Louise going in deep into her love of sunflowers… (St. Francis Music Center Workshop, From Craft to Fine Arts)
Read MoreA Family Can Afford an Artist
I know it's bold and audacious to say this, but I believe that any family can afford to raise an artist.
The reason I see this as being a bold assumption is because I should not assume anyone's money situation... because, frankly, that is super rude. I work with kids that are below the poverty line, and some are even homeless, and I know that it is delicate territory to act like I'm not considering them. While I think of them all the time, I see that there's a gap of understanding for people to raise an artist... regardless of their economic status.
I have three kids and all are involved in various activities: basketball, hockey, wrestling, band (and 3-4 different types of band), singing, theater, and art. I pay part of these activities (their dad pays the other part), so I'm fully aware of how much we pay to have a 'well-rounded child' with hopes that they will become a cool human after they leave the house. I am not well to do, at all, so I often have to call the theater company or art center to see if they have some scholarship opportunities. I would do the same for the sports, but my ex-husband wouldn't have it due to pride issues.
At the same time, I have a china hutch in my home, filled with paper, art supplies and unfinished art projects. This is second nature for me to have good supplies for my kids, so they can dive in when they'd like, in an unstructured art making extravaganza! I don't need to help them much, nor do I have to get them dressed and out the door in time for practice. They can just do it...
I am their coach, with 20+ years experience as an artist, but I know that this time is not really a time for me to show them a step-by-step project. I would if it were a project where craftsmanship is important (like book binding), but with drawing and painting, I'm less concerned until they get to a point that they need feedback. I may compliment their progress, but I may still help them improve what they are doing... and I definitely will say, "try again, we have plenty of paper," if they fall short of their vision.
You may say that this is because I'm an artist and teaching artist for hundreds of kids every year, but I say to that... "yes, you're right."
But I would like to share a few tips, on how to raise an artist on almost any budget:
- Allow for a designated place to make a mess. I have a dining room table that cleans up really nice when needed, but really doesn't get much use otherwise. I don't care if it gets paint on it, because I have paint on everything anyway. If you don't have that luxury (if you call it that), then find a place where your kids can jump into a project and possibly (gasp!) not clean it up until it's done. A basement, garage, shed, a corner of their room, the closet... whatever. Carpet is a bad idea in these spaces, because you don't want your kid to be a master of hiding paint spills in carpet (like me). Furnish the space with garage sale finds, or old furniture. Ask your kids what surfaces they would want to work on, and go find it for super cheap somewhere. (oh, and don't forget good lighting... that's huge!)
- Buy the best materials you can find, if you can swing it. Don't buy the cheap stuff, especially when it comes to the following: Colored pencils, pencils, pencil sharpeners, acrylic paint, tempera paint, watercolors... okay, I just realized the list could go on... and on. My point is that buy less for more instead of more for less. Your kid will get discouraged by the crappiness of the materials, because they have a bunch of fillers inside, are made of bad materials that deteriorate, or have bad outcomes when they are trying to create. Trust me when I say that I have tried to go cheap, but all it ends up doing is filling a spot on my supply shelf ... of yet another something I don't use. It's like junk food of art supplies... just empty calories and crappy results.
- When buying the nice stuff, consider getting discounted stuff through coupons at your local craft store, Amazon, and, a bit more morbid: auctions or sales of deceased artists (seriously, I've scored amazing supplies, that don't go bad, from dead artists.) I also give some of my unused stuff to emerging artists, cuz I'm nice, so let your kids become friends with artists.... they may get some free stuff, as well as advice.
- Don't feel like you need to keep everything or say everything is "good." The point of being an artist (of any type) is to be prolific and grow. Artists don't score shots that people are keeping score of, until 30-40 years into our career. Yet that doesn't mean that we aren't trying to improve constantly. Ask artists how they would talk through an art piece, and maybe you'd get some ideas of how to work with your kid and their work. Create a portfolio to store really good pieces, and find a way to date their progress. That is probably better than framing it and saying, "that's the best piece I ever saw you do..." because that's going to have a reverse affect on your child. They may stop there as having won the fight. You don't want that.
