Being an Artist is Hard Work

Working on my second painting ever, Ocean Beckons, in 2003.

A quote that I have carried with me for years and years reads: “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”*

The same can be said of making art.

Both writing and creating art ~ of any variety ~ involves putting a bit of yourself out in the world. Some days it’s easy, while others? More like literally taking a scalpel to your arm (well, technically, your brain), and trying to let something out, something that needs to be said, or drawn, or created.

~ And: writing and making art is the easy part!

Once you’ve finished that novel, or that painting, or whatever, you have to go out there and sell it.

And let me tell you ~ selling is no fun. If you have a book, and don’t self-publish, you have to sell it to an agent who then sells it to a publisher. Or you sell it to a publisher yourself. And then… when it’s finally ready (all of the steps to get there are numerous, and the subject of a much-longer diatribe), you have to tweet, and Facebook, and Pin, and google and digg and reddit and blog and blog tour and and and… I honestly don’t even know what else.

In the case of art, taking photos of the item, cropping them, writing about the piece, adding it to your inventory, then adding it to your website or online store or taking it to a storefront that actually carries your work… whew. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

But of course, I do it anyway. Creating is in my blood. I can’t help it.

*This quote is attributed to a number of different authors. Read what The Quote Investigator discovered about it ~ it’s not who you think!