by Kimberly Patino | Sep 5, 2015 | Business 101
Has anyone every told you that you are just too weird…and it made you feel bad about yourself?
I’ve been having people tell me that I am weird, crazy, “special”, different…the lists goes on and on. I’ve even had family members come up to me and tell me that they are/were “worried about me” because of how different I am. As an artist, we are considered to be somewhat of a
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by Kimberly Patino | Jun 3, 2015 | Business 101
As an artist, criticism is a part of our everyday life.
Everyone has an opinion of your work and what they think is good and/or bad. Some artists that I know can take criticism like nothing and it won’t phase them. And for others, it can hit them really hard and crush their self esteem. (more…)
by Kimberly Patino | Mar 25, 2015 | Business 101
Have you ever studied for a big test that you feel confident about..but once you see it you realize that it is nothing like what you studied?
That is what art school was like to so many of my friends. (more…)
by Kimberly Patino | Feb 11, 2015 | Business 101
Have you ever felt like you had to chose between your passion and your life?
This has been a developing problem for a lot of artists: finding the balance. The balance between creating your artwork, making time for your family, setting up a day to see friends, etc. Sometimes we get so consumed in creating the work that we love that we tend to isolate ourselves. And it’s not like we do this intentionally – we just want to make sure our work gets done. I struggled with this for years. Until finally one day it hit me…
I literally lost everything and everyone I loved around me.
I was so passionate about creating art that I began to isolate myself and just focus on making sure my pieces were done. And once they were I realized, no one was there to speak to. No one was there to share my success with and I started falling into a huge depressive state…
Three years later…I have an amazing partner by my side, I see my family on the weekends, just featured in an Inspirational Women Series and sold new art pieces to clients for Valentines Day. For a long time I’ve heard over and over that creatives and artists have to choose or are burdened with the choice of choosing their artwork over their family. And that my friends is a load of bull!
It’s possible to balance both!
I have seen and admired so many artists that found the balance of managing work and personal time that it has come to my knowledge that it can be done. And after picking their brains and experiencing this challenge in my own life – here are some tips on how you can find the balance for your work and your personal time:
1. Break Out The Schedule
This has to be the easiest yet the HARDEST part of any creative person I know: schedule out your day! Me personally, it took me a while to actually turn this strategy into fruition because I am as you say a stereotypical “messy artist”.
I am all over the place and just role with the punches, but it was because of that mindset I wasn’t able to complete everything I wanted to do (and couldn’t see my friends or family). Planing out your day and/or week keeps you on a steady pace in which YOU have control of your day and not your artwork.
2. Report Your Progress
Usually if we write something down we say we’ll get it done and sometimes…it doesn’t. But if you had someone who was keeping tabs on your to-do list, there is a higher chance that your tasks would be completed. Find someone who you can report to for your accountability.
It could be a fellow artist, a friend, a family member. Let them know that you are trying to manage your time and you need them for help. They would definitely be up for the task!
3. What’s That Old Saying About Rome?
Oh yeah – it wasn’t built in a day! So you have to remember that sometimes you can’t complete and entire art piece in one sitting. It takes time and patience. If you want to take an entire day to create work, then do that and schedule your other days for tasks that doesn’t involve art. Find out what works for you.
Now this is going to take some time to get use, and you probably won’t complete this all the time (I still get my off days and have to pick up the pace). But planning your week will give you so much relief and confidence that you have control over what you want to do. Just keep on trying and find your perfect balance.
Now it’s your time to shine!
Write down everything that you have to complete this week and sort them into Regular Do’s & ASAP’s. Look at your schedule and take five minutes planning how you can create your balance. How did it go? What things do you need to work on? Have you found someone for your progress report? Let me know!
Till next time – keep creating!
by Kimberly Patino | Feb 4, 2015 | Business 101
One of the things that people look for in an artist is their sense of style!
I know this may seem like a no-brainer but for creatives who are just starting out, this is one of the toughest things to master. Sometimes it even takes well-known artists YEARS before they can finally settle down with a style that defines (more…)
by Kimberly Patino | Jan 28, 2015 | Business 101
Do you ever question whether your work is great because a gallery says NO to you?
Why wouldn’t you! One of the things that gets artists discouraged is when they submit their final piece to a gallery and receive a rejection letter. Sometimes other galleries don’t even bother (more…)