- Find your local artists, and ask if they will mentor your child in any way. If a child is capable of hanging out with me, while I work in my studio, I wouldn't mind having the company. But that's just me. Coordinating a class, on the other hand, takes ample planning and materials, so it won't likely be free. Be open to the possibilities, and respect the artist for their knowledge and time. I say that because I've been guilty of not paying my artist friends who take my kids under their wings for a project. I should at least find a way to repay them for their time.
- Engage with the local art center, music center, dance instructor, or craft fairs. If you engage and participate in the planning of their programs, you can see what is behind the scenes of free or fee'd events. You'll learn that there is a value, because there are artists getting paid, organizations getting grants (therefore staff getting paid), and venues getting paid. While this aspect of "who is getting paid" seems trivial, it's actually helpful when raising a young artist. Therefore, if they want to get into the arts, they can be encouraged to pursue their interest without assuming they are going to be poor. It's still a business... and a job.... and worth pursuing.
I could go on, but you get the point. I am just as annoyed with hearing about how Picasso's piece went for $4M, as I am about how a football player is getting paid. I don't care. To be honest, we can get more out of our lives if we don't worry so much about these types of successes. I think that your little artist could be happy if they are allowed the space to create without concern about their future. Let them be in the moment, and let them be prolific. That's the only way to get good.
Hey, Mr. Keillor... That's my Town...
If I had known, as a rural Minnesota artist, that Keillor had only spent 3 years in a small town in my county, and benefited more than four decades characterizing my region, I would have likely not spent time listening to his show, quoting his politics, or feeling bad he had a “face made for radio.” While there is, admittedly some accuracy in the fictitious people in his stories, it still set an interesting stereotype in a public radio stone, that is hard to shake. He was given a medium that could be spread throughout the nation, through storytelling and song. I do not know if I feel thankful or annoyed.
Read MoreThe Artist Hustle
Out of sincere concern a friend said, "There's a part of my brain panicking and wondering how you do this without a brick and mortar job. So fun to read about the lifestyle..."
Read MoreCreative Loitering
Am I a creative loiterer ? Is there even a purpose to my work, if it is not being acquired by the general public? I know I do work, and I get paid for the work I do, but is the end game the sales of visual art for someone's wall a way of showing one's success?
Read MoreOn being a Teaching Artist...
I love being a teaching artist. I'm not creating work for someone else. I'm facilitating the creative process for young people (in this case... adults in other cases). That's a big difference.
Read MoreMy Story for the Rail...
If you think that an artist is not qualified to make a statement about the logistics for the rail to reach all the way to St. Cloud, as it originally should have been, then maybe this post isn't for you. But if you think there's an economically beneficial, socially equitable, and/or geographically wise reason for extending the rail to St. Cloud, then enjoy my perspective... my story:
Read MoreRevisiting old work in a new home
I went to dinner at the home of a local art enthusiast (to say the least.) We talked and had dinner in their new home. The space is open, post modern, and amazing. I would acknowledge it as the best piece of architecture in central Minnesota.
Read MoreSystems begin to come out.
These pieces started a series on systems, around the time I let color seep into my grids. I was influenced by patterns, walkways, cul-de-sacs, and roundabouts. HVAC. Architecture. Relationships. Dead ends. Limits. Limitlessness.
Each canvas was an opportunity to make a new plan. Color made new relationships with lines and shapes beside it.
It didn't quite make sense yet.
and that was okay.
Ahh.... the grids...
I just couldn't stop, really. It was one night, that the snow locked me up in my studio. I had wet down some large sheets of watercolor, and stretched them on my wall. I dipped into India Ink and let it drip. I was aware of my posture, like one is in their yoga practice or at their desk. I knew when I bent over with the brush, the composition went with it. I was so aware of what was happening with gravity, composition, posturing, and proportion, it took years to realize what it actually meant.
I did these grids for almost a full year, as my personal life reconfigured, and my professional life overshadowed my life's changes. I had a woman, both artist and mentor, flippantly say, as a critique, "Of course, the grids are about finding structure and stability. Isn't it obvious?"
No, it wasn't obvious. I was too close to it all.
How many handmade squares I made is unknown. Most of the pieces are off in a portfolio somewhere in my archives. The larger pieces are rolled up in my shed.
Much like that time in my life.
I needed to let go of this angst. It soon became more colorful. Vibrant. Analytical. Beautiful...
But this was an essential time in my life, to grow from numb reflection.