A Review of the January 30 in 30 Painting Challenge.

January 31st

It's official, the 30 in 30 challenge is over.
And although I didn't paint 30 paintings this challenge, I am most proud of this one out of all the other challenges that I have done. I ran my art business during the month of January and I spent a good amount of time painting. What I struggle with the most is balance; time painting, marketing, getting ready for shows, personal goals etc. The 30 in 30 challenge forced me to look it how I spend my time. I don't have any of it resolved but I know I can run my art business and continue to paint. Sometimes I feel like the business is taking over and leaving little time to paint.

What I do know is how important it is to keep painting. It is the whole reason I'm doing this in the first place. I also know how important it is to keep exploring and trying new things. I didn't reach my goal of doing oil paintings, painting bigger, try a mixed media collage or doing batik paintings. I understand how important it is for me to continually have new pieces for the shows, galleries and shops let alone my web page. But on the other hand it was a pretty busy month for me and I fared okay. And in the end I tried some new things.

This month I:
 Spent the first seven days on a family vacation, worked one painting party, held 3 alcohol ink classes, did 1 show, took 5 art classes for enjoyment and exploration, registered for 3 shows while mapping out the list of shows to apply to this year, worked on 1 commission, gathered work for 4 different venues including the framing and matting of several new pieces, developed a new class for February, finished my finacial reporting, paid sales tax and had a marketing and financial meeting concerning goals for 2016 with a consultant, put out a newsletter, had a birthday full of fun with friends and family, took a mother daughter wine glass painting night, had a root canal, went out twice with friends for lunch and went to an art guild board meeting. 

I list these things for my benefit, to remind myself that even though there always seems like so much to do, I am accomplishing a lot. I should also mention that I have an assistant, my daughter, who is a tremendous amount of help in all of this. Without her the list would have been smaller and I have to remind myself that one day she will be off working elsewhere so best to get a hold of things now.

But the point is, the balance is not quite there. I'm not getting on my bike as much as I'd like to and on busy days there's no bike at all. My house is a bit unorganized... my desk is hard to find under the piles of papers and art stuff, my kitchen table seems to be the catch-all for all my framing work and my studio needs a good once over. One of my goals for 2016 is to loose 1000 pounds of junk from my house. January didn't see much of that going on. I want to declutter and organize, not just my business but my personal life too.

I would be remiss if I didn't say that the boundaries between my business and play are always a bit fuzzy. In truth, I love what I do. My art is my play and work at the same time. I know I need to write a blog post today - but I'm having a good time with the self reflection. My sister says I work all the time. What is it? Do I work all the time or do I play all the time?

So here I am looking a new month in the face.
I've written out a few personal goals - a few places that I feel I can improve for the month of February. I have a monthly calendar where I get to look at these goals and plan how to make them come about.

In short my goals are: 
Spend less time watching TV and playing games on the I pad. Relaxation is great - plan it better. 
Spend more time on my bike. Read more. Organize my bedroom. Clean and organize my studio and office. Finish my commission.  Try some abstracts, batiks and mixed media. Get new works for Spring Art Scene in April. Organize my business into one note book where I can keep tract of things a bit better.

So thanks, 30 in 30 challenge for reminding me that I can have it all with just a bit more time management and some good planning.

What are your biggest challenges and how do you achieve balance? Leave a comment please.

Cooper's Top Tem Reasons NOT to do an Art Show

This weekend is the Festival of Arts in Bartlett. 

I'm looking forward to it and am packing as we speak but about a half an hour ago I was 

approached by my studio manager, Cooper, with the top 10 reasons NOT to do art shows.

Cooper, my studio manager

Please understand that the opinions expressed by my studio manager are not necessarily

 shared by myself. I feel compelled to share his list as I promised I would 

so others may be aware of these dangers.

