Back in the Studio

Mini Perker, Oil on Matt Board, 5.25" x 5.25" ©2011 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

$95

I wax poetic to my students all the time about the importance of working outside of class, continuity of production, sketching, etc. But, do I always take my own advice? Unfortunately no. I'm no dummy. I know the importance of prioritizing my artwork, but running a business and being a mom make it challenging at best. Stuff comes up - people walk into the gallery, my son gets sick, I get sick, I'm busy teaching or marketing the business.

Each year since I've run a gallery I've produced somewhere around 25 pieces of original work. And, that's including commissions. Not complaining - commissions are great income and have historically been subjects that interest me or are very much related to my own area of focus: vintage appliances, aprons, and wedding cakes. But, it is truly hard to juggle work/life balance - sleeping, eating, getting my son to and from daycare, spending enough time at the studio. Something's always got to give, so unfortunately when I look at the finances, sometimes it's my artwork.

Ugggh. Enough! Starting this week, I've been in the studio for the first time since early January. I've had great enjoyment and growth in the past when I was disciplined to create a work a day, or at the very least set a clear goal for myself. Maybe by the sheer fact that I'm blogging about this, I will have someone other than myself to own up to. Here's mine for the rest of 2011 - create a minimum of two works a week (no restriction on size, medium, or time), giving me a total of 68 works (34 weeks left of 2011, x 2)! It's a lofty goal, but I think it is reasonable. I'm going to post a weekly blog post of each week's finished pieces. So check back at the end of next week and see what I've done - I need your support! In the interim, you can follow me daily on Facebook or Twitter.

Tweet