Chapter 15: Work Ethic by Judy Vienneau
I find it’s easy to get distracted from making art. Especially when working from home – there are always chores, tv and internet. Now that I have a studio outside of my home, I am more focused for longer periods of time, it’s just a matter now of going there. I try to schedule regular days I go to the studio just like going to any other job.
I keep in mind what other artists have done to stay focused. A fiber artist I worked with was very disciplined. She said she found it is important to make art EVERY DAY, even if it is only for 15 minutes. She created small squares every day that she eventually assembled into a large installation piece. Also, in some of the art documentaries I have watched, successful artists go into their studio every day, whether they feel creatively inspired or not. One said he would sit at his desk holding a pencil until something came to him. These are the comments that pop into my head when I am wasting time on facebook or binge watching the latest series on Netflix!
It helps me to have a deadline. I create art when I have a show coming up. Sometimes I will create my own deadline as a goal to complete a series of work. It is great when I get “on a roll” and can’t wait to get a piece finished. I really need that drive of seeing an idea come to fruition to get anything done; I am not the type of artist that puts medium on a canvas and “plays” with it ‘til they get something they like.
Making money is a good incentive as well, especially if trying to complete a commission, or create work for a specific show. There is a point, however, when creating the artwork is no longer fun and becomes just a job, if created solely for the purpose of selling. I much prefer creating art because I have something to say, rather than trying to create something that I think someone will buy. It is interesting to note that a lot of the artwork I have sold has been the work that I pour my heart and soul into, and not the work I create because I think someone will buy it.
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