Portrait of Linda, watercolor 14x11(Ipainted for upcoming article in Watercolor Magazine)

My life is becoming increasingly busy - with writing my column in Watercolor Magazine, blogs for Fine Art Views and American Artists' online forum, an occasional article for Workshop Magazine (I'll be writing 2 this year - one on Daniel Keys and another on Stapleton Kearns), my ebooks, and last but definitely not least - my paintings.

I'm writing here this morning to let you know about my upcoming blog series for Fine Art Views which will be about Adding Value to your artwork. I'll include many quotes and conversations from my mentors, including Jack Beal, Sondra Freckelton, Nancy Guzik and Richard Schmid. Just this weekend, Richard gave us words of wisdom at lunchtime about painting what we love... getting to know everything about that subject.

Right now, I'm writing for http://artistdaily.com twice a month, but that could turn into a weekly series. My blog there is called, "The Artist's Life".  I write once a week for Fine Art Views, and it is on this forum where I'll begin the "Adding Value" series. Yep, the title sounds kinda commercial, but the series won't feel that way. It's about painting for both Love and Money... with Love first and then the money following. It's about mastering our chosen medium and subject matter - it's about creating truly remarkable work "worth remarking about". Finally, it's about how it feels to be a professional artist, what to expect - what other artists both renowned and lesser known, experience in their daily pursuits.

I'll post my links to these articles on Twitter and my facebook page. You can follow either one with the following links.
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lori-Woodward/159774076315?ref=nf

Twitter: http://twitter.com/loriwords

Oh, and thanks for all your participation on both Fine Art Views and American Artist forums. It's been a lot of fun exchanging ideas and experiences.

Yesterday, I was made aware of the fact that there are still artists out there who feel guilty about making income with their artwork. I know at least a dozen wildly successful artists who make art for the sheer joy of it, and they make a darned good income too. They are not ashamed to get good pay by folks who may someday donate it to a museum or pass it on to their progeny as a cherished heirloom.

While some collectors buy art as an investment, the majority of art sales take place because someone falls in love with the work and has the means to purchase it. That's why we artists who are in the business of making art for sale owe our collectors our best efforts. I am elated when someone buys my work -- knowing that my painting has a good chance of bringing joy for... what... maybe a few hundred years. AND if it pays my bills while I'm alive at the same time, that's the icing on the cake!

 For those artists who still feel a twinge of guilt after reading this blog, making income from my work also allows me to buy the best materials and make more artwork without going into debt.

Sincerely,
Lori

Good morning to all who've subscribed to my blog.  Life is busy, but I'm happy about it.  One morning I was sitting on the couch (my thinking spot) and eating breakfast... brainstorming about how I can further my career...

Then a thought suddenly flooded my mind - one that I had probably never pondered in the past.  Wow! This is probably about as good as it gets!
My health is OK.  I'm painting with one of the most renowned artists in the world,  I have supportive friends and a loving husband.  (Yes, I'm still married to the same guy, but he gets better all the time).  For years, I've been writing journals and stories, poetry... and now I get paid to do it.  My art supplies are ample - I'm learning more about painting all the time.

Even if nothing else ever happened to improve my life - if it doesn't get worse, I'm content with the way it's going.  And if things aren't perfect, well...that's just the way that life is, so I might was well get used to that.

Work is a blessing, and I'm happy to have work to do.  It may not be the most important job in the world, but I probably couldn't handle the stress of a terribly important vocation.  I'm happy that I can offer some small , and possibly helpful piece of advice to other artists, and create paintings that have the capability of bringing joy to others for their lifetime.  Really, does it get any better?

Yes, there will be down times, sad times and some of my current opportunities will fade away, but today they are here, and I'm thankful for that.  As they say, make hay while the sun shines.  While I have my health and mind - I plan to be useful, and grow in my ability.

FYI, this is not a blog that will show up on Clint Watson's Fine Art Views.  For those, my plan is to continue writing about increasing productivity and time management for artists.  Next, the Optimally Organized Studio.  When my belongings are in order, my work flows with efficiency.  I'll get into specifics about what has made a difference for me.

