This month I find myself revisited by certain thoughts, over and over again.
“Each project teaches something new.” This line can be reassuring and also intimidating. When I find myself ignorant of any aspect of a project, I remind myself that each mural presents different problems to solve, guaranteed. There’s no way you can be prepared for everything life throws at you. Deal with it all as best you can, use your innate skills to solve whatever problems come your way, and remember for the future. Have faith that, if nothing else, you will learn something. It also means that no matter how many murals I do, no matter how many situations I’m prepared to deal with, there will always be a new and surprising challenge waiting somewhere in the future. Scary? Maybe a little. But definitely exciting.
“You reap what you sow.”A simple straightforward decorative mural, done well, is a satisfying accomplishment. But a community mural installation that increases tourism and bolsters the economy is even better. One of them takes a little more effort, time and energy then the other and sometimes it may seem like the end will never be in sight. But if you let yourself get scared off by the big ones, if you never give yourself the opportunity to prove that you can handle it, you’ll never enjoy the accomplishment and the rewards that come with tackling an ambitious project and seeing it through to success. Personally, I like a good mix of simple and ambitious. I love to concoct big convoluted projects like ToH, and the straightforward portrait or observational drawing is a wonderful refreshing break now and then.
“If only I would just sit down and paint.” Ah, procrastination. I have an ungodly amount of painting to do in the next month. But lately it seems that the amount of work piling up in the studio inspires the same level of procrastination. Are there any other painters out there feeling the same thing? How do you get yourself into the studio on those days where even the vaccuumm is more enticing then a paintbrush? Regardless of the fact that painting is usually the very best thing for my own personal well being, sometimes I just can’t do it. The life of a creative professional!
On that note, I’d better get back to work!
Vacuuming is such a nuisance — I’d rather be writing! But, too often, Facebook entices me to procrastinate. Happy painting.
There are plenty of distractions aren’t there! Most creative people I know aren’t very good at creating a routine or schedule. Maybe that’s part of the nature of creativity, being fluid and spontaneous, giving inspiration free reign! Or… maybe it’s just me.