The Top10 Reasons NOT to do Art Shows:

according to Cooper

1. You never know who you might meet at these things. You may be exposed to new ideas and art. It may change your art and your thoughts forever.
2. No one really likes to meet the artist of the work they own. People prefer the mystery of not knowing anything about an artist.
3. It's too much work packing, traveling, setting up, sitting there talking to people and tearing down.
4. You should not show any of your artwork until it is absolutely perfect... and let's face it, you have not reached perfection yet.
5. It's too expensive; jury fees, booth fees, traveling expenses, meals, hotel fees. These monies could be used for more appropriate items such as doggie treats.
6. If you're not selling out at these shows, what's the point? You'll just have to pack it all up again and bring it home.
7. You may have to answer a lot of questions about your work. Why this subject, technique, etc.?
8.  You may hear some negative remarks about your work, "the prices are too high, they can do the same work themselves." You may hear some positive comments and then become too confident.
9. You will miss me too much. I will not be there to encourage you. You may get depressed.
10. There probably will be other dogs there. They may will try to persuade you to take them home. No siblings please!

Disclaimer: 

The opinions expressed are of that 

of my studio manager, Cooper.

 Jill Rae Finally Art does not necessarily

 agree with these opinions. 

Note to Cooper, 

Thank you Cooper for your concern. I will see you Sunday knowing that I am leaving you in loving hands of Mark and Matt. Samantha and I will try not to enjoy ourselves too much. And no matter how many pups I pet, I am well aware there is no one like you. You are the best.

Love, 

    Jill Rae

For more information about the Festival of Arts in Bartlett and 

other shows I am participating in see my events page here.

Getting Ready for the Busy Art Season Ahead

Is it Spring yet?

This morning the temperature is -14. Really? March is 2 days away. I'm longing for my garden and the ability to spend time outside painting, digging and just breathing it all in.

But to get to that I need to look ahead and start planning for the Art Season, which for me starts in April. It takes a lot of preparation to get through all the art shows and exciting events but some simple planning and prep work can make it all run much more smooth and enjoyable.


Here is my "I can't wait for Spring" art check list.

1. List of your art goals for the years. What do you hope to achieve this year?  Mine include; new series in alcohol inks, 10 shows, 2 contest, 3 charities, small paintings in gallery up North, start teaching...

2. Update your web page. It's time to go through every page and make sure the wording is accurate and what you mean to say. (I'm in the process of doing this myself and I must say, I'm a bit surprised by some of the corrections I need to make.)

3. Apply for any of the art shows or fairs you wish to participate in this year. Many shows start accepting applications in January and several have early deadlines on or before March1st. This process is becoming much easier with the help of application sites as zapplication.com. I start by printing out the information on the shows I'm interested in and mapping it all out on a calendar with deadlines clearly marked.

4. Check your inventory. Time to frame some of your originals so they will be ready for the shows. Do you need to order more cards or prints, are frames slightly damaged etc.? Do you have enough business cards and other marketing materials? Does your booth need a fresh coat of paint or some repairs?

5. Don't forget to paint. Make sure you have enough originals for the busy season. This is always a good time to experiment with techniques. And while you're there a quick once over of your studio is good idea. Keeping the area clean and organized will help those creative ideas flowing.

6. Use your goals, show lists, inventory and and current works to inspire your social media postings. I like to get the calendar out again and make a general calendar for my blog posts for the year. This gives my a general idea of where I'm going and what I have to keep track of. Holidays, graduations, Mother's Day and Father's Day... a good time for custom artwork, portraits, vacation drawings, pet portraits etc. Just make down your marketing strategy long enough in advance to make it happen.

7. This is a great time to start those projects you have been putting off;

• start a newsletter
• learn how to make videos to post to U Tube
• expand your email list
• approach businesses you wish to hang your work in
• publish a picture book of last years paintings using one of the popular publishing sites like Shutterfly
• sew protective bags to store and transport your artwork
• approach places to teach classes at during the year

Well, that's a pretty big list. Some of these things I've already started, some I still need to get to. Wherever you are in your career, doing a few of these preparation steps will make the up coming season and those that follow much more manageable and enjoyable.

What are you doing now to prepare?

Happy Arting Everyone!