I seem to have fallen back into a pattern I was stuck in many years ago, in which I only sit down and work on art at times when I'm waiting for something else to either finish or start happening.
I suppose it's OK in its own way, in as much as I get to grab 20 minutes here or 30 minutes there, and somehow I gradually end up completing a few items. It's not very good, in terms of creative discipline, however.
I recognize that part of my lacking inspiration these days is directly linked to the fact that we don't actually have any outside events for festivals to go to until this summer. Since I don't tend to sell anything through my online venues, I find it hard to motivate myself to create anything when all it's going to do is sit in a box, or sit on a shelf, until a much later date.
I hate to sound mercenary about it, but I do like to create new work with the intention that I'm going to end up selling it. I was never a big supporter of the whole "art for art's sake" process of creativity. It's not really about the money, so much as it is about wanting to share my work with other people.
I keep threatening that I'm going to take some beach trips and try to pick up some new "blanks" to paint on, but the last couple of times I've gone to the beach actually the only things I've picked up have been pieces of driftwood that I ended up putting in my eBay shop.
At least there is somewhat of a decent chance that I might sell some driftwood to people because they use it for their own arts and crafts projects that they presumably are going to take somewhere and sell.
Somehow, it got me to thinking (again!) about the fact that so much of art — and being an artist — in 2025 isn't about selling your actual art but about creating a bunch of "peripherals" and selling a bunch of merch that supports your art.
Almost as if people no longer collect art, just the souvenirs from the art show.
I suppose I shouldn't really be too surprised: It was a trend we were already seeing back in the days when we had a physical brick-and-mortar shop.
I find a measure of solace in knowing that at least I am getting some work done.
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2025.03.24 AS-TXT-327/297