As I've started to turtle back into my artlife and art-related work inside and outside of the studio, I'm excited and probably a little bit intimidated. A lot of positive things have happened so far this year in my artlife which have been very encouraging and motivating. However, building and maintaining some kind of momentum is an undertaking in which success is varied and elusive. I'm not really looking forward to diving back into that pool.Thinking back on the two last years, my busiest and most productive years so far, I learned that it's not all about just making what you want then hanging out with your friends and attendees at art openings. I learned a lot about time-management and process, marketing, and burn-out. On top of all that, it was something that I had to walk through alone most of the time. The solitude of being an artist and making art definitely hit me hard in the face. I found that I had to make several adjustments in order to counter-balance it and to ensure that I was fulfilling a certain level of social interaction and physical activity to preserve my sanity. I suppose I could paint with a friend or with a group, but I know that I'm most productive and comfortable working alone so I just deal with whatever comes along with it. This year I think I was able to juggle everything so much better than last year, especially mentally. So that's something.
During my summer break, I found myself in a deep stew of contemplation about my artlife, my personal life and the next steps with everything. With the imminent change of season, I'm seeing a concurrent shift in my attitude and focus. My hope for the rest of the year is to continue to educate myself on the various aspects of pursuing an art career in this era, to make more work and continue to put myself out there. I think the work that I've done over the last couple of years has been a good start, but I've been thinking lot about what it means to make a series and how to expand upon the ideas that I've touched on thus far. With each show I've done, looking back I think it only touched the tip of the iceberg of what I'm interested in expressing with my work. In order to take things to the next level I think I'll have to grind into those themes to get to the heart of it all for me. Then, perhaps I'll be able to have a more defined identity as an artist, which is something that I'm continuously seeking to mold and put into words.Speaking of putting shit to words, among the first tasks I've given myself was to update a few things on this site. My bio and artist statement needed to be cleaned up. I swear I tweak my artist statement at least twice a year, which is probably normal (I hope). For me, the core of the message is about the same I guess, I just keep finding better, more concise ways of saying it as I go along. Check out the current iteration of it...while it lasts. It's constantly evolving.Another task that's on deck is cleaning up my gallery. Damn son, I can't tell you how long I've been thinking about that! I think I just have to categorize it better. I hadn't really figured that out until...this morning? Literally this morning before finishing this blog post. So, now that I have a better idea of how to update my gallery I'll have to show that some love over the next few days. I also have been trying to figure out how to reintroduce my shop for those interested in buying originals. Still not solidified, but I think I almost have it. Finally, I will be adding selected works from my ever-present show, with the original captions that I used from the exhibit along with a full blog post about the inspiration for it. Be sure to follow me online (Facebook, Instagram), subscribe to my monthly newsletter, or just check back here at your convenience if you want to learn more about that.All the other shit that I have in the works is mainly projects for other people, and possibly my own podcast or art vlog on YouTube. Probably just more videos in general, because why not? It can't hurt. Oh, and probably more blog posts. Because I like writing and talking to y'all.That's it for now I think. If there's anything you want to see on the site, or want me to talk about or share in my blog, or if there's something I'm already doing well that you like please let me know in the comments! I certainly want to hear it.