For those of us who are pursuing art as a career, selling matters. Oh, I know there is the romantic notion that we should create no matter whether our product sells, but, in the end, it matters. Selling what I have made means that my work speaks to someone. It means that I am not idly spending time in the studio. It means what I am doing goes beyond myself and makes a difference in someone else's life It propels me to make more work. It means I can buy more materials and put food on the table and pay the mortgage. Essentially, it means that I can do what makes me happy and that makes me very lucky indeed.
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| Crossing Seasons oil 12 x 12 |
Van Gogh is an astonishing example of someone who painted without making sales (of course, we all know what happened to him)! He was so driven that he largely ignored the real world and his brother had the task of supporting him. Perhaps I am too practical to understand how Van Gogh managed to have any momentum, though I imagine it helps to have someone else to pay the bills. I sometimes wonder what would have happened to him had he made money from his paintings.
There is a natural ebb and flow to sales. Here in the mountains, sales follow the seasons which gives me time to compile my best work before busy summer and winter traffic. Lately, the economy (gasp!) has kept sales in check and made me very aware that they do matter. It is important to me to sell my work. It provides validation. It means my vision and my convictions matter.
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| Van Gogh Two Cypresses |
There is a natural ebb and flow to sales. Here in the mountains, sales follow the seasons which gives me time to compile my best work before busy summer and winter traffic. Lately, the economy (gasp!) has kept sales in check and made me very aware that they do matter. It is important to me to sell my work. It provides validation. It means my vision and my convictions matter.
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