For the past few months I have been operating in panic mode without being conscious of the motivation. I know it had something to do with two conflicting events that set up the fear and kept me out of the studio. I lost confidence in my direction at the same time I panicked about repeating recent successes. I explored new/old directions and visited galleries and art fairs and looked at a lot of art that seemed in demand but wasn't the art that I resonate with. I dug out old books, bought a new book, and wanted to be an itinerant Russian painter working along side Isaak Levitan.
I eventually found my way back to a clear understanding of what I want to say as an artist, but it was a summer-long struggle that included doing the Dave Ramsey thing, experimenting with marble dust and pigment in a series I had abandoned years ago, several long afternoons in the back garden with a glass of red wine, growing my own tomatoes, and writing that got me back to the real business of art.
I began writing the second edition of my book Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist, the business plan (not just) for the mature artist as much for myself as for others. In the process, I rediscovered my voice, my courage and my passion. I have received tremendous support from others in the art industry, for which I am immensely grateful, and my excitement for this project has been steadily growing. In the process of building the Resources Section I came across a wealth of new sites that are too good not to share with you now. They might provide the jump start you need to get back into creating your art.
This is a teriffic post from KISSmetrics, titled True Colors Infographic - Breakdown of Color Preferences by Gender.
Following that, I linked up to the sources sited in the True Colors article and found these sites:
Color Matters - Everything about color - from color expert Jill Morton - fantastic resource.
Color Survey Results, from xkcd The blag of the webcomic, which is hilarious but definitely R rated so don't read it at work.
Which led me to Doghouse Diaries Monday Wednesday Friday. Thank you Ray, Raf and Will for the grins, chuckles, and outright laughter that accompanied a pleasant half an hour or so of what was definitely not wasted time. Here is just one of the Random Comics and another called Morning Routine which could easily be adapted to the activities of the artist upon entering the studio...yes, this site is addicting.
Then I found an interesting service used by artists, called Blog Talk Radio. Here is a sampling:
And I began painting again.
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Have a safe weekend. Keep artist Carol Marine - who lost both her home and her new studio in the Texas fires - in your thoughts, as well as the others who are struggling with the effects of severe weather and national security issues.
How To Create Portfolio Images Using Microsoft Word is a new tutorial available. Easier to do than the one using photoshop. Check beneath the Resources for Artists and Patrons section in the right sidebar.
AS ALWAYS, I enjoy your comments and feedback. And please forward this blog to others who might enjoy it.
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