture, etc. is often challenging and difficult!  

When someone buys a painting from a self representing artist, they are not just buying a product produced on a machine.  Years of practice and failures have gone into that one success. College loans have been paid off (or not yet).  Supply costs that continue to skyrocket have gone into it.  My favorite paint is 50.00 per ounce! We use electricity, water and other resources.  We think up ideas….we buy stuff…A LOT of stuff….we sweat!  For me painting is very physical!  So much so that often the next day I am sore as if I had done a new workout.  And there is the photography, marketing, packaging and customer relations that also go into the work.  

As crude as Dr. Mike was, his words could not ring more true.  You cannot possibly expect others to value what you do unless you value yourself first.  It’s o.k. to have sales and offer friends discounts.  As long as it feels good in your soul.  If you can sleep at night knowing that you have been compensated for a job well done, you are on the right track.  If you lay awake belittling yourself for practically “giving” your art away, you need to rethink your strategy.  Never whore yourself!

With that said…today I have a few pieces on sale….they are cheap, but they ain’t free. 😉

http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=136238

http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=135106

http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=135009

10 Signs You Are on the Right Path

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abstract art, art, Artist, career, choices, exercise, fulfillment, good health, happiness, happy, health, healthy living, job, jobs, journal, journaling, life, relationships, right direction, right path, sharon cummings, work, work ethic

Do you ever wonder if you are on the “right path” in life.  Is something missing?  Look at the list below and see if you can answer “often” to ALL of them.

1.  I do things I love.

2.  I get excited every morning when I get out of bed.

3.  I feel accomplished when I fall asleep.

4.  I have fun.

5. Things just seem to work out well for me.

6. I feel on top of my game.

7. I get so involved in projects that I lose track of time.

8. I have great ideas.

9. I use my imagination.

10. I feel overwhelmed with gratitude.

I have “often” felt all of the above on a daily basis, but haven’t lately and I find it is time to reevaluate what I am doing with my career, family and health.  What I like to do when I get off track is sit down and write out a list with two columns.  In the first column I write out all of the things I am currently doing that are not fulfilling, frustrating or unhealthy.  In the second column, I write out everything I am doing that is fun, rewarding and healthy. If the left column is considerably longer than the right, I just make a decision to do more on the right side.  It becomes my PRIORITY!  I scratch off things on the left that are not necessary and add a few to the good side (things I would like to do).  This gets me back on my game every time…..

Are you on the right path?

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-right-path-colorful-abstract-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

So You Wanna Work From Home?

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art, art for sale, Artist, artwork, be your own boss, buy art, career, create, creatives, creativity, hard work, hardworking, home, how to be successful, job, painter, painting, sharon cummings, success, successful artist, work, working from home

“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. 🙂

 

I Am An Alien…

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abstract art, alien, aliens, art, art for sale, Artist, buy abstract art, buy art, career, Christmas, galaxy, holiday, holiday season, milky way, moon, moons, nasa, outer space, planet, planets, sharon cummings, shop, Shopping, space, space ship, success, tampa artist, time travel, ufo, ufos, work

 

It’s been suggested in various groups that I might be an alien.  Why?  Other artists see how much work I produce and how much I market myself.  They wonder how I can do so much and be human.  I’ve addressed this in other posts, but it all boils down to focus for me.  Some experts might even call it OCD. 😉  I will say that as I am ageing that my focus has gotten a little blurry sometimes and I do forget to do things on occasion.  I also get tired.  But this time of year I am hyped on the excitement of the season.  I absolutely thrive on painting gifts for people to share with the one’s they love.  The thought of the joy my work will bring is out of this world!  And getting ready for my first show has me smiling at the speed of light.  It’s a full creative moon! There are UFO’s everywhere (unbelievably fun objects).  It means more hours of painting and more hours of promoting, but just maybe the Mother Ship has a spa waiting for me come mid December…..

 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/night-sky-landscape-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

Ahhhhh

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art, Artist, coffee break, contemporary art, Fine Art, FineArt, modern art, mosaic, mosaic art, mosaics, paintings, prints, red, relaxation, rocks, sharon cummings, stones, time off, work

 

Ahhhhhh…..taking a few days off from working.  I will be back on Monday.  It’s Summer and the living is easy if you make it so……

 

These two pieces are from my popular signature style called “Stone Rock’d Art”.  You can see “AH” and ALL of my work in this series here:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-sharon-cummings.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=273951

Got Frenemies?

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art, art business, art marketing, Artist, artwork, competition, enemies, faabest, frenemies, friends, gratitude, help, loving your enemies, making friends, marketing, marketing art, sharon cummings, the art of business, the business of art, work, work satisfaction

 

Frenemies is a funny term, but it is one that often best describes online relationships where two people are direct competitors selling a similar product to the same audience.  I have been creating, marketing and selling my artwork online for over 10 years.  I started on eBay which was a brutal place for a fine artist and from what I hear, it still is.  That’s when it all started….where I learned to distinguish friends, enemies and frenemies.  Unlike many artists, I am a business person first and an artist second.  I have a direct way of communicating online.  I am ALL business which ruffles some feathers greatly.  The insecure, sensitive and overly emotional types can easily get offended by my style of typing.  Regardless of how I have been viewed by others, I have always offered my help.  I have spent many hours chatting, emailing and posting in groups so that emerging creatives can learn what I have had to acquire the hard way.  I share my secrets to success.  I congratulate others when their work is doing well.  I relentlessly encourage those that are still struggling to sell their work.  I do it because I like people and I enjoy seeing others triumph just as much as I enjoy my own rewards in this field.  EVERY sale is a victory for artists because it means that people are buying art.  And it they buy someone else’s work it also means they might buy mine.  I believe a lot of artists would have more “friends” and feel better about themselves if they learned that it is just as much the art of business as it is the business of art.  And if they would realize that the potential for art sales is astronomical….the pie is big enough for ALL of us and that when someone offers you some help….take it with gratitude no matter how it was delivered.  I will continue to help others regardless of the enemies and frenemies I acquire along the way…..because I am grateful that I have had the opportunities and successes that allow me to do so.  

Learn more about my work here:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-sharon-cummings.html?tab=artworkgalleries