Artist dedicated to art vs mother of two
Ever had
the feeling that your feet are never going to stop stamping out of
frustration?
Read on: this is my way letting off a little steam.
I'm a Mum. I'm an artist.
Both are driven by the heart, demand loads of love, energy, understanding and
devotion.
Are they compatible? Absolutely.
Are they rivals? Absolutely.
Both careers require time in bucket loads and are not 9 to 5 jobs. (Ironically, no
matter how hard one tries 24 hours is the absolute max you can get out of 1
day!)
Both require huge amounts of flexibility (which eats up on the others
time!) and both are rivals on the depletion of inner energy levels.
Who ends up winning?
Well at the moment my mother instinct has the upper hand (I am very glad to
say!) so where does this leave my art?
Gathering dust?
Hiding under piles of work?
On hold until tomorrow?
Waiting for the children to grow up?
NO, no no! (thank goodness!)
Having to surrender, now and then, some of my art's needed time, flexibility
and inner energy leaves me with a determination and drive, when I
am working, that I have never given it before.
The determination to succeed and become the best artist I can, despite the
unpredictability of motherhood, seems to be actually fueled and not hindered by
this rivalry between being a Mum and an artist.
It really has made me so much more determined and wanting to tackle bigger
challenges.
So, back up to the studio: Xmas orders are coming in fast and so is the common
cold!
Ciao ciao.
Quality Time, new drawing of father and child
Quality Time
Finished, proud and relieved.
Gentle Tom was not a one off , Quality Time is the follow up to working out of my comfort zone.
This latest drawing is a little piece I have done on the side...I felt I had done really well with the commission work and allowed myself a little treat.
Quality Time is the result. It has taken 10 days to complete and roughly 50 hours and a whole load of ups and downs. (Must admit that at one point it was steely determination that kept me going...!)
At the end of the day, there must have been more ups because I can't wait to get cracking on my next project.
What is art?
What is art? The question is huge.
Will answering this help me be more creative?
Will having answered this challenge me, make me grow?
Will giving an answer help me sell my art?
Yes on all counts.
Why? Quite simply because an answer will demand thought and careful thought at that. This will ultimately lead to having a good look out of the box , more knowledge,a better understanding of a vast subject and an increase in confidence.
The great thing is that the answer just like the subject of art can be as subjective and personal as one likes.
Art, is something that comes straight from the heart.
It is something which comes alive without boundaries. Making it unlimited.
Art is something that takes your mind places, your heart places.
In
my case it has been a steady discovery of myself, a wonderful way of
facing fear and dealing with life. A reason for stepping up to reality.
Art is the reward for patience, deep emotion and gritty determination.
Art causes the viewer to react, to feel, to think.
It
connects with the viewer and becomes something that you (the viewer)
cannot take your eyes off.
Something that stays anchored in ones memory.
Great art stirs thought and something very deep within.
(Interestingly enough The Fine art studio Newsletter's issue # 105 guest author Keith Bond covers this point in his good article "Art is language".....this is when I like to think that great minds think alike!)
There is something so intangible that makes art special and really, at the end of the day, it boils down to what we like as individuals.
Have
I come any closer to answering the question of what art is of what makes art art?
Maybe not. One thing for sure is that I have been pondering about
the answer for days now.
Tried to keep focusing on making some kind of sense of the
ramifications the question has led to.
As I mentioned in the beginning , the nice thing is that there is
no wrong answer and I feel as though have dotted my I' and crossed my
T's...!
Back to the drawing board to let loose of some of that gritty determination...
Ciao ciao
