AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

I am in the precarious position of being an unestablished and unemployed artist. I enjoy my freedom immensely and I work on my art every single day. I'm not always pleased with the direction I'm headed, but I've decided to trust that good work will come out and to just keep pushing. I usually have at least 10 pieces that I can be working on so if I get bored, I work on something else. I know to trust myself by the way I feel when making things and how I feel when I look at things I made in the past. I get excited and frantic. Nothing else matters at the moment. While working, there is definitely a zone, the one that athletes and musicians get into. If I don't feel that frantic, adrenaline-like feeling, something is wrong. It means that my motivations or methods are faulty. If I need a special tool or supply, I skip onto something else without regrets. I have enough ideas that I can realize with the resources at hand that I have no excuse to idle.

Knowing exactly what I want in life is too difficult to determine, but I've become adept at avoiding what I no longer care for. I can't spend more time at a job than on my own work, and I can't watch television, and I've started to watch fewer movies. These are the easiest ways for me free up time, which is incredibly important to be productive. My time for absorbing media is coming to an end. It is time for me to be in pure expression mode.

Money is tight and I'm looking for a part time job but deep down I don't want one. I might cast dental prosthetics, grind lenses, or work in a gallery. If and when I get a job, I want it benefit my artistic interests. I teach a jewelry class once a week, and I have access to 2 metal studios that I can use whenever I want. Unfortunately, I haven't wanted to work in metal recently. It's nice to know that I can use them when I need to, and I don't have to pay rent for either of them. I sell rings and pins in the occasional craft show. I'm trying to sell some work online. I'm putting together a decent portfolio to propose shows. It all comes together very slowly. My income is less than a third of what it was just 3 months ago but things are ok. I have everything I need to survive, and I'm making work, so I'm happy. I'd rather take the plunge now when I'm young and still have a fire burning inside than when I'm a completely bitter 43 year old guy full of regret.