tfw the newsletter feels like a journal entry...
This week’s newsletter is heavier on words and process than usual. But there is something special here, too! I hope you enjoy the change of pace; don’t worry, I don’t foresee this being the primary structure for future issues…
Tiny framed art: do you want one?!
As some of you know, I got married last summer (yay!). My spouse and I have been cleaning out various parts of the house, and we stumbled upon little frames we used for table settings and other things. I got to thinking…these frames look like projects-in-waiting!
If you’d like a bespoke, one-of-a-kind, small framed $25 drawing to go in one of these frames, reply to the email with your idea! Obviously the frame is included, and the price includes shipping.
…wth is Impressionist Data?
Speaking of emails…You may have noticed the domain name for the email your replies are sent to, “impressionistdata.com”. The domain exists, but there’s no website, so…what gives?
Well, last year I tried working for myself as a data science consultant. In the middle of the year I began the process of formally starting a business, and its name is Impressionist Data LLC. I’m rather fond of the name, and I have a whole philosophy of work behind it, but I haven’t really had the time or ability to do much with it due to becoming severely ill last year. I’ve set up the domain, email addresses, business insurance, etc., but my income is $0.00 (money I earned last year was under my actual name, not the business).
It feels like a massive failure, to be honest, even though I know most businesses “fail”. Given the change in my health situation, I’m ideally not going to be using this LLC for my primary source of income in the near future; I need to lower my healthcare costs, among others. However, I’m beginning to think about how to pivot the business’s function to something emphasizing the Impressionist part of Impressionist Data more than the data part.
Maybe it’ll become the home for more computationally artistic ideas I have — yep, I have several of those, though I haven’t talked about them yet publicly! Maybe I’ll work on some educational artistic materials. Honestly, I’m all ears if you have ideas for where you think art and science could semi-profitably meet.
Finding motivation is hard right now. Here's what I'm doing.
Speaking of “failure”, I’m not gonna lie, I’m finding it more difficult to be motivated to make art. Some of this is changing dynamics in my life as I ease out of surgical recovery and into job-hunting, some of it is the dreadful sociopolitical context. Stupidly, some if it is that I’m not as excited as I would like to be about the books I’m reading.
Some if it, paradoxically, is that I have too many ideas that I’d like to work on…and too many bills to pay to drop everything and work on them. As such, it’s hard to prioritize one idea over another. Moreover, any creative person knows that while it’s hard to dictate a schedule to making a specific piece of art, schedules are necessary if you want to make any meaningful progress (or money).
I’ve been trying to work for a couple hours on 1-2 projects every week. Years ago my life was simpler, and I often would make art almost every night of the week; now I have to be really intentional about scheduling it. It’s hard for me to pinpoint an exact weekday and time to do it, but I’ve been fairly consistent about poking around for an evening over the weekend. I’ve made measurable progress, and this dedicate time leads to surprising epiphanies, weird tangents, and new directions.
I’m asking myself questions: why do I feel uncomfortable about setting aside time today/this week? what got in my way today? is [example_project] starting to feel more like a chore, and if so, how do I change that?
Writing this newsletter more frequently, as well as Ko-fi and social media posts (links at the bottom of the email!), has helped me, too. It forces me to reflect on where my art practice is, where I’d like to take it, and what it looks like to everyone else. Thanks for helping!
Lastly, I’ve been making time every week to write letters to representatives, sign petitions, stock emergency go-bags, or do some small task to stay engaged and prepared. I only mention this here because 1) it helps my anxiety a lot, and 2) I do think all these small actions add up towards making a difference.
This was a little rambly, but I hope if you’re struggling to do creative things, that this shows you we’re struggling together. 💗