Starving Artist Turned Sell-Out.

I work Monday-Friday to pay the bills.
I run an office during the work week. I have a new assistant who is not great at what she does, but I love her to death. She's young, inexperienced, a bit clumsy, but works her ass off. My boss is mildly retarded. Alright, fine. He just has ADHD. But combine that with lack of medication and running a business and you get me; the head on his shoulders. Because he forgot his at home. Ten years ago.

I work four over nights a week to keep me sane.
I've had insomnia for almost as long as I can remember. Sleep studies, experimental sleeping "aides", and years of therapy never made a difference. When I do sleep (it's rare) I have night terrors, sleep walk, talk in my sleep, etc. So in the long nights, to keep me from going crazy and getting cabin fever, I work as a stock manager at a major clothing store. It's just extra change in my pocket. And after being broke for years and being homeless for a few as well, I've become slightly greedy.

I write small columns in my spare time to try to get some credentials and help back my writing career.
Not that I think I will get anywhere writing wise, but it couldn't hurt to have some official experience under my belt. Do I want to be the next Carrie Bradshaw? Hell no. But I would love to publish a book (or two) before I die. And I suppose I write mostly by request just to keep from getting rusty. Though, I'm not sure writing is something that you can get rusty.

And I paint murals by mistake.
I used to paint strictly for pleasure and for myself. A good friend of mine has opened her own gallery in Chelsea and last year on the Fourth of July she held an auction of local artists' work. 100% of the procedes went to Cancer research (leaving the artists with nothing... as usual). After bugging me for weeks, I finally agreed to donate five pieces to put up for auction. I'm all for Cancer research, since I have lost so many family members to it already, just not too fond of parting with my work, since I feel that most people won't like it anyway.

Anyhow, one buyer purchased three of the five I auctioned off and tracked me down after the fact. He asked that I custom paint a mural for his Park Avenue loft. For the amount of money he offered me, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Then he told his friend, who told her friend, who told thier friends, etc. And now I custom paint murals [accidently] on the side of all the other jobs I have.

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Adam, who works at a high end art gallery in the Upper East side says I'm a sell-out. He thinks that it's lame that I paint for others and not for myself anymore. I tell him for the money, I'll sell out as long as they want me to do it.

A piece of one I'm still working on.

"Sunrise"

East wall in guest bedroom #3 of a 5th Avenue condo overlooking Central Park. Modeled to depict North Sea Beach in Sag Harbor, New York. (Because seeing it first hand from his summer home in the Hamptons is not enough, he must see it when he's in New York as well.)

Cost of Materials (Appx.): $2,000.00
Labor Hours (Appx.): 65
Walking away with a couple grand in cash: Priceless.