Yup… when the economy shits the bed, the first thing people stop spending money on is the arts. So who got a financial sucker-punch for christmas this year? Who? Me?… awwww… ya shouldn’t have!
I understand it… because I’m not able to spend money on art (or much of anything else) either. It’s just the way things are right now. When weighing out buying new clothes or arty fun vs paying the bills- I opt for bills as well. And I was REALLY fucking lucky and have super awesome friends who’ve got my back, and I got a little office job that doesn’t care about how I look, I have my own office, flexible hours, and the nicest coworkers & boss ever. And after getting turned down for seasonal positions of stocking shelves at Whole Foods (apparently they don’t believe that I can lift my own weight in coucous), I have never been more thankful for office work.
But with my new job, comes added life pressure. I thought I didn’t have enough hours in the day before.. but now, I’m a little fucked. Here’s my typical day:
7:15am: Wake up into the madness of getting ready for work and getting Sully ready for school
8:30: Drop Sully off at school
9:00 Get to work
work work work work
2:00pm: Leave work
2:20: Get home, print orders, start business calls, deal with web stuff
3:00: Get Sully from school
Go to store/post office/whatever errands need to be done
4:30: try to package orders while strong-arming Sully to do his homework
5:30: Start making dinner while making calls to whatever large corporations/utility companies/financial institutions I’m having troubles with that day
6:00: Dinner
6:30: Pulling up all the Blacknoise webstore stuff and getting the shipping ready for that (because,yes, I’m still running Brad’s business as well since he’s still in school)
7:30: Quality Sully time
8:00: Get Sully to bed
8:15: Package Brad’s orders so they can go to the post office the next day
9:00: Dishes, Laundry, chores, and whatever else needs to be done around the house
10:00: Finally sitting down to my own paperwork & website technical stuff that I usually would have done during the day, but now have to do at night because of the day job
11/11:30: Try to check on/respond to emails, customer service stuff, tracking lost packages online, banking and bill paying, etc
12/12:30am: Try to paint, draw, etc pieces for upcoming shows, or work on x-mas presents for people
2/3:00am (usually later): get ready for bed.
Yup. I’m tired. It doesn’t help that it’s the holidays. I loathe christmas… but this year it’s particularly depressing since we have no money for presents for anyone and I have no time to make stuff like I wanted to. But it will be over soon, and that’s one less thing on my never-ending list of “to-do’s”. So if I’m not writing as much on here as I normally was… now you know why.
Aside from that madness…. This past week I had some of my darling friends from NYC in town for gallery openings. It was a much needed jolt of laughter and beautiful faces to keep me going. Saturday night David Stoupakis had an opening at the Corey Helford gallery, Matthew Bone (a LA local) had an opening at the CoproNason gallery, and on Sunday night David Hochbaum & the Goldmine Shithouse crew had a screenprinting party. I got out of the house. I got to dress up and run around with friends. I got to see beautiful art and laugh. I got to play with my friends. I haven’t gotten to do those things in a really long time. And I NEEDED it. Here’s a few pics of these beautiful friends of mine…..
Hochbaum is one of my favorite people on the planet.
That beauty in the middle is Aprella, another one of my favorites-for-keeps
My cuddly Matthew Bone
My Brad and the Davids (Brad makes great "Bad Face")
I allowed myself 30 minutes to dork around on the computer and babble on here, and my time is now up…. and now it’s back to The Schedule.
But on a final note, here is Daisy Ding-Dong Stupid Face, about 30 seconds before she knocked our x-mas tree down. Again. For the 15th time. She’s a total dick.
Merry Fucking Christmas
(Ps… I saw the new trailer for “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince” tonight. Complete awesomeness!)
… “Unprotected sex with multiple partners” by Against Me
I was talking the other day with a close friend of mine who is a painter and is wanting to get her work out in the public eye and to a point where she can rely on it a bit to support her because her “day job” is killing her soul (day jobs can do that, ya know). I was giving her all the tips that I knew, and she told me that I really should share what I knew with “the world”. Art school (or most college programs) teach you what you need to know for your “trade”, but don’t prepare you at all for how to make it happen once you graduate. You give your university shit-tons of money and time, and then upon graduation you’re tossed out into the “real world” with no knowledge of what to do with all that expensive information- and end up working that shitty coffee-shop or retail job for the next 10 years. It’s really frustrating.
So here’s my knowledge. All of it (or all that I can think of right now). It may pertain to you… it may not. But this is what I’ve learned from years of trial-and-error trying to survive as an artist. I’m still learning, and still have a long way to go- but it’s what I’ve picked up so far. Some of it might be a little harsh…. but if any of it hurts anyone’s feelings, then choose another business to go after.
1. If you have aspirations of becoming rich and famous from your art- get over that NOW. If you want to be rich and/or famous- this is not the business to do it in. Realistically, you will probably live your life barely able to make ends meet, and fame usually comes after you die. The competition out there is extreme to the highest extent. So if fame and fortune is what you’re wanting- find another profession. But if all you can imagine doing for your life is making art- no matter what the cost- then continue to read on. Life in the arts (ANY type of arts) is difficult- so be prepared to fight, and be really realistic about it. This is a fickle business, and mean, and expensive, and 100% unnecessary (people NEED food, shelter, clothing, and water- they don’t NEED art). Always be aware of that, and ALWAYS be thankful if you’re able to sell your work at all (especially in our declining economy).
2. See what you do as a product. Yes, you are an artist… and what you make is deep and meaningful and profound and earth-shattering and bla bla bla…. BUT you are trying to do the same thing that Toyota and Wal-mart and Starbucks and Microsoft and The Gap are trying to do- sell products that aren’t entirely necessary to the public in order to make a profit, and be able to continue to make and sell products. YES- your art is a product!! Let go of the idea that it isn’t. The moment you put a price tag on a piece of work, or an album, or whatever- it becomes a product. It may be a really expensive earth-shattering emotional product- but it is no different than anything you’d find in a store. If you don’t like the idea of your art being a product, then give it away for free and keep your day-job that you hate.
3. Since your art is a product, that means that you are a business- so act like it. This is the really really important stuff. And this is where all the shit that your parents preached to you that made you roll your eyes comes into play.
First: Get good credit. Seriously. If you have bad credit, clean it up now. Make paying off debts be a top priority, and getting bad credit marks taken off your credit report (if anyone is interested in how to do this- just respond in a comment and I’ll explain how… it’s really easy). If you’ve refused to get a credit card because you’re boycotting the system or whatever- get over it and get a card. Having no credit is just as bad as having terrible credit. Get a card with a really low balance, and use it every once in a while for small things- then IMMEDIATELY pay it off in full, every time. If you do this enough, they will raise your limit more and more, and your credit score goes up. Why is this important? Let’s say that you someday want to start a small art-related business (like I have with my clothing company), or you need a small loan for art related stuff, or you need the money for travel to gallery openings or whatever…. banks rely solely on your personal credit history in order to issue loans. Trust me on this one, because I learned it all the hard way!!!
Second: Since you’re a business- you can set yourself up as such. This is the fun part. Being a business, you can get an EIN (Employee Identification Number)/ Tax ID Number from the federal government, and purchase items wholesale (art supplies, wholesale clothing for screenprinting/alteration with your art, etc etc etc). This ID number is free, and can be obtained online at http://www.irs.gov (just do a search on the website for “EIN Number” and it will bring up the form to fill out and submit online). This Tax ID number also states that you are a business, and are able to deduct business expenses- travel, art supplies, internet bills if you have a website or sell your art online, your cell phone bill if that is the phone you use to conduct business, etc. Anything you use for business, you can deduct- but ONLY the stuff for business (not personal purchases). BUT this means that you have to do business taxes… and they have to be done correctly or the IRS will get angry. So make sure during tax season that you keep ALL receipts from what you want to deduct and get a good tax person to do your taxes every year (it may cost a bit, but it is worth it in the long run in case you’re ever audited or whatever).
