Love what you do and do what you love

If you approach each year in quarters perhaps it could be easier to write brief, achievable to do lists, lay down plans and tick off each and every goal you set....or perhaps you are a teacher and you refer to the year in weeks and terms!

I return to teaching next week for the start of Semester 2, hitting the ground running with my Year 12s who are almost halfway through their final body of work.  Plus two lessons a week with some Year 8s that I am yet to meet...potentially the scariest part! 

I am only returning to two classes, three days a week and more importantly I am returning to PEOPLE CONTACT!

I have been a teacher of Visual Art since I was 21 years old and it has been an absolute joy and privilege to have met and have worked with (potentially) 1000+ young people in a variety of different settings from a wide range of backgrounds, abilities and cultures. For my 21 year old self the best part of becoming a teacher was being an ART teacher. That to me meant spending time in an art room, making art everyday, helping others, watching their work progress, having fun and sharing what I know and love to ultimately spread an infectious love of Art further. Of course with that comes planning, assessment, marking, deadlines, paper trails and reporting on EVERYTHING that your students have completed...or failed to complete AND should they have failed you of course map out and implement strategies to improve on everything you are doing as a teacher to ultimately benefit all of your students. That's right I was as eager as ever to get out there and do all of the above and I honestly believe I did all of that (and more) to the best of my ability over the past 9 years. Making art every day just is not possible when you devote your time, energy and focus to your students, I know this because I tried it and I ended up tired, stressed and torn. 

The best part of teaching Art is learning from others, inspiring others and being inspired. The exact same thing can be said about being an Artist. 

When I worked up the courage to vocalise my desire to work as an Artist full time, I knew that what would need to follow would be more courage. Courage and discipline.  Courage to ask for time off from teaching, courage to learn how to manage my own finances, courage to attempt to generate my own income and courage to tell people I am working as an artist. These were all things that I knew I would have to do and over the past 6 months I have faced the hurdles of starting a business, staying motivated and defending my choices. I have gained so much and I have overcome many personal fears so far this year. I am extremely grateful for having had this special gift of time to do so. It all seemed so selfish to me in the beginning, as did being an artist. So much in fact I searched for ways to use my time to help others, which I will never regret doing. The lessons learnt from doing only what's important to you are plentiful. 

I must not worry what others will think

My work is my passion 

Positives MUST outweigh negatives

I own my time

My hair is not important

There are people who energise me 

There are people who drain me

Fears must be faced

I can make my dreams my goals

I can achieve my goals

Shaving your head is liberating for yourself and for others

It has been a huge transitional period and as a result it has changed how I view myself and others. How I view my abilities and how I wish to approach and balance two of my passions...making art and teaching art. My next adventure includes finally building my own studio here at my home on Tamborine Mountain to privately showcase my artwork and run small art classes for young and old. This will allow for the public to view my work by appointment and purchase work direct from me. I plan on holding small workshops, creative sessions and personal tutoring for anyone interested as well as other local artists and Art teachers wanting to work collaboratively or simply wanting to share ideas. 

These portraits were painted by Gold Coast artist and jeweller Phee Braitwaite.
We spent an afternoon painting together and chatting about ideas.  

Paintings created by my 8 year old twin nieces during
two hour painting session. We talked about colours, patterns
and balance.

Being an artist is hard, I've said it before and many have said it to me. For this reason many believe it's not worthwhile to become an artist. What I know and can safely say is that one can not become an artist you are simply born an artist. Artists see the world a certain way and have an ability to show others their view through their art. So I am forgetting about becoming anything other than my true self and should that be an 'Artist who can teach' or a 'Teacher that makes art'  I won't allow the boundaries of such titles to define what I am and what I do.  

May...this be a good month!

My long service leave from full time teaching will come to an end in early July and while I won't be returning to full time teaching (only going back part time), I won't have each and every day to myself to paint and focus on building my practice as a business. In all honesty I am actually looking forward to returning to school in July because I really do miss my workmates and my students. I am very lucky to work with some incredible women who I also value very much as friends. They have been a constant support to me in my personal pursuits over the years and I miss their smiles and our daily laughing sessions!

So when I hit the halfway mark of my time off and wrapped up my fundraising efforts for the Leukaemia Foundation, I felt seriously drained of energy and needed to kick start my motor. I spent two weeks painting my newest series of works for my exhibition 'Insight', at D-Bar Gallery in Coolangatta. While I was driving to the gallery to deliver my works I was brainstorming ways that I could really up the ante! Not only for me personally with my production of artwork, but also with sales. I know that success is not measured by money and I also realise that being an artist is tough. Added to this, the economy is not ideal and purchasing artwork is certainly a luxury, but I strongly believe people still want art and value it no less than we value and crave music, film and literature. Unfortunately there are few visual artists treated like rock stars in the main stream media and many everyday people know very little of the happenings in the Australian Art scene. It is something we all must must seek out for ourselves by finding out what galleries exist in our local areas, what exhibition openings are happening (SO MANY...often with complimentary nibbles and drinks. Get on it!) and of course my favourite way of researching....via social media!

But getting back to my point, I am now viewing my practice as a professional and no longer as a hobbyist and my Art is paying my bills. I am proudly referring to myself as an Artist these days, it took a while...but rest assured I have arrived. To be viewed this way I want people to take my art seriously and I want people to understand the value in my work. Artists are not mass-producers of home decor and we are not made of mechanical parts. There is no programme that allows all of a consumer's desires and palette preferences for a desired 'picture' to be entered into an artist's mainframe and then produced within a designated space of time and reproduced in a different colour on demand...for all other interested parties. I do know that many are already aware of this fact, but surely there are some who are not aware...and that's not their fault at all!!! I am just wanting to educate my clients, liker's and potential clients on the value of all ART...not just my own.

Day 8 and Day 12 of Birds of May
professionally framed.

To a degree the way in which I paint...which is fast and often...may lead some people to think that I can just do most things they ask for and not charge much for the service. I used to think the same thing about wedding photographers and found myself whinging "Why do they charge so much money when everything is digital these days?" I certainly didn't understand when we looked high and low for a reasonably priced wedding photographer back in 2009. I totally get it now though!

In this day and age so many of us have come accustomed to finding just about everything we need and want can be made possible and delivered to our front door via the internet and PayPal and many other convenient forms of communication technologies. You can text your coffee order to your local cafe to save time waiting on your way to work. It is all so convenient! So why are these photographers and artists charging so much for their services when we are all so budget savvy and willing to search for a better deal.

Taken from http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/art%20jokes

Well if you ask me I will tell you that the answer is....ART! These so called services are delivered to you largely by people power, artistic vision, emotion, large amounts of unpaid time and personal service. Clients are not treated as general consumers when it comes to professional artists and in return we ask not be treated as wholesale producers and stockists. When you buy an artwork or you pay a photographer to capture special events and faces in your life you are inviting human intelligence and emotion to show you a glimpse of their perspective...this is not calculated and there is no 'How to guide' for seeing things uniquely. What is produced and captured depends so much on the insight of the artist, their personal experience and their ability to see people and show them how much they value their energy and support. It's PURE expression and it cannot always be forced. ART like LIFE is unique, special and unpredictable. This is largely why I have not really set up an online store and also why I am not currently interested in seeking gallery representation. I like dealing with people personally and when you communicate with me,  it is an important part of the whole experience. After all you are taking home a piece of me when you buy my artwork and images.

The solution to my 'Upping the ante' and powering through the rest of my long service leave was making a public promise to produce an artwork every single day. For the month of May these daily expressions would take the form of a bird. Why birds? Well they are quite amazing in my opinion. I envy their ability to fly and feel free. Yet they are vulnerable and certainly not always nice, but this to me makes them more beautiful and despite the fact that there are so many species of birds they all seem to possess wisdom and grace in their common traits...most notably their eyes. Imagine the views they take in and surely take for granted. A view that we often only get close to by boarding an aeroplane or jumping out of one.

