24/7

Images from my working room - Teodora Totorean

Working for yourself is a 24/7 job or at least in my case it is. Thinking of new pictures, colour combinations, tools, styles, materials, articles plus various ways of promoting my art – whatever I do and wherever I go, I always have these thoughts at the back of my mind. Being an emerging artist I aspire to make a living from doing what I like therefore I dedicate a lot of time pursuing my dream, not just by creating but also through networking, marketing and thinking.

Because I love what I do, being so busy is not a chore but I still call it work. And no, I haven’t got more time for cooking and cleaning, nor for shopping, chatting on Facebook, or for going out. On one hand I do take advantage of the flexibility working from home has to offer like waking up later in the morning, but on the other hand, I work more hours than I used to when I had a “normal” job.

So what do I do on a daily basis? When I have a collection in mind, I normally work on 2-3 or more paintings at the same time to make sure it has continuity. As it can take a week or more to finish a collection of 5-7 paintings, in between layers – waiting for one layer to dry and applying the next one - I spend the time doing other things:

·         uploading pictures in online galleries and shops;
·         writing descriptions for the paintings;
·         updating my website;
·         maintaining my blog and Facebook page;
·         researching and applying to exhibitions and craft fairs in my area;
·         researching other possibilities like card printing companies and manufacturers that may accept designs from artists;
·         thinking of new products that I can create using my designs like jewellery, cards, bookmarks, jewellery boxes, etc;
·         creating other products using my designs;
·         learning new techniques; 
·         researching “brick and mortar” galleries and shops that may accept my art;
·         looking at other artists’ work and networking;
·         reading arts related articles, magazines and books;
·         writing arts related articles (see Leisure Painter magazine, March 2012);
·         going for inspirational walks;
·         purchasing art supplies. 

Despite all this, I do find some time for relaxing like walking, watching films, meeting friends, enjoying a nice meal with my husband, visiting different places. These too can be, and often are valuable triggers for my creativity so yes, I work 24/7 and I wouldn't do it any other way.