No Maps on the Career Path

I need to move on. I need a new direction. A new horizon, a new job... but not any ol' job. I need something that will inspire me to smile or whistle while I work. Something creative. Something I can feel good about. Something that I want to do when I get up in the morning. Something that will contribute to the happiness of other people or animal's lives. I do lots and lots of things that fit these descriptions on a daily basis, but the point I am making is that I need the things I do to PAY ME!

Cleaning houses is a fine job. For someone of a heartier constitution, it may be a lifelong career. It pays well, the people are generally very happy you are there to make their lives easier, usually no one breathing down your neck so you are free to work as you please. BUT! I have been having physical issues that complicate my work. Back pain, joint pain, dizzy spells, and low blood sugar have been making work uncomfortable lately. Well, for a while actually. I just am getting fed up enough about it now that I'm whining. Audibly.

Let's brainstorm ways Melanie can make money creatively:

Etsy

My etsy store has sold a whopping nada since I opened it. But that could because I've neglected it horribly since I listed my first 18 items. I hear tell that the pictures on an etsy page will make or break a store. The pictures not taken by me are just lovely. I hired a photographer friend of mine to photograph some of my work for my etsy site on trade. (I still owe her a set of gloves) The ones I took are hideous and don't show the products in good detail. My camera gives me a case of the "goddammit"s. I just can't get the lighting right. So, I haven't listed anything else since because I have only gotten crappy photos. I think my crafty things are better appreciated when held in your hand anyway.

I think the whole etsy thing is not for me. I spent more time online than making things to put online when I started it. That's not really productive. I'll keep it up and probably will add things here or there, but it's not going to be a full time pursuit.


Craft Markets

My husband has suggested I take my creative vomitings to the local arts and crafts markets on Saturdays throughout summer. I suppose it's a start, but it's hardly a full time job. I mean we just bought a house! I need a regular income! Once a week for 20 or so weeks is not going to feed us year round. I may give it a shot next weekend... but what would I sell? There's my knitting, quilting, stuffed critters, dyed fabric, paintings, drawings... where do I focus? That's like asking an amphibian to pick land or water!

I'm not a very fast knitter, which makes keeping a full inventory difficult. Though, people do really like the things I make. I've had numerous requests for my gloves and hats. Sideline maybe? But not my main focus... I just wouldn't make enough off of it.

I've not been doing much in the way of painting or drawing lately. The "good stuff" comes in spurts of creative genius (HA!) with lots of crap in between. Not good for making me rich either. No one wants crap.

I LOVE making my little tater stuffies! They are so fun. I really just want to keep them when I make them. And set them on my bed. And talk to them. But I've yet to sell a single one... I don't know if anyone else is as crazy as I am about armless furry things. Maybe I'll push them for a while and see where it takes me. Maybe.


Art quilts are fun. They are fantabulous to make. I really enjoy the process of dyeing, printing, hand sewing, and touching all that fabric! But I don't know if there's really a market for them. I seem to have a ton of them on display around town and have sold 2 in the last year. I suppose that's better than the big fat zero etsy sales.

Something Completely New

I've recently toyed with the idea of doing something new. Daring even. Like opening a gallery/studio space for other artists ala the Ceretana. I have ideas on how to run things in a more professional way than how they were run at the Ceretana. Things there didn't run all that smoothly at times... but that's another story. There are many open store fronts downtown and a ton of artists in this community who need space to work and exhibit on the cheap. With maybe a small modest shop for selling arty/crafty things too. I think I'd focus on mixed media and sculpture since that is a niche that seems not overly full in this town.

This all takes money though. And I am not exactly rolling in it. I could share responsibility with other like minded artist types or business folk. But do I want it to be a co-op or a profit driven environment? Do I want to let other people have a full share? I'm not really sure I'm that trusting or giving. But then, if it were a co-op and it failed... it's not JUST my fault and it's not JUST me who loses. I'm not thinking failure right now though. I want to succeed!

Fact of the matter: I must start something. Soon. I can't wait forever.

