September 1, 2005

Weight gone

I turned in my 2 (well, probably 3) weeks at my job today. I had been concerned with things for a while, and the job is just not heading the way I want it to. Among the new duties my boss gave me were event planning and coordination, office maintenence, telemarketing type duties and such. I don't think I could have finished it all in 25 hours a week, much less the 15-20 that I want. More and more of what I wanted to do was being taken from me and being replaced with more and more I didn't want.

There are certain things about the job that I will miss, some in spite of the fact they they annoyed me. Like Jose, the office bird. Though it it super annoying to have a parrot land on your shoulder while you're eating, I'll miss him in a weird way.

Not enough to ever want a pet parrot of my own, though.

I was agonizing over this last night, I hate quitting, and I'm glad it's over with.

Tags:

               

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 1, 2005 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 2, 2005

Can't Stop watching - Katrina

I just can't stop reading news today... I was watching CNN, but it was too much.

I'm sad, angry, depressed, I wish I could do something. All the donated money in the world just won't help supplies and rescue teams out there faster.

The only news on TV I can stand right now is the BBC, probably simply becasue they're a step removed.

Tags:

                    

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 2, 2005 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Buying things is fun

Ever since I took ceramics, I've been very interested in buying handmade ceramics. I have a meager collection so far.

I bought this one today- only $9. What a deal!

Tags:

                    

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 2, 2005 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 6, 2005

Big week

It's been a big week here... my brain is full of all kinds of information. I've been having trouble sleeping, but for good reasons, like I can't stop my brain from writing that dang paper that's due in three weeks over and over in my head.

I have amazing teachers this semester. I'm doing work I like, and am looking forward to having the time to take it further.

My dad called me last night, all excited, about how I should be trying to get outsourced jobs from advertising agencies and the like. I've thought about it, I really have. It's just... well, it's a lot easier than it sounds. I stress over 1 job interview- imagine one every weekday for a month. Blech.

My dad also questioned my desire to go to grad school. So I've been thinking about it a lot. I know it's a bit selfish of me- to continue being poor when Geoff is earning the bulk of the income- but I just really want to go. It's partly because I want the option of teaching- because I think I might really like it. But mostly I just really love school when I can concentrate on what I like. I do think it will help me professionally, even if I don't see the effects right away, and it will give me a chance to really concentrate.

The reason I think I'd like to teach is that I miss academia when I am away from it.

Tags:

               

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 6, 2005 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 9, 2005

Art, artists and money

So I'm gonna ramble some about some thoughts I've been having about Art and money.

I read a couple of articles about Thomas Kinkade, and Mark Rothko, and it got me... well, really depressed. Rothko and Pollock and Marsden Hartly and all these other groundbreaking artists barely scraped a living during their lives, and after their deaths their work sells for millions. The problem I see here is that I believe the 'public' has a perception of art as over valued, and so don't want to spend their hard earned money supporting an artist by buying 'real' artwork. There's this perception of the 'starving artist' and it's romantic and people I think like to envision artists alone in their studios fastidiously painting.

What I see is a community of artists creating really amazing artwork and networking in a world that increasingly devalues anything handmade, and that is so inundated with images that everything looks like everything else. It's hard to create in this environment. There's so much to compete against.

There are still people that are willing to buy art, but I really wish that people would take the time to look in some of their local galleries and see what is available for the price they are willing to pay for that $2,000 kinkade print. Because $2000 will buy a pretty amazing piece of artwork. Not only that, but it will be 100% one of a kind, an original.

I think Kinkade is a brilliant marketer, and I think that some of us could learn a few lessons from him. But. What is annoying about the whole thing to me, is this lie- that a Kinkade poster (a well printed poster, but a poster nonetheless) will keep going up in value. I believe it's artificial. Unlike most artists, I don't think Kinkade prints that are being sold for $2000 will continue to go up in value. There's too much out there, and once Kinkade is gone, and unable to promote himself as effectively, the marketing magic will die.

$2000 to a local artist could mean a months pay. To Kinkade, probably not much.

Tags:

                              

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 9, 2005 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

Gobeldygook

How do you like my spelling?

I'm taking a class right now- professional practices- which is all about taking slides and getting into grad school and galleries and I have to say it's doing more to scare me than anything.

But.

The one thing I have learned that makes me feel better is that everyone is saying - over and over - that the most important indicator of whether you make it as an artist is that you don't stop. One of the guest speakers in the class said he predicted less than 5% of the undergrads would still be seriously pursuing art in 5 years. There's a lot of young people out there making art? but a lot of them tend to veer into graphic design (part of the reason the graphic design markets is as over saturated as it is).

So there's hope for me if I just keep going. I think the fact that I've just kept coming back to it is a pretty good indicator.

So I'm trying to think, what can I do to make money and still paint? I know when I had a full time office job, by the end of the day I was just drained. I held it for more than a year and a half, and during that time, made very little. But I like working. I like getting out, talking with people. What I need is a job that isn't overly draining (emotionally, physically, or mentally), that allows me to interact with people, and something that stimulates me at least a little.

I actually don't mind retail, as much as I complain about it, as long as the job and the people I work with are good. But the money is never good, and that?s depressing.

Tags:

                         

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 13, 2005 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

September 19, 2005

Makin' Frames

I'm working on a series of pictures for my parents- 3 30"x40" pics. I wanted to have them w/o glass, but they're part pastel, and even after 7 coats of matte finish, it still rubs off. :P I'll use plexi, I guess- glass would be too heavy. Here is one in the frame:

091905picframed.jpg

I've learned to make frames at school- each 30x40 frame only cost about $5. I predict I will be making a bunch of frames from now on.

And I need to get a table saw for when I am out of school.

Tags:

                    

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 19, 2005 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 30, 2005

life school, house, etc

I know, should write in here more often.

Life has been going pretty well now that "the job" has ended... I'm back at the art store, I had forgotten how painful it can be to be on my feet for 12 hours, but I think (or hope) I will get used to it. Pay is pretty crappy, but what can you do? I applied for one job that I totally thought I would get but didn't. :P I was either overqualified or didn't have enough print experience, depending on who you ask.

I have been super busy with school- writing papers, working on paintings, etc. I'm applying for a Creative Research grant that would give me $$$ to go up in an airplane to take pictures and make sketches as a basis for 8 paintings- so if I get that I'll be even busier. But it's good. I'm making a lot- some of which I like- and my brain is full of new information, which I just love.

I am also working on slowly getting my house in pristine selling condition. My current project is painting the bedroom furniture so it does not look quite so much like a bunch of mismatched dressers (we currently have 2 white, 1 blue, and 2 wood dressers). The next step will be painting the bedroom. Then we have to paint the cabinets in the kitchen, and the walls, and hopefully get some new flooring in, paint my art room, have the floors refinished in my art room and the master bedroom, as well as little stuff like getting the clothes rod in our closet put back up. There's also outside stuff- moving plants, getting more gravel for the driveway, getting rid of some junk laying around.

It's all enough to make my head spin. But if I attack it little by little, hopefully it will eventually be done. Right? We've been woefully lax in fixing this place up so far.

I am also now a docent at the museum at school- meaning I will give tours to my "peers." Meaning, mostly, high school freshmen. It's kind of a test for myself- to see if I like the educational side of things. I have some more learning to do before I start giving actual tours, but I'm on my way.

Tags:

                         

Posted by Karin Dalziel on September 30, 2005 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)