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The Perks of Being an Artist

~ Because demented people need love, too.

The Perks of Being an Artist

Tag Archives: inspiration

Follow Your HeArt

20 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, tattooing, Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

art, Emily Page Art, follow your art, follow your heart, follow your passion, inspiration, painting, Raleigh art, Raleigh artist, watercolor

It’s official! We own commercial real estate. And we’re going to fill it with needles and ink. That’s right, I’m going to become a tattoo artist! Quick, hide the kids! I’ll go into more detail soon, but I just wanted to say that, as I realized I was having less and less fun teaching at the paint and sip studio (except for the consulting, which I still love), I had to take a long hard look at what I wanted to do next. And one thing was very clear: despite my frustrations at the business side of the art world, I want to make art. It takes away the itchiness in my soul. Making and promoting art is hard, but, fortunately or unfortunately, it’s essential –  at least for me. So following my heart means following my art. For all you other artists out there (whatever form your art takes, be it visual art, performance, literature, or anything else), don’t let the struggles of earning a living get to you. I know, those are easy words to say. This business is hard. But keep returning to the work and you’ll be okay.

Follow Your HeART.JPG

Prints and merchandise available here and here.

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It’s Not Me, It’s My Head

18 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by emilypageart in cats, health, humor, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

blogging, cats, cluster headache, cupid, depression, headache, inspiration, jersey shore, kitties, kitty love, mental fog, migraine, postdrome, snooki, tension headache

I know I’ve been promising to get better about posting more regularly again. And I meant it when I promised it. But my head didn’t agree. I said, “I swear I’m going to post more,” but my head was all like, “Oh, but I have other ideas. I’m going to give you a week of migraines, cluster headaches, and tension headaches. And maybe some caffeine withdrawal headaches. And probably brain tumors or something. And then I’m going to give you postdrome, just for funsies.” Apparently, my head didn’t make that up, and “postdrome” is actually a thing. Basically, my head was like, “Hey, you know what would be fun? After a bunch of pain, let’s be stupid!!” And I totally went along with it. Because stupid is awesome?*

Also, I’m heading into that time of year when I go into a depression, and my creative juices dry up. I get creatively dehydrated. Not even bourbon can quench my creative thirst. It’s coming on a little early this year, due in part, I’m guessing, to all the headbitching. So I run out of interesting things to say and paint and instead spend all of my time binge watching Jersey Shore and complaining that not all three cats are snuggling with me at every single moment of every single day. I either need more cats or a smaller house so that there are less places for the cats I already have to sleep that don’t involve directly touching me.

all ma kitties

All mah kittehs on me at the same time. I has the heaven.

On top of that, as I have mentioned in the last two posts, I’m going through a major work transition that’s causing a fair amount of chaos from which I would prefer to hide. I was going to post about that right now, but I’m going to drag this shit out into another post so that I can do the work now, and not have to come up with anything to post about over the next couple days, thus maximizing my binge watching/snuggles time tomorrow and the next day. Fuck you postdrome, I bees smart.

*I was going to insert a clip of Snooki, from Jersey Shore, asking if cherubs were real, but apparently, that little nugget of reality TV gold didn’t register on anyone else’s radar enough to isolate a clip and post it on YouTube. So here’s a transcript I created:

Italian, tour guide, pointing out a fresco: “Cupid, the son of Venus, who will throw the arrow of love…”

Snooki: “So they’re real?”

Tour guide: “What – what do you mean are they real?”

Snooki: “The babies with wings?”

Tour guide: “They are character of mythology.”

Snooki: “Cool.”

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Little One 6

24 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

art, art for child's bedroom, art for kid's bedroom, artist, Emily Page artist, floral, flower, inspiration, little one, shine, sparkle, twinkle, whimsical, whimsy

I’m having so much fun converting old paintings from the sip and paint studio into new paintings – especially for kids’ rooms. Here is the one I did while teaching on Saturday:

Sparkle Little One

Sparkle, Little One 20″ x 16″ acrylic on canvas $100

Prints and other great merchandise available here.

