Good ole' Mr. Winston Churchill's infamous words of dogged determination and pure will should be written on every person's brain.......Never, Never, Never Quit. Every once in a while we get those "what in the heck am I doing here" kinds of revelations and then, we start to doubt every choice we have ever made in our lives up until that moment. As an artist, I think about my past life and profession and often catch myself wondering why I traded the security of a paycheck, the instant gratification of knowing I was doing a great job and that I was adding to the greater good for something so abstract and uncertain as art? I always get in this contemplative mood and then I force myself to write out the pros and cons (or simply drag out the paper from the last time) to remind myself of why being an artist rocks the universe. It does you know, Rock the universe. I get to create everyday (well if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing), I have the freedom to be inspired by the world around me and have the opportunity to have my finger on the pulse of what makes others so special each time I walk into a classroom. I get to dream in technicolor and burn stuff in my studio (always a perk). More so, I get to do something that fills me up rather than sucks me dry. The weird thing is, doing the thing that challenges me and fills me up, often is the harder thing to do.... doing something that is drudgery and boring day in and day out becomes easy and well, comfortable sometimes and human nature is as such, that we will always tend to go the path of least Resistance. To do the hard stuff, to go out on a limb and leap hoping that your wings are strong enough to lift up that spare tire around your waist takes courage. The days when you wake up and wonder why it is you chose to earn a living creating and start to doubt if it is really worth it, that is when Mr. Churchill comes ringing in your ears. You know you want to create, it makes you happy to see a job through to it's completion, you delight in exploring a new medium and watching others admire your handiwork. You enjoy the interaction between the thoughts in your head and the collage forming on the paper or the image behind the lens. You know that handmade will win over store bought any day (unless it is a new Xbox for your husband because he got the red ring on death and can't play Xbox anymore...then storebought is the way to go, my cardboard version just doesn't cut it even though, it is the thought that counts right?) When you figure out what it is that brings you joy and happiness (this could be anything folks, not just art.... it could be a marriage, a friend, a calling, a deep seeded desire to do something amazing, a dream....any of these things that truly are difficult things), it is you duty to give it everything- throw everything in and hold nothing back and to never, never, never quit. I am reminded of an amazing poem by Rudyard Kipling (one that every person must have a forced fun activity in memorizing) called IF. Rather than printing the whole thing out, just click the link......
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