August 20, 2021 Weekly Musings
Posted on August 19 2021
Featured image:Searching for Golden Nuggets
Announcements:
Blue Bouquet Receives Richard Ouren Memorial Award
Posted August 19, 2021
Blue Bouquet received the Richard Ouren Memorial Award at the NSA (National Society of Artists) 35th Annual Juried Exhibition.
Online exhibition can be viewed at: https://onlinegalleryshows.com/collections/nsa-35th-annual-juried-show-2021-national-society-of-artists
August 16 through September 10, 2021
Blogs:
Do You Follow The Rules?
Posted August 14, 2021
Featured image: Searching for Golden Nuggets
Do you make your own rules? Or, do you follow the rules that are already made? When you create a meal – do you follow a recipe including leveling off the flour in the measuring cup? Or, is your measuring cup by handfuls and pinches?
Authentic art is created both ways – by leveling off the cup and by handfuls. Your technique isn’t what makes authentic art – but authentic art is made by authentic artists who know themselves and have enough self worth to put themselves in their work.
Failing Royally
Posted August 15, 2021
Featured image: Falling Down - Climbing Up
The lie
You will be a successful if:
You are good enough
You believe enough
You work hard enough
You ask enough
Then you will be successful.
I did all of that in my late 30’s and early 40’s. I failed – royally. I almost lost our house because I believed so much. I learned a lot. I realized that if you are successful, it isn’t about any of the enough’s in the list above. The key is to love life and to keep trying. One must realize that it is unrealistic to think that you will be the next top billed movie star. What is realistic is that you love what you do, and continue to do it. And making authentic/quality art has no bearing on how many enough’s you do.
Entitlement
Posted August 16, 2021
Featured image: The Creative
Do artists feel they are entitled? Why?
Perhaps they think that it is unfair that they have to “work" and “produce” something in order to be paid, or discovered and then promoted?
Perhaps they think that “all” artists are worth their weight in gold, because they are free thinkers, unencumbered by thinking about money, or anything else that might cramp their style and their free thought. They are those who “work” and actually “produce” something of value.
Yes, creative thinking space is a tough space to find “work” in or to “produce” something in. But, the creative thinking space should never be an “entitlement” space. What a chain that would put on the artist's spirit and soul, on the artist's unique space.
Limitless
Posted August 17, 2021
Featured image: Spirits in the Sky
Live and act within the limit of what you know. Live and act within this limit of what you know and expand it. Expand the limits of life, your life.
Your mistakes, when you use your own mind are limitless and good for your soul and spirit. Your mistakes and how you learn from them are your own not another's. If you do not learn from them, then you have to ask yourself, "Did I think about this?"
Do not become mindless. Use your mind, not another’s, and realize that you are limitless.
If you take this attitude with your art work – and the act of creating – then you are truly representing yourself, your spirit and your soul.
Do You Consider Yourself An Amateur Artist Or A Professional Artist?
Posted August 18, 2021
Featured image: Improv Performance
Do your consider yourself and amateur artist or a professional artist? How you answer this question depends on how you answer the questions below.
Do you as an artist expect to be paid for your work?
Or - As an artist do you create for the love of it and would rather give it away than charge for what it is worth?
Here is how I answer these questions.
As an artist I choose to sell my work based on my own need.
As an artist I choose to sell my work, value for value.
If I did not believe in myself and my choice to sell my work then I would not be able to own my own life nor be responsible for my own life.
I would not be able choose to own my own spirit.
As an artist you need to choose not to trade your life, your soul your spirit other than how it appears in your unique work.
The Harmonious Whole
Posted August 19, 2021
Image: Soulful Jazz Singer
If you dream of a harmonious whole, accept the fact that you will be accepting another’s way of thinking, and not your own.
I ask why dam your unique way of thinking and your individual self by thinking that millions and millions of unique souls are all alike.
New Works:
