I’m sitting in my studio today between projects and I thought I would write a little about where I’m at now and my process. I’ve also been really bad about doing blog posts and am trying to rectify that. And…I’ve been missing writing, so I’m trying to get back into that a bit as well.
I’ve just finished two small pieces. One that I’m proud of, and one that I think is OK, but definitely want to improve on. They are both studies for larger pieces. I’ve recently been using smaller studies to explore concepts and practice with objects that I’m not familiar with before moving on to larger pieces. I’ve been feeling a bit cautious with my work lately, as I’ve produced a few duds and mediocre pieces of late and I’m trying to turn that around. Not all ideas translate into something interesting, experience has taught me, so I’m more prone to experiment before I move onto painting something bigger.
I’ve had some fear I have’t been dealing with. A little fear isn’t always a bad think when creating, I do my best work when I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone. It’s the doubts I’ve been wrestling with for a while now that are getting me down; feeling inadequate as an artist and wondering if I should continue painting, are my ideas good enough, am I making worthwhile or compelling pieces, should I step back for a while? The creative process isn’t always smooth!
Also, I think there’s a constant push in the art world to be innovative and come up with the next new thing. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of becoming the next big art star. Sure being successful and selling your work is great, but is that always the best goal? Am I following my bliss or just trying to please other people? I think about this a lot. I get caught up in the idea of success and selling lots of work and making pieces that are going to satisfy “the market”. There’s a constant push and pull between that and just doing what makes me happy. Sometimes I need to take a step back and gain some perspective. I want to make art that I’m satisfied with and pleases me. In short, I need to apply one of the most important lessons in life, stop caring about what other people think!