The Truth About Passive Income

Hi everyone...since I started my blog I've been enjoying writing and sharing my thoughts and feelings. But I kept seeing everywhere how you can make a passive income by registering with different site etc. There is a barrage of people talking about how you can work from home and make at least one hundred dollars working from home by doing X OR Y OR Z and I have to say I fell into it. I bought into it until I started trying to get into these sites where you are supposed to be able to make an income. They made it sound easy to do.

The Youtubers who push these sites are so believable and pull you in with the right words but I've discovered that there is a lot they don't tell you. I noticed though that some are starting to putting disclaimers or verbalising disclaimers about the fact that you have to put in the time and the effort. But it's not as EASY as they make it out to be and I got really annoyed when I tried to "get into this passive income groove" and encountered allot of stumbling blocks. So let me deal with the different sites and what I encountered.

Oh and I have to say that I don't know if it's because I'm from the Caribbean, so is it that we are blocked from these sites. Don't understand that, because since you've placed this on the virtual world platform, then anyone should be able to join. And it's being driven by these people who say they want to help others make money but they fail to mention that some of these sites are for Americans only. I started to think that maybe they were affiliates of most of these sites and the more clicks they can get the more money they were making. Or is it a case of - they get paid to push these sites. I'm beginning to wonder and so after trying a few there are only probably 3 out of the 27 that I checked out really worked and even those...it will take a lonnnnngggg time to even make $25.00

Th different sites mentioned were:

1. Fiverr - never bothered to try

2. Clickbank - easy to use. Like this

3. TranscribeMe - didn't pass the tests

4. Max Bounty

5. Legendary

6. Text Broker

7. Swagbucks

8. One Poll

9. Global Text Market

10. Yoola

11. JV Zoo - plan to leave this one

12. eBATES

13. iSurvey World

14. Earnably - didn't bother to try this one

15. My Survey

16. Upworks - leaving this. There seems to be an issue with my region.

17. Yoonla

18. Shopstyle

19. Flippa

20. Shutter Stock

21. Insta GC - registered and I like the quizs. No money yet. 

22. Google Adsense - placed on my blogs so waiting to see

23. Survey Junkies

24. Income Shift Pro - Not comfortable so will not do this

25. Vindale Research

26. Paribus

27. Micro Workers - making cents for doing tasks that for me are uncomfortable.

MY EXPERIENCE:

THE SITES THAT ARE CROSSED OUT:

All the site that are crossed out  - its because I couldn't get in, which means they either don't link with my part of the world or I just couldn't register due to the region I am from or I needed a Social Security number or a US address. Some of them didn't even have a drop down for different countries...so that was a RED FLAG IMMEDIATELY.

SITES THAT ARE IN BOLD:

Those that are in bold, I was able to get in and register but the jobs are sooooo odd. OK Let me explain what I mean.

MICRO WORKERS:

On this site you make 10 cents doing things where you end up logged into sites you're not even interested in or you have to comment on sites you know nothing about and then you're getting constant emails from these sites you've joined and you have to prove to microworkers that you signed into the relevant site,  so you have to stay on the site as a member for a period then later you can unsubscribe. Maybe 2 days later but by then you  end up getting mail from them, that clogs your mailbox, then when enough time has passed then you can unsubscribe. Only one site I stayed with because it was interesting. So you have to do ALLOT of these itty bitty jobs just to make $1.00. Not sure it's worth it so I will most likely not continue there.

TRANSCRIBE ME:

This is pushed for those who like to write and you're home so why not make some money...blah, blah, blah. So I love to write so I registered, but what they fail to tell you is that it isn't easy to get onto the site and easily start transcribing and making the $100 a week. You have a few tests to complete and 3 Audios to transcribe and all 3 take at least an hour (or more) each and you must make a score of 100%......WTFudge....I tried it ......TWICE!!!. I made 100% on the first 4 tests , 96% with the first audio and 93% on the other 2 audios and I didn't get in. I was registered as failed and could take the tests again within a few months. NO IT'S NOT AS EASY AS THEY MAKE IT OUT TO BE...That shit got me annoyed and pissed. Yes you do have to take the time at the different jobs but...goodness...WTFudge!!!!

iSURVEY WORLD/ SURVEY JUNKIES/ MY SURVEY/ MAX BOUNTY etc.

