From The Archive: "Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking"
(Originally published 9/17/2007.)
Finally after years of false starts and procrastination, I was finally able to finish Art & Fear Sunday afternoon. It's a really short book and an extremely easy read. I'm glad I finally sat down and took the time to read it cover to cover.
Finally after years of false starts and procrastination, I was finally able to finish Art & Fear Sunday afternoon. It's a really short book and an extremely easy read. I'm glad I finally sat down and took the time to read it cover to cover.
It hasn't all soaked in yet, but here is one of my favorite quotes from the book:
The hardest part of artmaking is living your life in such a way that your work gets done, over and over - and that means, among other things, finding a host of practices that are just plain useful. A piece of art is the surface expression of a life lived within productive patterns. Over time, the life of a productive artist becomes filled with useful conventions and practical methods, so that a string of finished pieces continues to appear at the surface. (pg.61-62)
From my experience, never a truer word has ever been spoken. Unfortunately for me, I am in desperate need of more "productive patterns". Any ideas on where I can buy some of those? Ebay perhaps?
What I enjoyed most about the book is it's gentle "get on with it" attitude. Again, this is probably due to my midwestern work ethic, but I have always believed in putting in the time. If you stand in front of a blank canvas long enough you'll either get bored to death or eventually you'll just make a mark, any mark...ands then the next mark, and then the one after that. Plain ands simple, the best way to start making good art is just to make art--and alot of it!
So....get on with it.
BIG Love,
-Kesha★
-Kesha★
Wow, it's so funny that you just posted about this book because I did, too! I really like Art & Fear because it gets to the heart of so many issues that artists face. I found reading it very inpsiring and energizing. In my review I said it's like a shot of espresso for your art career. And I agree, if only more productive patterns could be purchased on eBay. After all, they do sell just about everything else!
ReplyDeleteKesha...The productive pattern bit...Wondering if you have any insight? For example, last year I spent the whole year learning Ferrocement in order to make a giant outdoor worthy sculpture of a Trumpeter swan...It was installed at the beginning of summer this year at someone's country home, on a rock, by a pond...It got alot of attention, & someone up in that country area asked if I could make her one too...One too? Ugh...I didn't want to make Another one...I mean, it was hard, it was tiring, & the reward at the finish would just be the same thing...No joy in the accomplishment of something unique...So I declined...I am, of course, a moron...This year I designed a really cool wall dragonfly sculpture in steel rods & nylon line woven...At the end of summer, it was done...My husband said I should do another one...Or maybe a butterfly...Another one? Is it really the role of the artist to produce multiples??? I guess that is what I get from the productive pattern advice...learn some skills, then repeat them for profit...Is it that I am old now & things are getting too easy because I have all those skills now? I mean, I know if I do a multiple of something I will definitely make money...I feel so calculating...Or is it that failure is just so much easier to live by? Sari
ReplyDeleteSari...I agree with you...my problem is I get all excited about a new medium and do some work in it...but then...I get bored with it and want to move on..and everything I read written by artists who are successful is to find one or two mediums that you are really interested in and practice and make work in those areas and you will be an expert and your work will be recognized. Apparently one is not supposed to have too wide a range of interests or..as one artist who considers himself and his wife to be very successful, and they are...you will be thought of as "flaky." So I find myself trying to stick to just 2 or 3 areas I am interested in and work in those. But then I get bored and stop working all together. Kesha..this is my first time on your site and I am impressed with all the interests you have listed above!!! Such a variety!! That encourages me to go for what I am passionate about, even if I do go off on some tangent that has nothing to do with my main works! Chris
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous...(Chris), thank you...It is just nice to hear someone else saying this too...I'd love a link to your site or blog...Please stick one in here, or send me an email at grove@sent.com ... Thanks Kesha too...
ReplyDeleteGreat comments everyone! I definitely have a lot to say in response. So much so, that it deserves a blog post of it's own. Stay tuned...
ReplyDelete