Handmade Pottery + Ceramic Jewelry

I decided to start reading Art and Fear again – it’s one of those books that I pick up from time to time. I do think the title is all wrong though. I am not afraid of success, but rather get frustrated at the snails pace of my journey. And, I suppose success is a subjective term here – it means different things to different people.

The authors write:

“At some point the need for acceptance may well collide head-on with the need to do your own work. It’s too bad, since the request itself seems so reasonable: you want to do your own work, and you want acceptance for that. It’s the ballad of the cowboy and the mountain man, the myth of artistic integrity and Sesame Street: sing the song of your heart, and sooner or later the world will accept and reward the authentic voice. Jaded sophisticates laugh at this belief, but usually buy into it along with everyone else anyway.

In the non-art world, this belief system is a driving mechanism behind the American Dream – and the Mid-Life Crisis. In the art work, it’s a primary buffer against disillusionment.”

Here’s what I think: Art (or at least ceramic art) is not an inexpensive venture. I want success – financial, personal and peer recognition. There I said it out loud. Without these things, I start thinking that I need to get a “real job”. I was thinking about this yesterday. Why do I want to work for someone else and why do I work harder for others than for myself? The answer? The paycheck is guaranteed! One might even be rewarded for being the employee of the month, aka recognition, and at the end of the day I feel good because I’m not fretting about the bills and can sit back and enjoy the evening.

I’m really trying not to whine here and hope it’s not coming off as such. I am simply trying to understand myself better. This is really an a-ha moment for me and hope it reads as such. One thing I’ve learned about myself. I talk a lot about what I’m going to do and don’t always act on my plans. In the next week, I am going to polish my artist statement and get my portfolio in order to send out to various galleries. I am also going to submit some images to Lark Books for their 500 Plates, Platters and Chargers book coming out in 2008. (Ceramic artists- postmark deadline is July 18th.) And finally, I am going to continue to make work for my Etsy Shop

I am currently working on a special request for someone who saw my work on Flickr a few weeks ago. David is an avid gardener and a former art/art history lecturer who lives in Michigan. He was attracted to my pieces where I created texture using the “shellac and subtract” method of decorating my work with ginkgo leaves and honeysuckle vines. Here’s the progress so far:

Meanwhile, we enjoyed the fireworks at Washington Park yesterday and got caught in the rain – not quite as romantic as the song implies. On a side note, the park looks like it’s suffering from a massive hang over right now – abandoned grills, sporting equipment, clothing, assorted cardboard boxes that once contained beer and who knows what else. Apparently we weren’t the only ones to get caught.