With all of these - I either couldn't register with them or when I got in they kept saying there weren't any surveys available at the moment.

SITES THAT WORKED OUT:

The sites where...yes....I can say that I've been able to actually do some surveys, and even enjoy them a bit....BUT I HAVEN'T MADE ANY MONEY FROM YET...because you have to quite a few every day.....are sites like:

• Clickbank

• Insta GC

• Google Adsense

and unlike Clickbank...JVZoo...again...like these people who say allot but leave out salient information...JVZoo has some really interesting affiliates that I am very interested in promoting because I like their products and I did my research on them but everytime I click to promote, they request that I say something about myself to the owner then wait for approval from the owner to be able to promote their product....WTFudge!!!!!....OK!.... To hell with that..... I'm sorry I want to make money but I'm not going to beg you to promote your product.

OK. Yes I understand that they need to know that the person is "ligit" and not trying something on them but Clickbank doesn't have that so what's the issue. And yes I may not have 300,000 followers on my blog but I don't put shit on my blog just to sell like everyone else seems to be doing. If I mention or talk about something it's because I like the product, use it myself or I believe in it because I'v tried it or something close to it, but I guess people are very cautious, it's just that I'm getting a little bit fed-up of visiting people's blogs and all you find is that they re-direct you to a bunch of affiliate links...and I mean a bunch...almost every other line or 2 has a link in it.....UHHHHHH!!!!!!! I don't mind the selling, I do a bit myself but good god not so much!!!

So after listening to so many of those youtube videos and falling prey to their talk I've learned that not all that they sell is as easy as they make it out to be and you have to check them out before you sign up, and if you see It's a no go then UNSUBSCRIBE  and find another way to monetize your blog or website. There are other ways. Do like I do and research, research, research!!! Because I understand that everyone is trying to make a living so go for it but...please people.... tell me the full story so I don't waste my time, because I know they make money from all of us going to their youtube videos to get the info so.........

I needed to "vent" my opinion and share what I noticed. Hope I didn't offend anyone and even if I did well too bad. We all live and learn as I have with these bogus passive income jobs. Later people.

View fullsize

The Truth About Passive Income.

P.S - OK!! After this post I went back to youtube and I found Kat who shared some much better online jobs and she indicates those that are for internationals and those that aren't. Well done my dear. She mentioned Beta testing sites, earlibird sites, parenting sites etc. I liked her and when I went into the sites they were cool., so you can go listen to her and judge for yourself. Let me know what you think. AND NO!!! I ain't no affiliate with her. (roll eyes).

Hi! Read more!

Get you FREE Planner and more.

Get your FREE DAILY PLANNER here - gafra.org

Get this epoetry book written by my husband and published by me. Gafra.org

10 Things People Can't Do Without

Hi Guys...I was checking out different ways to make money online with different jobs...you might have read my blog post on the "The Truth About Blogging" or "The Truth About Passive Income"....anyway in checking some of the sites recommended by a particular young woman  called Kat...there was a site that paid you for your post about any 10 things that were out of the ordinary or normal but your post had to be well written and they would pay you for it. At first I considered sending in a post but changed my mind. But it did make me wonder about "what are the 10 things people can't do without"? and what were the 10 Things I couldn't do without?

Initially, I felt that there wasn't anything I couldn't do without, as I am a very easy going person, but then I started to think deeper, and realised that as humans there are things we really get peeved about when we don't have it or we get really irritable when we don't have it easily available. I remember while at University we learned about what are the main psychological levels people go through. Yes I did Social Sciences......so Maslow's Theory was a must. So What is Maslow's Theory? The diagram below should help:

What this explains is that we move from one level of satisfaction to the next heading towards the fulfilment of our full potential. The thing is, you can reach your or almost reach your Self Actualisation Level but still need the Physiological Needs. You don't really leave one level behind, never to want or need it ever again.

I then decided to google all the different sites and pull out what they all listed as peoples Top 10 Things They Can't Do Without, then I sorted them. This is what came up:

10 Things People Can't Do Without:

1. Food/Eating

2. Shower/Water

3. Coffee/Drink

4. Bed/Rest

5. Family

6. Friends

7. Their Partner

8. Laptop

9. Phone

10. TV

Isn't this interesting? .....because they fit into the Maslow's Hierarchy. There are things we need no matter what, ethnic background, status in society, location etc we belong to because we all seem to list the physiological needs first. Safety/Security/ love and belonging comes second and in the world today, what brings us status, respect and a unique identity?....... Social Media.

Social Media is seen as the platform for building an identity or being seen and heard. But is it really? Or is it a means to get us addicted to something that feeds our need to be connected to others then to receive a level of satisfaction when we get responses or likes or subscribes (ever heard of pavlov's dog?)

Yes guys today I'm going deep.....nah just having a good think about that simple question of what are the things people can't do without. And to be honest, humans can do without anything once they have no choice. We are very adaptable especially if forced to. My example is..... I have within the last 2 years become very attached to my phone.

Why? because I have a bunch of apps that allows me to write my blogs if I forgot to do it during the weekend and it's due the Monday. It has my analytics showing how many people visited my site, it has games, it has my email so I can keep up with answering clients promptly. It has Youtube so I can listen to all the videos on how to do all the things I need to learn and it has my Kindle where I can read all the books I'm interested in including my Bible App to read the Word of God anywhere and at anytime.

See what I mean. I totally can't do without it, except when the brand new phone I bought 6 months ago suddenly crashes just after I take a pic and email it to myself.....WTFudge!!!! I was pissed and to make it worst when I carried it in to bmobile...thank god the warranty was still up...it's for them to tell me they have to keep it for 1 month for repairs and if I need a temporary phone I have to pay $250 for a temp. Didn't I buy this from them? You would think....(You should see the scrappy temp phone I got...I need a magnifying glass to read the icons) So no phone, no blogging, no reading....etc....for the month....the month of Christmas!

But by the time 3-4 days had passed I was fine (still a little peeved) but I was used to the crummy piece of phone and finding other ways to do what I needed to do or just not bothering. No fuss, no bother. See!!!......we can do without anything if we have to. So what are my 10 things I can't do without:

1. Water - hate not being able to take a bath

2. My Car - I hate being grounded and having to depend on anyone to take me where I need to go.

3. Food - we all need to eat to survive and live

4. My Phone - despite me adjusting I miss my damn phone!

5. Family - without family we are nothing, husband, kids, parents, siblings

6. Friends - I have a lot of acquaintances and a nice group of girlfriends. They keep you feeling like you belong

7. A creative outlet and continuous learning - this keeps me sane

8. Giving to others - I am all about helping or giving to those I love and it will never stop. I need to do it.

9. Interacting with others - I get my energy from being around people. (yes....they can drain me as well, but that's ok)

10. Laughing - Laughter keeps me feeling young, and happy with life so I laugh and enjoy the things around me, simple and complex alike. (oh but don't read me wrong I do have a temper but it is usually short lived)

That's my list of 10. What's yours? Did you ever think about it and where do they fall in Maslow's Hierarchy. Hope you're not still in the bottom rung. I think I've reached or am close to Self Actualisation. I've done and accomplished allot of what I wanted to in life so far and I still want to do more. To me life has too many prospects out there to stay doing nothing.

Hope this made you think a bit and don't forget to click on some of my FREEBIES below, check you later this week.

Hi!! I’m Gail

Hi!! I'm Gail known as GaFra. Hope you enjoyed this post. If you did subscribe and be a part of my community, where we share our thoughts on different things. Also be the first to get my FREEBIES.

E-COURSE - HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT. ENROLL HERE

Also check out my Husbands Poems written to me while we were friends. We've been married 28years now so maybe it might inspire you, or not. Lol just kidding!! His ebook “From Martin With Love available HERE and on Amazon.

Art or Poetry?

Hi guys.....I am on a campaign to publish some poems my husband wrote to me almost 28years ago....yes people the courting poems. Now in thinking about I realised that I am prejudiced. When I think of someone who is artistic I think about artist or as the markets have shown me  those who can create amazing things with their hands. Things for the kitchen like mittens  aprons, handmade soaps etc.

One young girl produced all of these.