So as I arrive at Day 23 of this 31 day challenge (search #birdsofmay on Instagram for all of the highlights so far) I am feeling motivated, proud and completely in the zone. These daily creations have been as big a surprise to me as they have to my devoted liker's and followers tuning into 'My friend can paint' daily to see which bird made the cut each day. I have not been choosing my birds in advance, but rather sitting down each morning and thinking about anything and everything that might give me a clue. Looking through various images of birds has also persuaded my decisions and of course naturally being drawn towards the birds I most admire. Conversations with friends and perhaps a little bit of telepathy with some have also lead me towards certain others. Who knows!! It has been a great little adventure and certainly has helped fund future creations and my creativity. I would definitely suggest to any struggling artists out there (struggling for creativity and motivation that is) to give themselves a 30 day challenge and see where it takes them. Sharing your journey may not be for you and that's just as important to remember. We can choose how much of ourselves we are willing to give away and share, because Art is a very personal thing.

Insight...

Colour is so very powerful.
It can persuade us to feel a certain way.
It enhances what it touches.
It enhances what we feel and how we remember moments, events and places.
Colour affects our energy.
I am addicted to colour.

As a kid I loved to get up really early on a Saturday morning to watch the end of RAGE on abc. Sometimes these colourful graphics or one similar, would be featured on the screen, this was also the case for SBS. Now I know this is pretty weird, but I used to love to sit staring at these colourful squares and rectangles. I used to imagine being able to rearrange some of the colours so that they would be as close as possible to making a rainbow spectrum...I warned you that it would sound weird.


As an artist my style has changed, grown, improved and taken me on many unexpected journeys. I love to look back through my old sketch books and at images of works from the past. It makes me feel happy and it also makes me feel proud of my abilities. Every artwork that I have completed has been an achievement and while I have not always thought so, I can see it all a bit clearer now.

Something else that is almost always guaranteed to happen when looking at past works is an instant flashback to the time that I made the work. I remember the space that I worked in first. Whether it was on the floor listening to music in my bedroom of our old family home, or a desk in my high school art room. I think about that time in my life, where I was working, where I was living, who I was spending my time with and mostly how it felt to be in that moment of just making art. Completely relaxed and in my element.

When people ask me where the ideas for my artworks come from I always find this hard to explain. Ideas come from everything. If everything that we see is really stored in our subconscious mind, how can we possibly know exactly where an idea comes from.  We might know what triggers an idea, but ultimately it changes so rapidly it becomes something entirely different to what the first trigger ever suggested.

When I sit in front of a blank canvas to start a new painting all I take with me and all that I know is the colours I wish to use. These are often a combination of colours and often colours that I feel work well together...but this is entirely in my own opinion. Using one colour can be so limiting, but using different shades of one colour is instantly opening up more and more possibilities. For me one colour is rarely enough and multiple shades are also too limiting.

It has to come from the mood I am in, or a need to 'colour' my day with something bright, energetic, colourful and really something that will make me feel good to look at.
 I could talk about colour all day...but I won't!

Every artwork that I have produced this year and since taking leave from full time teaching, has taken a little longer to complete than the works I have created over the past two years. This is mostly due to TIME and having far more of it. I can see a lot more strength in my work this year and I do realise that that strength comes from me, because we are what we make.

No artist can be removed from their work, just like no person can be removed from their lives. Where we end up and how we got here may often seem like a blur but every path that we took we actively chose. At the time we made those decisions we did so for many reasons, but regardless we did it.

Finding what makes you most fulfilled in life is a journey, but one I strongly believe we often know within ourselves as children. If I had have followed the dreams I had as a child I would have perhaps come to call myself a full time artist many years ago. Or perhaps I did follow them and perhaps I am arriving at my ultimate destination now.  My journey has been incredible and certainly one worth reflecting on. Everything I know, everything that I have seen and chosen, accomplished and failed at has brought me to this time. Recognising this and acknowledging it 'publicly' is pretty weird and scary, but showing my work to the public and sharing images on all sorts of social media outlets is in no way different to sharing my personal thoughts on life...well some of them anyway.

So the exhibition I have been eagerly awaiting and preparing for is going to be installed on Friday at D-Bar Gallery in Coolangatta. 'Insight' is all about life and the journey. I have tried my best to communicate where I currently am and the view I am taking in. If you look closely at my owl eyes you will see mountain silhouettes, and yes I do live on a Mountain, however it is representative of heights and achievements. I am in the mood for celebrating mine, so hopefully each piece conveys lots of positivity, fulfilment and some kind of wisdom.

