Why It's Hard to be a Women & An Artist

Class Study from CAC

I love my life, I am not complaining! I am so blessed to have the gift of painting in my life. It has been a journey and a blessing.
So why is it hard to be a woman and an artist?
Well, it has to do with a lot of things, but the number one reason for me is because I don't have to make a living and support myself and my family. Um, okay, so maybe that 's not a drawback. I have the freedom to paint when I want and to take time off and it's okay. But what I'm dealing with is the balance of it all.
Don't get me wrong, the biggest problem is myself and my own lack of self discipline. Let me put it another way.
I don't have a "job" and I don't have to pay my household bills. My husband does that. Of course I'd love to get to a point where I am contributing, and I could be right now, if I wasn't busy buying art stuff and taking workshops. But that is another issue. My struggle is dealing with how to find a balance in my priorities, and still invest in my long term art career.
It would be so easy to slack off. And I do. But mostly I give my all, with limitations. I don't have a regular schedule, I don't have that many deadlines, I don't work as hard as I could and should. I do work hard and I love it. It is my passion and my desire to work hard. I want to study and learn and do what it takes. It takes a determination to succeed. Painting well does not come easy, and that is what I'm trying to say. Okay. So to be a good artist, to be a good art teacher, to learn, we have to work hard at it. That we all know. Or at least we find out. I don't have an issue with that. My struggle is in the area of balancing these goals and passions with the other obligations and priorities in my life.
To be a good mom and wife, to take good care of the household, to invest in the important relationships in my life and to be invested in my spiritual growth is all a real balancing act. It takes a commitment in each area of my life. But when I'm in the middle of one of these things, I'm still thinking of the others. I get overwhelmed thinking about it all at the same time. I feel like I'm pulled in so many different directions. So I need to change some things.
My goal for the rest of this year is to get better organized, physically and mentally. And to start separating and delegating and prioritizing my spiritual growth, my work, my relationships, my exercise activity and fun activities, my family, my household chores and getting that in place. I need accountability in order to stay on track. Fortunately I have people in my life for the personal stuff, but not the business stuff.

First, I need to start getting my paperwork organized. My filing and records are a mess! I will create a task list on line and check it frequently. I want to get on a schedule, and I want to start a new painting series. So those are my goals for starters, and now that you've read this I guess I'm really accountable to give you a report of my progress and time goes by. I'll keep you posted. Ouch!
I am excited about a couple of things in particular. I'll be adding a new evening class in January so my students who work during the day can learn to paint at night. And, I took some wonderful photos yesterday of my daughter Lindsay, and I'm going to start painting them. I want to paint a series of romantic female scenes. Thursday I have another photo shoot planned with a very good friend, and then I'm going to shoot my niece next weekend.
So please stay with me and please send me your comments, and also your tips and advice on how I can get my act together. Now you are also responsible to e-mail me if I don't report to you on my progress of course! So now you have to be accountable......