Living the Life of an Artist
February 17, 2011
Today I am once more thinking about my lack of discipline and it’s a subject I’ve griped about for years. Nan and I went to a gallery yesterday to pick up some of our work because we’ve been unable to get responses from the owners there and if the pieces are not selling, they need to go elsewhere. She thought to bring her list and something to carry her things in. I just showed up. Another artist came in behind us also wanting her things and she brought a plastic tote to put her baskets in.
I am wishy-washy. They demanded their articles and I stood by without saying a word. The woman in the building has nothing to do with the gallery, but there is fear that we are going to lose our art work.
What’s that got to do with discipline? Nothing except that I knew I was going down with the intent to bring my pieces home. Why wasn’t I prepared? Without proper material to protect my pictures, the glass and frames would get scratched, plus I would have to make multiple trips up and down the stairs because most of the work is on the second floor. I suppose I could say that I knew intuitively that I wouldn’t be able to get my stuff, but if that is true, I wasn’t conscious of it.
Back home, I let myself sink into apathy. I let stupid excuses get in the way of doing my work. I wonder if other artists suffer from this. Perhaps their discipline and drive are stronger. The funny thing is, I THINK about the art work all the time. I picture myself standing at the easel finishing the pieces. In one form or another, my mind is almost always thinking about my projects and coming up with ideas for new ones.
This is true for a few days anyway. Then I jump back in with both feet. One thing I have to remember is that because I work on many projects, the steps taken seem small and it takes a longer time to get anything finished. And that’s the truth! THHHHppphhhttt. (For those of you who remember Lily Tomlin’s character, Edith-Ann.)