There I was, embroiled in the daily struggles of trying to survive. All the while still trying to make art. Then, BAM, I was hit upside the head by fate. Literally. I was in a car accident serious enough to keep me from working the job that paid my rent. It was at that point that I was commissioned to do a painting that was bigger than anything I had ever done before. It was a project that would pay my bills for the month, I was thrilled to take it.
The thing about the money/art cycle is that you need a place and time to make the art in order to make the money that will pay the bills that will give you the place and time to make art. It’s a bit like jumping onto a moving merry-go-round. The less resources you have the faster it seems those horses are rushing by. Miscalculate and you might get flung out into the gravel and break something.
That commission was like a little pause in the rotation, or a well timed push. Either way, knowing my bills were being paid by this project allowed me to take the time to develop my abilities in ways I never had before. On the other hand, I was nervous about making something worthy of that sum of money. I felt an obligation to produce something of value. Armed with both the pressure and the freedom, I set out to catch a wave.
https://www.rachelratcliff.com/
