When I was little, I didn't draw or do any sort of art for money. I did it because it just seemed like something I had and wanted to do. I didn't think about selling it or what it was worth. Art just got me through long and lonely days as a kid, and through high school and college as a way to contribute and support things I cared about, and as an adult, a form of expression, survival and therapy. When I did start selling art, it sort of changed everything about art for me. I couldn't really sit down and draw without thinking if the painting was good enough, or if someone would like it or buy it. I thought about what to charge and what it was costing and taking from me to paint. I didn't like that feeling. It has become clear over time, now, that I really do love art. I need to draw, doodle and paint. It is sort of like my well-being depends on it. It is another way I talk and sort things out. I get a lot of emotions and thoughts filed away. So when people ask me, "Did you sell anything lately?" or, "Are you going to sell that and if so, how much?" I take time to talk about my art like a business, because that's what it is now. And I want to sell my art. I do charge and I don't just give everything away for free anymore. But when I am alone painting or drawing, I try to think about other things. Like I did when I was kid: my feelings, thoughts, memories, people and happening. I focus in on the lines and colors, etc., so my art doesn't turn into work centered around money, selling, or pleasing others. Unless of course, someone hires or asks me to do something in particular for them. Then, I want to do as they ask. I want to think about what I have been asked to do. I want to succeed in getting their wishes fulfilled. It is rewarding to create something someone likes and desires, too. So it is all a balance. Doing and selling art are both important to me. I am grateful God gave me art as a way of escape, and a way to talk. Sharing that with others is a blessing, too. And getting paid is a blessing as well.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Brenda Trapani
Artist & Storyteller "The grass fadeth and the flower, but the word of our God shall stand forever." -Isaiah 40:8
Archives
November 2017
|