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I have been an artist for most of my life, but an artist in denial. I have always loved art, and taking art classes, but it wasn't until about 5 years ago that I decided to try making a living as an artist.

If you have never tried to make a living as an artist, it is an experience unlike any other job because most people do not understand what an artist has to do to create the work they make. Most artists spend at least part of their time selling their work at various art and craft shows, and I am no different. I am always fascinated by customers reactions to my work and other artists' work.

I have often wished the phrase "starving artist" out of existence, because I am not a starving artist, and artists are professionals in their craft just like lawyers, doctors, and teachers. Artists require training in their field and spend a lot of money and time on the training as well as on selling their work. It is not easy, and it costs money to create and sell art.

Since I have become a full-time artist and entrepreneur, I have fallen in love with my own job. It is so different to do something that you really love for your work, instead of just another job. I am primarily a jewelry artist, although I also paint, and when I focus on my work, time speeds by for me and the whole world goes away. I can work for hours on a single design or piece, and be entirely absorbed in what I am doing, loving every minute of it. It is a passion like any other, and almost the same feeling as falling in love with another person.

I love designing jewelry pieces, forming the metal, and combining the metals with other materials such as crystal, stone, and pearls. I enjoy the textures, colors, and styles of my work. It is not just an intellectual activity for me, but a kinesthetic one. I like to handle the materials, feeling them with my fingers, and watching how they intermingle in the various designs. I can't tell you how many times I have just sat down and taken out my materials and just played with them for hours. And when I come upon a new design, it is almost magical how the entire process falls into place for me. I always know when a design is just right, and one that customers will buy. Instinct, artistic ability, and experience blend together to form that "just right" feeling.

My art is a part of me. I have learned over the years that if don't express myself in some kind of artistic endevour on a regular basis, I become very depressed. It is a physical need. Being an artist is as much what I am as who I am. Being an artist defines me and frees me. And I love every minute of it.

Learn more about this author, Paula Atwell.
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