Why I like Construction More Than Making Art...Sometimes

In my quest to make money I've been doing odd construction jobs in addition to art commissions and I must say, sometimes I like the construction more. There's a clear beginning, middle, and end to a building project and that satisfies the part of me that likes completion. The fence I'm building with a friend is just what she wanted, and makes me feel pretty happy.
 Art is not always so clear. I'll set something aside and come back to it later and realize that it's not exactly what I wanted or meant to do. Fussing with it more can do more harm than good at times, meaning you can go too far and then ruin the piece. I've thrown many of those away in my brief artist life.  Construction can be frustrating and hard, but there are usually clear solutions to the problems that arise. Still, I love making the art and don't wish to stop. All of the guru's say, "follow your heart and do what you love" blah, blah, blah. I believe that, I've been doing that, and I also believe that art is a much harder sell than plumbing. Your toilet's broken, you need it fixed right now. Your wall is blank, you can wait on that perfect piece to hang. These are lessons I've been learning over the past twelve years.
Today I am at a turning point. I tried to fund my vision of a Chicken Scratchin' book and it failed, now I'm trying to do a portrait project on kickstarter and while it is successful the dollar amount raised will hardly be a bump in my budget. I live in a house that is too large for me and that I own a portion of. It's time to move out and sell it to recoup my money invested. That will help to get me a little ahead for a minute or two. After that? I don't know. Get an RV so I'll always have a home and then travel around looking for something, is the current plan. Although, I am staying here in NW Arkansas for as long as it takes to work on organizing and cataloging my dear poet friend's archives. I fell into this project about two years ago and it has taken on a life of it's own. A lovely life it is. I feel like I am going to school on 20th Century poetry and writing. He saved everything, every scrap and letter from so many significant writers and people that he encountered, and I get to read them. Such a story. I hope to translate this experience into a book of my own someday. We'll see how that goes. Meanwhile I'm packing, selling, and giving stuff away. How I collected so much is kind of mind blowing. Stay tuned I may even put some of that stuff up here for all two of you who read this blog to see and possibly buy. Mostly though my facebook page Linda Sheets Art is the best place to find out the latest.
Thanks for stopping by. Below is my portrait of the poet Miller Williams.