Pursue, Promote, Persevere

I have said before that you shouldn't quit. I have suggested that you need to push yourself, try new things and keep working and practicing your craft. That is very true, as that old saying goes "Rome wasn't built in a day.”

I have been painting since my teens and I have seen my craft develop as I have; continued to practice, work, push myself to try new things, to try new ways.

Pursue, pursue your dream, make your dream happen. No one can go after your success in the art world but you. You have to be willing to put yourself out there. Let your work be seen. Try new styles, new pieces, new forms. Go after your dream, pursue it.

Promote yourself, promote your work. Look for methods of promoting yourself. Look for shows, events, fairs that you can get a booth at and show your work. It shows the world that you believe in yourself, lets the world see you work. Look for on line places to promote and show your work. Hold open houses, donate your work to charity so they can raise money. Look for unique, creative methods of exposing yourself  to the world.

Persevere, a fancy way of saying don't quit! Give yourself time to develop your craft. Don't listen to they nay Sayers. I have been told my work isn't very good by some people very close to me. But, I have been told by people I don't know that my work is very good. My work has taken time to get to where it is. I have painted on so many surfaces, painted things others have asked me to paint, some had no success, some limited success and some  surprising success.

Without trying, showing, continuing to try I never would have sold a thing. If I didn't pursue my dream, which I continue to go after, I would have so even a painted jewelry box. If I didn't allow myself to be seen  I wouldn't have heard opinions of nine family members. Others wouldn't have had a chance to see my work or have a chance to buy it. I went to shows, used on line sites and more. I promoted myself and continue to do so. I have persevered, I haven't quit and won't quit. I love to paint and try new things.

My advice to you, no matter whether you are a visual artist, writer, musician, actor, what ever you do pursue you dream, promote yourself and persevere.

Backwoods Country Arts : A Day In The Studio

Backwoods Country Arts : A Day In The Studio: My day started at 5:30 a.m., holding a cup of coffee, to help my me fully wake up. I sat enjoying my coffee, looking at Facebook, playing a ...

A Day In The Studio

My day started at 5:30 a.m., holding a cup of coffee, to help my me fully wake up. I sat enjoying my coffee, looking at Facebook, playing a few word games on my iPad. A little later after a quick breakfast I headed to the studio.

I had four orders to work through. As I worked on each of them, setting each one aside while paint dried, I worked on a couple of unclaimed pieces. 

I can go downstairs to my studio, work on whichever project I have going at that time and feel encouraged. I get many ideas for the next project while working on a current piece.

I know of artist that will only remain true to their main artistic focus, i.e. Landscapes on canvas. They won't waver from it, they will create and hope for a sale. They will do limited advertising, go to a few art shows in hopes of catching someone's eye.

I love to paint landscapes, wild life, the occasional other subject matter. But I am realistic enough to know that I will not sell a painting everyday. I paint wall hangings to fill  in the gaps, help pay for the art supplies and more. I have sold a number of painting, but I have painted and sold over 700 canoe paddles, 50 plus dragon boat paddles. I have painted a number of wall hangings over the last couple of years. I have some of them left, but most have been sold. I advertise, have a web site and share my work through any number of social media websites.

Spending time in the Studio, relaxing, doing what I enjoy, will help me destress, feel more creative, feel encouraged. As a project progresses, I love seeing it come together. Working on a new project, I can see little improvements that can be made. 

The studio is my version of the man cave. It is where I can go and be away from the world for a while. It is where I can go and be creative, let my mind go wild . I love a good adventure, The studio is An Adventure In Creativity!

My Studio My Place To Create, Refresh, and Relax

I love to go into my studio and paint. It doesn't matter whether I am painting an image onto a canvas, or painting some new piece of décor / subway art. As I sit in my chair and get ready to work I begin to feel revived.

Everyone needs an outlet, needs a way to set themselves apart from the stresses of the world we live in. Some watch T.V., listen to music, walk, run, drink, go to the gm. Me I sit down at my desk, my easel, get some paint out, a canvas, some wood, turn on some music and then I paint.

I have tried over the last couple of years to get others to see the value of using painting as a way to refresh, distress and more. There is an area in the studio that I will sit down at and lay out larger projects, or package items that are on their way to the new owners. This is the area of the studio that I display  my art, in all forms. This is the same area that I use for classes that I open the studio for.

Some think I am crazy, but I don't think so, everyone has their own style, their own way of doing things. Their art will be their art, in their style. If my showing, teaching others how to do something creates another artist, fine, let them enjoy the possibilities that are now open to them. I am not the only artist, the only one who paints landscapes, wild life, subway / décor art in the world and won't be the last.

If the world was more into showing others how to use, develop skills it would be a better place.

Creating art is an adventure, an adventure in creativity.