Til then,
Lori

Why is it that I don't have to put effort into establishing bad habits while gearing up for good habits takes every ounce of self-control I can muster up?

As an artist, I have a maximum of freedom and flexibility with my time, and this is one of the things that makes being a professional artist a joy, but at at the same time, it creates a war within me. The daily struggle to choose the right thing to do for the advancement of my artwork is VERY REAL. Now, if I am to succeed and produce lots of incredible artwork – thereby making a living at it, I'm going to need a great deal of self-discipline in order to overcome my natural inclination to treat my life as a vacation.

When I worked for someone else, I didn't need much self discipline because someone else was arranging my schedule and tasks. Either I did what I was supposed to do, or I'd get fired. As an artist, I mistakenly believe the lie that I can goof off and yet succeed. But nothing is further from the truth. Even though wasting time doesn't seem to cause me immediate pain, I am headed for disaster. Furthermore, because I have a spouse who makes the bulk of the household income, there isn't even the incentive to feed myself or pay bills.

I believe that in order to establish good working habits, the reality of failure needs to be extremely real and imminent. I need to scare myself into a regimented schedule – just as though I were working for someone else. In early adulthood, I supervised a group of 8 software testers, and my ability to get serious with them surprised me – as I intensely dislike conflict. Today, I am finding that pushy person inside to pressure myself into superb performance.

In order to scare myself with the facts, I make a list or imagine what will happen in the near future if I fail to practice good work habits. The first and most obvious result is that I will lose self-confidence and as I delay my working at the easel. This is a totally bad situation. Secondly, I will lack having paintings ready for opportunities that crop up – and they do crop up when I least expect it! Most importantly, not having paintings means that they will not exist for folks to enjoy for a lifetime. I must not lose sight of the real reason for making beautiful artwork... it contributes to beauty and moments of joy for myself and others. Not all art has this as its goal, but that's the goal for my work.

Succeeding as an artist is such a complex pursuit – I can hardly even touch on what it takes in the context of a blog. We are all individuals and have unique challenges. Folks who are not artists may think it's an easy life; however, because we have so much freedom, it can be a difficult life to manage. Even so, I would not chose any other career... it truly can be a labor of love, and will become that if I indeed establish good working habits.

My next blog will be on establishing those positive habits. I'll also touch on the rewards that hard work brings me. Last March, I wrote down in my journal with all caps - “EACH DAY I MUST DO SOMETHING, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, TO MOVE AHEAD WITH MY ART”. That means painting even when it's not going well. It means hanging in there and resolving difficult problems, starting a painting over, setting time aside to study and copy old masters, wasting paint with practicing, and ultimately becoming my personal best.

Until next blog,

Lori Woodward Simons

Successful Artists Paint Every Day

Well, it's been a great summer for me, and if you're wondering why I haven't put out any blogs for you to read, it's because I've been on a painting and writing hiatus for Watercolor Magazine.

I've got about 10 topics lined up -- most concerned with Time Management for Artists.  For for this first blog, I'll examine the various reasons why we don't have enough time to do all the things we want to do, plus those we have to get done... AND schedule in time for rest and relaxation. Yes, R&R is important if we want to remain sane and keep close to friends and family.

I believe that the real truth of the matter is that: WE CANNOT POSSIBLY DO IT ALL. I don't care what the books say! One of the reasons why we don't have enough time is because we try to juggle too many tasks – all with equal importance in our mind. Some things have got to go!

If I need more time, I have to do fewer things.

If I'm serious about the success of my art career, then I must raise it to a higher priority, which means that some tasks are going to move down the latter in imporatnce. The first step is to take a good hard, look at what really needs to be done and what my imagination thinks needs to be done.

We all have tasks that are essential to healthy and organized living – you know what yours are. Then there are tasks which I add to those – and erroneously give them the same priority as what is truly important. For example... during my morning walk (which is an activity that is essential to my physical and mental health), I saw that one of our neighbors had beautiful mums. With that observation, I added, “Buy Mums” to my To Do list. Now that is just a crazy idea! The yard looks perfectly presentable, and as a serious, professional artist, I don't have time to add tasks to my current list. My "imagined" list also contains: reupholstering a couch and chair, kayaking, visiting a bookstore, visiting friends; and I might add, write an instructional book, do outdoor shows, get into two new galleries, enter national competitions... well you get the idea. Because I am a creative person, my thinking easily migrates to being creative with my time, but the only problem is. If I do all those things – instead of the things I truly need to do, I'll never get to the easel.

