am wanting to continually feature & interview some artists on this blog to show others how they are living their creative dream.

Are you living your creative dream? I am!!

I am looking particularly for photographers, painters (fine artists), scrapbookers, crafters, knitters, designers, potters, sculptors, chef's and those with unique creative talents.

In order to narrow the responses I get, I have come up with some requirements for being featured:

Being an artist must be your full-time job (working for your own business). You must have a significant income from your business (by significant, I mean you are supporting yourself and/or your family with your art).

So if you have an interesting story about how your dream job has become your day job, please email me!

brightideas(at)hollicongerstudios.com

*Feel free to pass this post on to others!

o, you give a client the world when all they give you is a little budget. All you want is clients and you will bend over backwards in order to get just one. That's pretty much what happens when you first start out in your career. I have done my fair share of underpaid and over-delivered work. And I have to admit I still do some but I know my worth now and some jobs just aren't worth it. And you know what? It's ok. It got me where I am today and will get me where I want to go tomorrow. Don't beat yourself up over taking jobs that are not the best paying (but it is ok to say no, trust me, you will survive!). Think of it as a chance to add something great to your portfolio that you will use to get bigger and better clients. I once did an illustration early in my career that was a basic farm scene. Nothing spectacular about the project or the budget, but I wanted to do a really good job and I know I spent way more time on it than I should just because #1: maybe they would work with me again on something bigger and #2: I needed to fill my portfolio. I have gotten 4 jobs, that I know of, that were directly from seeing that one illustration and the clients referenced it in their first contact. See, bigger and better. Don't think of it as paying your dues in the industry, think of it as gaining future clients!

ccording to Webster's the word "freelance" is a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer.

Over the last few months this word has really gotten under my skin. I can't pinpoint why, it just does. It bothers me when people ask if I'm "still freelancing" as if it was something temporary. Maybe that's the mentality of the people I run into. I'm sure some of it is my fault because I haven't really expounded on what I do. Part of it is shyness, the other part is prejudging and thinking they wouldn't understand if I told them. But no more!

From this day forward, I am not a freelancer, I do not "work from home." Nope, nope. I own a successful creative studio, I take action with my ideas and make a great living - all while spending time with my family. Don't you want my job?

How do you categorize yourself? Your business?