I watched the film Beautiful Losers last night. It's on Netflix. I really enjoyed it. Every minute of it. 

Watching films about other artists, especially underground artists, always inspires me and makes me feel like I didn't make a bad life choice when I decided to get my degree in art.

I've admired many of these artists for many years. Seeing their studios (many were in their garage, just like me!), hearing their stories and learning more about their work was incredibly inspiring. 

Watching this movie makes me want to keep working. Everyday. 

I've stopped selling my original art on Etsy. I haven't sold many originals there in quite some time and I felt like they were just taking up valuable real estate in my Etsy shop. I thought maybe I would list some of them on my own site and see what happens. 

I'm approaching this kind of old school. I don't have an e-commerce site. I figured I'd see how well this set up goes before investing the time and money into setting one up. This way I only pay minimal paypal fees and most of the rest of the money goes directly to me. No Etsy fees, no e-commerce fees just totally independent. If you're interested in purchasing an original just contact me at michelemaule@gmail.com and I can send over a Paypal Invoice which can be paid with a credit card.

I've been dreaming about having my own amazing studio space for the past week. If there were any a time for me to dream big, this is the time. 

I had a studio space that I shared with a number of other artists a few years ago. It was great. There were a few drawbacks but being able to get out of the house, make a mess, and leave were all great things. I really enjoy working from home but I do get lonely and sometimes I feel like I really need to get out more. I get a little stir crazy. I can always go to a coffee shop to get some work done, but have you ever really worked in a coffee shop? It's busy, loud and can be really distracting.

I'm not totally sure that I can afford a studio space right now. Especially with the current rent situation for both apartments and work spaces. It's getting ridiculous in Portland. I read an article by Portland artist Carye Bye this morning that really hit home for me. It's in this weeks Willamette Week and in it she discusses how although she loves Portland and it's been her home now for 15 years, she simply can't afford to be a working artist here anymore. Her rents have gone up by 60% for both her home and her studio space. 

I know, I know. It's the same old story. Artists move in and a few years later they're forced to move out because banks, high end condos and Lululemons are needed more. (I'll be honest, I do love me some Lululemon.)

Supply and demand, supply and demand. Build more, build more, build more buildings that half of the people who live in this city can't really afford. It's a heated debate on both sides. All I know is the city that I came to love is looking a lot more like California every day and sometimes it really bums me out. And please don't tell me it's still affordable than most major cities. It doesn't make the rising rents and the forcing out of artists, and other low income people, any less hurtful.