An Artists' Starvation Could Be Your Fault

Starving artist. We all know the stereotype. But did you ever think it could be your fault? I know, a very blunt accusation. Let me show you our perspective.

Minimum wage could roughly be rounded to $10-ish per hour or at least a starting wage in most places (excluding food industry). Seems reasonable. And of course artists need to break even on the cost of our supplies. So then why is it that people think it's unreasonable to pay $150 for a fine art illustration that has $50 in supplies and took 10 hours to create? I may not be a math star by any means but even I can do that math.

People say it's a want and not a need. Debatable but for argument's sake lets say true. Hmmm your daily grande white mocha at the "local" coffee shop coming in at $4.25 a pop always has money allocated for this luxury even though with that exact example you'd end up spending $1,551.25. Wow that's a lot of money for something that not a need. I guess the one time purchase of a $150 unique art piece is just way too unreasonable because it would eat into that coffee "budget".

And please don't try to negotiate or low ball us.  I understand and even appreciate a good haggle in the right setting  but we are not dumb and our talent and time are valuable. So no, $4 an hour is not ok. You don't go into the plastic surgeon for a boob job (because we're keeping with "wants" and not needs here) and haggle the doc down to 1/2 off fun bags. They would laugh you out the door! But then why do individuals think they have the right to do this to artists.

Finally if you commit you commit. No one walks into a hair salon, know the the price for what they want, sit in the chair and then halfway through say, "Ya, know what.  It's just too expensive for me at the moment because "x" in my life just rose in price and I wasn't expecting that". Maybe we can't legally hold you responsible but that's just rude. Many artists operate under a system of trust so don't burn us because you'd rather pay a corporate warehouse price.

Rant end. I'm not normally one to rant and certainly not on a public forum. 90% of my interactions and custom orders are fantastic. To those I thank you for understanding the value and properly rewarding it. You feed my heart and belly. However recently I had an interaction with a woman who after all the hoops she bailed on a large custom order which spurred on all of this and quiet frankly it's ridiculous. Shame on you and those with that mindset.

So please support your local artists fairly. Don't perpetuate the stereotype . People look at artists like we're crazy when we announce this is our career path or better yet they ask, "You can make a living with that?". YES!  But only if you actually treat it like a real job and give us real respect and real wages. You can end our "starvation"

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Funny Ponderings

There are things in life that are obviously funny. Roaring with laughter, slapping the knee style funny. And then there are things that are a bit funny but more so amusing in the moment and grow in humor in time with reflection. These are many of the stories of Nepal. Mind you we were jet setting around the region and country in a week. Hopping here and there with little sleep, a lot of exertion and a variety of random food plus lacking real hydration. In our euphoria and exhaustion sure these moments caused a chuckle or two but now looking back we roar.

1. Nepal is 80% Hindu so they don't eat beef and of the other 20% of the population, 16% are Buddhist who are vegetarian. Needless to say beef is not on the menu. Ok but we'd seen it's cousin, a water buffalo on the menu plenty of times. So when it was day 6 and we really just wanted some simple "homey" food we jumped at the chance to order a cheeseburger and a cheese-potato burger. It didn't say what type of meat but we assumed it'd be water buffalo or boar or deer or something similar. Lets just say it was exactly as it was translated. My burger was a nice fluffy bun, tomato, pickle, onion and a cheese patty. Danny's same thing just add a potato patty. It actually tasted fantastic but oh the literal interpretation.

2. China is known for being ...um... a bit rigid. Especially when it comes to the social media and such of its people. In Pokhara , after a long day, sight seeing and shopping, we had a nice dinner and then went to a rock n roll cover band bar. They weren't too bad and it was fun to hear. At a table near the front was a Chinese foursome who were clearly enjoying themselves. One in particular was doing anything iconic or stereotypical to what you'd think to see in an 80's movie. So much so she almost fell off her chair. I guess Nepal is an escape to those in southern China... or maybe just to her.

3.This past year we saw the sunrise from the top of Mt.Fuji after hiking up in the darkness of night. When the sun rose everyone cheered, understandably so. We'd all just busted our butts to get to the top and see this thing. In Nepal we drove to the top of a mountain (as did everyone else) to see a sunrise over Pokhara. It rose and was beautiful and the crowds cheered. They cheered? Yes! They all acted like they had accomplished an immense feat. Yes, driving that hill was so hard. Maybe it's perspective.

4. While visiting the International Hiking Museum there was a middle-aged Indian couple who at one point engaged us in conversation. At first it was casual just asking where we were from, etc. Then I notice the wife is filming us.... um why?! I guess for family memories. I'm not sure if we were the only Americans or what they'd met but we are now part of their memories and family videos. They also REALLY wanted us to visit them in India.

5. On our flights the further west we went there were less and less fair skinned individuals if you get my drift. So when there would be one we'd play the guessing game of where they were from, going , etc, etc. One girl we noticed was on 2 of our flights . She had a New Zealand patch on her pack so we started referring to her as "The Kiwi" , (in a nice way). Well we saw The Kiwi at 2 different places in Kathmandu- granted they were touristy places but still. Then we saw her again at a random, low-key place and finally chatted. She was staying at the hostel directly across from our hotel. What are the chances?!  Well even though we intended to swap names or info we didn't . Ahh that's it , right? Well in Pokhara we ran into her as we were rushing to our boat and her the bus. We greeted and exchanged pleasantries. What are the chances 4 hours away from Kathmandu and a country of 6+ million we'd run into "The Kiwi" again?! Her friend was thoroughly confused as she just met up with her. Being in such a rush we again forgot to exchange anything. We can't help but laugh and think "It must of been". But hey "Kiwi" if you're out there lets exchange info this time.

There are plenty of fantastical stories and humerus antics. These are just a few but they've grown only better with time. It makes you take life with ease and enjoy every, silly, little aspect of it.

Oh the Colors

Nepal was to say the least absolutely amazing. Vastly different from America or Japan or anywhere else I'd been to for that matter. It was quiet like stepping into an entirely new world. We soaked up every ounce of this baffling exotic new world we possibly could and it wasn't lacking. It was hippie artistic mecca . There were so many things to be taken away but stircly from an artistic standpoint the two most prominant were the fantastic colors and contrasting landscape.

The colors were vibrant and arose in the most obscure places. Of course you'd see intense pigmets in prayer lag and temply decor but amidst the cloudy mountain tops neon painted houses would poke through. A beautiful balance of muted and saturated.

The landscape was contrasting and complex. Yes there were mountains. Giagantic, dramatic mountainscapes. But there's plateus of farmland, clouds creeping in like rivers of pillows, sweeping valleys, winding rivers and perfectly nestled lakes. Every mountian point is a winning sunrise spotting location and no place is dull where it dips below the horizon as it falls into sunset.

I'm sure not only from the photo references I've gained but the visually contrasting beauty upcoming work will be influenced. I'd like to think in  both a conscious, decisive manner as well as inherent details that have worked their way into my natural flow.

New Year's Resolution

Everyone comes up with resolutions which I presonally find a bit humerous-Shouldn't we always be looking towards self improvement? However I understand it often slips our minds to do so and with the turning of the year it seems to be a reminder from father time. With everyone else reminding themselves to reflect it makes me think- "Oh maybe I should too".  So here ya have it. Professional, personal, trivial and introspective towards grandeur. Mine run the gambit but all towards a "greater" me.

1. More adventures-Both big and small with everything from travel to trying new food.
2. More spontenaity-  right in line with #1. I love a good plan but sometimes it's also wonderful to strip it down a bit. Perhaps bullet points....
3. More self reflection through meditation, writting etc and try to takle more of the big world ethos issues that no one seems to answer ever.
4. Learn German- I'm working on it and as long as there's progress I'm happy.
5. Find mroe creative dishes; perhaps with less meat- I don't know if I want to one day eliminate all meat or just some meat but I certaintly shouldn't be AS dependent upon it as I am.
6. Enter more art competitions- perhaps at least 1 a month.
7. Stick to my work out!- I know, how cliche' but I've always done yoga and I've started kettle bell. Both are very enjoyable so I'd like to get more regular.
8. Finish this damn novel. It's a work in progress but I get distracted from actually ya know- writting.
9.Think more of our(Danny, pups & myself) happi
ness and less of the outsiders , influences or effects because in the end it's us and we have a dream.
10. Stress less and no drama.
11. Learn more about wine- which means more sampling . You can't sell or make a product without knowing it's in's & out's.
12. Regularly create new art work and promote, promote, promote! My exposure and sales have risen but they're not done.

There ya have it. My 12 steps of improvement and exploration as a human for the upcoming year. So, what are yours?

Yamato Shrine Sale

Growing up as a little girl I LOVED going to antique stores with my Grandmother. I know I was the odd 8 year old eyeing old photos, books, clothes, knick knacks and evening furniture. Anything unique really. It was like they drew me in and transported you to another time and place. Literal living history that deserved to be preserved and passed on; not thrown into a junk drawer. I thought to my young self- I must try to preserves little snippets of history and hopefully others will too. Like I said... I was a little odd.

AND that hasn't changed..... Now in my mid -20's and in Japan I went to my first Shrine Sale. I'm assuming some are at actual shrines but this one however was not. I know very misleading. I went to one of the largest- Yamato. I'd equally like to go to the smaller ones in the future because even though the mass amount of vendors is nice it can also be overwhelming quantity of product and descent amount of repeats. That being said there were  a lot of wonderful items and interesting treasures to be found. In reality there were a few specific items I was on the hunt for and perhaps anything else that would catch my eye. You can haggle but that's assuming either you speak Japanese, they speak English( or admit it) or a bit of both.

In the end I walked away with : a Japanese book (of who knows what- I can't read it), 2 family portraits (black & white with traditional garb), 2 sake cups, 1 sake decanter, a mini wooden horse (because we arrived in the year of the horse), 5 little ceramic plates with hand drawn imagery, 4 mini wooden kokeshi dolls, a woodblock print that's at least 40 years old from the styling and a lightweight kimono - ALL for roughly $80 . So yes I'd say it's a successful


day. Why does any of this matter to the artist. Simple. I believe in preserving the past and giving value to the items that once meant something to someone. They have a story of its one time owner. In a way if someone doesn't give it value it's like that part of history is forgotten or erased from the outside world. In my art I talk about preserving nature in it's purity. This is just another nostalgic aspect of me and my loves.

To a Far off Land

This year for holiday leave we knew that going to the states was not going to be a possibility due to when it fell and the length. So instead where shall we go? Well there were a few criteria points. 1) beautiful landscapes 2)a true cultural experience and adventure 3) bang for our buck and 4) to NOT see loads of other Americans or military families on leave(just want to escape on a vacation). There are loads of wonderful options out there but in the end we chose : NEPAL!

Nepal is between India and China (just south of Tibet). It has never officially been ocupied though it has switched from a monoarchy to a state of democratic rule. Nepal not only hosts 8 of the 10 tallest mountains in the world but also hosts elephant polo. It has an incredibly diverse culture and extrodinarily welcoming people. They use the Nepali Rupee and the dominant language is Nepali (though there are various dialects depending on the region). The country is predominanty Hindu and Buddhist. Siddhartha's birthplace is actually in Nepal. Cows are considered holy not only becuase of Hinduism but it's the "country's animal". Tigers, bears, snow leopards, crocodiles and more.

They all roam free and there's a variety of landscapes from mountains to jungles to grasslands. They're a proud, friendly people with a colorful culture and beautiful landscape filled with adventure all of which we are so incredibly enthralled to be a part of !

Curious about all that we'll see? Here's our itinerary:
Day 1: Welcome to Kathmandu w/ a welcome dinner
Day 2: Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing . We'll visit Pashupatinath, Bouddhanath, Monkey Temple & Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Day 3: Go to Sundarijal and hike to Chisopani
Day 4: Hike to Nargakot
Day5: Morning sunrise at Nargakot and then off to Chitwan National Wildlife Reserve. We spend the night in the park.
Day 6: Explore Chitwan and the elephants there. Then off to Pokhara and boat in the lake.
Day 7: Go to Sarangkot for sunrise above the clouds. The afternoon in Pokhara Vallery and return to Kathmandu by evening for our last night and a farewell dinner.

We are VERY excited so stay tuned for photos in about 2 months :D

All I Want For Christmas....

     All is want for Christmas is....nothing. Well sorta. This year we are doing something different. We are requesting that all those who would typically get us gifts don't. INSTEAD please give to one of the four charities we have chosen (links & info below).

Why this change? Well there's 4 brief reasons really:

1) We don't need/want anything
              
2)Anything we need/want I would like to proudly say we're able to take care of
              
3) There are kids, adults and animals in the world who have nothing and desperately need our help in various forms. THEY deserve this.
             
 4) Christmas is NOT about giving/receiving material stuff. It SHOULD be about spending time and enjoying the spirit of Christmas so instead of buying into the commercialism enjoy the festivities and give to someone who needs it.

     So we have carefully looked through many organizations and selected 4. To us these 4 touch upon general inate rights and liberties everyone deserves. If you participate in this please donate to at least 1 of THESE 4 ....NOT a random one of your choosing in our honor. We chose these 4 for specific reasons.

1)ASPCA ( https://www.aspca.org/donate )
Every animal deserves to be loved and the BEST critters come from shelters like the ones these guys operate. We chose them because they rescue animals, give shelter critters training, love and new homes plus they fight for the environment (a little planet we call home ) and animal rights.
              
2)Pencil of Promise ( http://pencilsofpromise.org/ )
Every child deserves an education regardless of location, religion, gender, sex, politics, finances, etc. We chose Pencil of Promise because they create schools all around the world, provide books, resources and train teachers. They may just be a drop in a pool of a worldwide problem but they put their heart and soul into education which is a step in the right direction.

3) Water ( http://water.org/ )
In America we take clean, drinkable water for granted and don't think twice before consuming tap water . Sadly though in many countries this is not the case and "clean"   is far from it. Water is an organization that helps provide clean water to communities around the world through wells, filtration and more.

4)International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission
( https://iglhrc.org/content/support )
 EVERYONE deserves the right to love WHOMEVER they want regardless of whether they are a man or woman without being persecuted verbally or physically. Each country is on their own crusade for this cause but it's a world wide issue. We need to spread love and equality of love. International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission fights for  just that.

Final 2 minor notes: 1) We chose these organizations for a reason and they are all near and dear to us. I know there's a lot of great organizations out there or perhaps these aren't your favorite. Well please don't suggest your own instead because we chose THESE organizations . 2) We are still cool with birthday items so please don't forget Danny's Birthday! His birthday may be close to Christmas but NO it's not the same (unless he's Jesus and then I've seriously been out of the loop lol) so no, one does not count for the other :)

Happy Holidays...to come!