Finding the Balance Between the Love of your life and the life you love
As an Artist, you need an audience or a following to sell your products, your services and Art. As an entrepreneur, I work as a fulltime packaging designer and I teach in person paint classes.
Some of the things I've learned about myself while putting this project together:
I am a resilient woman. I love it when people have a personal connection with my artwork. It's not an easy task to come up with a project all your own, then turn it into a product. After listening to Jake Parker's YouTube video, you need a product, not a project, it made me think carefully of what I was putting together. I don't want to simply sell art to other artists, I'd like to instead build a collector base. And as I continue to explore, I find it important to continue to make this practice of drawing daily. It's become a habit I enjoy and look forward to, especially after a hard days work.
I've been using youtube as a way to get my artwork out to the public along with other social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. During this time of creating this series, 31 Ideas to Fill A Sketchbook, I've learned quite a bit about myself. Not only am I working a fulltime job, and every now and then making time for the gym, I am also planning my Fiance's and I wedding, I teach art classes and I volunteer.
Never will I put so much pressure on me again! I love the fact that I've been able to stay the course, and I can have tunnel vision in seeing a project through. So this project is very dear to me, I have yet to complete a sketchbook to its entirety so I am thankful to have been able to do something like this with the limitations that are in place.
We are getting married in September and I can't wait until this planning is over. If our parents were well, we would have surely traveled outside the country.
As I mentioned, you need an audience to sell your work to. Art has a special place for many people. It moves them to take action, feel an emotion or think. Currently, I am creating art as a simple form of expression. It does not have a subliminal meaning, it has nothing to do with politics, socialism or justice. Currently, I create to get into the habit of sitting at my desk and for the pleasure of creating.
I want my art to have an impact on people. I want people who buy my art to experience joy, I want them to experience the pride of having something hand made, and unique. Something especially made for them, or a piece of artwork that takes them to a specific place in time. Perhaps people will buy my art simply because of who I am - but at that point, Donia Studio would have to be a house name or a brand that is well known.
In the mean time I am creating for myself and sharing it with the world. I'm still in the process of finding the balance between the love of my life and this life I get to love. Get your copy of the sketchbook before the prices go up.