art by sarah kargol

almost 3 years ago, in 2009, my husband and i jumped ship. we took a huge leap and resigned from a job, moved our family halfway across the country and began to pursue our dream of living a life as full-time artists in south carolina, a place we love! looking back at the big picture, i think our jump couldn't have happened at a worser time, economically speaking. :) i can't help but chuckle a little bit at our magnificent timing.

we had some exhilarating ups and some devastating downs during this adventure... i guess if we didn't, it wouldn't be called "an adventure".  i think that what's really amazing about what we've managed to do during this time, is just that... we managed to do it. yes, it was incredibly difficult and there were times (many of them) that felt hopeless. but, all we could do was just keep going and keep doing. we learned a lot about what it takes to be successful in this industry and we have met a modest success in our pursuit.

many of you know that we have 4 amazing boys. and when i say they are amazing, i'm not just saying that. they have been encouraging, understanding and patient this entire time. they've complained very little. :) i think they are aware of the important difference between needs and wants now. they have seen some hardship and know the value of hope and of faith. they are troopers!

in an effort to provide them with a little more than a small 3-bedroom apartment, matt has been applying for jobs all around the country (except south dakota. been there, done that. not doing it again.) :) he landed a few interviews here and there. then one day, while purusing art positions on the internet he came across a job opening at his high school. the art teacher that had inspired him years ago was retiring. should he apply? it was a high school position, not a university. we decided that applying couldn't hurt. if he was ever offered the job, we'd cross that bridge when we got there. well, that bridge was a lot closer than we thought. he was interviewed not too long after he applied and a week later was offered the position. we made our pros and cons list. the pro list was long. the con list, very short. he accepted the job offer on monday! we are moving home (literally for matt, we'll be calling his hometown our hometown) to iowa in four months!

this last week, i've had the opportunity to kind of reflect on the struggles of the last three years and the way things are lining up for us now. we are being blessed (and have been) beyond comprehension.

so~ we're heading back to the midwest! our pro list: 1. we'll be close to family! (yay!) the kids will have grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins around to love them up! 2. it's iowa! we love iowa! 3. a little financial stability (deep breath! exhale...) 4. the opportunity for me to return to some of my favorite art shows and festivals! i guess the list isn't that long... but the things on the list are huge. we are very happy! and the kids are ready to go now. :)

he's just here "for your entertainment" :)

this clown is saturday's featured monster! regularly priced at $775... but for the next 24 hours this painting is marked down 10% in my etsy store. enter the promo code SPRNGSALE1 at checkout and get and additional 25% off!  he can be clowning around on your wall for only $523.13. good gracious... i'm crazy! don't forget! free shipping!! :)

we've successfully moved into a new house... and are now trying to settle in. the place has a two car garage that matt and i are devoting to a shared studio space. i have a lot to do to get my studio organized again... its a bit of a obstacle course right now! :) once we do, (which will hopefully happen in the next week) we are definitely going to open up our doors again for a house/studio warming party. stay tuned!

BIG NEWS: i am currently running a big ol' sale on monsters until march 3rd! 25% off all paintings over $100. also! each day of the sale i will be featuring one of my paintings and taking an additional 10% off of it's price... so you gotta watch close! :) today's featured artwork is "night frights"... it's full price is $1400. today (february 24 until 9pm est) with 35% off, you can own it for $910. i am also offering free shipping. this is HUGE! a perfect thing to spend that tax refund on!! *wink*wink*

the featured artwork will change at 9pm everyday. 

you can make your purchase(s) :) at my ETSY store MonsterBites. enter promo code SPRNGSALE1 at checkout to receive your 25% off.  sale ends march 3rd.  the daily featured artworks will be already marked down 10%.

have fun! 

i woke up my sleeping etsy store this month... now it's my blog's turn to get up and make something of itself! i'm not promising greatness everyday, but i am promising something nearly everyday. i hope you enjoy...

my goodness. how awesome am i? it's nearly been a year since i blogged last. i apologize! this poor website has been so neglected... but no more! you're going to get tired of hearing from me. promise. 

well, we're coming up on the end of year two out on our own, making a life as full-time artists, living the dream... (ha ha!) i guess there's something to be said for still being here. it's been exhausting hanging on to this tiger's tail. i repeat over and over in my head "if it was easy, everyone would be doing it." it hasn't been easy. (and, are we the only one's doing it?) but i've said it before, and i mean it, what we're doing is worth doing.

my husband, matt, recently took his work to the american craft council show in baltimore, md. that was an incredible experience and i have to give him props for going after it and doing it. his work is amazing... i know, i know... i'm a wee bit biased, but it really is great. his work even made the news! 

as for me, :) this past winter i've been pretty busy being a mom and working out the kinks of my new body of work in my head. now, spring has sprung here in the south and it's time to get crackin'! i'm anxious to make these ideas a reality.

i've got my first little show of the season in greenville, sc on april 9th; a local art gathering presented by palmetto home and garden. i'll be one of 7 totally fab artists in this intimate show. i'm very excited! after that, it's back to atlanta! for the atlanta dogwood festival in piedmont park. then! in may! i have been invited to exhibit at, what i hear is, the premier event in south carolina. piccolo spoleto! a 16 day show (yes, sixteen days) in charleston, sc. 

