politics (2)

Stop blaming me

Please stop blaming me for not being ready for this mess we are in.

I had made some posts in the past and some in my group life as an art fair artist. Some comments that I read had may me think. Having booth fee return is great but I looking at how the calendar is shaping up and how would manage next year if things keep going the way they are going.

I always say there are a few categories of artists doing the shows: sole income comes from the shows; art shows are part of the main but it has other arts-related outlets to create income; the artists spouse works and shows are 50% of the household income; artists spouse works and the art show is just extra income or vacation money; artists that retire and use the show income as extra but not mandatory, I am forgetting some other category. Why it does matter because depending on what category you fall you may get income from the government faster than others. I personally do not think I gonna get any government help other than 1200.

Some people that are clear that support the President had to say that you need to have 6 months of savings. While is not a red or blue thing I think you should aim to do that. If you follow me you know that is almost impossible for me to have. I know a lot of people that are in the same vote or worst. Now let's say you have it now what does that mean. The most artist only work 8 months of the year, let me explain that. Northern artists if they do not go to Florida they may not start doing shows until April and most likely they had to stop doing shows at the best case in December. So that is five months with no income. So if you have six months of savings at this point you only have money until May. If you are doing in shows in Florida like me you may have income until February because most shows got cancel in March and April. Even I only do one show in March or April these are just holding me until May when my season starts. During this period I am paying booth and jury fees.

So far I had not had in March or April where intake is greater than the outtake. Basically, if I am even by April I am counting my blessings. I am assuming most artists with art show as the only source of income are in the same boat. May comes around depending on what shows you are doing you May get one good, one bad and one great show. Basically, by July you are hoping to be catch up with bills and start seeing the buffer for those months with no shows go up. The month of August is the month that put the most money into the savings. September and October things slow down and little extra income comes. Shows in southern areas in October, November and December are usually just cash flow. If you live in the northern states IHMO is not worth traveling to Florida or Arizona for shows late in the year especially with the election going on.

This year I was looking forward since last year was my best year in a while. I finally expend money on my display and was looking forward to Fort Worth. In March before the crisis happens I overspend because the way that year was shaping even with some coronavirus cases started to show up (The administration should be able to handle the problem if it arises). I was man I should not but if I wait until closer to the show I may not be ready and then the following show is two weeks later let's be positive and keep moving forward he can not screw up himself because of he is so selfish that won’t ket this stop his reelection.

With getting 20 to 30 hours of art installation you better fix the issues in van storage and everything that you could not do last year because you were still recovering from the scam. Now, crisis-hit IL and now I am looking at my dining room with all my work. Orders in the lab to be ship or in process. I am well you have it so hopefully by May we go back to do shows, wait June or wait in July or wait for August or wait for nothing this year.

There is a great possibility that the art show won’t come back until the sports arenas are allowed to let people in. What happens if that goes until the end of 2021? I stop think you you still have the art installation business. When the restaurants close my hours drop to zero to 10 hours a week. The savings account would only hold me a month after no income coming. Once again I am thinking I do not know if the unemployment benefits will kick in or if I will qualify since I am sole proprietor, I do not if any of the grants will come my way, because of the scam my credit is the toilet so no business loan, etc. I am looking at this I am wondering what I can do. I have been able to operate because the cash flow never stops and I been working on cash on hand only for two years and counting because of the scam not having credit cards it seems like a blessing right now. Friends tell me to do online sales. I know before the crisis the sales were none or slim from the website. I am finally was getting 10 visits per day but no sales. So I am asking myself what was the point of working so hard. I not waiting for the government to save me but I also do not want the government to put me on the street and become homeless.

I know conservative wants states to have more control. This is a national problem. This problem had shown the need to medicare for all or version where you can add to basic health insurance. This problem should have never got to this point. This is worst administration and is responsible for the mess we are in. People still defend him and expecting them to still do it even if they are dying while he is a bunker. People can not get close to him or Pence with passing temperature check. He still playing this down, not doing what should be done and blaming others. He hoping that democrats died and media other than FOX News died in the process. Still with everything going on they still making the federal government weaker. Really at this pace, we won’t have a nation.

If you think that people are responsible and they should be able to handle this you are not living in the real world. This a problem that was created by a virus that we knew about it in December and was play down over and over. Now Fox, right wing media companies and Trump say that they did not play down. The country is basically in lockdown because of Trump's actions, FOX News & right-wing media do not sound the alarm. Still are not doing the stay at home orders. There is no vaccine. We are not testing everybody going around to know who is healthy or not. It is clear that only big companies is they care. This had been using to make money and not help the people.

I know we will get out of the mess but the states to recover faster will be CA, Oregon, Washington, IL, New York and Texas the rest good luck. I will say it again we need to elect people that care about the country not them and that is not Trump. My hope we get a Democrat President to once again fix the mess the Republican president put us in. Of course, while we recover they will blame the democrat president for the problem and once again they forgot how we got here in the first place. Let's see what the silent majority keeps saying about the liberals and so call lazy and stupid color people.

Yes, I feel that this year when is over I only will be happy is a Democrat is coming into office. If we get another four years of him we won't be here when 2024 rolls around.

So please stop blaming me for something that everybody is facing and we all know it can last two years and nobody while being able to handle it.

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Religion in our Art

I am not a very religious person, although I have a great deal of respect for faith.  Do you often have people come into your booth and tell you that your talent is a gift from God, that you are blessed?  Artistic talent is a wonderful blessing, but sometimes these conversations can be a little uncomfortable for some of us.  In my booth, I also display drawings of historical figures, including our current president.  This seems to be an open invitation for many visitors to share their very negative political opinions, too.  While we're in our booths, we can't escape the conversations around us.  How do you navigate that kind of thing?

 

In my blog today,  I've shared some stories about this kind of thing and the religious birth of one of my very favorite portraits.

 

http://pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/05/holding-my-ham-hostage.html

 

I'm a little nervous about broaching a very personal, complicated subject.  As artists we all express ourselves differently and we're very different people.  But when our talent is on display for everyone, the subject of God can come up a lot, can't it?

 

Have  a great week!

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