Friday, November 15, 2019

The Day in the Life of an Artist

The day in the life of an artist? It’s complicated and varies a lot, but there is an underlying current that unites my days.  I work a LOT.  If you’re contemplating a career, do not think ‘I would like to be an artist, it’d be fun to just paint all day.’  If ‘artist’ is your choice it’s because you MUST be an artist and have no other choice!  Being an artist is hard work!  Mine is 70 hours/week.


So, what did I do today, a typical day in my life?

  • My first job was to take a payment on a sold painting with my Square.
  • Reached out to a designer that I want to work with in the future.
  • Breakfast - social media.  I’m more of a content creator because it’s my business.  I try to post on my blog, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In and sometimes Pinterest.  It’s how I generate business.  Artists need to be good writers.
  • Worked on a commission
  • Made a couple painting videos
  • A few more touches on that commission so it will dry for the next layer...
  • Went to the gym and worked out and swam for a couple hours
  • Took a nap!
  • Social media posting.  I’d like to paint all day but the paintings would sit in our house and have conventions if I did only that.  An artist these days should paint only 10% of the time and work on the business the other 90% of the time.
  • Continuing work on that commission. 
  • A nice cozy fire with my hubby and daughter.  Recruited them to help me finish some coasters; preparing for an upcoming Christmas show.
  • I teach five art classes and completely write my own curriculum so I worked on class preparation tonight.  It takes me an average of six hours a week to prepare and maintain my classes, which does not include teaching them, ordering supplies, transit, cleanup, emails answering questions, preparing my own work to use as examples, researching art history, sending assignments, ‘student management,’ chasing payments.
  • Conversation with clients, having them check on almost-finished piece.
  • Watched one TV show with fam and enjoyed our fire.
  • Stumbling around doing house things and last check of social media.
  • BED!


This is a typical day, but they vary widely.  The underlying tie is discipline.  Don’t even contemplate an artistic career unless you are one disciplined human!  So... if you’re interested in the arts, it would be a lot easier instead of producing art yourself to just buy mine!! :)


Also, there’s a myth about artists looking fab and wearing high heels when the paint.  Forget that.  Just forget it.  HERE is the dirty truth!

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