I disinctly remember a time, (high school) where my art teacher told me not to go into art that there was no way to make a living... I remember being not accepted in the nineth grade art class because I wasn't good enough...
What my teacher didn't know was that the day before I presented my portfolio, I was going into administration. But last minute I opted for... my dream to go into the arts like the rest of my family had done.
Yes my father, Alberto Buscio had worked in art related jobs all his life. He would always be learning new things and really was very good at everything he did. He was truly an amazing artist. From stain glass windows, to hand drawn signs, to paintings, to model making, to sculpting, drawing airplane pieces for Canadair to becoming a full time artist... anything he did as a living in the arts was truly fantastic!
Then my great uncle Umberto Bruni who is still alive today at 99... and still painting!
As I was saying I had decided to go into the arts... that afternoon I had seen a girl's portfolio which simply blew me away! Then I learnt that to get into the arts program I needed to present a portfolio...and I had exactly 18 hours to build one up. Well the odds were against me...and as I presented my portfolio the next day, knowing full well, that there was no way I could get in and I didn't, my teacher told me that it was better that way, there was no money to be made in the arts.
That only 2% of artists really make it...while they are living.
As an illustrator, author or author and illustrator and graphic designer... you depend on contracts unless you are employed. I once was employed by an import-export company where I was creating products that they would get manufactured in Taiwan and other places. Full time job, drawing and sketching and conceptualizing products and packaging. Through them I've had the opportunity of working with licenses such as Disney Babies, Disney, Muppet Babies, Children's Television Workshop and so on, designing children's tabletop products that were sold internationally. I've also learnt later on that we had won awards for our products. Their products.
So then I was employed, nothing belonged to me. No art! Everything I did was theirs and that's fine. But I was not happy doing that! I wanted to be my own boss. So I opened up a graphic studio. A few years later I added on a print shop. A few years after that my daughter and I started another company and then I noticed that I still was not doing what I wanted to do... I was now running a company with employees and all the joys and aggravation an incorporation hands you on a daily basis. Working early and working late and it seemed working all the time. Waking up in the middle of the night, not for incredibly stimulating projects, but for things I would forget to get done during the day.
I yearned for creating, drawing and writing my own books. I had been wanting to write for sooo long. Just jotting down ideas here and there, starting spurts of books, I had managed to produce alot of products with my designs as well as Sarah's... but we weren't really doing what we really wanted to do.
So after two years of trying to get my author illustrator career in gear, I managed to have the print shop run itself by rightsizing it! I've also moved my studio in a beautiful tuscan inspired place adjacent to my home. Now I can say I spend at least half my week on things I prefer to do than have to do.
Here is a glimpse of the studio...yes that's a fireplace in the left corner and yes an awesome ceiling piece holding the chandelier and those old doors... yup I love it!
Now comes the multiple streams of income...so as an artist, I naturally want to live off my art. So with the web now you can... You see I am on etsy... a marketplace where I sell cliparts. I am a designer on Mygrafico - a few selected designers of cliparts, where I sell cliparts there too. Desmond and I are now on Teachers Pay Teachers... he is a teacher and we are developping educational material and selling on there as well. I will be adding a few more marketplaces for my art... that's were multiple streams of income come in. I still have contracts in graphic design and still have my clients and that I cannot give up yet. I would love to write and illustrate all day but, till the day comes where we get a call from a publisher, I will not give up my day job.
But multiple streams of income need multiple streams of marketing...
That will be next...
Have a great evening
Anne-Marie
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