By the way, it's not a conceptual project, it's an act of commerce.

I spent yesterday in the studio and I will spend today there too. I worked on some drawings and uploaded some work to Smaller Works. It's not a very original name, but it's functional. I had another name, but it was too twee and 90% of the population would have loved it. Plus, I like the idea of 'works' being a verb. You know, like, "Smaller Works hard for a living," or "Smaller Works so you don't have to," or "Smaller Works to help Mary Addison Hackett participate in the global economy." That kind of thing.

I tweaked some links on my website contact page, managed to come up with at least 3 more things I'd like to do in order to expand my artmaking and financial empire, and right before bed, I eliminated my rationale for making the work that I do, in the sidebar on the Smaller Works page. Then I showed Matt the site. The first thing he did was laugh and asked why everything I did had to be conceptual art. I think the Grab Bag image was what triggered his response. I laughed too, because it's true, even though I didn't intend for the store to be an art project. It's just how I put things together. There always seems to be a loose thread that reveals something slightly irreverent and inherent. Making things too serious or uniform is not my strength. I know this about myself. When everything I do has the consistency of being inconsistent or slightly off, I'm confident and good to go.

I'm scheduled to teach a drawing class in February and I'm in the process of putting two portfolios together, design and illustration, because I sense that when someone needs some design work, hiring a painterly abstract painter is not the first thing that comes to mind and I figure I may as well be open to those possibilities as well. So yes, this is an open call to hire me now.