But I never thought about poetry as Artistic until I started transcribing my husband's deep romantic poems into an ebook. It takes a special type of writing skill to be able to express yourself romantically in the form of a poem. As with all the creative mediums, poetry is another way to release the pented up emotions that are riding you.

As I read the poems after all these years and while transcribing them over into an ebook I saw the creative dexterity it took to write poems where while you read you feel what the person is feeling and the torment, joy or sadness they were experiencing when they wrote the particular poem.

So what exactly is the definition of poetry? It's defined as: Ideas given intensity by the use of a distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.

So my husband had a rhythm and it was based on what he was experiencing with me (I guess I was giving him a hard time) during his period of trying to gain my affections.

It's the same with Art. You're in a type of rhtyhm when you're painting and it's all based on your emotions at the time.  Okkkk....I know you're curious.....So what's the story?

Well my husband was my best friend but I didn't see him or even thought about marriage. In fact I was eyeing some other guys and telling him about them....I mean he was my best friend and who else would I confide in? Not knowing that he was serious about me. Eventually I realised how amazing he was and what a great husband he would make...

So WHALA!!!!! That conversation came up....the big M word...and so we decided to get hitched and we've been together 28years outside of the 2 years we went around before we got married. So 30 years in total, with four great kids....a boy 27 and 3 girls 26, 24 and 23. 

Yes I had a child every year for 5 years so some people don't recognise me, not pregnant. Lol and my husband and I run a business together. In reading his poems from those days I saw the turmoil and pain he was experiencing through that time of wanting but not being able to have. 

I felt a little guilty, but that is a part of life and loving but my realisation was how emotional the poems were.

I will be offering them on this site as soon as I figure out how to publish it properly because they are good and I want him to feel proud of them despite the memories they bring back although we can laugh about them now. 

Time heals all and thank God for these different outlets that allows us to vent and at the same time create. 

Keep following my different posts and get my Free Planner below or check out my more advanced planners on my Shop page. There are a few FREEBIES there.

I FIGURED OUT HOW TO PUBLISH IT BY THE TIME THE WEEKEND WAS OVER. YEA!!!!! CHECK IT OUT!!!

FROM MARTIN WITH LOVE

GET A FREE ARTIST LOOK-BOOK HERE

ABOUT ME

Hi guys, I’m Gail Francis better known as “GaFra”

Welcome! This is just one of my 3 sites, I also have: gafra.org and triniartsudio.org. I’m a business woman, mother of 4, Artist, friend to many and a Coach.

Learn more about me, visit my other blogs.

Buy My Art

Get Awesome, original PRINTABLES here at www.gafra.org or the FREE ARTIST LOOK-BOOK

Get your FREE DAILY PRINTABLE PLANNER here at gafra.org and many other Printables.

Get your FREE DOWNLOAD: An EASY GUIDE on “How to Paint an Abstract” OR Artist Look-Book

Get your personal copy of this ebook HERE!!

Landscape Challenge Pt.2

Hi guys….so lets finish off the landscape we started and I hope you were trying it. We left off where I did a simple wash of the different colours one on top of the other. Then I used my bottle that has black paint, a fairly thick mixture with a little water or you can mix black acrylic paint with a little water and have a bottle with black paint and one with white). I used my bottle of black paint to draw an outline of some hills on one of the higher washes. Do the same thing with the white paint going on the inside of the mountains.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Also draw wavy lines moving away from the base of your mountains as if it were a river you were drawing. Let it look like waves of water if necessary. I decided to do an outline of some of the lines with a glittery paint. Only to realise that it wasn’t glitter paint but glitter glue. : 0 Ah Well !!! Think of it as mixed medium. Lol This is how the final landscape looked.

View fullsize

See how the mountains are a combination of the black and white paint intertwined but not totally mixed to make grey. you can distinguish the white lines within the black. You may need to let the black paint dry first before applying the white, if you use acrylic paint you don’t need to let the black dry first before adding the white.

View fullsize

Silvery Water Landscape

The shiny areas are the glitter glue. use the tip of the glitter paint bottle like a pen and draw along some of the lines within the mountain or the side of the river. I hope you understood my directions, if not, I do apologise. But share with me what you created, I’m excited to see them. Remember there are no mistakes, everything is art, even using glue when you thought it was glitter paint.

