HELP!!! - Midlife crisis

[Amy on Salt Spring]

Well geez I was only 35 when we moved here three years ago...I'm not sure I can even call that a midlife crisis or can I? Does that mean I get to have another one in a couple of years?
Amy

[Geri Comstock]

If you can afford to do it, go for it!

At the age of 37, I left a 15 year career in high tech where I made a lot of money but was completely miserable.

11 years later, I'm much happier and more relaxed than I ever was in my former career. Things aren't always easy being self-employed, but it's nice to be making my own mistakes rather than making one that someone else (a boss) told me to make.

If you decide to do this, have a plan of some kind...writing a business plan will help you think through your goals and the milestones you'll need to meet to make this change possible. If you can, try to make the change of careers over time so that you know if it will be financially possible for you.

Best of luck in your decision -

Geri

[Kathie Karancz]

WOW...... Came to work this morning excited about the fact that I may have some responses to my cry for help and there it was - 21 messages!!!! You guys are so wonderful. I have a lot to figure out, but I definitely know that it's the fear that will kill me. I am in a perfect situation where I have no children (or family) except for my husband. (He has his PHd in Electrical Engineering and loves Calgary and what he does and doesn't want to move.) I have been saving a little bit of money that I have collected from selling my glass and it is slowly getting up there. I think what I need to do is: quit spending money (unless it's glass related), pay down my debt, start looking at where I want to move to, look into how a Canadian can buy a business in the US and what it would cost me, get off my butt and start producing product and not just thinking about it, quit whining and just do it.... Again, its the fear that gets me. I am hoping with the help of my friends and you guys, it will happen within the next couple of years. You guys are great. I am also green with envy that you all sound so happy out there - good for you.
Again, thanks so much
Kathie

[charlie]

you don't have to limit yourself to the US. with the internet and fedex, you can almost work anywhere in the world. if you're going to be leaving canada anyway, chose somewhere you've always dreamed of living. it's lots cheaper living in mexico, costa rica, etc. i looked into both grand cayman and costa rica sorta seriously a few years ago, and almost made the jump, but couldn't bring myself to leave the corporate world.

[Kathie Karancz]

Charlie, funny you should answer cuz I was actually thinking about Arizona this morning. I used to have a condo in Mesa and when the Can. dollar went to hell, I ended selling it about 3 years ago but have never forgotten about it. So are you saying: buy a place in - let's say Mesa (for example), figure out how I can work through some type of electronic company (I don't know if I am saying that right) and then get some income that way plus maybe try and work for cash in places???? If you are, how do I find out the how-tos??? I feel a little excited (first time in a long time) Talk to me........
k

[charlie]

no, i'm saying if you're going to become a full time glass person, do it in a place you'd like to live and retire in, whereever that may be. with ups/fedex, you can get deliveries of supplies and ship out product. you can take orders from distributors over the internet or via phone. of course, if you dream of traveling to shows every weekend, doing so from grand cayman may be pretty hard and/or expensive.

if you're currently in a profession that can do consulting from afar, that's even better. you'd be able to keep some sort of income from that whilst transitioning to being a full-time artist, although that may become a burden after a while as your priorities shift.

i happen to live in cave creek az, which has a pretty large art community (http://www.sonoranartsleague.org/). about 3000 people in the town. there's a studio tour around thanksgiving, with 32 home studios open for viewing, and 100+ artists showing (http://www.sonoranartsleague.org/hidden.html), all living in this local area. there's probably a few hundred more in the organization, and i've heard of another organization attempting to start up recently.

you need to do some research into your selected place to see if there'll be some sort of support group for you to get help from.

[Stephie]

But Charlie, they shoot at you down there .
Don't ask how I know ...

[charlie]

But Charlie, they shoot at you down there .
Don't ask how I know ...

down where? costa rica? that's a pretty safe place. i'm not sure i want to wander through guatemala (sp?) or other central america places too much off the beaten path.

do you mean cave creek? we have open carry gun laws, and it's pretty easy to get a concealed carry permit. heck, it's legal to own machine guns in this state. it's not uncommon to see armed people in the safeway or banks, and the ex-worldwide president of the hells angels lives a couple of miles from me.

people are a lot more polite, imho, when that's possible. it's a whole lot safer here than east la, i would expect.

[Stephie]

I'am originally from AZ. The first house I ever bought was off Bell Rd. Is Roadrunner's still there? We took a friend from Indiana (My Husban's from there) to Roadrunners and he went to the Bar to get smokes. He came back without them and said there are people at the bar with guns! My husband told him not to piss them off . I can remember when Smitty's had to put up a sign to check guns, there were some very angery folks.
Have you ever been to Crown King or Cleater? Memories ...
I hear the gang trouble has really taken off in Phoenix. The last time I was there they had put freeways where my backways to home were! It's been a long time.

