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Ting Yuen's Artist Diary

Artist Statement


I create lyrical worlds, where tribulations are perceived with inspiring humor, fetishes embraced with open arms, thoughts are symbolic, dreams are always infinite, and an ideal world is possible. In many ways, my paintings compose a diary of my everyday life and aspirations, expressing fears and joys that are personal but, at the same time, universal to the current consciousness.

Monday, March 22, 2010

From Believing to Doing: Be a full time Artist ( Part II )

" It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection" The Bhagvad Sita
There is more to Believing in your dream than the act of " A leap of Faith ". I do agree that faith has a lot to do with my dream, I trust the Universe wholeheartedly and responsibly when I share my gift with the world.

Although what got me started was of course the love at first sight with my craft. All I knew was how deliriously happy I felt when I was painting and how absurdly annoyed I was when it wasn't going well. All these wonderful passions that I fell in love with prompted me to want more and that is what set everything in motion.

The painting above is called Journeys painted by myself, you may check out the story of the painting by clicking here.

Now with the realization of my dream, I figured with all those inspirations, it will not be fruitful without careful planning.

So I bought myself a little black book and I wrote all my goals down to become a full time artist, I then gave each of my goals a time span of when and how I would like to execute them. From there, I planned out what I would like to accomplish each month. Now, a little advice: It's best to review your monthly goals daily but I tend to do mine bi-monthly which usually ends up with me cramming a few things all in a day or two because I was way behind schedule due to my reclusive painting time in my studio. After my great accomplishments of catching up I cross them off my list, whatever seemed impossible to get done for the month gets put on the next month list. Remember in order to avoid such rude awakenings and stress in your life, review your itinerary daily! I believe I need to set an hour a day to deal with my business part of my goals, remember living your dream as a full time artist is not all about studio time, a large part of it is business.

Here are some examples of what your initial goal setting may look like:
1. Create a collection of art work. ( in the next two months )
2. Get my biography updated. ( next week )
3. Get my resume updated. ( next week )
4. Apply for art shows. ( in the spring of 2010 )
5. Apply for Galleries to represent my artwork. ( on going, try for 2 galleries per year)
6. Create a blog. ( today )
7. Create a customer list. ( on going, but start now! )
8. Own my own Art gallery. ( in two years from now )
etc........


The painting above is called Paradise Found, painted by myself, you may check out the story of the painting by clicking here.

Goal setting and strategising means hard work, determination and persistence and the partner in crime is "Faith", I know somehow the Universe takes care of me and my dream but I also need to work laboriously to do my part in the success of my art career and always remind myself to stay focused and be grateful.

To be a full time artist may sound like fun, but it is a business and you need to commit to your dream with all your heart, mind and hands. Create constantly, own your craft and remember to learn continuously and grow as an artist.

My next blog will be the Part III of To be a full time Artist, I will be touching on the topics of Art Recipes!

If you wish to share your stories of success with me or if you have any questions, I will be delighted to connect with you.

All images and content are the copyright of Ting Yuen.

2 comments:

  1. Ah, thank you. I will apply this to my writing. I'm already making goals!

    I love art too, but I am focusing on my writing right now.

    I love your pieces on Etsy, and the stories that go with them SO much.

    In the future, when I have my own place I hope to buy a few pieces. :D

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  2. Hi there!

    I received one of your lovely little treasure boxes today bought from The Two Rivers Art Gallery. It was a going away gift as I left my job to start a new one.

    Inside the box was a little poem/story about Duality which fits me perfectly. So perfectly. And the ironic thing is that no one really read the poem until I opened the gift today!

    Love your work! Keep painting!

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