These are some additional landscapes I completed. I do one a day.

Green Valley

7th Landscape Challenge Piece.

Blue Field

8th Landscape Challenge Piece

If you enjoyed trying this let me know and I’ll explain how I did some of the others. Choose the one you like then email me at gfrancistt@gmail.com and I’ll do the blog post.

Rocky Cliffs

9th Landscape Challenge

If you enjoyed this you might like…

>Research, Research, Research

>My Art Story

>How Do I Create A Piece

The Landscape challenge

Hi guys…I was reading Tara Leaver….AGAIN!… when she talked about making more consistent art. She challenged us to an exercise to help us deal with the inconsistency problem, in a manageable way that also sets you on the path to developing a series, to prove that you can do one. This was the challenge:

“Seven days to create art with a single focus. Got something you’ve been wanting to explore a bit more deeply? This is the perfect opportunity.

The challenge is open to all visual artists – you can paint, draw, knit, sculpt, sew, make jewellery, or whatever you like. I recommend keeping the concept and process fairly small so you don’t overwhelm yourself or make it impossible to keep going.”

The project I took was to paint small landscapes for 93 days. It was fairly simple and I decided to let it be very loose and almost abstract. I painted however I was feeling at that point. So these were my steps.

STEP #1 - PREPARE YOUR PAPER

View fullsize

STEP #1

So I started by finding a small watercolour painting book. Mine is 9x12 but you can get something smaller like 10x10. Tape all the edges with maskin tape to allow the piece to have a border as this gives it a better look when you’ve finished, plus it allows for framing.

STEP #2 - PULL OUT YOUR TOOLS

Once you’ve taped the edges, then pull out the watercolours or watercolour pencils, your brushes (choose only 2), have your water close by, you can also have a bottle with white or black paint and finally decide on the colours you’re going to use. I picked viridian green, lavender and light green.

View fullsize

Have all your tools ready and prepared.

Above is my watercolour palette, brushes and watercolour pencils.

STEP #3 - START PAINTING

Don’t think about what you’re going to do just MOVE! Take up a brush, let your senses guide you, dip into the first colour and paint however you feel, then take the second colour and do the same. I felt like doing a simple wash of each colour one above the other.

View fullsize

I felt for a simple wash with one colour on top of the other.And I let it run.

This is what it looks like so far. I’ll continue tomorrow and post the next steps, but see below some of the other miniature landscapes I did days before, one per day.

Green Field

Blue Mountains

Watercolour Palms

I’ll show some of the others when I post my next steps for the landscape done above.

The Truth About Blogging

View fullsize

Hi…I’m on a rant again because you learn so much when you do all your research and from all the reading I’ve done I’ve learnt much where blogging is concerned. Firstly, I have to go back to the beginning as to why I started blogging. I went into blogging for different reasons.

1. I wanted to share and sell my Art…….gafra.org

2. I wanted to be able to share my thoughts about different topics……triniartstudio.org

3. I wanted to share my Natural Hair journey through my experiences…….gafraihairu.com

4. Blogging was a great way to make another income stream

5. I wanted a voice and to journal my thoughts and share them.

But no one tells you how much work is involved and that you need to be able to write well…your posts must at least be able to keep the attention of your audience. All the different research I did via Pinterest, Google, etc all say that its your blog and just be you and speak as if you’re talking to a friend. That was fine but it’s not easy to write content that is well written so that you keep people’s attention.

Luckily I love English and I like writing, plus I didn’t care too sh….t if people felt my writing was good or not. I just want to have a voice to say and share what I wanted to. That is not the case if you want your blog to be a means to earn a living though. I remember speaking with my brother-in-law, that was at the start when I was now beginning my first and only blog ( now I have 3).

GET YOUR FREE CHECKLIST OF ONLINE TOOLS

I had started a blog…www.triniartstudio.net…but it was started to share my Artwork and to try to sell it online, but as I went along and time passed, I went through a transition and that name and the look of the site no longer reflected me, so I rebranded to GaFra…..www.gafra.org….because I had changed and as usual I did a lot of research because now I wanted to sell my art online, after having tried all variety of marketplaces (Fineartamerica, Big Cartel, Artpal, Etsy, ArtFinder and many more) but none of them worked. I sold nothing.

