On being a ditch digger: time and discipline
Last year I read an artist* who said he approached his studio time as if he was a ditch digger: rain or shine, well or ill, he went to work. A ditch digger doesn't have the luxury of staying home with a sore throat. If you're tired, you go to work. That idea rings in my head each day and is part of why I get myself to my studio regardless of everything else.
Art, like much of life, is about showing up, doing something and following through. By painting every day I train my hand, my eye, my brain to get better and better. I try things. I push at the limits of my skills every single day.
My greatest fear in returning to painting full-time was discipline. I was afraid that if I was left to my own devices I'd read novels all day. Nope. Turns out I transferred my passion for environmental and political work to this work. I'm in my studio by 7:30 or 8 every day. I paint all day.
*I wish I could remember where I read this - if you know, please let me know.
Art, like much of life, is about showing up, doing something and following through. By painting every day I train my hand, my eye, my brain to get better and better. I try things. I push at the limits of my skills every single day.
My greatest fear in returning to painting full-time was discipline. I was afraid that if I was left to my own devices I'd read novels all day. Nope. Turns out I transferred my passion for environmental and political work to this work. I'm in my studio by 7:30 or 8 every day. I paint all day.
*I wish I could remember where I read this - if you know, please let me know.
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