 

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Life Is Beautiful

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, gratitude, kindness, mental health, painting, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

art, artist, choose joy, cultivating happiness, happiness, inspiration, inspirational quote, inspirational saying, inspiring art, inspiring painting, life is beautiful, love, painter, painting, self worth

Just a gentle reminder for anyone feeling a little blah about themselves, or life, or how “themselves” are doing life:

Life is Beautiful 2

Prints, greeting cards, and other fun merchandise available here.

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Author Offering 2

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in blog, book, gratitude, karma, kindness, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Author Offering, blogging, Emily Page Art, Emily Page author, find new authors, Fractured Memories, inspiration, marketing, self publish, self-publishing, writers

As I dive into the world of promoting my own book, I’m discovering tons of other authors who are in the midst of the same insanity. Like with my art, the writing was the easy part. The promotion? That’s definitely the hard part. In an effort to help other writers who could use a little bump in sales, I’m going to start periodically sharing links to their blogs (so you can get a feel for their writing) as well as a link to their books in case you’re interested in supporting an indie author.

Here’s a wrap-up of the ones I’ve found recently:

April Munday’s blog https://aprilmunday.wordpress.com/ and book The Heart That Lies

Phil Taylor’s blog https://thephilfactor.com/ and books https://www.amazon.com/Phil-Taylor/e/B00AC8PM8A/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

Shelley Wilson’s blog http://www.shelleywilsonauthor.co.uk/ and book How I Changed My Life In a Year

Colleen Chesebro’s blog https://colleenchesebro.com/ and book The Heart Stone Chronicles: The Swamp Fairy

******************************************************************************************

Thanks so much for reading my ridiculous thoughts! If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

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Well, Cello There!

27 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, humor, mental health, music, painting, sip and paint studio, Uncategorized

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

art, artist, artistry, cello, classical music, inspiration, music, musical instrument, oil on board, oil on canvas, oil painting, paint, painter, painting, stringed instrument, viola, violin

Finished up a new painting this week. That’s right. I painted! Like, painted painted, not just taught at the sip and paint studio or covered old paintings with more acrylic while I waited for my students to finish a step. It had been almost 2 months since I sat down and painted with oils and my brain was ready to explode from spending too much time in front of a computer and not enough time quietly listening to podcasts with paintbrush in hand. And 2 days later, I did it again. I know. Outta control.

Here’s the result of all that time breathing in paint fumes and turpenoid:

Cello_Compressed

Cello 12″ x 16″ oil on board $450

Original available here. Prints and other merchandise available here.

***********************************************************************

Thanks so much for reading my ridiculous thoughts! If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

book-cover-1

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Jenny Lawson Is My New Bestie

12 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, blog, book, dementia, gratitude, humor, kindness, painting, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Alzheimer's, author talk, blogging, book signing, dementia, Emily Page, Emily Page Art, Fractured Memories, frontal lobe dementia, frontotemporal dementia, inspiration, Jenny Lawson, Quail Ridge Books, The Bloggess, You Are Here

So, this happened.

Jenny Lawson

Yes, that’s The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson, hugging my book and pretending that she wouldn’t rather be barricaded in a pillow fort surrounded by furry woodland creatures. She is now my new best friend, by which I mean that I have met her and gotten her signature and forced my book upon her. If you’ve been hiding in your own fort and somehow don’t know about her, stop everything you’re doing and go start reading her blog immediately: The Bloggess, and then buy all 3 of her books. And then buy my book. I mean, Jenny Lawson is hugging it, which means that, even though she hasn’t read it, she totally loves it and thinks you will, too.

***********************************************************************

Thanks so much for reading my ridiculous thoughts! If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).book-cover-1

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Author Offerings

05 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in blog, book, culture, DIY, karma, kindness, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

blogging, find new authors, inspiration, marketing, self publish, self-publishing, Sunday Authors Offering, writers

As I dive into the world of promoting my own book, I’m discovering tons of other authors who are in the midst of the same insanity. Like with my art, the writing was the easy part. The promotion? That’s definitely the hard part. In an effort to help other writers who could use a little bump in sales, I’m going to start periodically sharing links to their blogs (so you can get a feel for their writing) as well as a link to their books in case you’re interested in supporting an indie author.

