Growing up, I’ve always been in love with art. Along the way I lost sight of the physical medium and transferred my passion to retouching.

Recently, I saw the work of artist and model, Kate Zambrano. I immediately fell in love with her style and her pieces. It was like nothing I had seen prior. She graciously spent some time talking about and sharing her work. 

Check out the interview below along with some of her pieces.

Kate’s website: http://www.katezambrano.com/

1. When did being an artist begin for you, was it something you did as a child, or did you discover it growing up?

I have been interested in art my whole life. I used to spend hours in my room with a Walkman and a coloring book. I began taking myself more seriously a few years ago. I shifted my focus absolutely on art.

2. Before you found this world, what did you do prior to that lead you to discover that you were good at it?

Well, I work my ass off everyday. I have no social life. I sit in the studio and try to push myself to be better. I didn’t crawl out of the womb drawing portraits. Natural talent is a falsity. I had to learn and still am learning about art. If you do something for hours a day everyday, you can’t get worse at it.

3. That is great to know that it takes lots of practice, especially for people who assume that talent like that just happens. That in itself is inspiring. Speaking of which, who are your inspirations?

I’m inspired by a lot of things actually. If I’m not in the studio working, I’m thinking about what I’d like to create next. I am inspired by random things. I flip through magazines a lot and marvel at the designs. Then again, I was walking down the street the other day, completely mesmerized by the cracks in the pavement. All the inspiration is there I just have to open my eyes.

4. How much does emotion play a part in your work? Is it ever incorporated into your final piece?

I don’t feel like I need to be experiencing anything significantly at the time I am creating a piece. I’d rather keep myself out of the equation and allow the viewer to be able to feel whatever they deem appropriate when they look at it. Art is all in the interpretation.

5. How long does a piece usually take from start to finish? Is it common for a piece to take a span of a few days just because you’re not sure about the direction you would like to take it in?

I work on a piece for about two days. I don’t like to meander around my drawing aimlessly for too long, or else I lose all care to complete it. I mentally move on to something else. Two days is my average. I don’t like to revisit illustrations either. My mind won’t be in the same place.

6. Do you ever take work based off commission?

Yes

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Kate is also available for commissioned work. You can contact her via her website:

http://www.katezambrano.com/

It took a few years, but Mr. Choe is about to be a millionaire from painting the offices of Facebook in 2005. 

In 2005, Mr. Choe was invited to paint murals on the walls of Facebook’s first offices in Palo Alto, Calif., by Sean Parker, then Facebook’s president. As pay, Mr. Parker offered Mr. Choe a choice between cash in the “thousands of dollars,” according to several people who know Mr. Choe, or stock then worth about the same.

Mr. Choe, who has said that at the time that he thought the idea of Facebook was “ridiculous and pointless,” nevertheless chose the stock.

Many “advisers” to the company at that time, which is how Mr. Choe would have been classified, would have received about 0.1 to 0.25 percent of the company, according to a former Facebook employee. That may sound like a paltry amount, but a stake that size is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, based on a market value of $100 billion. Mr. Choe’s payment is valued at roughly $200 million, according to a number of people who know Mr. Choe and Facebook executives.

[Via source]

From an outsiders point of view, it’s hard to understand how we get our prices, whether it be hourly rates that sound “so high”, or prices for artwork that are “too much” or our package rates. I saw this and wanted to share it with the community. 

If you ask yourself why ARTISTS (Photographers, Designers, Musicians, Tattoo artists, Painters, Makeup artists, or anyone who falls under the artist category) charge “so much” for services:

We don’t get paid vacation

we don’t get paid sick days

we don’t get bonuses for outstanding performances nor for Christmas.

We don’t have insurance plans.

We sacrifice our family on special days so that we can bring fond memories and happiness to others.

Illness or personal affairs are not excuses for a bad performance.

Next time you ask, remember that ARTISTS are ARTISTS because of the love of their craft, but that love doesn’t pay debts.

Happy Artists Day!

And not to mention we mostly also work on weekends as well. We’re also expected to be available anytime and any day of the week. 

The truth of the matter is, I don’t work a day in my life because to me it’s all so much fun. Remember, when you can read all that and still think it’s worth it, then you know you’re in the right place.

When you can wake up on Christmas day and check your e-mail because you’re excited to ‘work’ more than the gifts you’ll be getting that day, you know you’re meant to be doing what you’re doing.

I love my job and you should loves yours too. You deserve at least that much in life.