Farmers And Artists And The Job

Greetings,

I have decided that for an artist, showing your work at the summer art fair is just a little bit, no, wait, A LOT like farming. Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have experience at both, odd as it sounds. Regarding their similarity, let me count the ways:

1. The summer art fair artist and the farmer both pray continually for good weather.

2. The summer art fair artist and the farmer are both inveterate gamblers. Both put their work out there and hope something grows. Crops or interest, accordingly. The gambling part you ask? What are the odds if I put the seed in the ground that something will come of it? And what are the odds if I hang a painting up for the world to see, that something will come of THAT?

3. Both parties run their own schedule. Gotta love those 'no clocks to punch' jobs, eh?

4. Addendum to #3, if something goes wrong, no one to blame but yourself. (or the weather)

5. The general public lives under errant assumptions regarding both fields of endeavor. Let me explain:

5a. The farmer; a God fearing, clean living sort of person, always of rugged muscular physique, (in g.p.'s eyes/mind) always lives out on the open prairie where the air is fresh and clean, and wide green pastures are dotted with black and white cows and red hip-roofed barns circa 1950. Oh, and they grow food for everyone, often at a loss, because they are just doggone nice people.
5b. The summer art fair artist; a gypsy sort of character, wearing a beret and a paint splattered apron, rises at 11:30 am, sometimes noon, spends their time traveling from one art show to another, a different town each weekend. (they are all on that same show circuit, you know) They have an easy job, because there's really nothing to it actually, I mean all they do is hang up paintings, right? Oh, and they provide lots of people with entertainment, often at a loss, because they are just doggone nice people.

Who'd of thought it, farmers and artists, all in one blog post? And for even more insightful info regarding the summer art fair artist, you might enjoy reading Should I Stay Or Should I Go-oh? The Summer Art Fair 2009. If you want more insightful info as to farmers, I could give you some phone numbers---- :) !

Later, Cooper