Vera's Light in the Darkness Newsletter

My Favorite People,

I am reading the book Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton right now, and in it I came across an interesting sentence:

This December I have been more aware than ever before of the meaning of a festival of light coming as it does when the days are so short, and we live in darkness for the greater part of the afternoon.

I had never thought of Christmas that way before but it really is a festival of light near the darkest day of the year. So are Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. It can't be a coincidence that they are all held around the same time, the darkest time of the year. It made me think that maybe these festivals aren't so much about celebrating a deity as they are about adding light to the darkness. But then again, maybe that's exactly what all religion and spirituality boil down to: finding light when and where there is darkness.


PSYCHIC CHRISTMAS WISHES™
Looking for a last minute Christmas gift? It's not too late to send a Psychic Christmas Wish™. That's a gift certificate for a little bit of psychic advice. To find out more, visit my website.


YOU ARE NOT ALONE
When I was 10 years old I had an eating disorder. Earlier this year I wrote down the entire story of my eating disorder. The story is now part of a book that was recently published called You Are Not Alone. The book is a collection of stories, poems and artwork centering on eating disorders. All proceeds from book sales will go to eating disorder organizations. www.youarenotalonebook.com


ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF FREEDOM
On December 9 I celebrated my one year anniversary of being free from a full-time job. I now do several different things part-time each, and I am much happier. I drive a taxi, I do counseling sessions, I do German translation, I do freelance Flash development. I also paint but I'm not getting paid for that. Yet. Speaking of which..


ANTI-9 TO 5 INSPIRATION
I am doing a series of interviews with people who have created lives for themselves outside of the 9 to 5 world. I am hoping that these interviews will inspire others to see that they too can have the life and the living they want. The first interview was with my friend Angie, a professional artist. You can read the interview here.


NEW MOON ON WEDNESDAY
This Wednesday, December 20, is the last new moon of the year. You can use it to make a Christmas wish or to start thinking about new year's manifestations. This is a great opportunity to start the new year with a wish having come true. This is how you do it:

1. On the new moon this Wednesday, think of something you want that can reasonably be attained within two weeks, by the full moon on January 3. If you are working on a bigger wish that takes more time, think of the next smaller step that will lead towards it.


2. Make sure that you believe that it's possible for it to come true. If you don't believe it, it can't come true. It's important to believe it intellectually as well as emotionally.


3. Write it down on a piece of paper. Then put it away.


4. On the full moon on January 3, revisit your piece of paper. Did you get what you wanted?


5. Learn from your experience. And feel free to share your experience with me!

TRAVELING THIS WEEK?
I will be driving a taxi every day this week. If you need a taxi to the airport, please give me a call! Note though that by law I am only allowed to pick up within the city of San Francisco. But I can take you to any airport you want. (SF).846.4482


Wishing you lots of light this dark season!

Bliss,
Vera.

Anti-9 to 5 Inspiration, Episode 1: Angie Renfro

Interview with Angie Renfro, Painter
www.angierenfro.com

What is your name? Angie Renfro

What is your age? 28

What did you study in college? I started out at a private university in Texas majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Fine Art. At the time, the plan was that I wanted to do computer animation. The school I was attending didn't have a program for it, so I tried to combine both skill sets in my own way. I finally decided it would be more effective for me to attend a school that actually had a computer animation program, so I moved out to San Francisco. I started out studying animation and somehow wound up taking more illustration classes. The degree I finally received was a BFA for Illustration.

When and how did you start painting? I've always been interested in art. As a kid, I used to make my own coloring books. My ridiculously supportive parents recognized this interested and enrolled me in a little painting class when I was like 12. It was a small class that met in our teacher's garage.

When and how did you receive your first money for a painting? I had a studio that was a part of a monthly open studios night. A local gallery owner came through and invited me to be a part of a group show. The first painting I sold was opening night.

How long have you been a full-time painter? I've been painting full-time for just one year.

What were you doing before you were a full-time painter? I had a few interesting jobs in the arts - I was an illustrator for a bit and then worked as an industrial designer. Besides those exceptions, I've had mostly lame restaurant jobs.

What did you do to get your work out there? The main thing that propelled my work being noticed was placing an ad in an art publication. I had a connection that hooked me up with a full page ad in a Texas art guide. My first gallery contacted me from seeing that ad. It's been a snowball effect ever since.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently? I would have given painting a shot much sooner. Had I known that I could actually support myself with my art, there would have been a lot fewer tables waited upon.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists? If you are going to do this seriously, you need to treat your artwork as a business. You need to advertise. You need to protect yourself - if you're doing a commission, always get half up front. Create contracts and document agreements. I've been burned several times, but have definitely learned from my mistakes. There's this book called "The Practical Handbook for the Emerging Artist" by Lazzari that I thought was really helpful. I still refer to it.

What were your main obstacles to overcome? As with any major change in one's life, the main obstacle I had to overcome was a fear of failure. The fact that I had nothing to lose when I embarked upon this path was a huge help in overcoming that fear. I left behind my life and my friends in San Francisco to be able to focus entirely upon painting. It was a big sacrifice but it was what I felt I needed to do at the time.

What was the turning point for you in your career? The major turning point was when I moved to Texas to fully commit myself to becoming a painter. I was laid-off of a design job and faced with a decision of returning to school to build up my design portfolio or to try to make painting my sole source of income. I knew I couldn't fully devote myself to building up a volume of work if I was painting part time and I knew I couldn't afford to live in San Francisco without working full time. So I packed up and moved in with my mom in Texas for six months so that I could live rent-free and paint full time. I didn't want to look back on life and regret not taking the chance..

To what do you attribute your success? The support and encouragement I have received from my family and friends is what has gotten me this far. My parents have always been in support of my art - my mom basically talked me into giving painting a proper chance. My good friend from school who is now an insanely successful painter has been a huge source of encouragement and motivation. Also, my very understanding roommates who allow me to have my studio in our house - fumes, sprawling canvases and all.

Any last words? It is possible to live the pipe dream of doing something you love for a living. It takes talent. It takes hard work and commitment. It takes rejection and disappointment. It takes selling yourself and shmoozing. But it is absolutely worth it.