Blog Archives
Q; What was the spark that got you started? (Question from Barbara Smith via Facebook)
Posted by barbararachkoscoloreddust
A: If I had to select one factor, I would say, profound unhappiness with my professional life. In 1986 I was a 33-year-old Navy Lieutenant working as a computer analyst at the Pentagon. I hated my job, was utterly miserable, and moreover, I was trapped because unlike many jobs, it’s not possible to resign a Naval commission with two weeks notice.
My bachelor’s degree had been in psychology. When I was in my 20s and before I joined the Navy, I had spent two years and my own money training to become a licensed commercial pilot and Boeing-727 Flight Engineer. I had planned to become an airline pilot, but due to bad timing (airlines were not hiring pilots when I was looking for a job), that did not come to pass.
So there I was with absolutely no interest, nor any training in computers, working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and completely bored. I knew I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and resolved to make a significant change. Searching around, I discovered a local art school, the Art League School in Alexandria, VA, and began taking drawing classes.
One drawing class lead to more. Within a couple of years, due to being highly motivated to change my life, my technical skills rapidly improved. Even then, I believe, it was obvious to anyone who knew me that I had found my calling. I resigned my active duty Naval commission and have been a fulltime professional artist since October 1989. (Note: For fourteen more years I remained in the Naval Reserve working, mostly at the Pentagon, one weekend a month and two weeks each year, and retired as a Navy Commander in 2003).
Life as a self-employed professional artist is endlessly varied, fulfilling, and interesting. I have never once regretted my decision to pursue art fulltime!
Comments are welcome!
Posted in Alexandria (VA), An Artist's Life, VA
Comments Off on Q; What was the spark that got you started? (Question from Barbara Smith via Facebook)
Tags: absolutely, active duty, airline pilot, airlines, Alexandria (VA), anyone, around, Art League School, artist, bachelor, bachelor's degree, Barbara Smith, become, Boeing-727, bored, calling, commercial pilot, completely, computer analyst, computers, couple, decision, discovered, drawing classes, endlessly, Ensign, Facebook, factor, flight engineer, fulfilling, fulltime, highly, hiring, improved, interest, interesting, joined, Joint Chiefs of Staff, licensed, lieutenant, looking, miserable, moreover, motivated, Naval commission, Naval Reserve, Navy Commander, notice, obvious, Pentagon, planned, possible, professional, profound, pursue, rapidly, regretted, remained, resigned, retired, searching, select, self-employed, significant, somewhere, started, taking, technical, timing, training, trapped, unhappiness, utterly, varied, weekend, within, working
Q: How many days a week do you work on your art?
Posted by barbararachkoscoloreddust
A: My life is devoted to art and to art-making. Working in pastel is slow and labor-intensive – in a good year I make four or five pastel paintings – so maintaining good work habits is imperative. As a fulltime professional artist, I strive to keep regular studio hours. I work five days a week, roughly seven hours a day.
However, running the business side of things is an every day activity: marketing, interviews, applying for exhibitions, making photographs, documenting my professional activities, sending JPEGs, responding to inquiries, etc. There is always something to do!
Comments are welcome!
Posted in 2020, An Artist's Life, Art Business, Pastel Painting, Studio, Working methods
Comments Off on Q: How many days a week do you work on your art?
Tags: activities, activity, applying, art-making, artist, “Jokester”, business, devoted, documenting, every day, Exhibitions, fulltime, imperative, inquiries, interviews, maintaining, making, marketing, pastel paintings, photographs, professional, regular, responding, roughly, running, sending, something, Studio, working