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| Southern Comfort 10 x 8 oil Available here |
This
week Heather Horton @Heather_Horton shared on twitter that the two most
important things an artist needs are peace and time. Ahh . . . quietness, stillness, serenity and the
time to breathe it in. But life doesn’t
always serve up that kind of day or year.
This
year has been a year for commotion.
Watching the decline of elderly parents puts aside peace. Participating
in decisions for their care--time evaporates. Fortunately, the joy and
excitement of a grandchild brings renewal and a sense of forward motion. But even without turbulent life changes, an
artist has many distractions to deal with.
I long to sit on a porch like the one pictured above and take time to
reflect (more information here). Each day brings an assault of phone
solicitations, advertisements, and tragic world news. I suppose it has always
been the same down through the ages for artists.
I
realized this past week during a short illness that I had let distractions destroy
my peace and squander my time. I wasn’t painting, the very activity that keeps
me truly emotionally, (and, I think, physically) healthy and connected to the
world. I had gotten myself into a vicious cycle of not feeling peaceful because
I wasn’t being creative, and not painting because I wasn’t peaceful! After painting two paintings in a day at a
plein air event in Wilmington this past weekend, I felt rejuvenated.
How are artists to have the peace and
time to create?
In
my April blog “4 Ways to Restart Your Engine” I listed some suggestions for
getting over a “block” (see, I told you this has been a problem this year), but
to that list I can now add:
- SCHEDULE or PAY for an event or class. If you’re as cheap as I am, you won’t skip it. You’ll have committed yourself to the TIME. I am thankful I sign-up for the plein air event. What I dreaded because of low energy, lifted me up.
- Change your creative place. Set up where you work in a new location, even if it’s just in a different place in the house or yard. It seems like a fresh start.
- Prepare your creative materials the day ahead, so all the analytical part is over. For painters, that may mean do your sketches or thumbnails and materials setup the night before. Start the creative day fresh with no barriers. Start with excitement!
- Absolutely shut off the phone, commuter and television for the entire day-don’t even think about those for the tiniest little bit!
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| Sea Lion Lounge 16 x 20 oil Available here |
I’ll leave you with a peaceful painting of sea lions lounging
on a rock overlooking an ocean view (more information here). Lounge and
breathe!
May you
have a peaceful day!
A portion of my sales go to support bee/pollinator
conservation. Why? Because I add beeswax to my oil paints, paint
and consume the beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables those bees and other
pollinators provide.
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My paintings are available at my
studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio
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