I can't help but think of the Beatles quote, "I get by with a little help from my friends". Working as an artist has become a pretty intense job. From websites, images, selling work, talking about work, taxes, building frames, shipping pieces, you guys know there is a ton that goes into being an artist. I wanted to take a moment to share the people I have sought out to help me as an artist and support my practice.
I am a huge fan of surrounding myself with people who know more than I do. Bridgette Mayer knows more about galleries and finances, Hannah Cole knows about taxes for artists, and Pennylane Shen is a dynamo for helping you talk about your work among other things. I've enlisted all three of these people to help me navigate what I do.
I didn't start out having people help me. In fact, I was very much one of those, "I will do ALL the things myself," type of person. The thing is, there really isn't TIME to do all the things once you hit a certain point. Are you teaching and making work? Are you a parent? Going to school? Have a job? Time spent doing those other things really cuts into being in the studio. It's hard to get ahead when you want to make but you need to write a grant and get up for work at 6 AM.
This is why I started seeking out help. It started with having artist friends look at my statement, which I still do. Then it grew to have someone build surfaces for me because honestly my panels suck and to make them the right way took waaaay too much time. Then help to tackle my finances and it went from there. I understand you might be sitting there thinking, "That would be nice but how much does that cost??" I know. I feel the same way and that is something I keep in mind which is why I seek out what will actually help me save time and money in the long run.
Over the next few weeks, I want to briefly share who I've worked with and why I worked with them. I'll talk about working with Bridgette Mayer, Hannah Cole and Pennylane Shen and how they helped me in different areas of my practice. You can check out their sites below and stay tuned! My goal is to share my experience working with people who were legitimately helpful so that other artists can get the help they need to make the work they need to make!.