Sometimes being an artist is overwhelming, frustrating and
lonely. If I think about my art practice
as an entire career, beginning to end, I am stifled by fears like “What if I don’t make good art?” “What if others don’t like what I
DO make?” “What if I am remembered for
not making good art” or more sadly, “What if my work is not remembered at all?”
These questions and many more lead me to a dead end – better questions are “What do I want to say through my art?" “What
is important enough to me to create?" And, “What can I create here – and today, that satisfactorily
answers these questions?" Of course the process is more complex and the journey more unsettling than these questions indicate.
Living in the moment and making art of the moment I am in – seems to be the path for me to take. I am not in charge of how people
react to or judge what I create. I can only authentically create what I am capable of – here and
now, and let others respond. For me, the joy is in the creation.
Hi Cathy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty...it's a balm to my artist's soul. Being an artist is not an easy path and I believe it chooses us not the other way around. I completely agree with you that the greatest satisfaction is to create art from the moment where you live and put aside all of the other concerns. In my experience that satisfaction outstrips everything I experience in the careers I have pursued and makes all of the difficulties worthwhile. - Jill Joy