My No Buy Year (Artist's Version) + A Gift For You
When I realized “The Way I’m Working Isn’t Working”, I spent a lot of time brainstorming what I wanted to do differently. I thought about it on a personal level, and also a community and economic level, given what's happening in the country and world around me. One of my decisions was that I wouldn’t buy any new art making supplies* this year, until I’ve used up everything I have in my studio.
I’m not sure if that will take the whole year, if everything will be used up more quickly, or if it will extend into next year, but I have a few main goals going into this:
- Declutter. Frankly, I have too much stuff. I'm kind of embarrassed to say that there was a period of time last year where I couldn’t even bring myself to go into my studio because it was too overwhelming. My studio is a section of my basement, so while I would love an instagram worthy, beautiful, light-filled studio space, the reality is I'm working surrounded by shelves of my son’s school snacks, my husband’s sneaker collection, wedding china I’ve never used, bins of off-season clothes, books my son hasn’t aged into… you get the picture. While mostly well-organized (I had a professional organizer help me a few years ago), it’s a lot of stuff. Then, my studio section was also full of half or fully-finished paintings, jars of paint, brushes caked in dried paint, various collage papers, a bin full of bubble wrap that I save from every package that enters my house, and the light stand I use to be able to see while I work. My space is much too small for the volume of stuff I have. And, if I wasn’t going into my studio, I wasn’t creating. It was a problem that resulted in me creating less work than I would have expected without a full-time job, and it contributes to me not wanting to show my studio and behind-the-scenes videos on social media, which has seemed like a requirement to be successful on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. I did spend more time painting outside last year, which I want to do more of, but with a young child in New England, my schedule and cold weather mean that I spend a lot of active practice time in my studio.
- Align with my value of being eco-conscious. I already keep my studio free of animal products and challenge myself to repurpose whatever I can. I want to challenge myself more this year, to use up everything I have, including what may otherwise be viewed as trash. In the video below, I created a piece in my sketchbook using almost entirely paint scraped from my palette or dried paint from the caps of paint tubes. At some point, I believe I will migrate to a plastic-free practice - I’ve started exploring acrylic alternatives and incorporating more watercolor and natural materials. I’m working on a personal project to document the oak tree in my backyard, and collected some acorns to make my own ink. I know transitioning away from plastic will take time as I’ve had a heavily acrylic based practice for the past few years. As I use up all of the plastic in my studio, and continue to explore the other mediums I have access to, I could see myself shifting when I return to purchasing new materials.
- Stretch myself creatively. I have supplies in my studio that I don’t typically work with, or that it’s been years since I really explored. This includes oil paints (I first started painting through a still life oil painting course in college, but was NOT good!), oil pastels, tinted charcoal, various acrylic mediums and unique paint colors. For example, I’ve occasionally worked with pastel on top of acrylics in my paintings, but I was inspired by my friend Corie of Corie Page Studios, to explore using oil pastel as the main medium in a new floral still life drawing series which I am loving. I want to prioritize creating what excites me in the moment and see what I come up with as my typical supplies start to dwindle. What will I do when I run out of my favorite paint colors? I may find I absolutely love creating in a way that hasn’t even crossed my mind yet. I have a LOT of paper - one of my first creative hobbies was scrapbooking, and I still have papers from high school and college, when I created at least one scrapbook per year - and I’ll need to transform it into something completely new, especially if it ends up as something I’d like to sell or license. I also know that not everything I create this year will be something I can or want to sell. That's in part why I’m changing my model to release my work only 2-3x per year, I know there may be fewer available pieces than I’ve had in the past.
- Reduce my own consumerism and save money. As I’m working to shift my income after being laid off, coupled with the amount of stuff I already have, it just does not make sense for me to continue to purchase new art supplies.
Here is a sample list of supplies I have and will be working with this year:
- Substrates: wood panel, canvas, paper, sketchbooks, acrylic frames
- Paints: acrylic, oil, watercolor, inks, paint pens
- Embellishments: diamond dust, mica flakes, glitter
- Collage papers: scrapbook papers, old journal entries, painted papers, gelli printed papers
- Drawing mediums: charcoal, pencils, water soluble crayons, oil pastels, oil sticks
- Texture Mediums: gloss and matte gel mediums, crackle paste, pastel ground, pumice gel, tar medium, glazing liquid
- Other tools: iPad and Apple Pencil, adobe creative cloud, CriCut, etc.
- *"art making supplies” for me excludes anything special I may need for a commission, and hanging hardware, such as frames, d-rings and wires, stretcher bars, etc. I do have some of this in inventory but will be willing to purchase more if needed.
I’m using social media less, so this studio journal is the main place to get updates from me, but I will post occasionally on instagram to keep you updated with what I’m making! I'm also scheduled to be a guest on a few podcasts and written interviews and will share those when available. If you’re an artist and inspired to join me in my no buy year, or working towards decluttering, environmental consciousness, creative experimentation or generally consuming/spending less, drop a comment - I'd love to support each other!
P.S. I’m trying out offering an audio version of this post. Let me know if that is helpful to you.
Thanks, as always, for your support!
Jocelyn
I know many of us are in need of some hope and energy. I found it very therapeutic to digitally draw and color this floral still life illustration and I'm gifting it to you. Download for personal use as a free phone wallpaper or 8x10" print here. There are 20 colorways - take as many as you want, gift them to friends, and let me know which is your favorite!
Beyond the Studio with Jocelyn Elizabeth is an intimate behind-the-scenes look at my creative practice and life as an artist, writer and mom. Here, you can expect to find visual art, personal essays and poetry. My work explores the question of what it means to be alive from the interconnected lens of our human experience and the natural world, and I am interested in how we can live differently and better alongside the earth and each other. My portfolio and more information about me can be found at www.jocelynelizabeth.com.
Here are some ways you can support my family and creative practice:
- Interested in collecting original artwork? My online shop is open 2-3x/year for 2 weeks, after which, remaining inventory is painted over or repurposed.
- My online shop is currently closed. The next releases are tentatively scheduled for June + November.
- My Minted.com shop is occasionally updated with small works on paper or hand painted products (candles, globes, ornaments, etc.)
- To receive my journal entries via email, subscribe as a free, paid or founding member.
- For early access to original art plus more personal journal entries, referral rewards and free shipping, consider a paid subscription (starting at $5/month or $50/year)
- Want to support an individual piece of writing without subscribing? Support my work via a one-time payment, or forward to a friend!
xo Jocelyn
