The past weekend was jam packed with travel (road trip), learning, and meeting new folks. While not every bit of information is useful for my art career at this point in time, I came away from the "Thriving Artists Business of Art" workshop with a better understanding of the livelihood. There appear to be many streams to follow (and the potential to set up some streams to flow on their own while giving attention to others) in this regard. It was interesting to note my resistance, or rather the obvious lack of confidence I have in myself, in learning what is entailed to create a sustainable art career. I have to say, though, I'm not on the "I can't/don't have the ability to/am not good enough to/ do this work" side of the fence. I'm remaining open and hopeful, working to understand how to get the process in motion. One step at a time and all that good stuff!
The workshop was held at Artist and Makers Studio 2 in Rockville, Maryland. An online (and now in person!) friend, Judith, runs the space which "provides services, support and studio/office space for select entrepreneurs and creative professionals in the Washington, DC area." It was wonderful to be in such a lovely, thriving artist community for this event.
Driving up and back on I95 wasn't horrendous, encountering only moderate traffic. Admittedly, I enjoy road trips far more with another person. It's not that I mind the solitude of the drive (like I don't get enough solitude...heh!), I just have a hard time staying awake. One of these days (of which I've been referencing for what seems like forever!) I'll be getting enough sleep so that's not such an issue. But, I am who I am...and I'm not there yet. I do kinda dig listening to Clarissa Pinkola Estes CD's on these drives, so that makes being stuck in a car for two to three hours rather productive.
This morning, I tackled my growing front lawn, tidying up the yard and driveway. In a few days I'll be taking a trip to California to see the fam, so having the house look lived in (as opposed to abandoned with ever higher grass and weeds) was necessary. Plus, I enjoy the activity. It's warmish out today, but not overly uncomfortable. The weather forecast is calling for some more storms as well, so it was good to get this out of the way. The next couple days will include cleaning and organizing a bit, so that when I return I can sort of hit the ground running on a few fronts. There will be a number of tasks, jobs and issues to address and it's always nice to come home to an organized platform from which to begin.
In other outside news...sigh...well, the news isn't so great. Lots of things to think about, to step up for and be present with to create a better world.
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