So here’s my big dream (or one of them at the front of my consciousness right now, anyway):
1) Find as many artists and creative types as I can who are making a sustainable living (oh, like $50k or more) from doing their art or creative thing
2) Then do recorded interviews with them about what they do and how they got where they are.
It’s my Thriving Artists Project, and I am soooo excited about it!
I’ve been brainstorming up a storm (can you say that?), thinking of all sorts of info and goodies to include in the final product (launch date TBD). It’s still in the hatchling stage, but it’s starting to happen even while I continue the brainstorming process.
The first interview!
I’m extra excited today, because the project is officially moving forward: my first interview is scheduled for June 7, with San Francisco artist Ann Rea, who was featured in none other than Fortune magazine (they call her “The Practical Painter.”)
After seven years of not painting, Ann moved to San Francisco and turned a profit in her first year in business. So much for the starving artist, eh? Ann is a fantastic example of a real, live, thriving artist.
In fact, her blog and artist coaching business is called Artists Who THRIVE ™, a community for entrepreneurial creatives.
Think she might have a thing or two to share with us?
I’m still compiling my list of artists and creatives to interview, so if you know somebody I shouldn’t leave out, please leave me a comment with their name and how I might find them.
(PLUS, if you’re interested in getting in on the pre-launch, be sure to sign up on my advance notification list with the form below.)
And how’s this for serendipity: while working on client projects, I’ve been listening to Question the Rules interviews, and today I randomly happened on Johnny B. Truant’s interview with artist, designer, art advocate and impossibility remediation specialist, John T. Unger (what is it with these Johns with their middle initials?)
John’s another thriving artist — check out his amazing Great Bowls of Fire (and yes, he’s definitely on my list!)
What’s the Thriving Artists Project all about?
I’ve made my living from my art for years, but ironically, I’ve spent very little of that time actually creating new art. That’s a lot of what this blog is about: following my evolving Blisses to create the life I really, really want, in which (in a nutshell) I’m spending more of my time doing stuff that really turns me on, and less of my time doing stuff just because other people want me to do it.
Here’s the cool thing: in the past few months since I formed this intention, it’s already started happening. That’s the beautiful thing about goals, once you start to take them seriously.
But I’m not stopping here. Hence the Thriving Artists Project.
I’m taking on this project for three reasons:
- To inspire me to keep following my evolving Blisses
- To see what new ideas I can learn re. making #1 happen most effectively
- To do the same for YOU!
Sound interesting?
I’d love to hear your comments, and send those suggestions my way. If you suggest someone who’s not already on my radar and I score and interview with them, I’ll send you a free copy of the interview.
Stay tuned! I’ll keep you posted on this project as it evolves.
Now it’s off to compare the various conference call recording systems out there… I’ve got my work cut out for me.
(Thanks to all my mentors for their advice on Twitter: Dave Navarro, The Launch Coach; Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Nonconformity, Pam Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation, Lee Stranahan and Johnny B. Truant of Question the Rules.)
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*Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliates, and if you click through and buy a product I’ll get some affiliate income, and will be forever grateful. If you don’t buy at all, or you buy through another link, I’ll never know, so don’t lose sleep over it.
