Working in a Print Shop

Currently, I am in the process of filming yet another YouTube video – this one is for Art Snacks and will be posted next week! So, keep an eye out for that. I have always loved art subscription boxes, so I hope you will all enjoy it. But, onto the topic of this particular blog post: my job.

So, where do I work? A little over a year ago, I had a couple of original pieces I was selling to a lady up north. It was hard to part with them since I had never sold an original before (apart from commissions), and I had that "emotional connection" to them that many artists experience with their own work. I didn't want to say goodbye to them forever, and I had heard of a little art print shop about thirty minutes from where I live, so I drove (technically, my dad did the driving) there to have some prints made. While I was waiting for the pictures to be edited by the girl working there, I showed interest in the process. She took notice of this, and asked if I would be interested in a summer job there. I talked to her boss, signed some forms, and suddenly I had a job.

Working at this print shop has been so beneficial. Obviously, the money has been nice (more than nice – it's part of my college fund right now), but apart from that I have learned so much about the profession I want to go into. Being an artist is a lot more than painting and drawing, and working at this shop has allowed me to see more of the business side and acquire some more skills. I can use Photoshop, operate printers, stretch canvases, coat paintings, and more. Who knows, maybe I will open my own print shop one day. As a self-employed artist, multiple streams of income are important to have.

I have made everything seem so simple in this post, but trust me, nothing I've learned came easy. Half the time I feel like I don't even know what I'm doing. Just today, even, I was making four canvas prints and stretching them. First, I had some problems with the color correction, then the printer screwed up. Next, I coated the paintings and let them dry, only to find that I had used too much coating, leaving lots of little tiny drips on the canvas, and I had to reprint three of them. On one canvas, the size was even slightly off. Once all the canvases had dried, it was time to stretch them. After asking countless questions of my boss and coworker, messing up several time when stapling the canvas to its frame (pulling out staples is not fun...), and accidentally getting some weird bubbles in the canvas...

I was done. 

Needless to say, it was a long day. 

However, though I struggled quite a bit, I now know so much more than I did yesterday. Each day is a learning experience and I get better at my job with every mistake. I'm pretty proud of those four canvases now, regardless of the stress involved.

Mother's Day and Cell Phones

            It's a relaxing, Sabbath afternoon. There is a bit of rain drizzling outside, and I've just
finished a watercolor piece for Mother's Day. Yesterday, my family visited a little art show in a nearby town where my mom entered a drawing for a small sunflower painting. Selfishly, I was a bit glad when her name wasn't drawn since I decided it would be the perfect Mother's Day gift to paint myself. So, today, while live streaming on Instagram and filming for this week's (?) YouTube video, I painted sunflowers. The original piece was quite a bit more abstract than mine as my style is different, but I'm sure she will enjoy the picture, nonetheless.

            Also today, I finished a much larger drawing entitled "Numb." This 18 x 24 inch piece is
done in colored pencil and pastel (background and skirt) and depicts a young woman staring mindlessly at her cellphone's glaring screen. Inspiration for this picture swept over me one day as I came to notice the empty, cloudy feeling I sometimes get when spending too much time on my phone – especially at night. At times when I feel sad, I often pull out my phone as a way to numb my mind to whatever problems may be going on. This is such an unhealthy practice, and I have made an effort to be more aware of myself and stay away from this habit.

            Many people have even linked extensive cell phone use (especially at night) to
depression, and I would encourage you to do some research into this. We should all make a better effort to set our phones down more often and start living in the real world, and yes, this also means turning off the television (sorry Netflix) and computer more often, too. Go outside, and get some fresh air! Spend time with your family, go visit your friends in person, do something nice for your neighbors, go on an adventure. Not only will this benefit people around you, it will do great things for your mental health as well.

Meet the Artist!

          Hi everyone! So I am giving this "blogging thing" a go. Actually, it's technically my second try, but the first one didn't go too far so we can just forget about that...

My name is Darcie. I thought that would be a good starting place. Art is my favorite thing in the world – my passion, my past time, my outlet.

And it always has been.

          I've practically been drawing since day one, and mostly people. There's just something that really drew me (no pun intended) to drawing people with their complexities and uniqueness. Each one is so different. I can pull out countless pictures of people from my old sketchbooks – usually done in a typical graphite pencil – and even now they are my favorite subject to draw. However, I have branched out to many other subjects and mediums and continue to take new adventures in my art.

          While I've always had a love for art, I became more serious about it during my Freshman year of high school. I began believing that a career as an artist is possible, especially with the help of social media. I started an Instagram account that year with no other desire than to be able to have my art displayed nicely all in one place, and now, three years later, I have a following of 35,000 and a YouTube account with 8,000 subscribers. Having this kind of visibility and growth online has really encouraged me to believe an art career is possible and ignore the "starving artist" connotation.

          So, I am graduating from high school in 9 days. Wow. That's exciting and scary at the same time... My plan right now for college is to major in fine art, obtain a teaching license (so that I have the option to teach art if I need to or want to), and also get either a minor or major in business. I have heard many times that an art degree isn't really necessary if you're going to be working for yourself, however, I really think I can benefit from what I learn. I just really want to be in an environment where I can learn from so many other creative people – teachers and fellow students alike.

           Besides all of these things I just mentioned, what is art to ME? Obviously I enjoy it, but art is so much more than that. I love possessing the ability to make visible the ideas and pictures I get in my head. Art is such an important channel for getting ideas across, and I love using it to make a point. Art is powerful, and I get to be a part of it.  I find that very empowering yet humbling.

            Aside from fine art, I love music – singing, playing the piano and clarinet, and just listening to it day after day. Music is another way to make people feel things, and I love that aspect of it. I also enjoy playing volleyball and was on my school's varsity team as an outside hitter. I enjoy reading, going to the beach, making new friends, and eating! Finally, the most important thing you should know about me is I am a Christian. No, this does not mean I'll be preaching at you 24/7, judging you, or telling you to get saved. I hate these negative Christian stereotypes, but I do acknowledge that many Christians have brought them upon ourselves. All I hope to do is to be able to show Jesus' love to everyone because this world is so broken. I'm human, and I make terrible mistakes, but I try. With God, all things are truly possible, and I hope to grow in His grace to mirror His character more each day.

            Well, I think that's it! Hope you got to know a bit more about me, and feel free to tell me a bit about yourself in the comments! You can expect stories, art tips, art struggles, and more glimpses into my life in future posts. If you made it all the way down to here, comment your favorite color. Thanks for reading!

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