Nick Goodwin Knows that Being a Freelance Artist is For Him - Photo Courtesty of Morguefile.com
by Nick Goodwin
I think one of the hardest things about trying to be a successful artist is the reality that your ability to serve your community isn’t entirely practical. I have experienced many types of work apart from art-related jobs and they have helped me to become at least more practical than I would be had I decided to be strictly an artist.
One of the hardest things when it comes to dedicating yourself to being an artist is that often times you have to get out into the world and experience something through every day struggle in order
to be inspired. I would say that limiting yourself to a very few activities that are constant routine would not be a very inspirational route. However, everyone is different and this is just my opinion.
I have had many jobs and I believe this is because to stay in one place for too long becomes too routine for me to feel that I am still developing in the way that I hope to. This attribute makes me
unpractical to work for anybody but myself. I am a very good listener and try to be very understanding of others. I think these attributes are what help me a lot and make me a practical freelance artist.
My whole life I have been surrounded by family and friends that lead very practical and focused lifestyles. I have always been a little different in the sense that I always had a blurred vision of what I wanted to do because it never came with a job title and wasn’t listed in a post-secondary course selection manual.
That is why it is good to join an painter’s guild, non-profit arts organization or just “hob knob” with other artists. It leads to sharing ideas, knowledge and stirring up those cobwebs, which makes way for inspiration.