30 Days of Get Your Art On – 09.27.11

I finished the piece I worked on last night! Even though it looks like what I did today was very minimal, I probably spent another 2 hours on it. I just need to paint the sides, and it’s ready to hang for Final Fridays this Friday.

I did start my morning “slow” like I wrote about yesterday, by doing art.  I set my timer for a half hour, but worked just a little after time was up. I have to say, it was wonderful! I felt like I was on vacation, even though I worked the rest of the day and evening. It definitely shifted how my day felt. All these years, I felt like I should do “work” first, and then I could work on art (if there was time left over . . . ). Had I only known how refreshing it was–it’s like eating your desert first!

Then on my lunch break, I read a little bit of I’d Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion by Alyson Stanfield. I haven’t read the whole book yet, but what I have read is excellent. It helped me write an artist statement the beginning of the year when I needed one for a press packet I made. I’ve read books that I felt didn’t really give concrete information, they were too abstract for me. Sometimes I need someone to tell me exactly what to do, and with self-promotion, that is definitely the case. I feel pretty weak in that area. But this book goes through all of the excuses you could give, like there’s not enough time in the day, and helps you bust through them.

Between starting my day off with art, and reading some of Alyson’s book, I felt pretty fantastic today! You can see the rest of my posts for 30 Days of Get Your Art On  here.