Art and money

as in, I make art, where's that money?

Hello Earthlings! I am writing to you from the floor of my studio on a grey Sunday morning in the Sunset. I made myself some coffee and I woke up ready to spend some time breaking down how I think about money, how money operates within my life as an artist and some tools that I use with myself and my students to help them see how to exist and live in this world of money with their art.

Mary Blair

Before I do that, I just wanted to take a second to share some other thoughts and things I have been loving. Watching the playoffs- I love watching sports (typically baseball and basketball), I grew up watching them with my dad and have always been a passive consumer. The last few years I think after covid especially, I just love them. I love that we get to all come together and celebrate bodies and competition, and I love the way they are so tied to their communities. Dave and I went to an As game last week- they are moving to Vegas and it’s a little sad, I grew up going to As and Giants games and it’s gonna be sad to see them go.

I re-watched Nope, I had read an interview with Jordan Peele where he mentioned that the movie is about the spectacle. Which perked my ears and I went back and skimmed through some Guy Debord to remind myself of how we talked about the spectacle and art in my art theory classes in college- which was a lot of fun. It made rewatching Nope fun too because I saw all these moments where the spectacle was happening- there’s a scene where the kid from the electronics store is looking at a computer at video coming from the cameras on the ranch. There’s a woman in the shop watching him, watching the video of the ranch and it just felt like this perfect reflection of the spectacle. I really enjoy moments like that with film, where there are multiple entry points- it can be a great movie- AND it can be even more if you do some digging.

And lastly, have been feeling a little frustrated with my body- I have had plantar fasciitis in my right foot for the last few months- basically just really hurts when I walk especially after sitting for long periods. I have very high arches and was wearing shitty shoes and long story short, the only thing that seems to be helping me is yoga. So I have been doing yoga every single day for the last two weeks, even just for 10 minutes if that’s all I have. I love the live classes through SkyTing (if you are looking for something similar). Still feeling frustrated but the yoga has been a nice way to think about mobility and take some time to focus on that. As I get older, I know there is a big connection to how I feel in my body and mind and how present I am in my ideas and process. It feels hard but I am really working towards making space for that even when my mobility is compromised.

Ok enough rambling, I am gonna take some time to answer a question from Elissa about money- I am sure I will have addendums, clarifications and posts in the future about this, but thought I would just try to tackle it this week and hopefully it helps you to navigate your own work and how it fits into your financial situation (if it does at all). Please remember, I am a human being and I am growing and learning about myself and my thoughts all the time.