[ellen abbott]

I never ventured into the corporate world. I was lucky enough to meet up with a guy who was self-employed in my early 20's. When I expressed a longing for a deal like his, his simple response was one of those times in my life when the light came on and the door opened. He said...Anybody can do it. I've been doing it for 30 years now. Even convinced my husband, after a couple of years, to quit his good job in a factory and come do it with me. Even raised two kids.

My second enlightening moment was when I embraced the Oriental philosophy of 'less is more'. That came later when I realised I was never going to get rich in the glass arts...or even well off. There is a huge long list of all the material things I don't and will never have (we drive an '84 volvo, determined to drive it to the moon) but we manage. What I do have is freedom to pursue what makes me happy. Wouldn't trade my intangibles for all the material, state-of-the-art 'stuff' in the world. You'll be surprised at how little you really need to live on. Besides, you can always go out and get a job if you think you are going to starve.

The third leg on my table is faith. I do truly believe that I will get the things I need. As Mick Jagger said...you can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.

And lastly, this is the only life you are going to get (that we know of for sure). So when your time comes and you are taking your last breaths do you want to be full of regrets?

Do it. It's OK to be afraid, but do it anyway.

E

[ellen abbott]

Oh, you want practical advice.

If I were you, I would decide where I wanted to live and start house hunting in the area. As soon as you find a place, commit yourself to it. Go home and start packing and sell what you can't or don't want to take with you. When you get in your new home start making product. Whatever that is for you. Then start marketing...can be through art fairs and shows, gift shops or galleries, interior designers and architects (for architectural work). We started out doing art shows until the commission work (which was my prime goal) started coming in. Then we quit the shows and focused on ways to increase the commission work. If you do art shows you need inventory...vanity items (ie jewelry) will sell when other stuff won't. It may take awhile for you to find your niche...the thing you like to make and will sell for you. Mostly it just takes determination. All the failed artists and craftsmen I know are the ones who quit trying just cause times got a little tough. You have to be creative in coming up with ways to generate income. Business plans are good I guess but I never had one.

E

[Rob Morey]

Kathie,
You mentioned this briefly in your email to me the other day. I know the fear as well as the excitement that you are feeling right now. It sounds like you have received a lot of good advice and you are forming a plan. If you are thinking of Arizona don’t leave out some of the more interesting places to live. Way down south is Bisbee. I hear it’s now an artist community. I was born there when it was still a copper mining town and it’s been years since I’ve been there to visit. There are a lot of neat little towns around Tucson as well. However, if I were thinking of doing what you want to do, I would look at Jerome. I always thought it was a really cool town. But like I said it’s been years since I was there too.
Ten years ago, I was in a job that I too hated and my accountant gave me a book, “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow.â€

[Martycom]

Ah-h Kathie.... you haven't tried bead making yet.

I have had the most unbelievable change in my life, at age 64 getting on a torch. I still teach glass art after almost 30 years, but the direction that bead making is taking, delights me, as I think I can actually retire.

I have a nice size studio, that is is now set up with 8 torches. Renting bench time has been the easiest source of income that I have found yet.

I still have room to paint, and to create individual stained glass commissions..... I have invited guest artists in to teach classes.
Leah Fairbanks comes out each year, and is a fabulous teacher.
She just told me that she would return in at the end of October 2004.

Check her web page.... or look through Cindy Jenkins new book, Beads of Glass for other exciting teachers.... If you know fusing, you'll know about compatability, kilns etc........ I'm passionate again, especially when I'm making money.

I'm also a firm believe that when you take charge of your life, and make the decision to move, new opportunities come your way, that you would have never thought of... And yes, be practical, but go for the dream.
My husband and I left Los Angeles in 1970 with three small children, and moved to West Marin... considered a place for hippy's.
Guess who's sitting on $$$ property, making beautiful art.... It was hard, but it sure made sense at the time.....
I liked someones quote, "Nobody said it would be easy, but worth it!"

I don't think of your letter as whining, but a plea to the Universe.... go for it!
[/i][/b]

[Kevin Midgley]

The one drag of being an artist is that you have no pension/thus can never quit working.

Why would you want to quit? This is the best- obsession, hobby, job- all rolled into one!
When I croak in the studio just put me in the kiln.....

Marty, as an artist, you never want to quit but if health fails you and you're not quite ready to be stuffed in a kiln, a pension would be nice...but you have to remember why for example teacher's pension plans are usually financially solvent because most teachers die six months after ending their careers. Other professions are presumably the same. I really don't know of a better reason to go for it than the thought that ten years of your life is only 3,000 odd days. How many days do you have left based on actuarial life expectancy tables?
Do what you enjoy. Nobody ever thanks you for working hard. I got no thanks from the divorce judge for producing glass to supply 300 stores and having a few hundred thousand in sales each year for my family. Life is to be enjoyed not worked and that is what I do now.
Kathy asked a question earlier about if you do production work of some kind whether or not it makes your life as a glass artist less exciting or interesting. The answer is to do production work to pay the bills (figure out how little money you need with that financial advisor you've been told to find) and do your art to keep your mind and creativity flowing. Right now, I don't have enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do in glass in my studio. I have all sorts of molding projects and ideas I want to explore, I am working on an art series that has technical presentation details to work out, all the regular experiments firing glass and applying colors, etc. etc.
Will I ever retire? nah, too much fun and excitement looking in the kilns the next day to see what you've got even when doing "boring?" production.
Kevin in the mildest part of the country but where real estate prices are beyond insanely high.