Here’s a wrap-up of the ones I’ve found this week:

SC Skillman’s blog https://scskillman.com/ and book Perilous Path: A Writer’s Journey

Cendrine Marrouat’s blog https://positivityhut.wordpress.com/ She’s got several titles available on Amazon here

Allie Potts’ blog https://alliepottswrites.com/ and books An Uncertain Faith and Fair and Foul

Claire Wong’s blog https://clairewongwriting.wordpress.com/ and book The Runaway

Lori Holden’s blog http://lavenderluz.com/ and book The Open Hearted Way To Open Adoption

Hugh Roberts’ blog https://hughsviewsandnews.com/ and book Glimpses

***********************************************************************

Thanks so much for reading my ridiculous thoughts! If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

 

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A Girl and Her Book

17 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, painting, Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

art, artist, funky tree, girl reading, girl reading under tree, girl under tree, inspiration, leftover paint, paint, paint and pour, paint and sip, painter, painting, reading, sihouette, sip and paint studio, swirlie tree, swirly tree, wine and design

Last night at my sip and paint studio, I had a lot of paint leftover on the palettes I had poured for my customers. I hate wasting paint. Hate it. It hurts to toss perfectly good paint, but it’s generally been sitting out too long or has been contaminated with other colors on the palette by the end of class, so it can’t go back into the bottles. So, instead of tossing it last night, I decided to take the leftovers and do a new painting before heading home. Knocked this sweet little one out:

A Girl and Her Book.jpg

Prints and other swag available here.

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Mondays With Muddy

19 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by emilypageart in MOndays with Muddy, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Beatrice Allen Page, Beatrice Page, choose joy, inspiration, journal, kindness, Landscape with Figures, Mondays with Muddy, unpublished manuscript

Here is the next installment of Landscape With Figures, the unpublished manuscript of my grandmother, Beatrice Allen Page:

“Came upon a woman sitting on a camp stool by the side of the road, easel set up in front of her, painting the harbor, which was bright blue today and tufted with little white sales. The picture was almost finished and it was clearly the work of a novice although the woman must have been in her sixties.

She had heard my approaching footsteps and as I was about to pass her, she looked up with a disarming smile and said, ‘It’s pretty awful, isn’t it? I’ve only been painting for about six months.’ And then she went right on to save me the embarrassment of an answer: ‘But I just love it. I see so much that I never saw before.’

Her enjoyment and friendliness were catching and we chatted for several minutes before I went on and left her to finish her picture.

I suppose I’ve always been a little scornful of the amateur artist who plays with his or her talent when he’s or she’s in the mood (I wish there were a pronounce that applied to both sexes) and knows nothing of the self-discipline, the hard work, the ‘agony and the ecstasy’ of the professional.

However, when I think of that woman painting her ‘pretty awful’ picture with such zest, I realize I have undervalued the amateur. As the word conveys, and as she remarked, she ‘loved’ what she was doing. Years ago I read somewhere, or perhaps someone said it to me, a sentence that comes back to me now: Whatever is done with love endures.

That woman’s painting will obviously not endure as art but I have a feeling the act of painting it may endure in some indirect way. It is developing her perceptiveness, increasing her joie de vivre. That joy within herself may spill over onto others – some of it spilled onto me. As a result, later in the day when a man beat me to the one available space in a parking lot over in town which he could clearly see I was aiming for, instead of scowling at him, I smiled affably. He in turn, as a result of my amiability, may have behaved more sympathetically toward the employee he had perhaps meant to bawl out, who in turn my have gone home after work and patched up a quarrel with his wife. And so on and so on. Granted I’m being a little fanciful; who is to say that the joy of one human being in painting a picture, no matter how bad, is not a contribution to other lives?”

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Emily Page

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