This Life I've Chosen ... Part III

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY AS AN ARTIST or Getting gigged by a fellow artisan.

The month of April marks a full year after I first "went public" with my artventure! Yay! Thanks to all of you who pushed and encouraged and advised and purchased my art! There have been many, many, many ups and downs. 98% of the artists I've met have been consistently helpful and encouraging. Then...there's that other two percent! I've had some doozy experiences with fellow artists over the last year from low-handed attempts to sabotage my art ventures, being told my art was awful or that I wouldn't be successful, even the suggestion that some areas are territorial and I would be too much competition. Really! Puleeeeeeze! There's enough out there for all of us.

I have a collection of quotes/advice I dig from often and don't know who to credit for the following. I do know those who came before me have summed it up beautifully...

"Many artists really believe only a limited number of artists can achieve success. Achieving success has nothing to do with beating out the competition through deception, lies, manipulation and viciousness. Artists who succeed have beaten out the competition through exercising powers of perseverance and discipline and by cultivating good marketing skills."

"Some artists have double standards: honesty , intellect, courage, discipline and integrity are their ruling principles, except when it comes to their art and careers. For some, it’s a you or me, dog-eat-dog mentality. These artists backstab, hoard information and have selective memories. They are fearful of ideas being stolen, competition, and losing the status quo. By this reasoning, to them every artist is a potential enemy/threat of competition."

"Those who let rationalization and paranoia rule their careers in order to avoid rejection, assuage insecurity, and fend off competition must face the fact that their careers can come to a screeching halt, limp along in agonizing frustration, or be limited in every possible sense. Eventually their work suffers (reflecting lies, excuses and fears) and their network of friends and contacts degenerates to the lowest common denominator, as they stop at nothing to eliminate what is perceived as a possible threat."

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice (Js. 3:16).

"Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see you lead a good life. I Peter 3:16

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who hurt you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." Matthew 5:44 That's the hard one!

. . . enough said.

"Shrimp"

And I thought oysters were a pain! Now I'm craving shrimp!

Check out the rest of  "the stuff" at http://www.tkellerart.com/ !

This Life I've Chosen - Part II

Or, "Speaking up for all Gypsy Artists" as I dance around my own to-do list! I appreciate a bargain like the next guy. I'm always willing to give discounts for cash cause I don't have to pay a fee for a cash deposit. I'm often flexible on my original pieces at outdoor shows since you are buying directly from me instead of a gallery. But if it's the first showing of that piece I've gotta give it a chance before tossing a big discount in there! This whirlygig adventure begins with spending many hours birthing a painting. Then I'm getting prints and matting or framing or packaging and packing it all up securely and lugging it to a destination show...rain or shine. A few hours after setting up a tent that will withstand the weather, followed by unpacking and arranging and hopefully putting my feet up a few minutes before "showtime" and we're ready for two to three days of feedback from serious collectors, browsers or dog walkers. Some even leave with art! I just hope to grab a few minutes to peruse the work of other artists. At the end of long day, exhaustion is an understatement. But, we get up and do it again the next day. And then we move in reverse. We take down the displays and pack them securely and dismantle the tent and praying it will all go back in the car, hoping you have less product to pack. Then hit the highway home and collapse - after unpacking the car, of course. Up bright and early the next morning (yeah, right) and post the charge transactions, pay the taxes and do the bookwork. Clean up the boxes you tossed stuff into cause you didn't have the energy to organize it and re-group for the next weekend show. And you feel guilty cause you can't find time to get another painting finished so you'll have fresh work at the next show, cause you've gotta take the time to repair the frame you dropped at the last show...not to mention getting the laundry done and the fridge stocked and...well, you know what mean. It's like being on a hamster wheel all the time. I remember when this was just a hobby! The kicker is....I love every backbreaking, belly aching minute of it!

Jazz Festival Weekend

The Jazz Festival in Pensacola is this weekend. It's at Seville Square Saturday and Sunday (April 4th and 5th). This is the first year for the art venue. Check it out! Groove with some jazzy sounds and eat some great food in downtown Pensacola!

Save the Bait Shop! Sign the Petition!

Next time you ride down to the Island, stop by Jemison's and sign the petition to keep them open. The powers-that-be say they won't renew Jemison's lease and even plan to cut it way short. This colorful bait & tackle shop is an iconic landmark for that area. It's been the livelihood of the Jemison family for years. Don't let 'em knock it down. Parks, boat launches and fishing piers can be built around it or somewhere else along that causeway.

Bi-valves!!!

This was a fun painting to do. I snapped this photo at the Beachcomber one late afternoon after boat riding on Dog River. This was Chandler's dinner. Glad I caught it before he slurped them all down!