The thing with being a professional potter is that through word of mouth year after year customers come back and introduce their friends to you....it has a lot of momentum, this informal advertising system. Like the snowball rolling down the hill.
The same thing happens when you are a PROFESSIONAL dog walker. And cat sitter.
I got into this because people routinely asked me to care for their pets because artists never have any plans, right? Just hanging around the house all day eating cookies and looking for things to do. Like come over to your house and clean their cat box for them.
It was getting ridiculous! The last straw was the two weeks I cared for somebody's pets...receiving neither a SIX PACK of beer or even A THANK YOU. Nothing. I was chatting with my vet about this, saying "I am not going to say no anymore, but I am gonna say 'I do a good job, I am reliable, I never go on vacations, I know how to lock your door, I don't steal your silver, I do whatever you want me to do (even feed the fish!) BUT IT IS GONNA COST YOU', like, cash, check, paypal"
The vet set me up with my first dog sitting gig...now I have 4 regular jobs. It is easy to work on my pots before and after and around those gigs...and now I have finished hospice training Penny my therapy beagle and I go to the senior center AND hospice on Mondays...but what is NOT easy is seeing friends, which is furiously frustrating, you know? You wonder what is gonna drop out if you are taking care of your own house, a full-time potter and part-time pet sitter...it is the friends. Forget ever seeing them!
ANYWAY, Yogi the golden doodle sweetie lives near us. I am VERY glad that a) they are so close and b) we have a fenced yard and c) Penny and Yogi get along well because d) they loooooove to romp together in our yard, now that the weather is nice. So I can let the dogs play here then we can walk down the street too. Both dogs get pretty dang tired after all that...
AND I GET PAID FOR THIS? :)
I do.
(BTW, many of you will have read in the post a day or 2 ago that I entered a competition at Cooperstown Art Association, hundreds of artworks, who would be accepted??? Yesterday I got notice: I was accepted! Now they move onto the prize phase...and I am a candidate for a prize......fingers crossed!)
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11 comments:
Love that big fluffy doodle. He is cute and happy. You will win a prize, Gary, because you are a brilliant artist and magnificent potter. Good luck!
Penny and Yogi are simply adorable together!
Congratulations on getting into the show; toes crossed for further success!
You take marvelous pictures too...don't forget that talent you have!
You live a great life, Gary! Creative and busy, something going on all the time. {{{{{Hugs from Asia}}}}}
Such cute pix of the kids romping. What fun.
Congrats on getting in. As if we thought you wouldn't. BAH!
Yogi!!!! Congratulations on getting into the show!
A reliable pet sitter is invaluable! I am sure you are the best. We are very lucky to have a neighbor that also has a cat. We trade pet care with each other. It makes it much easier to go away knowing my Sophie is well cared for.
Yogi is adorable. Love the photos of the romp, such fun!
Oh congrats.. that's exciting.. good luck!
Yogi is just adorable.. and of course Penny is a doll.
Fingers crossed on the contest!
I'm glad you've got a system to get paid for your work. Favors for free don't pay bills!
Next time someone asks you to care for a pet say "Sure I'd be glad to! My fee is X." They'll either say "OK!" or "Piss off!". You win either way.
That fluffball of a doodle is adorable!
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