Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.~ Julia Child I recently ran across a couple of articles talking about finding your work fascinating. That one talks more about the thought processes we can work through to find anything interesting (the example given is digging a hole). Fortunately, we have a lot of […]
Take advantage of today
I know that I shall not live very long. But I wonder, is that sad? Is a celebration more beautiful because it lasts longer? And my life is a celebration, a short, intense celebration.~ Paula Modersohn-Becker How suddenly life can take from us all the things we took for granted. Whatever the reason, much can […]
Feed the Soul or the Belly?
The great malady of the twentieth century, implicated in all of our troubles and affecting us individually and socially is ‘loss of soul.’ When soul is neglected, it doesn’t just go away; it appears symptomatically in obsessions, addictions, violence and loss of meaning.~ Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul I recently read through a conversation […]
Experiencing the World Through Art
A lot of people think we are creatures of habit but we’re not. We are creatures of environment.~ Roger Hamilton These aren’t my words, but the sentiment is perfect and I just had to share! I’ve always painted for myself. Using art as a reason to get out into the world and fully experience it […]
Learning from experiences
Nothing we do is better than the work of handmind. When mind uses itself without the hands it runs the circle and may go too fast; even speech using the voice only may go too fast. The hand that shapes the mind into clay or written word slows thought to the gait of things and […]
Are you exploring?
People who have art in their life are never bored … This spring, often in isolation, folks all over the world created art, shared art, learned about art and just plain looked upon art with awe.~ Tina Manzer I recently read this article about the importance of exploring. The author is also an artist. He […]
Winging it
Your life is not supposed to be a replica; it’s an original.~ Jason Zook To be completely honest, I’m basically winging my life. Sure, I have a few over-arching goals that I want to achieve and there are certainly projects that I want to complete. There are recurring tasks (daily, weekly, etc) that I have […]
Keep on keeping on
At the end, someone or something always gives up. It is either you give up and quit or the obstacle or failure gives up and makes way for your success to come through.~ Idowu Koyenikan In the last couple of emails I have mentioned working with a variety of materials and experimenting with new techniques. […]
Keep your fire burning
Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire. ~ William Butler Yeats In last week’s email I mentioned how glad I am that there will always be more to learn when it comes to my art. This week I stumbled across this passage about the same concept and thought it worth sharing: You […]
A Lifetime of Art
Being a father is not an 18-year job. Done right, it’s a lifetime relationship, and it can be really wonderful.~ Paul Byerly While the quote above is about parenting, I think it also applies to one’s pursuit of their art. One of the things that I love about being an artist is that I will […]