Extended Thank You
Some of you may know already, but for the past 11-12 weeks, I have been reading "The Artist's Way-Walking in This World" by Julia Cameron. And I have already learned a great deal about myself, my art self, and fueling my creativity.
So for this post, I am extending on one of the "tasks," as well as sharing a tidbit of what I read.
"As artist's, we routinely tap an inner well, and the well is fed by our spiritual condition. When we have kept our spirit carefully nurtured, the creative water seems to flow easily. When our spirit is dried out with unacknowledged discouragement, our inner well runs dry."
"As artists, we don't want to be petty, but the truth is, we need to be. If we try to 'let go of' a creative slight, we very often simply bury it. There, tucked neatly into our subconscious, it can do its slow and poisonous work. Too embarrassed to repeat the 'tiny' comment to a friend on the way out the door from an audition, it becomes harder to audition next time. Why? Because we have been discouraged."
"Discontent and disorder [are] signs of energy and hope, not of despair."
-Dame Cicely Veronica Wedgwood
"'No big deal,' says your adult self. But your artist? Your artist has the character traits of a terrier puppy. It was proud to have made that 'bone' and dragged it home, defending it against other dogs and managing to lay it at master's feet. So, how about a pat on the head? Like it or not, whether we hate the Disney description or not, artists do need pats on the head. We do need encouragement. We do need praise and we do need comfort. It does not matter how accomplished we are; it is a daunting and damaging thing to have our work ignored."
"It is hard to kill an artist, but it is very easy to discourage one."
"Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
-Samuel Beckett
All of this may sound like all artists are self-centered, needy, and small fragile beings, but that is definitely not the case (even if that is how I feel sometimes).
My main reason for writing though is to give you that background and explanation so you may understand my gratitude for helping me get this far.
Thank you for the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual help and encouragement--even discouragement at times, because I have to grow and learn somehow.
Thank you for putting up with my needy artistic side.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for buying my artwork and the continuing support for my passion.
Thank you for giving and providing a good and positive environment.
Thank you for pushing me to extremes so I could continue to grow.
Thank you for everything.
I hope to continue to keep growing, learning, and creating even more than I have been since graduating. And I know it will be possible because I have so many of you to lean on.
So for this post, I am extending on one of the "tasks," as well as sharing a tidbit of what I read.
"As artist's, we routinely tap an inner well, and the well is fed by our spiritual condition. When we have kept our spirit carefully nurtured, the creative water seems to flow easily. When our spirit is dried out with unacknowledged discouragement, our inner well runs dry."
"As artists, we don't want to be petty, but the truth is, we need to be. If we try to 'let go of' a creative slight, we very often simply bury it. There, tucked neatly into our subconscious, it can do its slow and poisonous work. Too embarrassed to repeat the 'tiny' comment to a friend on the way out the door from an audition, it becomes harder to audition next time. Why? Because we have been discouraged."
"Discontent and disorder [are] signs of energy and hope, not of despair."
-Dame Cicely Veronica Wedgwood
"'No big deal,' says your adult self. But your artist? Your artist has the character traits of a terrier puppy. It was proud to have made that 'bone' and dragged it home, defending it against other dogs and managing to lay it at master's feet. So, how about a pat on the head? Like it or not, whether we hate the Disney description or not, artists do need pats on the head. We do need encouragement. We do need praise and we do need comfort. It does not matter how accomplished we are; it is a daunting and damaging thing to have our work ignored."
"It is hard to kill an artist, but it is very easy to discourage one."
"Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
-Samuel Beckett
All of this may sound like all artists are self-centered, needy, and small fragile beings, but that is definitely not the case (even if that is how I feel sometimes).
My main reason for writing though is to give you that background and explanation so you may understand my gratitude for helping me get this far.
Thank you for the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual help and encouragement--even discouragement at times, because I have to grow and learn somehow.
Thank you for putting up with my needy artistic side.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for buying my artwork and the continuing support for my passion.
Thank you for giving and providing a good and positive environment.
Thank you for pushing me to extremes so I could continue to grow.
Thank you for everything.
I hope to continue to keep growing, learning, and creating even more than I have been since graduating. And I know it will be possible because I have so many of you to lean on.
Thanks for sharing this, Sarah! You are a great artist and a wonderful person and I respect you for all that you do and how you choose to be in the world! Love you! :)
ReplyDelete