Haus der Luege : Noli Evocare Quod Reprimere Non Potes

I have a panel sharing what I've learned with the DragonCon crowd. The following will be handed out to whomever shows up, and I'll extemporaneously discourse on each point as I remember stuff. I'm convinced that everyone would be happier if we all earned our keep doing what we were born to do:

Marrus' Nine Suggestions (there are no rules) For Turning the Pictures in Your Head into a Roof Over It

1. Know what you want to do.
Start with one thing. It’s the clearest thing in your head. It keeps you up at night, working. Too many projects is a great way to distract yourself from earning a living with one.

2. Have a plan.
Who needs this thing that you want to do? You’re gonna have to hit the road to find the people who are looking for YOU.

3. Learn what you need to get there.
A lot of success comes from being in the right place at the right time. Everything can be an opportunity. Even that job you hate. Keep in mind what it is you want to do, and keep at, keep learning, keep pushing.

4. Stay true to your vision.
It’s fine to take a job off-center of ideal, but keep working on the thing for YOU. We lose our artistic integrity when we only cater to an established audience. Choose your allies and your addictions wisely.

5. Give back.
Teach the things you learn along the way. Sacred knowledge should be shared, not horded.

6. Use every tool you can find.
Barter. Use libraries, social networking sites. Blog. Question people more knowledgeable than you in your field - they started somewhere, too. Don’t overlook the guy who runs the bar down the street. Network everywhere, but be nice about it. And if an opportunity comes along that’s not right for you, pass it along to a friend.

7. Stay hungry.
That means keep learning. Keep looking. Get out of your comfort zone.

8. Be professional.
People will believe you are how you present yourself. Value your work and the time & knowledge that went into it. You’re gonna be a small business owner, so market yourself as well as your art. Remember, if it’s on the web, assume everyone you never wanted to see it WILL see it.

9. Never give up.
You won’t get the life you want if you quit fighting for it.

A final word: If you can see ANY other way to make a living, do that instead. This path can be long & hard, and unless it’s your entire world, the effort it’ll take probably won’t be worth it to you. You may realign your forces dozens of times, but each time, you’ll learn something new, make a new connection, and get that much closer to making a living with your passion.

(And if you want to hear more about this stuff, have I mentioned lately that I wrote a book? No really - I did. It's good. (Other people have told me.)

You should get one!

...but haven't yet paypal-ed a deposit.

That needs to happen SOON, or someone else is gonna get your art. Cuz they want it;)

I'm making some psychic room (and space in my studio) for the two HUGE pieces gnawing at me. If you like one of these, please comment here. It goes to the first person who says they want it. If a sale falls through, it goes to the next interested party:) About $25 should cover domestic shipping on most of these, but I may have to double-check. If you want more than one, I can combine shipping, but I do like to insure art for what you're paying for it;)


DemonFae Portrait - $200 (5.5x6.5" oil on birch)


Fiery DemonFae Twins - $300 (6x12", oil on birch) (SOLD)


Dusky Reclined DemonFae - $300 (6x12", oil on birch) (SOLD)


Dusky DemonFae Twins - $300 (6x12", oil on birch)


Rainbow DemonFae - $250 (6.75x6", oil on birch)


A pencil sketch for a potential male Carouselle horse - 10-ish inches high - $150


Watercolor & colored pencil sketch for a Carouselle. Didn't fit the series, but was fun! About 17" high. $350


Three ink doodled dancers, about 24" long. Could be cut into three images. Make me an offer;)


Ice Fairy mebbe 13ish inches tall? $250
(She has metallic & iridescent highlights that don't show up on-screen) (SOLD)

Thank you for supporting my work!

DemonFae Portrait - $200 (5.5x6.5" oil on birch)


Fiery DemonFae Twins - $300 (6x12", oil on birch)


Dusky Reclined DemonFae - $300 (6x12", oil on birch)


Ironwork DemonFae - $275 (6x7.7.75, oil on birch - I LOVE the hair on this one...) - SOLD


Dusky DemonFae Twins - $300 (6x12", oil on birch)


Rainbow DemonFae - $250 (6.75x6", oil on birch)

If you like one of these creatures, and you live in the States, please add another $25 to cover shipping. If you live elsewhere in the world, poke me offline so's I can figure it out. If you want more than one, I can combine shipping, but I do like to insure art for what you're paying for it;)

It got weird last time, so I'm gonna do these first come, first serve. If you say in the comments section, THAT ONE'S MINE, I'll ask that you paypal the total to me, and then it's out of the running for anyone else who comes after.

I'm having a blast painting these, but there are two huge pieces in my studio that are starting to poke me with pitchforks...it's like I'm the slave of my brain. And I'm sorry, but I don't plan to make any DemonFae prints - I like just having these as originals.

Thank you for supporting my work!

I'm standing on a mountain peak. The air is crisp, the day is new. Thousands of feet down, the mountain is ringed with clouds, barring me from seeing the landscape below.

I've something to teach. To share. To proclaim. I can’t see anything below - the clouds are too thick. Anyone could be listening. No one could be listening. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, open my mouth, and say....!

This is how I view what I put online. The world could be paying attention to everything I say. The world may ignore me, waiting quietly for years, and then, if I do something brilliant, it will comb dusty networks in forgotten hallways for every crumb I've ever put out there. The political rants. The misquoted songs. The mindless minutia of my day. The questionable photographs.

We've been given an amazing, dangerous, sacred, marvelous tool - this ability to publicly soapbox anything and everything. Use it wisely.

Pray for the bunny
Who didn't make the other side.
Shed a tear for the smeared snake
Hashing the double-line.
Mourn the grill-slotted sparrow,
the skunk’s broken spine
And the stiff armadillo
His four feet to the sky.
But remember to set aside
a prayer for yoose,
Cuz it just won't matter
whatever ever you doose.
You'll always loose
If you hit a moose.

:)

...at thegreyman's Za thing. This time around, he's doing it at The Loop in Chamblee around 7:30.

I'll have a few of my books with me, so if you haven't gotten yours yet, you can change that for a mere $27. Less expensive than Amazon!

I'd also like to do something for a friend serving as an MP just outside of Baghdad. She told me that while they're all fine on toiletries & food & such, the thing everyone wants is books. Seems that they don't have a helluva a lot to do for entertainment when they're not doing the job.

In her words: "Favorites are detective/mystery/military/fantasy, etc. That also seems to be what is stacked all around the FOB. It's really an interesting system of book migration that goes on in theater. You pick up a paperback in one place, and put it down in another place. Paperbacks are kind of like pollen, picked up by rotating Soldiers and eventually seeded someplace else for someone else to enjoy."

So, if you've got something along those lines that you're done with, please considering bringing it along so I can send it to our troops. Thank you, and I'll see a hot mess of you later this week:)

(Oh, and here's another couple of Demonfae. They're showing up faster than I can paint them!)