**Third** (and most important): If you don’t already have one, GET A GODDAMN WEBSITE!!!!! I cannot stress this enough. Really. The days of mailing in portfolios are dead. Galleries don’t want them, they’re bulky and expensive to put together, expensive to ship, and a pain in the ass all around. If your university is still teaching you that you need to know how to put together a portfolio, tell them to wake the fuck up and get out of 1982. Your website doesn’t have to be astounding and filled with all kinds of flash graphics and whatever… it’s just needs to be a clear and easy reference to your work. If you’re still in college, take a course in some sort of web design or graphics or something so you can do this yourself (I like to do everything myself because web people are sometimes hard to find, and can be expensive). If you don’t have the time/money/web knowledge to get a site up and running- use the free resources available on line. Set up a myspace/facebook/etc account for your art, or set up a portfolio on flickr or a blog or whatever. You just NEED to have a place to direct potential galleries, buyers, etc to your work so they can see it. If noone knows you’re out there, noone will buy your art. Period. There are also TONS of places where you can sell your work online without having to pay for an online storefront… http://www.etsy.com, http://www.ebay.com (though that has turned into a giant online garage sale and kindof devalues your stuff- but if you find that it works, then go for it!!), etc. If you do know a little about html or site building, you can build your own site from scratch from all different kinds of resources, and just insert paypal “Buy Now” buttons on items you put on the site. I built my website myself using a company called “Homestead” (www.homestead.com). It’s about $15 a month, they host it (so it won’t ever crash), and you don’t even have to know any html or anything to build it. It’s really easy… but that’s just the one I used- there are tons out there to choose from. I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT HAVING A WEBSITE IS!!! It is your link to the rest of the world. Seriously.
And once you get a website- “network”. I hate that word, but it’s the only one that really applies. Send your link to the contact person at galleries, magazines, and anyone else that you want to see your stuff. Trade links with other artists. Use it as much as you can. It’s the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to get your work seen and out there. If you’re a business, then advertise. This is how you do it.
Fourth: Take what you do seriously. Not in a “wow, I’m important!” kindof way… but in a professional way. If you opened a store, and only went into work 6 hours a week, and didn’t let anyone know you were open, and didn’t advertise, and didn’t keep financial records- then how the fuck would you be able to survive? Even if you work a “day job”- you have to treat your art like a 2nd job. I don’t care how tired you are when you get home from work. Or how much you just want to sit in front of the TV and turn your mind off. If you don’t care enough about your art to really go after it- then noone else will. Period. I’m not trying to sound preachy or “holier-than-thou” here- but when I started doing gallery shows, I was a single mom, in college, and working 2 (sometimes 3) part time jobs… and I still made time to get shows together and create work. And because I fought so hard for it, I can now spend my days in my pajamas painting and designing my silly clothing. That kind of work REALLY REALLY does pay off. So if can make my lazy ass do that, you can too. I promise.
4. Get really thick skin. Not everyone is going to like your work. You will get criticism. Sometimes it will be really mean. You will get shot down for gallery shows. This is natural. Expect it. DO NOT take it personally. It isn’t a personal attack on you. It’s hard, because you’re emotionally tied to your work- so rejection hits a little deeper than if you were selling blenders or life insurance. BUT like I said above, it is a long hard road to get somewhere with your art, and it’s a very fickle and petty business. So you have to REALLY believe in what you do, and be able to brush off negative reactions. It’s also important to try to learn from those reactions… when you get negative feedback, really listen and try to look at your work from an outsider’s point-of-view and see if it’s valid. If it is, great! Use it!! If not, fuck ‘em and keep going.
5. (and this has nothing to do with business- it’s a personal pet peeve).. Remember where you come from. I can’t tell you how many artists I’ve worked with have gotten too “big for their britches”, acquire this inflated nasty ego because of a little bit of press attention, and turn into a gigantic pile of grossness. There is nothing more disgusting than the “pretentious artist attitude”. Remember what you do for a living- you make art. You’re not saving babies in Africa from AIDS. You’re not running into burning buildings saving families from death. You’re not curing cancer or helping with world peace. You’re making art. Art is important- but not important enough for you to get some “I’m SOOOO important” attitude and treat others like shit. Getting attention for your art doesn’t make you better than others… it makes you really fucking lucky for being able to get some attention when there are hundreds of thousands of other artists out there fighting just like you- so be humble. And thankful. Because there is ALWAYS someone out there better than you, and we are all fully replaceable. (I REALLY REALLY can’t fucking stand the bullshit “artist ego”… if you can’t tell).