D-Bar Gallery has been supporting my art since mid way through last year after I approached them and showed them my work. It is a relaxed gallery space with many great wares on offer and I am really excited to see my new works up together in the main space.

I have decided to skip holding an opening night as I feel it is too much to ask of people, especially after plugging 'Empowerment' for three long months. Many people feel pressured to support art by going along to event openings and I certainly don't intend on doing that. So if you like what you have seen of my newest pieces than by all means get down to D-Bar and check them out in the flesh. The show runs from April 27th - May 30th and the gallery is open 7 days a week. The helpful staff will handle all enquiries and sales and I will be in store on Saturday (27th April) from 10am-12pm to talk to viewers that make the trek.

I will be sure to post some pictures of the collection once it is up and COLOURING IN the walls.
Tamara x

A mammoth Thank You!

 

 I have been itching to write this post...
To finally announce the final amount of funds raised...
To say THANK YOU to everyone who got behind me in my attempt to raise $5000 for the Leukaemia Foundation.




So now I am absolutely delighted to inform you all that I have managed to raise over $10000 for the Leukaemia Foundation. Without all of the kind donations, sponsorship, support, grand gestures and actual actions from many a kind stranger, acquaintances, ever supportive friends and loving family members there is little doubt that I would not have made it to $5000...still can't quite believe I managed to double my goal.

Without the generous time and sponsorship from the following people the Trivia Night and Art exhibition would not have even been possible:
Rhapsody Boheme Hair, Clarity Business Services and Dusk to Dawn Celebrant Deborah Scott kindly sponsored the Empowerment Art Exhibition. Your sponsorship covered the costs of the gallery hire and without the space there is no way I could have held a show. Art & Design Precinct kindly gave me the space for half of the price and did not take any commission on the sale of artwork.

The incredible P&F members of St Joseph Tobruk Memorial School organised the liquor licence, the bar and took part in the rounds of Trivia and of course St Josephs for lending me the hall for the night free of charge. The Trivia Night in February managed to raise $1500 for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Thank you to all of businesses that donated prizes for the raffle. Thanks to your kindness I managed to raise over $2000 from raffle ticket sales alone.

Thank you to all of the wonderful artists that entered works into the EMPOWERMENT exhibition, to those that donated pieces and to the incredible staff at Art & Design Precinct. 9 artworks were sold and 18 works were bid on in the Silent Auction raising a staggering $3000+

I have many individual thank you notes to post out and I won't keep you waiting much longer.
so THANK YOU AGAIN to everyone that offered to help, that came along to any of the events, that paid to cut off a chunk of my hair,  that shared my link for sponsorship online and to all of you who gave what you could.

Having seen what the Leukaemia Foundation does with the money donated, I have every bit of faith that we have managed to help out many people who have been unfortunately affected by this horrible disease.

I look forward to giving more of my time to this charity in the near future.
If you missed out on donating or wish to see the final amount and many messages of support here is the link...one more time:
http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=464200

Here are some more of the pictures from actual shave.

How to get bald with a LOT of help from your friends...

Happy International Women's Day!

A day to truly celebrate WOMEN and all of their goodness. We have come a long way in so many ways and it is important to educate all young women of this fact, to celebrate it and to be proud. I do worry that many young Australian women have taken the gifts that our head strong female predecessors worked hard to give us, for granted. While fashion trends and music videos appear shocking they really have been around the block (pardon the pun) decades before. It is our inner confidence and self respect, or right to equality in the home, work place and in greater society that the young women of today need to take hold of. Our ability to do good and to be heard, despite what we look like, what clothes we wear or how we style our hair.

There are so many women in today's world who are still struggling to be given the chance to seek education or to marry who they choose. Some who are raped, abused and used daily and cannot seek help from their Government let alone their local community members. It is a horrible thought for many of us to even imagine and it is for this reason that a lot of us don't. We know we are lucky and we figure someone else will help those women fight their battles. Someone else will donate money to that charity, someone else will speak up and say STOP!

