Process of Becoming an Artist


As part of my ongoing journey as a visual artist, last year I came across an interview of illustrator Lisa Congdon thanks to artist Christina Norberg.  It was an interview that is a part of the incredible Good Life Project spearheaded by Jonathan Fields.  When I watched the video, what really struck me was that Lisa started her art career late in life much like myself. She also mentioned that being self taught, one often feels like an impostor. But that it’s important to embrace yourself as being legitimate and genuine.  Most of all to acknowledge yourself as an artist. In the beginning, this was something that I tried very hard to acknowledge myself as an artist. Then one day,  I said to someone, without thinking twice, that I was an artist. I surprised myself when I heard the words come out of my mouth and I liked how it sounded.  Although I knew the path of being an artist would be challenging, hearing Lisa’s story not only reminded me of that very moment but it gave me hope that it could be possible to make a living as an artist. I appreciated her honesty and openness in sharing her journey as an artist.

Art Inc by Lisa Congdon

Months later, Lisa’s book Art Inc. became available and I was curious to see what she had to offer. From beginning to end, it was packed full of practical tips and lived experiences from various other artists. I happened to discover CreativeLive which led me to watch her workshop on Becoming a Working Artist that really brought her book to life. It was valuable to hear tips from her on managing workflow and work/life balance. It is key to be clear on what your core values are as it will drive all the decisions you will make. I’m still very much a work in progress but her book and workshop videos are resources that I will continue to pull from. The first goal that came from workshop was to redo my website. Hooray! I finally did it! I turned this site into blog and made a brand new website at www.vanessalamfineart.com for my art work.  Click on the Portfolio tab and it will take you there as well. Although there’s still room for improvement, I think it is a better reflection of me and my work.



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