And with this, try to participate in the “artists community”. A friend of mine who I adore and respect greatly, David Hochbaum, does things like put together free workshops to teach people how to make frames for their paintings, or has screenprinting parties and such. Help each other out. Don’t see other artists as “competition”- see them as your peers. The more you grow as an artist, the more you can share with others… and there is always something to be learned from other artists out there. Yes, you’re all fighting for the same thing- but there’s safety in numbers.
That is my lesson for today. I’m not AT ALL saying that this is the way to go for everyone- but this is just what I’ve learned from working in this business for years. It’s the stuff they don’t teach you in school (and I’ve lectured at my old college a couple times BECAUSE it’s the kind of stuff that they don’t have classes in, but it’s what you need to know). And I’m sharing it all because I wish that someone would have told me all this stuff when I started out, because it would have made things much easier. And I want to make things easier on other artists out there. No one should have to struggle if they don’t need to struggle… it’s just not fair. So take it or leave it. But hopefully this helps someone.
The song above is what I want played at my funeral. Preferably accompanied by tap dancers. I’m just stating this so that there is no confusion when I die, and so some stupid bullshit hymnal like “Amazing Grace” isn’t played instead (which will make my dead body start flip-flopping around in the coffin… but hopefully there won’t be a coffin since I’m trying to figure out a way to legally have my body stuffed and suspended from the ceiling during the funeral, as if I’m going to swoop down onto the funeral-viewers).
I had a crazy dream last night. I like to document dreams in an attempt to pick them apart and see what my brain is trying to tell me. It’s like a symbolic puzzle. I’m good at puzzles- so it’s pretty fun. This dream starred 2 of my favorite people on the planet- Yasha (the amazing lady who runs the Strychnin Gallery) and David Hochbaum (a glorious artist and equally astounding person)… and it also starred one of my most despised places on the planet- the totally bonkers evangelical Southern Baptist Group Home I lived in for 2 years in high school (for the teenagers out there- be really nice to your parents, and be REALLY careful about your naughty-ness or you may end up at a place like this). Here are pictures of Yasha and David so that you can put faces to names:
this is David and me.
(that’s Brian Horton in the pic with me and Yasha- he totally rules too)
Some people have nightmares about being back in highschool, in their underwear and not being able to find their class. My version of these nightmares are that I’m back at the group home- but as an adult and screaming that they can’t keep me there and that I refuse to be baptized.
So here’s the dream:
Yasha had set up a gallery show at my old group home… but instead of the group home being in Branson, Missouri (where it is actually located), it was in the jungle. All around the outside of the group home housing were dead bodies laying in the gigantic jungle plants- but this didn’t seem to bother me. What was upsetting me was the fact that as David and I were trying to set up our gallery rooms, I realized that all I was wearing was underpants, one of my dad’s sweaters, and a pair of mismatched leg warmers… and I didn’t have any other clothes. This horrified me, because I knew that if the crazy people who ran the group home saw me dressed like that, they would say I had been “taken in by the devil”, and they’d try to instigate some type of revival to “save my soul” and it would ruin the gallery show. So David and I frantically went through his luggage trying to find something else for me to wear- but all he had were huge winter coats and shoes that were too big to fit my feet. Then Yasha comes running into our exhibit room screaming that the group home staff was coming and they had to hide me. So we ran out into the jungle, and David and Yasha hid me under a few of the dead bodies out there so that the group home people wouldn’t make me dig up tree stumps during the gallery show (yes… one of the forms of punishment at the home was digging up tree stumps for hours and hours…. is everyone starting to see why I have nightmares about this place?). After I am properly camouflaged by the corpses, the group home staff confronted Yasha and David (and one of my friends from highschool was suddenly there trying to hide me as well), and demanded to know where I was. And I was laying a few yards away from them, under the pile of bodies, I was trying as hard as I could not to laugh because David was saying over and over “Jesus is on this island, and he told me to tell you to wear my hat and lighten up”. David wears great hats.
this is David and me.
(that’s 