Top left: Me and Anne Summers (after she gave me some great advice about following dreams)
Top right: My fortune cookie contents, LOVE it! Bottom left: TEDx goodie bag. Bottom right: My
little TEDx buddy Maire...who I declared my head shave to.

On December 1st I had the privilege of attending the local event for TEDxSouthBankWomen at the Brisbane State Library. A day that I longed for and a day that did not disappoint. Many of my friends and family have had the brief run down from this day and many more know that as a result of that day I am now shaving my head to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. What a lot of my family and friends don't know is that after having attended this life changing event I have granted myself a gift of greater self confidence, a louder voice and a stronger social conscience. For example many of us feel uncomfortable when we find ourselves in a conversation that turns racist or sexist or religious. When horrible remarks, jokes or comments are made that offend our values and morals we often bite our tongues or divert the conversation (well not all of us). I personally used to laugh nervously, remain silent and then change the subject completely. This reaction doesn't change the other person's viewpoint but neither does getting into an argument. However factual observations and statements are necessary and I find it can help terminate the conversation whilst also making that person feel 'regretful' for even opening their mouth!

Perhaps is it just a maturity thing that comes with age....OR perhaps not! I always thought I was a late bloomer (my whole life) and this as been proven correct (not because I'm still waiting for my boobs to come in!). A lot of the women who spoke at the TEDx event were under the age of 25. In fact the whole day was only made possible because of the belief and hard work of one 24 year old woman by the name of Laura Stokes.

Here is an article that was recently published in the Sunday Mail crediting the young life of this hugely inspirational woman:

Dare to be DIFFERENT! I think that is the best piece of advice you can give any young person, male or female.

I also want to end this post with a few links to some of the actual footage of the speeches from Dec 1st, 2012. If you can make time to watch them, you could find yourself feeling empowered to use your voice in aid of helping others too. 

Happy International Women's Day!

With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.

Dalai Lama 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dalai_lama_2.html#F4ydSXxS1wZmD99q.99 

The Business of sharing by Lauren Anderson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFEz-kXsSOs

It takes a Village by Justine Bloom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcL-mReH0eA

A list of things I want to talk about - Tendy McFly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTOnC-hQWTU

Something needs to change by Justine Flynn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oeRbwS6NaE

Theres no such thing as being just a wife by Jonothan Duffy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj7S58LFgcA

Anne Summers Speech: 'Sexism & Misogyny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz47O0phbCs

A day in the life of an...

Artist

Fundraiser

Event planner

Small business owner

Promoter

Product designer

Courier

Photographer

Curator

Finance manager

Graphic designer

Sales woman

Public relations manager

Volunteer

Secretary 

Website developer

Teacher

Marketing manager

Applicant

Researcher

Wife

Friend

Daughter

Sister

Sister-in-law

Auntie

Unfit person

Back pain sufferer

Foodie!

This is a bit of what I am doing too. Minus brushing my hair. I rarely brush my hair.

How am I enjoying my time off?? 

Well while it's time off from formal teaching in an educational institution, it's not time off from hard work. Not only am I starting a small business to expand my capabilities of selling my own Art, I'm trying to continue to actually make Art while also attempting to dominate as a fundraiser for the Leukaemia Foundation. Yes I said DOMINATE! 

I love that I can devote all of my thoughts, time and energy to my personal projects without the guilt of 'a real job' hanging above my head. What is a 'real job' anyway?? Is it something you have to do between fixed hours at least 5 days a week. Do you have to front up to a physical place of work and get paid a consistent wage to consider it a 'real job'? Do you consequently hate Mondays, refer to Wednesdays as 'hump day' and feel exhilarated when Fridays rock up? Because clearly I am not having to do any of those things and I am not feeling any of those emotions towards certain days of the week. I am however doing a hell of a lot of jobs! 

I have observed a few interesting reactions to news of my current choice of lifestyle. Yes, for now I am calling it a lifestyle. Facial expressions of shock, delight, bewilderment and even disgust. Followed by questions; "Oh so you are not working!" "Why?" "What are you doing?" "Are you pregnant?" "Are you trying to get pregnant" Are you going on a holiday?" "Do you not enjoy teaching anymore?" "Do you not need the money?" "Are you unwell?"

