How’s your 2017 going so far?

Can you believe the year is already more than halfway through – and yet this is the first blog post I’ve written >__<

I had only one deceptively simple-seeming resolution this year: get more done.

I’ve been partially successful, I suppose. On the one hand, I haven’t yet achieved some of the things I thought I would have completed by now. On the other hand, I feel like I’ve managed to do a fair bit, despite life’s best efforts to throw obstacles in my path: death of a relative, various family members in and out of hospital multiple times, a hectic workload, interesting things to read/stuff to watch, all the usual distractions. It’s been a busy year, by my standards; but there’s always a lot more that I’d like to get done.

On a positive note, I started a new job this year. I had been doing dog-sitting on and off for the past few years, building up a small local client base of my own, mostly through word-of-mouth and recommendations. At the start of 2017 I joined Pawz Pet-Sitting, a local animal care agency. I already enjoyed doing that kind of work, it fit in well with my freelance lifestyle and I love cute animals; joining Pawz brought me a lot more bookings than I would get on my own, and it’s great to have a team behind me for support.

I’ve had several projects, short- and long-term, on the go this year. This was a kind of in-between one: a short job that turned out longer than expected. Originally commissioned by a return client as a greeting-card intended to be given for International Women’s Day, it’s now a card available year-round at my Etsy store.

Note the influence of Hokusai’s classic ‘Great Wave’. I came across a great animated film recently, Miss Hokusai, about the artist and his daughter; I’m really looking forward to watching it.

The other project I want to mention (and which also fits the title theme of this post) is a much older work, painted back in 2013. It’s funny, it wasn’t until after I completed that picture of the surfer that I realized I’d already done a very similar picture, of a girl in front of a watery backdrop.

It was the winning competition entry for a magazine cover, but then the magazine was never published, and I never got paid for it. I’ve had the framed artwork on the wall of my studio for a while now, and I’ve decided it’s time to sell it. It’s never served any really purpose other than as a portfolio item, and I’m sure someone else might appreciate it more than I do.

Whenever I look at it now, I remember the sleepless 40-hour day I worked to get it done by the deadline. It was right before my uni graduation ceremony; I had to take the artwork to the uni print-lab to scan on their large-format scanner, then tear around the shops in a drowsy state looking for a dress to wear under my academic robe, getting myself frazzled for nothing as it turned out.

Someone will create far pleasanter associations with this painting than I have. Its major saving grace was that I painted the clouds in coffee. The smell helped keep me awake long enough to finish it.

Now that I’ve decided to sell it, I’m not really sure how to go about it. I’ve considered taking it to a professional gallery, though I’ve had no experience at selling my original art before; I also thought of just putting it on Etsy, like I do with everything else. I’m still weighing my options, so if anyone wants to purchase it, you would make my task easier. Get in contact if you want it, I will be very happy to hear from you.