Month: October 2010

When you are blessed to have sold a lot of paintings in one day what is one to think. That you are great, or popular or important. It is very hard to look at myself and say any of those things.

All I know is I love what I do and maybe it shows. That is all I know or care about. The rest is superfluous but that said it is so nice to have a good day in the gallery.

I told everyone, not to brag but to just share. If something good happens you should share. Now I will be able to pay my poor hard working webmaster and a few other people that have helped me along. What selling does is give you freedom to paint more and give more and not be all concerned if you are going to die or something.

Selling a lot is like going to a surprise party. You did not know it would happen. But when you get there you are so glad it did. Surprise and delight that is what selling a lot in one day is like. I wish the same for you and you and you so much that I can taste it. I want all artists to be able to get the blessings of sales.

I was painting my new studio yesterday and was thinking how exciting it is to move. Any change in scenery is good.  Even if you are moving to a smaller space or a darker place, it doesn’t matter because it will be different. I love moving. I love moving . MOst people hate it but I love it.

It makes me appreciate time. My old space was good to me and I met so many wonderful people but time moves on and so do I.

I think if you stay in the same place too long you start to not see it anymore. When you move you see everything. The memories come back and the dreams start going. If I had my ideal life I would move every year. That is why I want to get an airstream so I can take off when time allows. We only have so much time on this earth.

That said I have been at the same church for 12 years now. A record breaking long long time for me. The reason is new people keep coming so its ok. And they are kind to me and I have not gotten kicked out yet so its all good. But I still think you should not get too attached to where you live to spice things up a bit .

image by prawnpie

Sometimes we wait for something to happen that will shake us up. I know people that expect something outside of them to come into their lives and then everything will happen. That has never never never been my experience.

Here is the truth. Things will happen when you walk toward them. You have to buy the ticket to Europe, you have to quit your job, you have to jump into the water.  If you wait for someone or something to push you in – being fired, becoming ill, or some other difficulty that brings change – it will never never never be the best thing.

Your best time is when you have to use COURAGE to do something different. Courage makes its own space for  extraordinary things to happen.  And the moment you say, “I can’t do it now because…” you stick yourself in the dreaded wasting-time pattern.

You are not getting younger, stronger, smarter, or better by being in a holding pattern. You are wasting fuel. Go forth and do great things today right now right this minute!

Go.

I have been going walking /running with my friend every day now for a week. We go four miles and try and shave off time each day.

While pounding the pavement we talk about how to get faster and better and faster and better. The sky and water push out all the cares of the rest of the day for the hour we spend exercising. What a relief to have a friend to go with and focus with. It is so much easier to do the work when she is by me doing the same thing. She is a type A personality and I love to surround myself with type A’s. They push me and prod me to not be lazy.

This friend I have I have had since I was 13. She was more ambitious than me and ran circles around me for years. But now we are older and she is in a different place. She is not in charge of 200 employees like she was for 20 years. She is on to the next level of life and I am so glad she is going to be spending all this time with me. She inspires me and makes me think I can do more. Yes I can.

Everyone should have one person at least in their lives that push you ahead of what you think you can do. They are bootcamp and yell at the scared part of you to take a hike and make way for the fierce courageous part of you that wants to live out everything, every possibility and develop every skill that you have. You should do a good job on life as you only have one. You better make God glad he made you.

photo by this person

I love to visit New York. The fierce competition for business makes the level of achievement and quality of products there unique.

Competition makes us try harder and refine refine refine our plan till we are the best. You have to be the best or you are invisible and go out of business. Any business in New York that has been there a long time is not only great but constantly getting better.

A trap of success is success. You might get some but then you have to do more. You always have to go to the next level. competition is the friend of the artist. It is the best thing for everyone.

So with that said, I hope ten artists move right by me and are fantastic and I hope I am the worst one . That would be the biggest most wonderful push. Bring it on!