Keep Painting, Never Give Up, Practice, Push The Limits, Try, Try Again

I have been painting for a numbers years, have I had a positive experience wth all hose who have viewed my works. I am absolutely certain that I have heard a lot of negative comments and reviews. We live in a world were there are more critics than there are those who will be a positive contributor of advice. 

Whether you are attempting to make a living with your art or are just creating things because it is a relaxing hobby, I can say to you keep painting, keep creating, enjoy your time. We wouldn't have a lot of our "modern  conveniences" if the inventors quit because the negative comments were taken to heart.ryrewewe

I have seen a progression in my art. Is it were I want it to be, no, but at the same time it is by no means where it was when I started to paint. From always painting flat looking, nondensional sunsts to painting wild life, landscapes and more. My current work has had people comment on how realistic they look, how inviting they look, how many look like you could walk right into the scene. I have gone from rarely having any one who showed interest in any of my work to having fairly regular sales of various pieces I have painted.

Don't allow negative detractors steal your joy, don't allow them to convince you your time would be better spent on some other kind of activity. Pick up that brush, put paint on that pallet and paint. When your finished with that piece start another, have multiple prices going at once.

If at first you don't succeed keep going, never quit. Get that image of never going any where out of your mind, see yourself painting an awesome piece. Practice makes perfect.

Friends, don't allow your world  surroundings steal that desire. Paint and paint again. Paint until you have made your masterpiece, then paint another one.

Inspiration can be found in a book, nature, music…

I love to get up in the morning and spend time listening go or reading a good book, while sipping a cup of coffee. A good book gets the imagination going, it inspires. I find it gets me in a creative mood. Even as I am writing this blog, I am listening to a book with Julie.

When I paint I listen to a book or some music. It keeps me focused on what I want to achieve. It is also what they call white noise, which in some ways it is, but in so many other ways it isn't.

I appreciate a good book, for its entertainment value, for the distraction from the world, and for the fact that it gets the imagination going. It is to me a great way to appreciate someone else's creativity, the blood sweat and tears that go into writing a book. Every creative person puts their all into their works. I put my thoughts into creating the vision of the piece, then I put that vision on a surface and start making it come to full living color. 

The writer does things in a similar way, or so I imagine they do. It is their creativity that helps me with my ability to create because I am creating an image of their words in my mind. I can compare it to waking up a our cottage, making a coffee and Julie and I sitting on chairs looking out over the lake, or sitting by our fire pit and starting an early morning fire to toast a piece of bread over the flames.

Going for a drive in the country, the back roads, the roads less travelled. Seeing nature untouched in so many ways, see birds flit and fly between trees and bush. See rivers, creeks, ponds and lakes. All waiting to be captured by a camera so that image can be transferred to a canvas, and brought to life through the eyes of an artist.

As I squeeze paint onto my pallet so that I can begin to allow my imagination come to life, to make that inspiration grow and develop into a finished piece. Allowing that creative inspiration that started with a simple book, the view of a lake, the freedom of a bird take on a visual meaning. Creating a visual piece of art that hopefully inspires some one else.

When you look at a painting, a sculpture, or wander through a book store (yes a book store) think of the person who created it. Think of the time that went into that creation. What inspired them, what brought them to create that piece of work in front of you. Appreciate the complete work and all that went into it, because it represents a big part of the; writer, actor, sculptor, artist, musicians life. 

Inspiration!

Relaxing Can Bring On Inspiration

I am sitting in a hotel room in Richmond Hill. It has given me an opportunity to relax and consider the next few projects that I would like to do. It caused me to look at photos that I have available and to look at the suggestions I have been given to create decor signs with.

It also makes me think of Saturday morning after I woke up and was sitting in the living room enjoying a cup of coffee. The windows were open and I hear a flock of Canada Geese flying over the house, their honks announcing their presence. It made me think of how much I love this country; how much I appreciate living in a rural area. I thought of all the wildlife I had been privileged to see just outside my door. I regularly see deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, fox, raccoons, turkey vultures, hawks, and more. At our cottage we had seen all of those as well as bear, owls, grouse and other wildlife.

It all inspires me to capture the scene on canvas, or some other surface. Take a quick photo so you have something to work from. Seeing the beauty of this world also makes me want to work on things that would inspire others, either a painting to hang in their home, or dome décor style sign to hang on a wall and inspire.

It is worth it to sit, relax, listen and watch the world go by. It is worth sitting in a canoe or row boat and looking at the world around you from a vantage point you wouldn’t normally see.

My sons sat out on the front lawn and watched the lunar eclipse the other night and watched the moon turned brilliant red. They both made comment about the awesome view they had seen, something that you don’t get to see very often.

I hope everyone takes a few moments in their lives to sit, relax and look at the world around you.