Art Is All About Starting Again

Art is all about starting again.

Throughout my life as an artist I’ve faced (and so far beaten) that tendency that every single artist faces from time to time.  Some artists are able to beat it but most aren’t.

That tendency?

Quitting.

We aren’t talking about stopping.  We’re talking about quitting.  Never picking up the brush, the pen, or the camera again.

There is a difference.  I’ve stopped making art for days, months, even years at a time.  But I’ve never really quit.  I’ve never lost that core thing inside of me that gives me my identity as a person.

I hope that I never lose it.

In truth, I don’t think I could.

I do wonder though;

Why do so many artists just quit?

Why do they let their brushes go dry?  What makes them pack up their cameras never to use them again?

Is it fear?

Sometimes I think that discovering the answer to this question would somehow help prevent me from becoming an art quitter.  Another failed artist.

I don’t mind “failing” really.

I don’t think I really will fail to be honest and not quite so freakin’ humble.

I just figure that I’ll be too stubborn or shortsighted to know that I’ve failed and I’ll die trying.

I think I’m okay with that.

Comments

[Ivan Watermark]

It's simply not a life-long hobby for many people. It's like climb a wrong mountain. When you're there it is cool, but you feel it's a wrong summit. I believe it's better quit early, if you feel that photography isn't your destiny.