May Goals Update

"Last Light"
Oil on Panel
8x10"
2008

How is it June already? It's like I blinked and suddenly the grass is green and it's summer! I feel like I just did my goals post for April yesterday, but the calendar is telling me it's June, so status my goals I must...

1. Get my work into three more galleries.

I'm now showing my work in a gallery in Breckenridge, and hoping things work out well there. I'm also taking paintings to another gallery sometime in the next couple of weeks. I have another that has expressed interest in seeing work in person, but it's not a sure thing at this point. And I have another that saw my work and offered to do a show to try things out. I actually like this approach (both the gallery and the artist see how things work out before committing long-term), but I didn't feel like I could commit to a solo show, so we talked about a potential 3-person show in the fall. Moral of the story? I'm slowly making progress on this one.

2. Complete 100 paintings.

I did ten paintings this month, and they weren't all tiny so I'm pretty happy with my time in the studio. That makes it 41 down, 59 to go...

3. Sell enough work to pay our mortgage.

Still on track here, which has been such a blessing. I expected things to be slow this month because it's the off-season in the mountains, but my gallery here sold a bunch of paintings in addition to some sales at various shows, and I had my best month ever. I'm really humbled by how well things have gone this month - I just feel so lucky when I'm able to make money doing what I love.

4. Update painting database and financial records monthly.

Done.

5. Race in a minimum of three 5k's.

I've been running a bit, started riding my bike. Wouldn't say I'm in shape, but it's progress!!

One of the things that's been really great this month has been the realization that I finally feel like art is a full-fledged career for me. I feel like I still treated painting like a hobby last year. I didn't have set days/hours for studio time, some weeks I didn't paint at all, and I didn't do nearly enough business stuff. This year I've been on top of things with my goals, and I finally feel like I'm putting in the effort that I should be, which is rewarding in itself.

One thing that I forgot to include in my goals this year is education/learning. I took a few workshops in 2003/2004 and then spent the past couple years working on my skills and developing my style on my own. For a while now I've been feeling like I need some outside input and teaching, and I've been trying to figure out the best way to go. Week long workshops aren't what I need at this point, and to that end I've committed to a six month mentorship program with a landscape painter whose work and business practices I respect. It starts in July, and I'm so excited I can't stand it.

Well, I'm sitting here watching Aspen sleep because she's sick and has a nasty fever, so it's probably time to stop typing and close up the computer screen. All in all, it's been a good month!