Plates in the Air
This week I've been sitting behind an audio/visual table at a business meeting in Seattle, Washington, and it has me reflecting on myriad questions I get from supporters and fellow artists alike. If I boiled them all down to one question, it would sound something like: "How do you do all that you do?"
My standard answer is, "I don't get much sleep," but that's really not quite true.
For those who may not know, I have several professional "lives" I balance, and I enjoy each one.
First, I serve as a communications director for an international commodities association; second, I am an instructor in a couple of different arts organizations, offering classes on abstraction and in pastel landscapes; and third, I have my own artistic work that I do from a studio my wife and I built more than 10 years ago on our property in Arlington, VA. Also, from time to time, I take small groups on painting workshops to countries like France, Spain, Mexico, Canada; next up is Morocco in 2027.
As communications director, I am often called to travel - not only around the country, but also internationally. This, of course, takes me away from the other two lives, but is rewarding, as I represent U.S. corn, sorghum and barley farmers.
Teaching has its own demands beyond creating lecture notes, student handouts and scheduling classes. I hold classes on Wednesday nights, Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings. With a regular day job, this means I have no weekends or downtime. I try to remind myself that it's not work if you have a good time.
I try to concentrate my studio time whenever I have a free moment - so that usually means nights and weekends.
So, as you can imagine, to make it all work, I have to be highly organized. It's not sexy, but it's key to keeping all the plates in the air and it helps me be present no matter which life I'm in at any moment in time.
Electronic calendaring has become something of a godsend to me in recent years. Some would say I live and die by it. But in reality, I also have to be more selective in opportunities that come to me.
I'm so grateful that my longevity in the art space has allowed me to be considered for many opportunities and saying no to one or some of them is a personal hurdle I'm working on (for years, I almost never said no). But the reality is, if I said yes to each of them, there simply would be no way to do them all.
Friends and colleagues have often suggested it could be time to hire someone to assist me (in keeping up with social media, applying for shows, scheduling workshops and classes, tracking my works, etc.), but that just feels to me like moving from working with my hands to me becoming more of a product.
Art is not production.
I know many artists who have moved to the model suggested above, and I'm sure it works for them. But for me, I fear it would separate me from the work and the whole endeavor would become a job. I have plenty of those.
My solution is to become more selective in the opportunities that come to me.
So, know that when you see a social post from me, I've made it; when I fill out applications or apply for juried shows, it's my words from my heart.
This art endeavor is a labor of love, and it comes from my hands. Always has been and always will be.
And if a plate falls from time to time, I'll be the one to sweep up the mess. ; )
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