What happens when you come to the Studio

When people come to my studio, I don't try to sell them anything. I try to show them around, tell them what I do, answer questions and let them look around on their own. Quite often, I just continue to work while they're there. It's NOT a shop! And if kids come in, they get a FREE cartoon sketch (like Garfield or Popeye, Ninja Turtle or Bugs Bunny, etc).

Just a little rantin'

The title of Artist carries more responsibilities than one thinks. It's not just the talent of the artist; it's the technical aspects (matting, framing, proportions, colors and values, etc), Customer Service, Sales Representative, Management, Finances, Tech Support, Supply Manager, Advertising. And it's not 9-5. When I'm not in the studio, I'm usually at the computer, trying to spark interest in what I do. I try to create specials and events to benefit the public, while still drawing attention to what I do. It's a 24 hour struggle deciding what to create that would sell, and putting all personal projects on the back-burner. Many self-employed people have similar struggles. It's not making food during your shift and going home and changing into your street clothes (I did that for 9 years, 12 if you count pizza delivery). It's seeing what's popular everywhere I go. Ideas spark any given moment of the day on how to improve something. Failures and shortcomings mulling around in your head as you try to sleep. I've become self-conscious about how the world percieves me, because I feel that if they see me, they try to avoid me so they don't have to hear about my art. If I send an e-mail, does it automatically get thrown out before being read? Am I now just "Jason Nuttall, Artist for Hire"? I would be fine with that, if it's in the positive sense and not like "Don Berslavsky, Insurance Agent" who nobody wants to be around. (Don Berslavsky is a name I just made up. If you know a Don Berslavsky, it's purely coincidence).