Last week, I shared part of my story on how I became a professional artist.
Here is “the rest of the story.”
Instead of just calling it, “Part 2,” I want to title this post according to the main problem I faced, which at the time was not having enough money for rent. I hope that my experience can encourage you, too, if you are going through a rough time right now.
The sketch shown above is a quick drawing I did that reminds me of Job–that man in the Bible who suffered probably like no one else on this earth ever did, except maybe Jesus and the apostle Paul. Great story of going through a trial and coming out on top! I encourage you to read it sometime.
My story was nothing like that, but I sure felt like Job when I was going through it. Maybe you have, too.
After my sales/service job was downsized during the great recession of 2008, I had made the choice to go into doing artwork full time. At first things were great. Several people in my church asked me to do portraits for them and business was rolling along. And then…
My commissions ran out around September of 2009. It didn’t take long to fall behind on bills. We were almost two months behind on rent. Things were not looking good. I thought, “maybe I need to scrap this whole artist thing and get a real job.”
However, my wife advised: “You need to do what God has called you to do. We need to fast and pray.”
“How long?” I asked. I didn’t like fasting.
“However long it takes!”
“Victory in Surrender” 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, by Matt Philleo.
The next day at church, someone came up to me and said, “Matt, I’d like to commission you to do some art for me. I don’t even know what of yet, but here is a check.”
That down deposit took care of part of it, and then my brother in law, knowing my situation, decided to give me a gift for the rest of the rent. And we had it! God was faithful!
I’d like to say my faith was rock-solid since then. But I’ve had a few lapses.
Even though I was concentrating on art, I took up a couple side jobs to fill in the gaps between commissions.
My most recent job was working at a local recycling center–dirty, dangerous, and hazardous work. We would process aluminum cans, chop up pieces of brass from faucets, dismantle things that really aren’t meant to be dismantled, to extract the valuable metals from them. With the machinery we used, once false move at any time could be fatal.
I worked there for about a year and a half. My employers liked my work and treated me well. But one day, around Christmas, the thought occurred to me, “What are you doing here?
In the meantime one of my co-workers had a severe accident and lost part of his finger. That made me think! I had several commissions lining up that I didn’t have enough time to complete because of this side job. I prayed, and I figured it was time to move on.
That was two years ago.
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