[Don Burt]

I'm not as confident as y'all. I see 75% of the North American middle-class trying to wind-down from the rat race over the next two decades, moving to the Sun Belt to stress-out the infrastructure and the environment. The demographics are scary, the competition from abroad will be brutal. The next generations after the boomers are going to be thrilled with our requirements for health care and assisted living. Hope they like to buy glass art too. The AARP's president is bubbling with confidence, though. In his opinion (see link) we boomers will be working diligently and distributing our vast discretionary income to keep the American way of live afloat. I dunno. If I jump-ship from the cubical world, I want to be really good at my craft, because the days of subsistence on casual craftsmanship and art are numbered.

http://www.aarp.org/Articles/a2003-01-0 ... oomer.html

[Lynne Chappell]

Well, I don't like being the only negative voice here but....

I've made sort of a living from glass for 30 years (and with no outside income as my husband is my partner in the business). So I know it's possible. There are things you do, that you do only for the money but it still beats working in an office.

My concern is that you are making these decisions as part of a "mid-life crisis". These feelings do pass and a few years from now, your viewpoint will be different. Don't go jumping off a cliff. You should be clear in your mind if you need to change your occupation OR change your location. Sometimes whatever it is that's making you miserable follows you to that nice warm sunny place. You've still got lots of time left in this life. Take it one step at a time.

[Dani]

I just read somewhere that "hope is not a strategy" and had to laugh. Geri is so right. Make a good plan and do it before you quit your day job. You can also be living more simply as Ellen mentions to save money. At least a year's income tucked away is a great psychological cushion. Have no debt, as Sara says. And think about starting your glass biz part-time as a second income. And also important - give yourself a deadline to take the plunge. But by all means, do it! My husband and I are in the process of retiring from the art glass business. He's done it for thirty years and I for fifteen and we're ready to move on to something else. We'll probably just write for a few years and then who knows? People think we're crazy for giving up the arts world having had the courage to live it. But, the truth is, you can reinvent yourself as often as you want. If this choice doesn't live up to your expectations, you really can go on to something else. And you won't end your life wondering "what if" like far too many unsatisfied souls in this world. Go for the gusto and good luck!

[charlie]

Well, I don't like being the only negative voice here but....

I've made sort of a living from glass for 30 years (and with no outside income as my husband is my partner in the business). So I know it's possible. There are things you do, that you do only for the money but it still beats working in an office.

My concern is that you are making these decisions as part of a "mid-life crisis". These feelings do pass and a few years from now, your viewpoint will be different. Don't go jumping off a cliff. You should be clear in your mind if you need to change your occupation OR change your location. Sometimes whatever it is that's making you miserable follows you to that nice warm sunny place. You've still got lots of time left in this life. Take it one step at a time.

buy a red corvette. it's cheaper in the long run.

[Amy on Salt Spring]

I think we are talking about two different things. One is the move and the other is making a living exclusively from art. I don't think either should be taken lightly but my comments about going for it have been mainly about the move. Its was worth the risk and more to come to a place where we have been so much happier. I think deciding whether you will be able to support yourself with your art work (esp. if there is not going to be another income) is something to be a bit more cautious about. Make up a business plan, look into marketing in the area you are considering, decide what constitutes a high quality of life for you (i.e. what you are willing to live without) etc. I do believe, as Dr. Phil says, that the game of life cannot be played with sweaty palms--but I think the combination of being smart and informed and then taking risks is a good one.
Amy

[Kathie Karancz]

Hi everyone: Well the weekend has gone by and as you probably know my mind has been going around and around trying to think this out. One of the things that I keep hearing from everybody is that I should just up and do it. Remember, I live in Canada and have no green card. I would love to just up and do it, but how do I make money??? Does anyone know if I can buy an existing glass business without a green card??? Could I survive with working for cash?? I know the US laws allows me to buy property in the States but they won't let me make any money without the green card. Or.... do I try and have enough to buy a place with no debt and just try and survive on my glass??? Do I buy a place now, continue working here and then at some time, get in my car to never come back??? It is both things: I don't want to work for another 10 years in the Oil business and I get very sad when I think that one day I may be taking my final breath in the same place I was born in without having taken any risks. THAT depresses me.... Am I getting far too sappy??? sorry....
k