Greetings and salutations friends! The studio has been busy with some really fun projects lately and we thought we would take this opportunity to talk to you about being a chalkboard artist here at Chalk It Up Signs. I am a chalkboard artist and I hire other artists here on Fantasy Island to chalk it up with us. We work in studio but also love working on installations on-site as well. The tools of our trade fit into a shoulder bag and there are not many occupational hazards. It’s a good life and we are grateful for it.
Artists don’t usually just wake up one day and become artists that can support themselves with their art. The most important aspect of being a chalkboard artist or any kind of artist for that matter is time. Most of us were creatives as young people and could either focus on art from the beginning or find it again later in life and then put the time in. And by time, I mean working on our art every day.
I just read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. In a deeply connected and breathtakingly humorous way, she teaches us that focus, dedication, training, and a fair amount of soul searching is what goes into living a creative life. Okay, a lot of soul searching goes into being an artist.
You might think that a chalkboard artist isn’t Picasso or Monet and you would be correct. Our chalkboards will never sit in the MOMA in NYC or the Louvre in Paris. Our chalkboards are in restaurants, pubs, delis, diners, ice cream stands, weddings and other special events. It’s not as glamourous but it is equally important as an historical work of art if not more so.
As a chalkboard artist, I create what we call functional art. It is art that serves a purpose.
Our work is used, slung around, subject to the steam cabinet or the warmer table. Our art gets little sticky hands on it. It gets beer spilled on it. It sits out in the sun and rain telling folks there is cold beer or warm soup inside. Our art works for our clients. Our art would love a union it works so hard. And yet, the work of a chalkboard artist can be subtle, funny, memorable, beautiful, as well as useful.
A chalkboard artist reflects culture back to the customer. We are a mirror albeit a fun, colourful one. We work hard, find inspiration in the smallest, quietest places and love what we do.
Please contact us at CIUS today for information on how my awesome team and I can create a chalkboard sign that works for you and your business. We would be honoured.
Many thanks as always,
Melanie
Chalk Chicks work on site!
