[Andrea Evans]

Good morning,
The subject of finding time for a portrait painting career came up. All of the arts require discipline and commitment. Many of us who are starting out or returning to portrait painting are still working our "day jobs," but we do both.

Be professional from the beginning. Portrait painting is your other job or business. Set up hours. Make appointments with yourself, family, friends, clients. Print your business cards and brochures. Make a price list. Identify yourself in your own mind as a portrait artist. Identify yourself to others as a portrait artist. Have confidence in your abilities.

Work in bits and pieces of time. Eliminate, reduce, combine and delegate non-art activities to streamline time and energy. Commit yourself to say one hour or more in the evening after the household has quieted down. Some people are morning people - get up earlier and paint. You will find that any sleep you lose will be compensated for in the sense of accomplishment of having progressed with your goal. (I think it is those endorphins in the brain. You become energized.) Also, lunch time and break times (10-15 minutes) can be used to surf art websites, draw, observe, look at art books, pass out business cards and brochures, talk to people about your art, etc. Not all of a portrait painting career is spent painting. Place an artwork (one of yours or a copy of someone else's--one of the master's) on your desk or somewhere in your office or workplace (depending on your situation and workplace policies). Change the work periodically.

Combine your portrait work with getting closer with your family and friends. Most people are understandably nervous about having someone look at them closely, especially someone they know. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in conversing with people (gaining insight into their personality, interests, etc.) and putting them at ease. After two or three sittings, most people I know relax a bit and actually look forward to this time. Don't feel badly if the first sitting did not produce a "successful" drawing. The greatest artists did many drawings and paintings of the same subject and person. This is GROWTH. You are learning. You never cease to learn. This is also an opportunity to learn the art of negotiation so that they and you get what you both want. From your viewpoint - samples for your portfolio and from your friends' and family's, a lovely portrait.

All of these bits and pieces of time will add up and even in the beginning I am sure you will find that you will be spending at least 20 hours a week working on your portrait painting career -half the hours of a full-time job, an impressive accomplishment.

There was an 18th century woman portrait painter who had 13 children and managed to have a very successful career. I am not good at remembering names, so maybe someone else knows who this person was.