Holiday Bazaar

I have been working my fingers to the bone to get ready for the Ceretana Holiday Bazaar. I've been knitting, felting, quilting, making papercloth, painting, drawing... yup, to the BONE! It is on December 4th during the ususual Missoula First Friday events. I figured that I had so many extra art and craft supplies around that I had better start making something out of them and maybe even try to make some dough from them.

But I'm not the only one working hard to have tons of pretty things ready for the Bazaar. Kim Shirley has made cards and posters from her wonderful original watercolors, Patricia Thornton has tons of artworks and her lovely Manny pillows ready, Don John Linton will have some of his amazing photo prints for sale along with so many other artists and crafters!

There's going to be an art raffle and a Cheap Art Salon for artists to sell their "mess ups" and "practices" on the cheap. All art in the Cheap Art Salon will be $1 - $20.

Here's a preveiw of what I will have for sale:a smattering of fingerless mittens,

a few warm scarves (this one's camelhair/wool!),

a dash of papercloth in the form of ornaments,
a couple cute felted purses,

and more to be seen!

Goings on and On goings

I guess I've been busy. Probably too busy. But if I wasn't I wouldn't know what to do with myself. And besides, soon it will be winter and I'll be wrapped up on the couch for at least 4 months. SAD and all. Ick... So, what have I been doing? And what am I going to do?

Lessee, I'm about to hang some pictures in a shop downtown for our First Friday Art walk. AHH! I got finagled into it because I know the owner of the shop and her brother is photographer who has a studio at the Ceretana. It's a Ceretana group show, so I have to do this or I'll be black balled by both my friend who owns the shop and the studio peeps. I'm thinking of hanging one of my older acrylic pieces and one of the quilts I have been working on. Not certain on this yet, but I've got 3 days to think on it. We hang on Tuesday. (sounds horrific, doesn't it?)

This is the quilt I just finished. I have framed it and pinned it to foam core board rather than hanging it. It feels more "artsie" that way.

I also just got an invite to be a craft vendor at a fair in November. I have never done one of these, but the chance to unload some work and make money is tempting! I've amassed quite a few random knitting projects and I've made some Christmas ornaments out of paper cloth. I was also thinking of making prints of a couple of my favorite paintings and trying to sell them too. We'll see. I haven't said one way or the other yet. Plus it's $50 to get in. That may be the "decider".

These are some gloves I just finished. I would probably do a few more pairs for the fair. But these are MINE!

Oh yeah! Yesterday I volunteered to teach as a sub at the ZACC again. I think I like this gig. Too bad it isn't a paying one. We made Picassoesque self portraits. The kids got a kick out of that! One kid thought he'd be a skeleton with multicolored bones in the wrong places. Halloween on the brain, anyone?

Work has begun!

I've been in the "studio" for a little over 2 weeks now, and things are going well. I've nearly finished my first art quilt hanging since I moved in.
I call it "A Matter of Perspective". There's still no border edging or hanger, but this is it painted and quilted. You can't see it here, but there's gold sparklies here and there in the quilt.

This is the watercolor sketch it came from:

Here's the studio itself. I'm squishing into the corners to get these shots!Yes, it is tiny! But it's mine!

NEW STUDIO!

I am now an official studio artist. Rent is paid, shelves put up, supplies shuttled in. Time to make a mess!

The studio is in the Ceretana Feeds building which is an old historic grainary next to the railroad tracks in Missoula. It has since been turned into a hip gallery and studio spaces for artists in the community. And rent is CHEAP! I pay $85 per month for a place to call my own. Granted my studio is the size of a large walk in closet, but it's mine. And I have access to the gallery whenever I need more room "express".

The gallery participates in the monthly "First Friday Art Walk" in Missoula where on the first Friday of each month galleries and shops in town hang new art and have a reception night. The interesting thing about this is that my studio is right off the gallery. So, when there's a reception going on, alls I have to do is open my door and crash the party by inviting people in to my space. Voila! Instant Gallery opening! (yes, it's fine with management to do this, I've been given permission)

When I'm all done rearranging and decorating, I'll post more pictures of my loverly workshop.