Sunday, September 4, 2016

Time Precious Time

I used to 'play' in my studio, the light heartedness implied by the term play was intentional, I didn't want to get too serious for fear of chasing the muses away.
As children we weren't allow to play until our chores were done, a practice that taught us a deeply engrained work ethic and a very practical bent, the unfortunate consequence was that that word 'play' became a deterrent.
It took me years to figure out why I felt like I had to do everything else first before I could focus on my art, that darn word....
It's amazing what a difference specific language can  make. I've long called my art my work, but the process was different, or was it? After all the process is important to me, that's what I derive joy from.
Each painting is an experiment, a learning opportunity, a chance to push the medium a bit further, and the wielder of the medium too.
Calling the process 'work' gives it the respect that it deserves, and helps me to carve time from an overloaded schedule every day.
It's the all too common lament I hear from artists, there is paper work to do, marketing, networking, schlepping your work hither and yon, applications to fill out classes to prep/teach etc etc etc. Then of course there's family and house hold stuff...ARGH!
My solution? It's a job. I have to show up 5 days a week. I have a calendar hanging on the studio door that I check off every day that I work, even if it's only for a short time.
Some days all I can punch in for is a few minutes, but it's amazing what you can do if you consistently day after day work 15 minutes here and there.
As you have guessed, I don't wait for inspiration. Inspiration comes from the work, a lesson learned from Chuck Close who famously said "inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work"
Do you find it hard to find time for your art? What solutions work for you? Share share, we all need ways to create more time!


Elgin County, Mapleton, maple, country road
The Hill on Mapleton Line, Glazed Acrylic Robin Baratta, 16x20, juried into STEPAC In View Of The Artist Show.

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