I wanted to write about an artist whose work I admire on line and contacted her to ask if I could interview her and display her work. Somehow, she thought I was the literary equivalent of an Amway salesman trying to get her to buy my book on becoming an “Affluent Artist”. Without reading any of it, she deemed The Affluent Artist to be one of “those books” and immediately hammered the very thought of it on her blog. The thing is, I like her work and even liked the way she hammered me! Passion and emotion are two of my favorite things, especially when put to words.
Mea Culpa! My advice in The Affluent Artist is not that you can get rich selling art at yard sales or craft shows. Hell, I don’t know how you get rich simply selling art unless you get famous first. So, I got nothing on this subject. Nada. Sorry.
The Affluent Artist is about my experience as a bridge between Wall Street and the Creative People I serve. It is an encouragement to creative people to pay SOME attention to the money stuff, it is an invitation to the people who have taken the business track to remember their passion and joy by allowing creativity into their life. Mostly, it is about my road, my experience in letting my inner creative out and how I became better at my job and happier when I did.
Am I out there painting and trying to make a living? No chance! That’s not my passion, not my road, my road has been to serve and support those people. Like here, I want to tell you about my artist friend. She is a passionate writer, full of artistic angst, a wonderful artist and someone who IS putting it out there. She IS an Affluent Artist because she is creative without money being an issue.
Her name is Sheree Rensel and she is a helluva streetfighter. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do, please check out her blog:
http://shereerensel.blogspot.com/
This acrylic on wood called Stepfather is one of my favorites:
So Sheree, here is to you and your work, I hope the world finds you through my website and you get famous and rich. You already are Affluent!
4 Comments
November 19, 2008 at 10:13 pm
As one of my street kid students would say “OH NO HE DIDN’T!” Ok Rick, yes, I have pink boxing gloves. I have a fierce right hook. However, I am a little person. Therefore, I know better than to call anyone out unless they are less than four foot tall. Here is the situation with your BOOK. I am not sure I know exactly what bothers me. I am still thinking about it, but I know some things for sure. It is not about you or your book at all. I just have questions. When you contacted me “hawking your book”, there was an almost immediate reaction. I read your webpage. I understand the come on. However, you have to realize I am one of those artists who paints what they want to paint. I am not doing magical paintings or sunsets or big eyed girls. I am just painting what I know. This might be a problem. That topic is another post for sure.
Like I said, I have nothing against your book. I just wonder why there are so many tomes of the same ilk on the market right now. Believe me, I own quite a few. I think they all offer great advice for those who need that information. I think the hairs on my back stood up (Sheree has hair on her back? Oh my! LOL) because I feel bad for artists right now. I can afford your book because I have a day job. Many artists don’t have that economic freedom. I just wonder why all these self help, great advice art books are flooding amazon.com right now. My goodness. If an artist buys one, that is enough. For the most part, they say the same thing. Also, there is the rhetorical question:
If it is so easy, enticing, spectacular, and smooth to do art business while trying to survive sans spousal support, a day job, wall street connections, or an inheritance, why don’t these authors stop their book tours and make ART? Why?
November 20, 2008 at 3:00 am
I love the way you write lady even if I think hair on the back is a wee tiny bit of a turn off… I don’t know about anybody else, I can only speak for me. I’m a financial planner with a lot of creative friends and clients. I just tried to put financial planning in terms that I use every day with these people who couldn’t care less what a stock or bind is because they are too possessed by their careers and passions.
I think Thomas Kincaid, by the way, is the devil, so I’m glad you pain from your heart. I play guitar and sing and I promise you, NO ONE is going to pay me for that, so I get how hard it is for you. I’m just trying to ‘xplain the money stuff, you gotta figure out how to earn it. I have dolphin trainers, show producers, musicians and artists as clients, so I know it is possible…
Love your work and I hope you keep painting and posting.
Rick
December 8, 2008 at 1:05 am
ohh, intriguing! I’ve just ordered The Book. I’m a life coach and creativity coach who generally attracts creative people whether they are including that in their lives when they choose to be coached or not.
Those that do know they are creative, the artists, often discover limiting beliefs such as “artists have to be starving to be good” or “artists are always broke” etc. I’m hoping your book will be a resource I can suggest to these people as they look at how their thinking affects how they move forward. Less fear around the whole left brain financial world could be freeing for them. So, this is what I thought the book was about.. am I on track?
December 17, 2008 at 6:11 am
Into chapter 2, I’m loving it!