Monday, April 14, 2008

Staying Motivated

A long time ago, my dad cut out a comic strip for me from Baby Blues. The little girl (Zoe) in the comic was trying to paint. When her father assumed what the painting was of, she went into a tantrum and tore it to shreds. I kept it on my wall throughout college to remind me to try not to be like Zoe. Sometimes you just get frustrated when things don't turn out how you imagined them in your head. Sometimes, it helps to just take a breather for a while and let the frustration settle, and sometimes it's better to push through it lest you never return to the piece. I tend to be the anxious type when it comes to art. I'm constantly afraid of that fatal error- that slip of the wrist. Before you know it, you're sucking in a deep breath as you watch ink smear across the page. I've just been having some trouble getting things finished lately. A piece might get ruined, or we can't find the right size frame, or the right supplies. It's a never ending battle that just leaves me tired and unimaginative. How do you stay motivated? If you have any tips for me and other readers, please leave them in the comments. :)

I guess I've just been in an artsy funk lately. We were so ready for some warm happy weather that we bought a ton of new plants for the balcony. Today, it started sleeting, so they are all camping out in the living room. Hopefully some Spring cleaning will sweep some of the cob webs and clutter out of my head and out of this house and encourage some warmth and cheer.

On the up side, we had a VERY successful day at the antique shops and found two incomplete sets of bone dominoes! We have a deep respect for antiques and people who appreciate them, so we won't break up a complete set. I also found some letterpress type to add to my collection, and some vintage bottle caps. Not too shabby. :) I hope everyone is well. Sorry for my little vent fest. I'll be more bubbly soon, I promise.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This may sound strange but I stay motivated by checking out what other like minded peeps are doing. I know that if other people are as busy as I am but still find the time to create and share their artwork, thoughts, ramblings, etc. with the world then I feel more motivated to do the same.

On the days like you are having I take the time to read through their blogs and do research into other interests that I can expand on when my energy level is back up again :~)

I stole the widget you added, thanks for sharing that one it is a good reminder!

MyArtInProgress said...

Yeah I have been feeling the same way lately, not being motivated. I wrote about it a few days ago and people left some helpful comments.
I agree with chucka above, I look at what other people have created recently and that in turn gives me motivation.
Or even better then that I go camping, or hiking. Nature seems to revitalize me, and give me much need artistic energy.

 

blogger templates | Make Money Online