#21DaysInMyArtWorld :: Process Insight

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This January I’m playing along in Tara Leaver’s #21DaysInMyArtWorld challenge over on Instagram.  And just for fun I’m posting my photos and musings here on the blog as well. Today’s prompt is: Process Insight.

CLICK HERE to check out the series so far!

Last week I missed a few days of Tara Leaver’s fabulous #21daysinmyartworld invitation, so today I’m going to jump right in with Day 13 prompt: Process Insight & then sprinkle in the ones I missed later.

One of the most powerful process insights I ever had occurred in 2009. That year I welcomed in commissions online and I was beyond blessed to receive a little over 50 requests at one time.

I was a full time art teacher in a public school and this magic felt like hope that I could soon leave that job and be a working studio artist full time instead — a dream I had been working towards my whole entire life.

Months later and about 10 commissions in, I realized I hated doing commissions. So I sent an email to 40+ clients telling them how grateful I was for their trust, but I would much rather disappoint them by returning their deposit and canceling their commission then push through and deliver a painting that had no joy or passion behind it.

This was scary as all hell and not to mention expensive. But the space I created by letting that go made way for my first online workshop to blossom through instead. This is where I found my sweet spot and months later, in 2010, I left my full time job to pour my whole self into Dirty Footprints Studio and be that full time working artist.

But here’s the chewy inside of Truth: I had to let go of what I thought being a “working artist” should look and feel like and instead discover what my special recipe for both fulfillment & success truly is.

Teaching and business are actually 2 very juicy facets of my creative process — it’s not just all studio work for me.

I feel my most whole in a life and practice where I harmonize my love of painting with teaching and with being a solopreneur.

It’s my jam to do all three.

And I think that’s why my 15 years of only focusing on teaching and making art never felt fully alive to me. I was missing the thrill of being self employed to balance it all out.

So my process insight since then has always been to follow what makes my cell sizzles, even if it’s a tad bit risky or makes no sense!

Kind of like my most recent sketches pictured here.

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