throw baseball practices and games for 4 boys and 4 different teams every night of the week, plus the usual homework, dishes, laundry, etc. etc. and "busy" doesn't even come close to what i'll be these next couple months. would i have it any other way? probably not. :)

it's all who you know. well, not ALL... but it helps. a couple of weeks ago a fellow grad student and friend of my husband's from clemson (nancy ehlers) referred my name to the guest gallery curator at the clemson art center for a show highlighting artists who are also mothers. *click* the show, titled M/A/M/A~Mother Artist Mother Artist, was being installed last week, when a new local business owner happened by and saw and connected with my work. *click* she, wendy, then contacted me, wanting me to be her featured artist in her new store, R3MIX3D (remixed) (an eclectic mix of vintage clothing, music and art) for this weekend's passport to the arts event in clemson as well as her grand opening next weekend. :) *click* wendy just moved to the area from asheville, nc, a regional art hub that i've been wanting to break into. it just so happens she's got some gallery contacts in asheville that she is going to get in touch with and introduce me to. *click*  :) very cool. like dominos. click. click. click. click... (thank you nancy!)

MONSTER BITES! on etsy....

just for your information:

i've added a new page. you no longer need to click on each image to see if it's available for purchase! (yay) :) 

 

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i've also opened a new store on etsy! you can find monster bites here. now, i've tried etsy before and failed miserably. :) apparently i was "doing it wrong." i hear i'm supposed to post things slowly. if you're impatient... i'm sorry! i need to make it work this go 'round. :) so bear with me, and check it often... i'll be selling some things there that will only be available through etsy.

so, business is horribly slow. :) why? the cold weather? the time of year? the #&!@ economy? my guess... all of the above. slow business in turn freezes up my brain and my desire to create. my studio is (and has been for a while) chuck full of really great artwork. ;) is that a bad thing? oh yes. what to do... what to do...

being in this pickle is forcing me to look at my work in new ways. how can i push my creative boundaries? that is one really good thing that's come out of this whole 'starving artist' experience that i am not enjoying. :)

if you are familiar with the history of my art, you know that this whole monster idea started out by turning my kids creature drawings into small stuffed creatures. well, i'm returning to that thought. 

i have started a new line of plush monsters, straight from the paintings. they really do look like they just crawled off a canvas. i love them! i'm calling them 'monster bites'... currently there are five characters from my paintings that i am sewing into little 'bites'. i have opened a store on etsy *yay* and will be slowly posting these little guys for sale this week. :) also, i am starting a small line of... stationary? :) that word sounds too formal for what i've got, but will go with it... yeah, stationary. those will be showing up at my etsy store soon!

so, here's my tip for anyone else trying to make it by surviving on a passion. i have two tips really.  #1-find lots of recipes for and get really good at cooking rice. :) #2- broaden your presence.

get a bigger bite of that pie! push your ideas to the next level... that could be the sun that thaws out your frozen creative spirit. it has thawed mine.

i'm alive! here in south carolina... i haven't blogged in a while because i wasn't sure what i should say to you all. my last post was so... optimistic... poetic almost. my husband and i were on the other side of taking the leap to follow and make our dreams realities. well... here i am on the other side of that leap.

time to be candid. while i knew it wasn't going to be easy by any means, i wasn't prepared for the amount of failure (for lack of a better word) we'd encounter, even after chasing almost every possible opportunity we could find. one's mind starts to doubt oneself... and oneself's potential.

while driving down the road the other day, yael naim's song 'new soul' came up on my playlist.

"i'm a new soul
i came to this strange world
hoping i could learn a bit bout how to give and take.
but since i came here,
felt the joy and the fear
finding myself making every possible mistake."

i'ts not the artist's life i'm new to. it's the life of making a living off the artist's life that is so strange. it's bittersweet. i love what i'm doing... and i love that i'm doing it. but at he same time, after experiencing such disappointment, i feel like i am making every possible mistake. i wish i had some sort of manual (that i know doesn't exist), a 'how-to' on making on your own, doing what you love, all while raising a sizable family...

the truth is, i've wanted to give up so many times in the last couple months. i know the thought has occurred to my husband too. do we jump back in the machine and be cogs in the wheel? gosh! that isn't who we are... we just can't. but how long to we scrape bottom?

i believe in my work (and so do a lot of other people). i believe in matt's work (and so do a lot of other people). i believe our potential is limitless. so, we keep trying. we'll get there.

with my blog from now on, i'll still be promoting my shows and previewing new work. i will also be promoting my husband's work as well (he does such fun stuff! you'll love it!) my entries will be honest, not sugar coated. i want our experiences as artists attempting to make a living on our work (and then actually doing it somewhere on down the road) to become a road map, a 'how-to' :) for anyone else wanting to strike out on their own. and not strike out-strike out like we have :) but the other kind of strike out. whether it be as an artist (though this will be geared to them) our any other passion one wishes to follow.

so~ here we go! wind it up!