I'm not saying any of the stuff on my list is unimportant – what I am saying is that some items should have a lower priority. I'm pretty sure we all instinctively understand what tasks are imporatant to life and which ones are are just “want to do's” So today, I will make a list of things I'm currently doing which need to be done, and which are things I just want to do. When the NEED stuff is well under control, then the WANT stuff can be attended to.  Another list: Ways in which I waste time on a daily basis. Again, none of these things is bad in itself - only in that they keep me from accomplishing the long term desires of my heart.  I'll share my lists with you on a later blog, but for now -- I gotta hit the canvas.

Sincerely,

Lori Woodward Simons

www.woodwardsimons.com

This morning as I prepare to slightly alter my artistic direction for the summer months, I thought it might be helpful to share with you all my pondering and consideration.

You see, as I try desperately to paint gorgeous, final pieces from start to finish, I inevitably fall on my face about half way through the process. Not because I’m such a crummy painter, but because my mind’s image of what should happen on the canvas and what ends up being there are two very different things.

When I begin a painting (usually thinking it will be for sale), I am psyched about what will transpire between the first and final strokes, and I usually get a pretty decent start, then the remaining 75% of my time gets spent on fixing what didn’t happen; at least not the way I had hoped it would.

Giving up is not an option! I must prevail! I console myself that if other artists have managed to do the kind of artwork that I’d like to do, then it seams reasonable that I (who am somewhat intelligent) can paint similarly. Now... I am able to make paint do what I want in watermedia, but oil, because it dries slowly, seems to slide around until it makes mud.

The problem for me lies with my way of thinking about oil painting. You see, with watercolor, I don’t have as many opportunities to make changes and keep a fresh result. On the other hand, when I start an oil painting, I have the flippant attitude that I can always clean it up later. Well... I’m getting pretty darned tired of doing this. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to watch Richard finish up a landscape that he had begun the week before, so I asked him, "How do you work wet into wet and keep it fresh and not muddy?" Well, he replied, that he only can go over a stroke one or possibly 2 times before it mixes together and makes mud. AH!!! So, it really is as difficult as watercolor. I was underestimating the amount of skill I need to pull of an fresh oil painting in less than 60 hours.

So... what’s the solution.? For me, right now... it’s to improve my skill set before I move on to these grand finished paintings. Again, I’m not all that bad of a painter, but I want to be REALLY GREAT at it. It is important, at this phase in my career, for me to isolate the problems with subject matter or difficulties with paint application, and I’m willing to bet that in the long run, this time out will speed up my path to better painting. The first step: copy the old masters that I love. Today my intent is to replicate a simple field and stream painting by Olive Parker Black. She’s been dead a long time, and I don’t intend to make my copies into paintings to sell. In fact, I use Canson coated linen-look paper to practice on... it really feels like working on canvas, but it keeps my studies as studies. As soon as I think a painting is no longer a study, I get all stressed out about it. The really great thing about practice is that at some future point (maybe near future), I’ll make super paintings almost automatically without as much sweat and tears.

As spring progresses into summer, I’ll bet that in the long run, my practice sessions will lead to better ‘gallery ready’ paintings than if I forge ahead without first developing these needed skills. We shall see!

 

All my life, I’ve struggled with procrastination, but rather than beat myself up over it, I sometimes take a look at why I procrastinate. When I figure out the "why’s", I can then devise solutions that enable me to move past my roadblocks. It’s interesting to note that while I have procrastinated in some areas of my life, there are just as many tasks that I attack with enthusiasm. I have to ask myself - what is the difference between the tasks that make me hesitate and those that capture my immediate interest.

Some of my artist friends have no trouble with avoiding difficult tasks - I envy them. But their apparent ease in life does not help me to get past my difficulties because in essence, my personality is so different than theirs. Perhaps you share some of the same personality traits as I do - I suspect that procrastination is a normal human response to uncomfortable circumstances.