I wish I could say I was getting used to these reactions and questions, but I am not. When I tell people that I have taken time off teaching to launch my Art practice as a business, I have had the following responses; 

"Oh wow! That must be a dream come true!"

"Oh okay, so are you good at art?" 

"So I knew you sold a few works, but I didn't realise you were doing that well." 

"So you will be painting at home?"

"Good on you!"

"You know that you don't have to set up a business? You are technically a hobbyist?"

"I know someone that did that, it didn't work"

"So your paintings must be really expensive?"

"But what will you actually be doing?"

I guess I am surprised that so many people think that being an Artist equals 'failure'. I should not be surprised as I have dealt with these negative attitudes for a many number of years. As an Art student you are always encouraged to consider another pathway. So I chose Education. As an Art Teacher you are constantly challenged by students, colleagues and parents to explain the value of studying Art. People assume that there are very few opportunities available for artists to make money. I won't lie, I believe that Art is massively under valued in our society but I don't believe that means it is impossible for Artists to make a living. You have to make your own opportunities, just as you would in any area.

When I had to decide what I wanted to do with my life, I knew it had to involve Art. I didn't want to teach (initially, despite finding out later that I loved it) I wanted to just be an Artist. This was never well received by parents or teachers. They would say "It's very hard to be an Artist Tamara." They were not wrong!! It is extremely hard to be an Artist. Firstly you have to have time to do what you love most...which is to make ART. This often means turning off the television, getting off the Internet, getting out of bed a bit earlier, cleaning off your desk for space, not hanging out with your friends and family as much. For some these things are hard to do. For Artists this is what you must do! You don't make excuses unless you are genuinely blocked creatively...in which case you should then buy a copy of  Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way' and read it.

I have to admit over the past two years I made 'making time to paint' a priority in my life. I would declare to my Husband "I am painting tonight!" "I am not going anywhere on the weekend, I am painting!" "I did not clean the house because I am painting!" "I don't have time to go the gym because I am painting!" Yes it's selfish and massively indulgent, but it was what I had to do to allow myself to do what I love most. I had a full time career, but if I didn't get to make Art I was unhappy. 

Artists don't make much money! Some do and some don't. Few would have sold their first piece for what it was actually worth, but some have devoted their life to increasing the buyer's opinion of it's value. By that I do not mean they died and then their work sold or increased in value. Sadly for Vincent Van Gogh this was the case. What I mean is that many look for opportunities rather than waiting. They  take them when they come, they might fail, they might succeed but they just keep on trying.

What I do know is that when it comes to Art there are no rules. So as an Artist, that also loves to collect Art I believe Art should be for everyone. Yes my works are cheap and I should more than likely increase the price, but for the time being I am happy to sell my work to those who truly love it and are willing to part with their cash. I paint fast and I paint often and this will only increase. I am the first to admit that I want to be described as 'prolific' I relate no negative connotations to being labelled this. To be an Artist you MUST make art everyday, if not everyday than at least every few days. I firmly believe this. So who wants all of this work piling up around them? I don't and neither does my Husband, he can barely find enough space to plonk his butt on the couch. 

So I am doing my very best to get my artwork out there, online, on cafe walls, on restaurant walls, on dress shop walls, on hair salon walls, in exhibitions, in competitions, on gift cards, on T-shirts and ultimately on walls in permanent homes. Call me a whore if you want (well an Art Whore anyway) but just know that it is bloody hard work and believe it or not I am sometimes picky about where I will and won't hang my work. I am making up my own rules for my own approach to being an Artist and it absolutely involves hard work, devotion and belief in yourself.

Did I know it would be hard work? 

Yes! 

Do I now get to lounge around in my PJ's and paint? 

No. I at least have to shower first!

Am I loving it?

Yes!

Could I do this full time?

Yes!

Is it going well?

Yes!

Am I making a lot of money?

No! 

Do I think I might never go back to teaching?

No!

Do I want to give up teaching?

No!

Am I good at what I do?

Yes, in my opinion. Which also happens to be the only opinion that really matters.