So getting back to the point of this post, when you start a blog, there are few things you need to consider:

1. Can you write well enough to hold a person’s attention

2. Is what you have to share interesting or not?

3. Do you really need to build a list of at least 100 topics so you never run out of things to talk about?

4. When you share your information is it properly written?

5. Do you know how to create proper cover pages for your blog post? And do you know where you can go to do that?

6. Do you even know how to build a blog? (Check squarespace.com or Wordpress)

Oh and there is even more....I also wanted to write a book. So aside from knowing if you have the writing skills to write the posts I wanted to go further. I wanted to write a book. Right now I’m putting together my husband’s poems to develop an ebook and publish it for him. That will be my test run.

I’ve always had a book on my bucket list and after reading all the different blogs about how you can do this, I am still tentative, because I always find out how much is involved in doing any of these things after the fact of trying to do it myself, in spite of all the research I do.

But what is great, is that through the research, like I mentioned above, you encounter all these sites that can help you and I also read from other book publishers, that you can publish it yourself via Amazon Kindle Publishing, but there are also courses that help you go through the process easily. I discovered one of these programs, of course I found it after the fact. It’s always after you struggle you discover all these helpful sites. I recently came upon this program:

Its called The Low Content Mastery training package. It's a course that teaches you how you can make money publishing journals, planners and other profitable low content books on Amazon KDP Print. The program includes:

Module #1: Step-by-Step Training Guides (10, plus free updates)

Module #2: Done-for-you book templates (all sizes) 

Module #3: Premade Book Covers with Source Files

Module #4: Niche Profit Reports

Module #5: Over-my-shoulder video tutorials.

So don’t be like me and struggle, invest in learning the correct way to publish so that you don’t get lost or go off track like I did.

 So what I didn’t do correct was

1.     Write out the 100 topics so I had a flow for my blogs

2.     Learn to develop covers for every blog posts (check Canva.com)

3.     Understand the correct format for the posts and how to pull readers.

So I know I don’t want the same errors to occur when I start my book, which I want to start very soon. People do your homework and make sure you understand the best process to follow to get your book online and to even write good content whether its for your blog or your book. You want it to be purchased, do the right thing, be properly prepared so that it’s purchased. 

Check out Low Content Mastery.

Hi I’m GaFra

Welcome. Hope you enjoy my blog and don’t forget to get your freebie below

FREE!

Get your FREE Cheat Sheet - a List of Sites with Tools for your Blog, Ebook, Videos etc

GET IT HERE

SIGN UP FOR YOUR E-COURSE:

HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT.

START NOW!!!

A Day To Be Thankful.

Hi everyone, it's a beautiful day in Trinidad and Tobago. Today I saw my admin assistant for the first time after a week. She was one of the casualties of the major flooding in Arima.

The story was bad. Water coming through your windows, cars submerged, water up to your neck, kindergardens having to carry the babies to the roof. It was a mess, but after the rescues by the Coast guard people came out in droves to help.

Those who couldn't leave their homes for whatever reason were provided with food and drink and help came later.

It was a good story to hear that after the water finally went down people came again in droves to help remove useless water ridden appliances. They came to help clean the homes. They came with cooked food, clothes, baby items to assist those who had lost everything.

Charity and goodness is still alive. Yes she mentioned there was the odd story of appliances being stolen but those were few. Things were well organised and everything came to them because some people couldn't leave anyway.

I was amazed at her stories of the generosity and goodwill that occurred. Even the insurance companies were very professional in their approach. Just as peole were visited house by house by HDC to repair electricity and check outlets and restore these key amenities the insurance agents also went house to house to get estimates to deal with claims quickly.

You didnt have to go to the offices, the office came to you  and so it should be because their minds were already in a turmoil from being rescued in their own living room from 6 feet of water. That is traumatic and scary. Juming into that water so that the Coast Guard can rescue you was also danderous as some peopl banged their legs or side on the unknown items under the water.

Its so surreal. These are things you see on TV but never think they will happen to people close to you. You feel helpless but things always work out. The interesting part is, while some are going through all that chaos others are going on with their lives unaware of the devastation others are dealing with. Life is just so odd sometimes.