My first observation is that the tasks I dive into without hesitation are those that I know I can pull off without much worry - things I’ve done a million times before - so that it seems almost effortless. Well, writing a blog such as this one is practically stressless, while writing my articles for Watercolor Magazine seems, well sometimes, overwhelming. Both are writing... so what’s the deal here? Why is my approach to writing articles for publication so filled with fear? I’ve had about 40 published articles - wouldn’t it seem that I’d be used to it by now?

The difference is the amount of importance that I project into the project. I’m getting paid for the article; it will be reviewed by an editor (whom I’d like to impress) and then published. Artists will pay good money to buy the magazine, and I want to do an excellent job. There is much at stake. Fortunately, the editor does an excellent job by taking my words and pulling them together beautifully. Blogs, on the other hand, are similar to writing in my journal - something I’ve been doing consistently for more than 20 years. Blogs are also done as a volunteer position, so I figure people can take it or leave it. If it’s helpful to others, than great! If not, no one lost any money over it. By the way, writing articles for publication and painting for clients and galleries feels the same to me.

Alas, the articles have a due date - and I seem to pull it off every time. But how could I make the process less stressful? First, I need to understand what circumstances contribute to doing my best work, and find creative ways to remedy the problem. Here’s what comes to mind: Make ‘writing for articles’ a short daily exercise rather than a dreaded task - for example, each morning when my mind is sharp, write in ‘stream of consciousness’ style for 20 or so minutes. When it comes time to do the formal writing for a magazine article - I’ll have plenty of words and sentences to pull from for the article. This means I’ll be creating without pressure. My creativity factor, while painting or writing, freezes up when I feel pressure combined with doubt. However, when I work in the fashion of "fun" or play - I am amazed at what I can do!

Likewise I freeze up when I’m painting for a gallery show. I overwork my paintings - trying to make them perfect. Whereas when I’m relaxed and just ‘doodling’ with paint, the resulting work tends to come out amazingly well! You’ve probably already thought of a solution to this problem. AH HA! Practice every day - do lots of studies - take away the ‘importance’ factor and just paint for fun sometimes and see what happens. Incidently, my next article for Watercolor is going to be on "Practice" and how that benefits the artist (by looking at how practice benefits professional athletes)..... so you see, by writing this blog today, I’m also getting some preliminary work done for that article - with relatively little pressure.

Removing Stumbling Blocks

Defining personal goals can be a fun process, but as soon as one takes steps to pursue those goals, often the road to success gets rocky and those nasty stumbling blocks impede progress.

The more lofty the goals, the higher the stakes and the longer and rougher the road can get.

I don’t write these things to discourage anyone, but to encourage my fellow travelers to eliminate, remove, or at least take measures to break apart our personal stumbling blocks. By the term stumbling blocks, I mean those things that keep us from attaining the results we set out for ourselves, and for this blog, I talking about attainting our dreams for our respective art careers.

Now that I’ve defined a few goals to focus on for the next year or two,(previous blog) if I don’t also take time to name and address those personal idiosyncrasies that have been and will continue to deter me from my personal definition of success, I probably won’t make much progress in 2008. Now is the time honestly study and name those things that have deterred me in the past, so that they don’t impede my progress any further.

Here’s a list of a few of the boulders in the road to success that I personally deal with. Yours may be completely different, but I’ll state these here to help explain what I’m talking about.

Fear: Both of success and failure. I procrastinate... what if I find out that I am not a good enough artist to reach my goals? What if I do reach my goals, what kind of lifelong commitment will that require me to make with my time? Am I prepared emotionally to dedicate a major amount of my remaining time on Earth to the making of artwork?

Too Many Interests: If I break up my most productive hours into more than 2 or 3 activities, the chance of my attaining any significant progress in any one area breaks down with the number of projects I pursue. For instance: I write articles, teach workshops, paint for galleries, like to travel, love spending time with my husband and friends – plus I have responsibilities that go along with daily living.

Daily Fatigue: I can only work in a focused fashion for 3 to 4 hours straight. My mind begins to shut down by about 2:00 pm every afternoon. I get a small burst of energy at about 7:00 pm, but I am usually not able to work on art or writing at that time of the day.

