I finally finished my chairs! Several weeks ago I was sitting with a box full of upholstery samples from my interior designer friend Lynette and these uncomfortable folding chairs my parents had before I was born, and I stumbled across this blog post. So I started working that day, and exactly one month later, I decided to finish them because of a breakthrough that I have to keep having over and over again. I let myself do no actual work today. I did run to the post office and Hobby Lobby, but came home to watch t.v. in bed and hang out with my husband and make these chairs that will sit in my home and contribute nothing to my income. Which is momentous, because I often feel guilty when I could be more productive than I am. I don't always know how to answer the question "what do you do?" because I think it really means "how do you make money?" and I don't actually make money. But I'd like to make money through Feeding The Lake and through my artwork, and to justify that goal I feel like I have to be working nonstop. In the past couple weeks though, I've been remembering that most people only work 8 hours a day, and they have the weekends to themselves, so what makes me think I need to work so much more than that? I've been trying to think of deadlines not as stressful, but as evidence that I have reason to be making the things I want to make. If this is what I want for my life, to be an artist, then I have to embrace constant deadlines. If I don't want to live stressed out, then I can't be stressed by deadlines. I'm sure I'll have to relearn this lesson many more times in the future, but I'm thankful that it sank it today. It's been a great Saturday.
I totally get this! I have to learn this lesson once in a while myself as well. I think as an artist/small business owner it's easy to feel like you have to constantly be working on things. Sure, there are days or weeks where I spend long hours - but mostly that is because I didn't adhere to the "work smarter - not longer" rule :) It is so important to learn to lose the guilt, find your own rhythm and recharge so you can be even more awesome when you go back to the studio.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right - sometimes people are asking how you make money in rude way, sometimes innocent and sometimes they really are interested in how you make it work because they may actually envy that you don't sit at a desk all day. The what do you do question occasionally makes me uncomfortable though. Especially when I feel insecure about where things are and where I'd like them to be. But own it, my friend. I like to say something along the lines: I have a few jobs, currently, I teach to help pay the bills but I own my own business, etc. etc., and I'm working to make it full time pay in addition to its full time hours - - - and then you tell them all about your awesome job!
The chairs look great, by the way! :)
These look awesome, Katie!
ReplyDeleteThe chairs are beautiful! I like the applique you did to tie them together. I think I just added another project to my list for our folding wooden chairs, lol.
ReplyDeleteBecause the "what do you do?" question makes me very uncomfortable, I stopped asking it a long time ago. Instead, when I meet someone new, I'm more likely to say "what do you like to do with your time?" or, if I dare, "what are you passionate about?"
Great chairs! I enjoyed seeing your books this summer in Hastings. Your work is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI feel your post deeply. You are still so young! I am 50 something and am still struggling with the money issue. I have decided that the question of monetary reward for what I make is honestly secondary. The emotional cost of not making things is greater than the loss of income from not making money making things...yet.
Thank you all for your encouragement! I must not have a setting right, because I was never notified that your comments had been posted--I just happened to look tonight, but I think they came at a good time for me to remember that there ARE other people out there doing what I try to do! Just what I needed to know today.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I feel insecure about that question, because I'm confident that I don't want to be doing anything else.