Hello reader.
Today I find myself in an unusual place artistically, one that I don't visit often. I feel comfortable with my art and don't care much to create the things that others view as aesthetically pleasing, or even as "art" for that matter. That said, I know that there are many people that are interested in my artwork but I'm trying to let go of the commercial need as it were.
The past few months I've been pondering ways to make money off of art. "What do people like?", "What mediums are popular?", "What size is popular?" and the ever puzzling "To frame or not to frame?" I've decided that I'll just do what I like with a concious awareness of what is popular and what isn't but make an effort to not let it dictate what I choose to do artistically. Fads in art change as often as people change their underwear and besides which, the art buying public is a finicky group indeed.
Oddly, enough I'm enjoying doing commissions right now. Many artists say that commissions kill them creatively. I can understand this but to that I say they're either doing too many without taking the time to do a personal piece or they're not seeing the value of doing commissions. The value of commissions (aside from monetary) is that it offers up a chance to hone skills or explore subject matter that perhaps, normally, the artist wouldn't do. Right now I'm up for doing just about any subject matter so I'm really concentrating on sharpening my skills as well as exploring different techniques and really establishing a style that is more specific to me.
I think I've pondered out loud long enough. Time to get back to doing art, for myself and others...whether they like it or not.