Rediscovering your inner artist
March 8, 2011
Dear Lawrence,
Yesterday, Darryl Daniels of Montgomery, AL wrote, "I lost my 'inner artist' over a period of years when I was taking care of my grandparents, trying to run a business and dealing with the challenges of marriage, etc. I stopped thinking about art and was knocked off course. While I now have art magazines, books and other forms of stimulation, I can't begin again and I have persistent feelings of failure. When I think about what I have not done, the work ahead seems like an overwhelming mountain. How does one recover from this condition?"
Thanks, Darryl. I'm willing to bet that every artist in the history of art has suffered from your condition. Some suffer for months or years, others weekly, others several times a day. I'm suffering from it right this minute, but there's a good chance I'll be back to work as soon as I get this letter written.
Generally speaking, books, magazines and other stimuli don't work. You have to steel yourself up and get yourself busy. It's the work itself that rocks the mountain. If there ever was such a thing as an "inner artist," it's something like a pile of loose bricks that you have to form into a small monument every day. This is the simple difference between dreamers and doers. I call it the "worker's edge."
A goodly part of the worker's edge is the knowledge and understanding that your personal creative processes are their own reward. Painting, for example, can be a parade of minor defeats and failures, but nevertheless the personal and individual working process is more positive than negative. Up here in Canada we call it "beavering away." Beavering can start at any time, even with old beavers. Our national animal serves us well. Beavers pay little attention to the overweening mountain. Simple accumulation changes the course of rivers.
What happened to your inner artist? Your inner artist has just been temporarily out of action. Your basic human instinct to invent, create and build is still just below the surface. To flourish, you need to exercise. Ready or not, you need to start. The philosopher Lao-Tzu (604 BC--531 BC) said it some time ago: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Best regards,
Robert
PS: "Just keep going--no feeling is final." (Rainer Maria Rilke)
Esoterica: Failure is a basic ingredient of success. Simply accept the notion that failures are the stepping stones to your greater self-realization. Looking at art magazines will only show you how imaginative others are, and how well some of them are doing. The time to look at magazines is after a busy day in your workplace. You need to know your inner artist will come to life only when you start. Now is as good a time as any. "Boldness has genius, power and magic. Engage, and the mind grows heated. Begin, and the work will be completed." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Current clickback: Thoughts on projection gives a variety of workable ideas and methods for creating large scale works such as murals. Your further input will be valued.
Read this letter online and give Darryl some further ideas on accessing his long lost inner artist. Live comments are welcome. Direct, illustratable comments can be made at rgenn@saraphina.com.
Every day our Premium Listings are visited by thousands. If you have quality work you think the world should see, please check us out. While our listings are mini-websites in themselves, we are particularly good at sending volumes of visitors to websites you may already have. Our service costs $100 per year and we do all the set up. Please drop me a note at rgenn@saraphina.com if you are thinking about it.
The Workshop Calendar: A selection of workshops and seminars laid out in chronological order that will stimulate, teach, mentor, take you to foreign lands or just down the street. Many of these workshops are recommended by Robert and friends. Incidentally, if you are planning a workshop and you have photos of happy people working, send them to us and we'll select ones to include in the workshops feature at no extra charge on our clickback pages.
Painter's Post: Every day there is new material going into this feature. This online arts aggregator has links to art info, ideas, inspiration and all kinds of creative fun.
If a friend is trying to subscribe to the Twice-Weekly Letter via Constant Contact, please let them know that as well as subscribing they must confirm their subscription.
You can also follow Robert's valuable insights and see further feedback on Facebook and Twitter.
Darryl Daniels is at dardango@gmail.com
Featured Responses: Alternative to the instant Live Comments, Featured Responses are illustrated and edited for content. If you would like to submit your own for possible inclusion, please do so. Just click 'reply' on this letter or write to rgenn@saraphina.com. |
|
|
|
|
Yes, please go ahead and forward this letter to a friend. This does not mean that they will automatically be subscribed to the Twice-Weekly Letter. They have to do it voluntarily and can find out about it by going to The Painter's Keys website.
|
Subscribe Free!
Your name and email
address will be kept safe. | To Unsubscribe or Change Your Email Address, please click Safe Unsubscribe and Update Profile/Email Address links found at the bottom of this email. |
|
(c) Copyright 2011 Robert Genn. If you wish to copy this material to other publications or mail lists, please ask for permission by writing rgenn@saraphina.com. Thanks for your friendship. |
|
|
|
