Living As an Artist

Welcome to my year of...no wait, that's already been done, hasn't it? A year of living without made in China, a year of eating locally, a year of doing everything Oprah says. All good and interesting projects. But I think I'm looking for something different. How about welcome to my blog about learning to live as an artist?

Living as an artist may not sound difficult to you, but to me it is, because it's about more than working with words and fabrics. Those are my more obvious mediums, but to me living as an artist is also about applying the focus and intentionality I strive for in my art to other, more philosophical parts of my life. Shopping for example. Don't laugh. I'm serious. I'm trying to learn how to be a conscious consumer in the same way I try to be a fabric artists or a writer. I am trying to set out my intention, apply focus, and do my best work.

It's not as frivolous as it sounds. We hope, as artists, to make an impact on the world. I know, as a consumer, that I do make an impact every time I make a consumer related choice. So I am trying to ensure that impact is a positive one. I'm trying to make choices to buy products that support economies in need, empower women, are made in ecologically sensitive ways, and/or support local artists or artisans or farmers.

In what way am I living as an artist when I make consumer choices? It's not that I'm making art by being a consumer --that would be a stretch--it's just that I am trying to be deliberate, to be intentional, to be focused, to consciously make choices, much as I would as a writer.

There's more. Living as an artist is not only about applying artistic principals and strategies to different parts of life. Living as an artist is also about making art a high priority in our lives. So many artists I know, and I am the top of this list for this, spend much of their time working, being parents or partners, members of a community, being the person who keeps the house clean, does the laundry, goes grocery shopping and generally keeps the house going. So how is it possible to make being an artist a priority amid all of this? That is another question I am going to try to answer in my attempt to learn about living as an artist.

My first strategy is a simple one. I have joined a group of women who have devised for themselves a novel writing month. The real novel writing month is November, but we are going out on our own in April. I've been working on a novel for years, spinning my wheels, never quite finding time to put into it. So here goes. novel writing month here I come. And with it intentional consumerism. I'll let you know how it goes.