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| 9x12 Sketch of Oak Creek - SOLD |
If you like the painting above, check out the others in my
Daily Paintworks page or on my website.
I just put out an announcement on my personal Facebook page that if friends want to contact me, they should do so by e-mail or phone. Why? Because I have reset my priorities and will be spending much less time on Facebook. Facebook was stealing time away from more productive and satisfying activities. (I won't go into "Facebook envy," but yes, that is part of it, too.)
For me, life is most satisfying when I create. Facebook, like most social media, is not a tool for creation. The clue is in the word "social." Facebook is for networking and keeping up to date with friends and family. But in my mind, creation is best done in solitude and without distraction. Imagine if God had had Facebook. Would the world have been created in just seven days? I doubt it.
I, like many working artists, had the false hope that Facebook would help me make sales and earn students. After several years on it, this has yet to happen. I know many artists, and not a one of them has told me Facebook has helped them professionally. Better for me with both of these tasks is my blog and my website. From now on, I'll use Facebook just as a place for announcements. You'll see my blog posts show up there, as well as other interesting news, but I will no longer be "liking," "unliking" or commenting on the picture of your latest painting or poodle.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not giving up on friends and family. I cherish my time with them, and I may still engage with them on Facebook in a limited way. But time spent there with friends and family is not quality time. And even though I am a very disciplined person, Facebook simply offers too many distractions that take me farther away from the people I love.
As a self-employed artist who wears three hats - painter, instructor, writer - setting professional priorities can be tough. Mine now are:
- To improve my blog and web site so they are better tools for education and for selling my work;
- To spend more time on larger paintings for shows and awards; and
- To become a better painter by improving areas where I am weak and challenging myself where I am strong
And, oh yes, and probably write another book this year. Who's got time for Facebook?
