Thoughts on Art

I admit that I don't have a lot to blog about at the moment other than my art. I am fairly taken up with that and don't have a lot of creative energy left for other thoughts at the moment. But I've been thinking about art a great deal more than usual and I'm getting over some hang ups.

 One of the reasons that it took me this long to get to painting was that I felt that I wasn't really good enough at it to warrant spending much time on it. That is what you might call stinking thinking. By limiting myself because of what I thought my ability level was I was keeping myself down. How else is one to get better at something except through practice. After all I'm sure Van Gogh didn't just start out by producing famous masterpieces. He was doing what he loved to do and people saw something in it that they appreciated and the fame grew from that as a result.

 Now I know that not every artist is destined for fame, but that needs to be distinguished from greatness. Not all greatness is recognized and turned into fame. There may be many great people who are never known beyond their own circle of influence. Some of us will have the fortune (or misfortune ;P) to have our works and names recognized by many more than those who know us personally. That in no way means that we are better than someone who may not yet be recognized!

 And so I want to encourage all of you who read this to do something that you love now, while you have the time before you, and not look back wishing you had done more of what you love. A friend recently posted an article on Facebook that talked about palliative care and the top five things that people in that circumstance almost always regret. While I don't remember the specifics, it made me think. I know that If I came to the end of my life and had not painted, I would regret never expressing that side of my creativity. And at the same time I think it's an important lesson for my children, that they see someone nourishing themselves creatively, taking time to learn a new skill and risking being vulnerable by exposing my works for public consumption. So take a chance, step outside of yourself, and do something you've always wanted to do, even if you feel like you're no good at it, you'll never get any better unless you try.