Thanks so much for sharing this Allie, and so cool to see how your work translates to the digital products at Brainium. I also have found that having a part time consistent gig is the best way for me to feel my most creative. Right now I'm on an extended contract with Old Navy designing their kids clothes fabric patterns (24 hrs a week, W2 but no healthcare), and this gives me space to explore unpaid personal projects, put on group art shows, and work on picture book projects as they come in (I've done about one book a year so far). I also do a couple markets and fairs over the summer and put out a calendar every holiday season which usually makes me a nice little bundle of cash for travel, gifts, etc. The creative life is all about adaptability, and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way, it keeps life fresh and interesting.
I am lucky to have health insurance through my husband's job, and this is a recent game-changer in my stress-levels (before I was buying my own out of pocket). Among the bajillion things I would change about American society, the first thing would be to establish universal healthcare. Artists are deeply effected by the cost of health insurance, and it is SUCH a scam.
Constantly inspired by your work!! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Chamisa – I resonate with “keeps life fresh and interesting.” I truly love variety and it keeps me engaged! And I agree about our scammy healthcare system – it sucks. Thank goodness our local community supports artists and we have loved ones in our lives that make it possible ❤️❤️
Hope you’re enjoying your work at Old Navy! I love seeing news of all of your children’s books. I completely failed to see your winter group show at the Lloyd Center and will have to make more of an effort to come out and see the next one :)
Loved the share! Also, I think I have the 4,5,6 books in the Earthsea series if you want to borrow them! Appreciate you, Allie. Ulna appreciates you, too. 😊
Thank you for sharing all of this Allie! You do *a lot* and it is so inspiring! I've been eyeing your Sketchbook class at Ulna for a while now and am really hoping to do the next one after this (I can't make this April one, but my baby is 1 yrs old and I am finally getting back into making art after this first year of having a kid!) (your class at Laurelhurst park I took a couple years ago was fantastic!). Also - having a library card has changed my life so can't wait for you to get one and finish the Earthsea series. I loved that series so much! (Audiobooks through the library Libby app are the best for listening to while painting!)
We've got your artwork, Half Moon Wanderer, is in our living room and I just love looking at it! Hoping for it to eventually end up in our daughter's room!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment Ilana! So glad you are enjoying the collage painting - I’d love to make more of those. It would be wonderful to have you in the class when you’re ready. Im also planning to bring back Art in the Park more regularly this year and I plan to make it a free hang out event 🥳
You are an Artist. You are a brilliant multidisciplinary Artist. And this level of honesty with your audience will inspire and motivate in ways one wouldn't expect. Also it's further proof that there are countless ways to be an artist, paid or otherwise ✨💗 Loved this post.
Love the transparency. When I was Making it Work I was in-house (design) 20 hrs/wk (but no healthcare), freelance (design/illustration) another 10-40 hrs/wk (unreliable but fairly consistent, haha), plus art shows every 6ish months, commissioned work & jewelry sales on Etsy. I also mostly solo-parented a young kid. & I rarely felt like I was doing enough, either personally (paid work took most of my creative energy) or professionally (never enough money). Oof.
I think one of my points is… if the in-house work gives you any breathing room for the other work, it’s absolutely worth it. Also, I miss having co-workers (most of the time). Yay for studios like Ulna that offer community. 😘
That creative energy is real! I think sometimes it's hard to show up creatively at work and in personal practice. That's amazing to hear how you balanced the work Zephyr and with a little kiddo too
Thanks so much for sharing this Allie, and so cool to see how your work translates to the digital products at Brainium. I also have found that having a part time consistent gig is the best way for me to feel my most creative. Right now I'm on an extended contract with Old Navy designing their kids clothes fabric patterns (24 hrs a week, W2 but no healthcare), and this gives me space to explore unpaid personal projects, put on group art shows, and work on picture book projects as they come in (I've done about one book a year so far). I also do a couple markets and fairs over the summer and put out a calendar every holiday season which usually makes me a nice little bundle of cash for travel, gifts, etc. The creative life is all about adaptability, and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way, it keeps life fresh and interesting.
I am lucky to have health insurance through my husband's job, and this is a recent game-changer in my stress-levels (before I was buying my own out of pocket). Among the bajillion things I would change about American society, the first thing would be to establish universal healthcare. Artists are deeply effected by the cost of health insurance, and it is SUCH a scam.
Constantly inspired by your work!! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Chamisa – I resonate with “keeps life fresh and interesting.” I truly love variety and it keeps me engaged! And I agree about our scammy healthcare system – it sucks. Thank goodness our local community supports artists and we have loved ones in our lives that make it possible ❤️❤️
Hope you’re enjoying your work at Old Navy! I love seeing news of all of your children’s books. I completely failed to see your winter group show at the Lloyd Center and will have to make more of an effort to come out and see the next one :)
Loved the share! Also, I think I have the 4,5,6 books in the Earthsea series if you want to borrow them! Appreciate you, Allie. Ulna appreciates you, too. 😊
Thanks Jolyn ❤️ ooh tempting 👀 I will let you know if I need to borrow your books! This third one is the best so far I think
Thank you for sharing all of this Allie! You do *a lot* and it is so inspiring! I've been eyeing your Sketchbook class at Ulna for a while now and am really hoping to do the next one after this (I can't make this April one, but my baby is 1 yrs old and I am finally getting back into making art after this first year of having a kid!) (your class at Laurelhurst park I took a couple years ago was fantastic!). Also - having a library card has changed my life so can't wait for you to get one and finish the Earthsea series. I loved that series so much! (Audiobooks through the library Libby app are the best for listening to while painting!)
We've got your artwork, Half Moon Wanderer, is in our living room and I just love looking at it! Hoping for it to eventually end up in our daughter's room!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment Ilana! So glad you are enjoying the collage painting - I’d love to make more of those. It would be wonderful to have you in the class when you’re ready. Im also planning to bring back Art in the Park more regularly this year and I plan to make it a free hang out event 🥳
You are an Artist. You are a brilliant multidisciplinary Artist. And this level of honesty with your audience will inspire and motivate in ways one wouldn't expect. Also it's further proof that there are countless ways to be an artist, paid or otherwise ✨💗 Loved this post.
Thank you Natasha 🥰
Love the transparency. When I was Making it Work I was in-house (design) 20 hrs/wk (but no healthcare), freelance (design/illustration) another 10-40 hrs/wk (unreliable but fairly consistent, haha), plus art shows every 6ish months, commissioned work & jewelry sales on Etsy. I also mostly solo-parented a young kid. & I rarely felt like I was doing enough, either personally (paid work took most of my creative energy) or professionally (never enough money). Oof.
I think one of my points is… if the in-house work gives you any breathing room for the other work, it’s absolutely worth it. Also, I miss having co-workers (most of the time). Yay for studios like Ulna that offer community. 😘
That creative energy is real! I think sometimes it's hard to show up creatively at work and in personal practice. That's amazing to hear how you balanced the work Zephyr and with a little kiddo too
My thesis advisor once told me something like “balance is also sometimes swinging wildly from one pole to another” and that shit is real 😂