Art isn’t necessarily about money. But it is a lot easier to devote the time to developing your craft when you don’t have to work a full time job at the same time. Think of the money you earn from art as liberating you to pursue what you love. A career can cascade; as you earn the money to support yourself, you can spend more time developing skill and a reputation as an artist. You should build a portfolio of your own work and then do everything you can so that other people find and purchase it. Today that is normally done online. Post your work on social media and build a website that features your best images. If you want to be old fashioned, find a coffee shop that looks like it needs some extra decoration. Bring your portfolio and show the owner your work. Ask if she would be willing to put it on display and refer interested customers to you. She will get a better the ambience out of the deal and you will get to advertise your work. Subscribe to local art papers and be aware of art shows, festivals, or seminars. When you attend events, be yourself and be sociable. Try to meet people who could connect you to clients or galleries where you can sell you work.  Perfect an elevator speech. The principle of the elevator speech is that you can give it to someone on a short elevator ride and by the end they be interested in exchanging information with you. In a few sentences you should be able to tell someone what makes your work interesting. If it doesn’t seem to work, keep on revising it until you find something that grabs people. Bring a lot of business cards so that when you meet people who are interested in you work, you can easily share your contact information. Include a website that features your work on the business card. Keep track of all of the business cards you receive and set up appointments to meet with people after the event. Become known in your art community as a supportive person with a genuine interest in the progress of your fellow artists. When you make comments, be constructive, not destructive. Help people to learn through guidance and constructive feedback. Use this community to get feedback on your work and meet potential clients.  Don’t be jealous of other people. If you develop a reputation of helping out other artists, they, in turn, will help you.  Consider forming a collective to pool your resources. You can rent out a space to display your art or even share the expenses of a studio collectively. In the end, you won’t just be saving money, you’ll be introducing one another to new customers. Ultimately, most artists don’t make ends meet by doing just one thing. They have multiple sources of revenue so that when one disappears, backup jobs are still on the table. Sell works online, put others in galleries, look for public art contracts, apply for grants, and teach. Not only is this a good way to make ends meet, you’ll also learn about what the most lucrative business models are.

Summary: Consider the value of a career. Advertise. Network. Join a community of artists. Hustle.


The most important factor in relactation is physical stimulation. If your baby is willing to latch onto your breast and suck for at least two or three minutes, commit to nursing every two hours. If possible, keep your baby at your breast for 20 to 30 minutes each time.  Offer the breast as a pacifier before your milk comes in. The sucking motion can help stimulate your supply, so as long as your baby is willing, treating your breast as a pacifier can help speed the process along. Offer the breast before, after, and in between formula feedings, too. Do this regardless of how much formula your baby drinks. Switch sides. Offer your baby both breasts in equal intervals and for equal periods of time. Doing so stimulates equal milk production in both breasts and can prevent possible health problems. You will probably need to stimulate milk production with a fully automatic electric pump kit, especially if your baby is initially unwilling to latch on.  Double pumps are better than pumps that only work on one breast at a time. Since good electric pumps can be expensive, many mothers opt to rent them. Talk to a hospital, doctor, or lactation consultant about safe, trustworthy breast pump rental options available to you. Double pump eight times a day. Each session should last 10 to 15 minutes, no matter how much you are able to produce in that amount of time. Any stimulation is better than none. Drink plenty of water and get plenty of sleep throughout the entire process. Doing so will keep you healthy and will improve your chances of success.  You need to be fully hydrated if you want to produce sufficient breastmilk. Try to drink eight to ten 8-oz (250-ml) glasses of water daily. Sleep as much as possible and rest when sleep isn't possible. Your body will be less able to make the adjustments it needs to make if you are tired and running on empty. Fenugreek belongs to a class of supplements known as galactagogues. Taking fenugreek on a regular basis is a safe, natural way to stimulate milk production. Among milk-stimulating supplements, it also has the highest rate of success.  Fenugreek stimulates your sweat glands. The breast is actually a modified sweat gland, which is part of the reason why fenugreek is believed to be effective. Take two or three 500 mg fenugreek capsules up to three times daily. Most mothers see a notable increase in milk production within 24 to 72 hours of first use. Fenugreek tea is not as strong as pill supplements are and tends to be less effective. If galactagogue supplements aren't strong enough, you can talk to your doctor about taking a prescription galactagogue medication like reglan or domperidone.  Domperidone has fewer side effects and is available in many countries, including Canada and Australia, but it is not available in the United States. If you are able to get a prescription for domperidone, you will need to take 10 mg three times a day. After taking it for a few weeks, this amount will be increased to 20 mg four times a day. Reglan should be taken three times a day in 10 mg doses. You'll need to decrease the dose gradually to avoid a dramatic drop in milk production. You should also note that taking it for four or more weeks can trigger or worse depression.

Summary: Nurse your baby every two hours. Rent or buy an electric pump. Take care of yourself. Use fenugreek. Try galactagogue medication.


If you sleep with unkempt hair, it will only become worse and more entangled in the morning. Simply run a comb or brush through your hair to reduce knots and tangles. If you take nighttime showers, it is a good idea to wait until your hair dries before hitting the pillow. You can either blow dry your hair, or wait for it to air dry. This will prevent you forming a crazy bed head look that is hard to manage the next morning. This will keep your hair from forming any cowlicks and give you nice, even waves for a casually-messy-but-polished look. Be sure to wear your braid and hair tie loose so you don't damage your hair. If you loosely tie your hair in a bun with a soft scrunchy, you can avoid any tangles or hair messes the next morning. As soon as you wake up, release your hair and you will be left with an effortlessly chic look. Using a silk or satin pillowcase reduces some of the friction between your pillow and hair. This can help you prevent bed head and damage to your hair.
Summary: Brush your hair before you sleep. Dry your hair before sleeping. Sleep in a braid. Try wearing a bun to bed. Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase.