Laureen Marchand is a professional, working artist. But like many professional, working artists, she’s hit up against the reality that the life of an artist is not eight blissful hours a day of creating art.
It doesn’t work that way.
Like me (and many others, I’m sure), for a long time Laureen struggled with an all-or-nothing mindset. If she couldn’t make art eight hours a day, then maybe that meant she didn’t get to have her art at all..?
Support, longing, and action have been key to Laureen’s happiness and success.
If you’re looking for a peek into what it’s really like for a real, life working artist, have a listen to our conversation.
Apologies for the odd creaking sound on Laureen’s side of the audio. Tech gremlins. Grrr…
The Law of Laureen
If you’ve followed me for any time at all, you know I’m a big believer in “tiny & daily.” In fact, “Think tiny & daily” is Guidepost #4 of The Creative Sandbox Way!
Although I don’t set a timer anymore, back in 2011, I made a commitment to spending fifteen minutes a day making art.
Laureen took this tiny and daily commitment a step further — she’s the one who coined the term “Any amount counts,” which I have branded The Law of Laureen.
Because truly, any amount of time you spend on your creative thing does count!
Grooves vs. Ruts
When you’ve gotten into a rut:
“You have a choice of not having creativity because you’re only repeating yourself, or … feeling like you’re not creative because you haven’t gotten to the new groove yet. And you’re stepping across a gap that’s a little wider than your stride. So all you can do is push off with the remaining foot and hope that the foot you reach out with gets you onto the next trail.”
On NOT Feeding Creative Hungers
“You get profoundly disappointed that you have not followed the thing that’s calling you, that you haven’t fed your creative hunger, and you start to believe that you aren’t able to, you aren’t worthy of doing it, that this feeling of disappointment and failure is what life is really like.
“And it isn’t! Life isn’t like that. Life is full of things you can make and things you can do. Why not make them?”
What Helps when You Lose the Path
“Pick something you like and do it.”
“I knew from the other false paths I’d been on what wasn’t going to work.”
“That seems to be how it works: Trusting that it might not be true, but it might be.”
“Ideas come out of making things… If you’re in the place where the making happens, and you’re making, you’re much more likely to understand what’s true.”
“I think you need to take it seriously enough to keep going. It doesn’t matter so much that what you do is good; it does matter that you do it.”
More Quotes from Laureen
“As wonderful as being a full-time freelance artist is, it’s hard work creating your identity with every mark you make!”
“With a job, even a demanding job, you have a built-in structure and a built-in identity.”
“Having to make decisions about who you are all the time is demanding and difficult.”
“Without process there is no product.”
“I think our job is to be honest in the marks we make, and then go and be honest somewhere else.”
Find Laureen at http://laureenmarchand.com
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