Well things have settled and she is back home. She has no furniture but again the government swiftly sort to give grants for them to replace their appliances and many stores offered very low discounts to assist with the replacement.

So with everything back to normal I am glad that we aren't as third world as some other countries like to list us. Things were well organised and dealt with. We still have things to work out so they run even better but everything takes time and we have reached very far.

So check you next week for more artsy sharing versus disaster sharing. 

Landslide in Maracas

Video Block

Double-click here to add a video by URL or embed code. Learn more

What Is The True Value of Art? Should You Compromise?

I did an Upmarket in South a few months ago and in chatting with another vendor who did work similar to mine, we both agreed that Art in Trinidad is valued by the minority. I mean the minority accepts its value and are willing to pay for it. The majority like Art but don't see it as an investment.

When an Artist has paid his dues and becomes famous only then is his Artwork seen as valuable. When he dies then it's even more valuable, e.g. Boscoe Holders work. But as a new Artist it takes a lot to stay positive about your work and to continue painting.

I have evolved over time, but in a direction I didn't plan. I now do a lot more small acrylics for the markets and less watercolours. This was not my intention but I've been pulled by the public demand versus my inert internal yearning. 

Why? Why has this happened?

1. It happens because every Artists wants their work to be appreciated, purchased and even demanded.

2. Compromising gives us a level of vindication, because the art sells but should we need that? Should we compromise? I feel not, but we do.

An Artist should paint because they are compelled to and create what they feel inside. Not paint what sells. I have fallen into that trap. Its hard to avoid. You don't want your work to pile up, unseen, unappreciated, unsold.

Sharing the beauties in my Garden

Triple orchids

Another view of my triplets.

Beauties.

So what do I do?

I to an extent, have no choice. Maybe I can do both. I paint what inspires me but in a size that is "sellable" for the Markets and I paint what I feel inside on a bigger scale for my exhibitions. I learned from my last Exhibition/Pop Up Shop that to be able to sell my large pieces, Upmarkets are not the way.

I am going the route of the Formal Exhibition. I am planning one next year and it will feature my large pieces only. I will invite guests formally to my opening and make a production of the entire event. Lets see how that goes.... : ) 

I've also stumbled on an abstract artist Nancy Hillis and she has an onlineworksop:

https://nancyhillis.com/artists-journey-3-secrets-of-the-masters 

and here I started releasing my creativity even more.

I completed one piece based on her direction and it was far different from my normal simple, geometric, flat design. I will continue following her worshop to see where it leads me.

So guys thats all for now. Check you next week. Love you all and continue to follow me and send in your comments via my website: www.gafra.org.

I also have a new blog called www..wordpress.com/Gafra_TAS. All bout my natural hair journey. Check it out. So until next time. 

Giving Of Yourself

Hi everyone...sorry about the late posting but yesterday I had a very hectic day as I worked in two stalls for my Church Harvest and today is my mom's birthday...so I kinda forgot all about posting.

The title today is what I felt as I worked in the Harvest. Sometimes you have to give to your community...find a way. If not through your church then maybe through a club for the youths or the communuty centre. 

That day it was a lot of work, very hot, very tiring and I had volunteered my kids to run one of the stalls without asking them. They weren't too happy about that and I basically had to organise everything myself and they simply came the day to run the stall. They did a good job but my son who is a grumbler....grumbled as usual........Kids!!!

A wide view during mass before the start of the Harvest.

Me and my friend in the stall. 

That is all for now. Check you next week. Love you all.

             Www.gafra.org

I was a little upset with him and his attitude, so after the harvest when we were all at home I sent a message on the family whatsapp chat telling them thanks for their help and that they had done a good job and they had done their part for the church and I won't volunteer them again. ...yes...I dislike grumblers.

I had fun but my feet were killing me because after working in one stall, when it closed off I moved to my kids' stall to help there. Last year when I did the stall I felt worst but this year I had no aches or pains. That must mean that my workouts at the gym were paying off.

Back to giving of yourself...... I hope each and everyone of us can do something for others or to help our community as the community takes care of its people...its young and old. So lets do our part.