Behind BarsIt's amazing to me, when having complete freedom in life, how sometimes one can feel trapped and imprisoned within that same life. Does this ever happen to you?


This is a rework of an older photo, taken in 2009. I've added a few textures to really focus on the cat's beautiful green eyes.

"Behind Bars"

It's amazing to me, when having complete freedom in life, how sometimes one can feel trapped and imprisoned within that same life. 

For many years, I've been selling my work in so many places.  And it's been quite successful.  It really was a wonderful thing how we could choose where to sell our work and how much to price it, as well as what medium to sell it in {prints, products, or both}.  But the tide seems to have turned in this past year for artists.  For me, there's been many unfulfilled promises by several companies.  In addition, there's been the "encouragement" to reduce royalties, pressure to constantly produce more, more, more, with veiled threats that if you don't comply, you'll be pushed into some pool of blackness somewhere, to never be seen again.  Top that off with continuous encouragement to push your work to everyone and all generations of their family and friends via social media channels.  Which of course is to benefit us, the artists.   But in reality, it's more for the benefit of the various online retailers, as they have so many links on the pages to draw customers away from our work we've just blasted all over the place.  Add to that, not being notified properly of sales, returns and payments which arrive late -- if at all.  And then, of course, there's the stolen work issue.

In the past few months, I've noticed I've been feeling like I'm behind bars with the way I'm doing things.  I feel trapped that I can't be who I am anymore.  I feel guilty if I don't comply with the "suggestions" from these companies, and then I feel angry when I do.  I feel as if I'm losing control of my works, and I have experienced trust issues.

I think it may be time for me to focus on some new creative works and truly put my heart and soul into those works.  That might mean I have one new work a day to offer, or it may mean I only have one a month.  I think it may be time for me to keep my newer works right here for a while.  That definitely will mean less computer time and administrative work for me, freeing me up to truly create the type of work others will love to have in their homes, instead of worrying about producing more, more, more and keeping up with constantly changing things on so many other websites.  Who knows -- maybe this will be a really good thing?  Maybe I'll start to feel free again.  But right now, I feel as if I'm behind bars in my own life.  And that has to change.

InJoy,

Jai