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| 'Drama in the Sky' 8x10 pastel on board ©Karen Margulis $125 click here |
I am fortunate that I am now a full time artist but if I intend for it to be my job then I have to be disciplined with both painting and the business part of art. So I treat my time in the studio as if it were a job (though one that I LOVE) I am very much a homebody so long days in my studio don't bother me at all. Here is a typical day for me.
- I'm up by 7:00 and head down to the studio with my coffee to do my online chores. I answer email, check on my Daily Painting galleries to make sure my posts were pulled overnight. I check in on my Etsy shop and see what's happening on Facebook.
- If I have anything to ship I package and print labels. My sister and I also have an ebay store (we are the Recycle Sisters) so I will tend to ebay shipping as well as painting sales.
- Time for breakfast and shower. I may do laundry or household chores but usually I am anxious to get back into the studio. I spend the rest of the morning working on lesson plans, preparing for classes, organizing supplies or any other misc business things. Sometimes I start my blog post.
- Upstairs for lunch.
- Back down to the studio to paint. When I am teaching I usually work on paintings that represent the class topic of the week. I may work on a commission if I have any. Sometimes though I just throw out all of the discipline and paint whatever I feel like. For example last week I got the urge to try the Golden Open Acrylics. I try to respond to Creative urges whenever I can.
- Early afternoon it is time to write my blog post if I haven't already done so. I try to get it posted by 4:30.
- Late afternoon into early evening I am still in the studio. I may paint more or tend to marketing or business stuff. My husband works late so there is never any rush to get dinner or clean up. I am never lacking for something to do in my studio!
This is a typical day. The days that I teach I try to just work around my class times. My classes drive what I work on and what I choose to paint and when I am not teaching I give myself assignments to work on. I work errands into my day when I need to but I am happiest when I am home (or rummaging in thrift stores with my sister)
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| 'Magic in the Air' 8x10 pastel on board $125 click here |
Next week we are working on sunsets and dramatic skies so that's what I painted today!
8 comments:
Hi Karen, I've been following your blog for some time-I love your work and hope to take a workshop with some day (on my bucket list). But right now I need your help if you can find the time. I tried to enlarge my blog photo's 3 times (had to delete them all)so I was wondering if you do your posts on Firefox or IE or do you have an Apple. Why won't your instructions work for me. Thanks for any advice,Sue
Hi Sue
I use a Mac but when I found those instructions I was on a pc with Firefox. I really need to go back and try them again so I can remember what I did. I don't enlarge my pictures anymore because I found that they wouldn't show up in my subscriber's email updates. So I have to deal with the smaller photos. Also Blogger has changed the interface since I discovered those directions. I will look into it an see if I can update the post! Sorry that it isn't working for you!
I read your entire post this morning and now I feel like I need a nap. You are one of the hardest working artists I have ever seen. I do so admire your discipline and learn so much from all of your posts. I hope to meet you and take a workshop with you some day. Thanks for all you do and all you share Karen!
Diane
Thank you Diane! I appreciate you reading my blog and hope to meet you too someday!
I'm a professional Artist too and that sounds very much like my day. I suppose I spend a little more than 50% of my time on the marketing, submitting, business side of Art and about 50% Looking through photo files or taking photographs to paint, planning composition, palette etc, Preparing, Painting, Varnishing, photographing my Art for posting, I am usually up at 5:30 am and in bed by about 1am. I work 7 days a week. Whenever I do something unrelated to my Art I combine it with chatting with prospective students or gallery and shop owners, purchasing Art supplies etc. I do make an income, but with the long hours it works out to 50 cents an hour. Luckily I don't have a family to feed.
Sea, I agree. A lot of time is devoted to the business side of things. It is a lot of work but for me the joy of painting makes it all worth it!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing how you manage to combine art and life.
Fantastic colors! so glad to discover your blog!
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