By Sarah Brousseau
When doing research for potential opportunities after
graduation I stumbled upon a website for a program called Artist U. Artist U
defines themselves as a grassroots, artist run platform striving to change the
working conditions for artists. Through year long residences, community based
programs and online resources, artists in the Philadelphia, Baltimore and South
Carolina branches ban together to build lives that are better balanced,
productive and sustainable.
Feeling the pressure of being a
recent-art-school-graduate, I immediately fell in love with their mission and
the philosophy in which they use to teach, outreach and inform others! I was so
excited to join the conversation that I researched their entire website and I
stumbled upon something even greater… The founder of Artist U, Andrew Simonet wrote a book,
Making Your Life As an Artist, all about creating a sustainable life.
I quickly copied the url and sent it off to my Mom with
the memo: if anyone asks to send a gift for graduation, I want this! But,
the nice thing about this book and really the generosity of Artist U, it’s
available online completely, entirely, absolutely free!!
Someone somewhere (my brother) heard my pleading call to
read this book and be influenced by all the truth it speaks, as I received it
for graduation. Over the past four days I haven’t been able to put it
down, turning pages faster than I’ve ever done.
Andrew Simonet writes beyond eloquently, putting many
things into words that artists often have a hard time saying, or
even thinking… He
gives inspiration, guidelines and background information on just about anything
artists need to know when building and sustaining their lives. Reading his book
encouraged me to take the reigns and start creating a world for myself in which
I can maintain balance, stability and security.
I started with a big ole' list, keeping all my options open and allowing my imagination to roam free!
Simonet says hindering any dreams, desires or destinies could be absolutely
detrimental to your journey, no matter how crazy. We must start by dreaming big
and teach or ourselves to productively reach those goals.
I would highly recommend the book to anyone with a creative mind — it does
wonders in helping one organize and actualize the life we want to live.
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Sarah Brousseau is a recent graduate of Maryland Institute College of Art, now living and working in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a painter and printmaker, primarily interested in geometric abstractions and hand-crafted design. With a free spirit and a love of organic food, Sarah is on the search to find the beauty in our everyday journeys. You can follow her on her personal website, Instagram and Facebook!
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