There are many more obstacles, but these are the ones that are likely to keep me from attaining goals in 2008 if I don’t take serious steps to address them. Again, for you - they may be completely different, but if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll be able to name them.

The next step in the process is to design a way to deal with these potential obstacles. After simply naming them in a list, I feel ill equipped to tackle them - they seem overwhelming. So, I need to break the mountains into molehills. The first on the list (Fear) is the most difficult to define. The other two - Interests and Fatigue are much easier to define, and therefore, easier to deal with, so I’ll tackle them first, and as I make progress with those, the fear will probably diminish - especially since I’ll be busy and feeling good about my daily progress.

Molehills: For the "Too Many Interests" topic, the answer is pretty straight forward... something’s got to go! In order to see what will go, I ask myself, what one thing must I do to meet my priorities for the year? PAINT - that’s pretty simple. In order to paint, I need to have my supplies ready, my time available, and an idea of what I want to paint. If I book too many workshops, I have no time to paint. If I write too many articles, I have little time to paint. It doesn’t mean that I can’t visit with friends or travel, but it does mean that I need to designate work time first and then see how much time I have left for the other stuff. If I am not disciplined in this area, my goal of making great paintings is down the drain.

Fatigue: Well, this has an obvious answer too, and it is like the previous answer. My best "thinking" hours must be devoted to work in my studio... period. I can be social and do chores when I’m not at my peak brain power. I need enough self discipline and vision to make absolutely sure that I do my most mind intensive work in the mornings. Easy to say, difficult to achieve.

My hope for all reading this is that you’ll take the challenge to address those demons this year that keep you from attaining your goals ,and by the way, as you take a long healthy look at your obstacles, you’ll also discern how attainable your goals are for your individual lifestyle.

Whether you are the type of person who likes to make New Year’s resolutions or not, one can hardly resist thinking about what the upcoming year might bring in the way of personal success. Before I rattle off a "to do" list of goals for artists, I’d like to encourage those who are reading this to concentrate on developing a personal definition of Success.

For the artist who is also a business person, there are numerous ways to realize a good income from creative output. There is no "one plan fits all" because we each have a personal idea of what success means. Some professional artists are happy with a specific monetary number for income, while others want to gain access to a high visibility gallery (you know the ones that advertise in major collectors’ magazines). Then there is recognition via national competitions; at the other end of the spectrum is selling prints to frame shops and painting local scenes for local galleries. The outdoor show circuit can provide ample income and direct communication with collectors. There is no shame in any sales venue for the aspiring artist who’d like to make an income with his or her creative abilities.

However, it is sometimes a valuable exercise to ponder ideas concerning a specific and desirable path to YOUR goals. At the beginning of each year, I re-evaluate my feelings about what success means to me personally. This year (and it changes from year to year for me)... success means becoming an excellent painter of representational art. Incidently, I paint with Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik. I’ve watched Jeremy Lipking, Casey Baugh and Albert Handell demonstrate... and so my idea of what excellence is – keeps rising to what seems like a nearly impossible level for me to attain. But I have made good money over the past 2 decades selling art that is "pretty good", long before I knew Richard. One does not need to be the best artist in the world to make a living selling their work.

I don’t need to pay the bills with my artwork at this point, but would like to in the future so that my husband may retire a bit earlier. If I were currently in a scary financial situation, I would not have the luxury of spending time further developing my skill set this year. I’d probably be taking on portrait commissions. (And there is nothing wrong with that either). It sure beats working for someone else.

I’m writing this particular blog to encourage you to consider pursuing the goals that will make you happy in the long run. There’s no sense in pursuing goals which do not fit in with your personality or lifestyle. Realistically consider the amount of time you can allocate to reaching your goals as well as your monetary needs.. Although this is not generally a windfall, get rich quick type of business, making a living at it is certainly do-able - especially if your work is desired by folks who buy art. At this very moment, there are artists who are realizing ample income from the outdoor show circuit, selling on Ebay, or selling in the gallery setting.

There are many paths to success; however, one person cannot pursue many of them effectively. So know who you are, what you’re capable of, and what you really want - then write it down and chart your own course to artistic contentment.