Becoming An Artist

As a small boy I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. To sell art at a roadside stand like I had seen others do with watermelons. I got my start selling pages of my coloring books to uncles and aunts for nickels and dimes at our holiday gatherings. Time passed and I got into other things, sports, schoolwork, raising cattle, teenage part time jobs. Mine was mowing grass and lifeguarding at the local pool. I took an art class as an easy elective in high school and received a poor grade. I was angry about this. “It’s just art class,” I said aloud. After this, I denounced art for the next twenty five years. Looking back, perhaps I received this grade because I did not put forth my full potential. It’s possible that Mrs. Laverty saw potential that I could not see myself.

Fast Forward:

I became, what some called, an artist rather by accident seeing an American Flag made of barnwood as the backdrop to a photo of J.J. Watt’s Defensive Player Of The Year trophy. I couldn’t afford to purchase one so I gathered up barnwood from around the countryside and made myself one. Necessity makes artists of us all. As any proud person of our time would do, I posted a picture of my work on Facebook and by morning I had a dozen orders for them. A month later I lost my job and the flag business became my full time gig. I am forever grateful for losing my job that day.

Next track:

I have struggled a great deal with the title “artist” as I feel that I am a business person who is in the business of art. I feel this way because I don’t wake up and become inspired by my morning coffee and the birds chirping and float off into my studio to create whatever is in my heart that day. Rather, I have ideas and when I consider an idea commercially viable. I invest the time to make one. I then consider the price I think the market will bear for it at a retail level and move backwards from there.

Present Day:

I recently listened to an accomplished artist tell stories of his life. He described watching more accomplished artists, than he, in action, watching their moves in a technical way looking for the secret. He didn’t find what he was looking for, he found something better! Something much deeper. Discovering the PROCESS in a different light. Understanding the making of the art in a deeper way. The love of the creation. The love of the experience of the creation. The things that seem of least importance to some are, in fact, the ONLY IMPORTANT PART in a successful final product. You can’t touch these things but you can feel them. These artists are interested in something higher than the art itself. Hearing this was mind blowing for me and the lesson came at the exact right time in my career.

In my first 4+ years of “being an artist” I had to pay the mortgage and put tires on my truck so making art that people had already ordered was basically the only agenda item. I still have a mortgage and a truck (fortunately) but recently, I have been getting ideas in my head and they have been overtaking the agenda. I have been experiencing art in a different way and I’d like to share one of these times with you here. I woke up with the urge to make breakfast. Yeah, I know. Not a real paradigm shift from everyone else. No. I mean MAKE breakfast.

First, we had to find pans, of course! The majority of my art is made from barnwood and I have found a lot of “other” stuff in these barns too. You’d be amazed. Scavenged up some pans that I just couldn’t let get thrown in a landfill.

Next, we cracked some eggs!

Then, we had to gather more material and really feel our vibe.

Then, we had to bring home the bacon. Well, we had left over material from another project we could make bacon out of.

Finally, putting it all together. Part of the process is figuring out how you can actually make the image that is in your head.

Breakfast is served! Comes with a magnet hanger for easy display in any home or restaurant.

You can find these pieces for sale in my store www.flagsoverwisconsin.com/store or you can commission me to make whatever you can’t get out of your head. Find me at jeremiah@flagsoverwisconsin.com