There is a great deal going on in the world today - I know I don't need to tell you that. We'll probably agree that people are preoccupied with making a living - or better yet - a survival. We feel we have little or no time available to just live, be, or explore. We sometimes believe that if we don't work 50-70 hours per week, we will go hungry, be poor, and homeless.
Whether you believe in this concept or not, that trusting the Divine to provide for all of our needs, seems to go untested. If I truly believed in the Divine's love for me, I would have no problem of putting this principle into practice.
For a number of years, I had a full time job while trying to "work" or "jump-start" my art. I almost went insane on the treadmill of my "regular" career. I ended up pushing and hurting myself physically and mentally to do all that was expected of me, which was an invisible bar I could never reach. In the end, I realized that no matter how hard or much I worked, it was never enough. The sad part was, I put so much effort into a job I was never made to do.
Up until approximately seven years ago, I never had the time to devote to what I should be doing in regards to my art, or even attempting to take it seriously. No matter how much I planned, wished, or otherwise, something else from my previous career always popped up. Now, since I'm pursuing my art full time, it seems the Divine has opened the doors - other artists are being put into my path, opportunities are presenting themselves, and things seem to be moving forward.
For example, I met a fellow artist named Dan last week, who was out painting on our town's Main Street. It was a beautiful sunny day, but also breezy, as he had his tripod weighed down with a rather large backpack full of extra supplies. We chatted - well okay - I did most of the talking. I was a little excited to see another one of our "tribe". I shared on my experience of outdoor painting - how the sea breeze came along and I got wet canvases blown onto me or onto the grass.
"That's why mine is weighted down," he interjected.
"I don't paint outdoors anymore - I've gone totally abstract," I continued.
"Well, there are abstract shapes in reality," he protested slightly as he added a lime green rectangle to a doorpost.
"Do you show anywhere?" I asked.
"Up and down the coast at foundations. They have juried shows. The foundation shows don't require so many pieces of your work, like galleries. You only need one piece and it gets a good deal of foot traffic," he added.
"I didn't know that - thanks. My husband and I are showing in two galleries next summer and we have a great deal of work to do. Lots of framing. They require about 25-30 pieces. I look into it. Thanks again," I said as I turned and left him to concentrate on his work.
The second artist, Jessie, I ran into that same evening. She is a new friend I met at church. She was ecstatic as she mentioned that she sold five paintings over the past two weeks. She is currently in a gallery further south down the coast in Damariscotta, and she has her own studio as well. We started discussing various topics of what we paint, sales, marketing, and more.
This week has had some down time from painting as I was waiting for more Gesso to arrive that I ordered on-line. The local art shops only seem to carry pints or quarts and they are always out of stock. I thought about cracking open the gallon bucket I received, but then realized I had to move some of my paintings that were drying in our main hallway (the joys of painting on large canvases in a small studio - sometimes I just run out of space). We have new appliances arriving on Monday and EVERYTHING needs to be out of this hallway in order to get to the kitchen. So, no - I'm not going to make more work for myself.
What I am doing is writing more and reading about spirituality. I must admit, I am grateful for the camaraderie of other artists in my life.
Until next time,
The Happy Abstract Painter,
Jill
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