What do we really want, as artists?
It's easy enough to sit there and say "I'm compelled to create" and "I create because I have to get all imagery inside my head OUT!"... but what is it we really want?
I was thinking about that earlier today, as I sat here painting more designs on stones that will eventually be worn by people as pendants... or so I hope.
As I mentioned previously, we have a show to go to, next Friday and Saturday, so the creative endeavors are in full cycle. But I still have a lot of time to just think, while I work.
What I really want is the freedom to spend a good part of my day painting, and occasionally walking on the beach to pick up rocks... and at the end of the day have the feeling that others have sufficient appreciation for what I'm doing that they are willing to give me a modest amount of money for my work, or they'll trade me some food or something else useful for something I've made.
And it would also be nice to be able to publish work-in-progress updates 3-4 times a week, and feel like there are sufficient rewards to be made from doing so to justify the time and effort put into such posts.
There's really no part of that equation that involves "being famous," or "being rich," or seeing my name in lights on some marquee somewhere... I have never harbored any illusions that I would somehow make a lucrative living with art... it's ultimately a feeling of simply being free to create, with the reasonable assurance that whatever I'm creating will become more than just a stack of colorful rocks in my yard.
With a few exceptions (those usually involving people with REALLY big egos!), most artists I've met have had similarly modest dreams and hopes.
What wears you down in the long run is the pervasive feeling that you have to scratch and beg for every cent you earn, even while the general opinion seems to be that you're doing "something exceptional."
It all reminds me of an article I wrote many years ago, about the way something can be "amazing," and yet not be seen as having actual value.
Meanwhile, I'm just going to keep visualizing that fairly simple and modest future... and work towards it!
Thanks for stopping by! Do leave me a comment if you feel so inspired — interaction and engagement are always welcome!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!
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2022.07.14 AS-TXT-109/077