"Ready to Rumble"Oil on Panel
16x20"
2008
Man, what did I say the other day to scare everyone away!?! Hehe...
This is turning out to be a crazy busy month on the art front, and I've been feeling a little bit frazzled trying to keep up with the business side of things. Couple that with the fact that I painted two scrapers in the past five days, and I wasn't a happy camper at the end of today's painting session. So, I did what I do when I'm frazzled and cranky and went outside for a run.
While I was running, I started to think about how much it sucks to spend a whole day painting and have it be for nothing. Then, of course, the sun came out and I was reminded that success is having the strength to see the promise in our failures. If nothing I painted ever ended up in the trash bin, I wouldn't be learning or growing. Therefore, I need to view weeks like this as a gift, because my work will be better as the result of the struggle.
I learned how to ski in college, and I'm a bit timid and like to ski nice, safe blue runs. I never, EVER fall, because I like to stay in my comfort zone. Nate reminds me every time we hit the slopes that, "If you're not falling, you're not learning." Drives me insane, but I guess he's right.
Hey Stacey- Introspection and reviewing failures is OK as long as it leads to learning and moving forward. The "pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again" theme is what I live by too. As long as our goals are aimed at improvement how we get there doesn't really matter much.
ReplyDeleteThink of it this way if you didn't get frazzled and cranky you never would have gone for a run!
Keep up the good work and keep posting, we are out here. Probably just a little frazzled like you.
Thanks Peter - you're right, I would have kept painting and never gotten outside to enjoy the beautiful weather if I hadn't had a bad day in the studio!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, as for your previous post, you did not chase anyone away. Me, I have been busy with a workshop, and I painted a few scrappers, as demos. No big deal. I painted some good ones too. I am used to the fact that you won't always get a great painting every time. You just have to be good enough to realize the difference and cull out the weak ones.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I love this painting...
ReplyDelete