How art is improving everything in my life

I think these needs to be another theme I would like to share. When I go to lectures about the business and professionalism of working as an artist I am that person who is slowly sinking in my seat from embarrassment realizing I am that artist they are talking about who did NOT have a professional attitude. It's not terribly uncomfortable mostly because I am finding out what I was doing wrong and what I need to do to correct it.

What I have learned from the pros I have been studying with is the mindset of the professional, the attitude of a professional, and the behavior of a professional artist. That has been, for me, the most wonderful discovery of all.

What I did not expect is how it affected my attitude in my day job. I have finally learned to love it! It is helping me to get to my goal of being a self-supporting professional artist. It pays for my education and materials. I am learning how to handle business aspects such as working with print vendors, invoicing and filing and archiving. I am especially learning to leave my ego locked up in a little cage at home and to not miss it at all.

Learning how to be a pro as an artist has taught me how to be a pro at the job I don't really WANT to do and it has made me so much happier with my situation in general. I love this job now. I love that I make things good for other people. I love that I feel a sense of fulfilled responsibility that allows me to indulge in the thing that is my passion and my current goal (I have many!).

Drawing, composition, color, value, technique, mediums are all so fun to learn. But the sense of pride in myself that I am building comes from learning how to be professional. THAT has been the best lesson of all.

My current best source (other than the teachers with SmarterArtSchool and Illustration Master Class) is a wonderful book call "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. I highly recommend it - especially getting the audio version. It's like having a coach in the room with you while you work.

Learning to love my day job: AWESOME!!

Rose Red and Snow White - Final

Here it is!!!

Now it's time to move on to the next one...

Rose Red & Snow White in Progress

Here is an in progress shot of my Rose Red & Snow White painting for Smart School. This is my second go round with it and I am already so much more pleased. I am finally starting to find my painting method (it's still very much an amalgamation of what I have been learning from other artists) or I should say my brush confidence and this has been going more smoothly. I've also begun to learn how to use less saturated color and to reference my value scale for better values. I would say this is at about 1/4 of the way through. I'll keep you posted at to how far it gets!

Here is what I started for the first round (it is not finished and will most likely get gessoed over a year or so from now). I feel like I am riding a rocket - but I make sure I look at the masters to keep my humility firmly in place!!!

I really cannot say enough about Smart School - I have already begun the first week of the new semester, and even though I am only on "lurk" mode my head already hurts form the sheer amount of information I have received. These two paintings are only about six weeks apart. I am STILL growing!