Alone in my heart..

I am the lazy artist. Do you ever sit and wonder..." My art would be better if I had this..." "My art would be better if I did that..." I don't know understand why these thoughts stop me from painting.. If I find myself thinking like this while shooting photography, I study and practice until I get it right. So what's the painting hold up?

Could be summer... Could be that painting takes longer than photography. I know I can talk myself out of buying stuff because I think it will make better art.

What's holding you back these days...and what are you going to do to break the hold?

Comments

[Cathy Bueti]

Hi Julie,

This post stopped me in my tracks today! I can so relate. I do often wonder the same. And I am love photography as well and sometimes I think it is the instant gratification of photography that draws me in and then I stray from painting. Painting takes alot longer and challenges my patience. I think my lack of patience holds me back. I also distract myself with other artist's work and watching their evolution and growth when I should just get to painting!! That is how I will improve.

Thanks for sharing these thoughts! It helps to hear I am not the only one!

PS . . . read your piece in Carmen Torbus' new book! Loved it! :)

[Chris]

Yes, I think the long process of a painting can be what makes it easier to hold back, but what initiates the hold back is almost always comparing myself to other people's work. I don't much mind if I make a mistake becuase mistakes can take a painting in a new and exciting direction. But when I am working on something and during intermission I see some works that are way and (what I think of as) above what I'm doing, it stops me almost every time. I just can't see the point in making something that's not 'good enough'. That's what holds me back.

I have your washer painting printed out on copy paper and on my office wall. So, there.

[Kathryn Dyche Dechairo]

I haven't been well the past few months which has held me back from painting but I also found a new love for photography back in February so that's been competing with the painting too. That said with all this crazy hot weather, I can't bear to go outside so I've been doing a lot more painting this week than I've done in a long time.

Think it's all the natural ebb and flow of things.

[Janet]

The thing that holds me back most often is comparing myself to others. I know I shouldn't do it but I do. And since money is so tight I also worry about using up all my paints! Silly, I know but my mind works in weird ways!!

[deb]

well for me a looming deadline forced me back to work. Sometimes I have so many ideas spilling over, and so many obligations, I have to force myself to stay on task. I was watching an Art 21 documentary yesterday and one of the painters said he deliberately wastes paint so he can move past that fear of spoiling things and get to work. I thought that was an interesting idea. I am often afraid of wasting new expensive materials, I remember the first time I ran a $5 sheet of paper through the press and the print was not so hot feeling as if I wanted to cry. I had 3 small children at the time (now they are big) and that paper was a huge luxury we couldn't really afford. I ruined a lot of paper that year, coming from that place of lack & fear. Funny enough I just incorporated a lot of those spoiled prints into other books.

[lee]

I am always self talking myself out of doing things, I not a real artist, I dont think I can do it, I am not a good as everybody else. why do I do this, and on and on. Then I go away and do something else. And the next time I go down, I self talk again, except the oppostie, who cares what I do and how I do it, its my book, my canvas, etc, its all very busy in this head of mine. I just need learn how to tune out and
not care how I do, but thats the hard part.

[Holly Dean]

Lots of left brain activities are holding me back. Like writing about my art and working on my new website. They are great excuses for not actually making art! The problems seem easier to solve, even though the work is hard. Going through this process is making me very aware of my art, though. I am astounded at the insights I am gaining. Deadlines will help me get down to work in the studio once again. Thank goodness for those! It's easier to do left brain stuff and avoid the studio. What if I have forgotten how to paint?!?! :D

[kelly snelling]

I'm so lazy. Partly because I'm so unorganized. Stuff is heaped and piled and I don't want to move all the jewelry stuff to paint so I'll make jewelry instead. But I sometimes prefer to sketch the pieces rather than actually make them because I'm lazy. I need minions to make what I design. And if the paints are out it seems that as soon as I start the kids need xyz or I have to stop the dog from eating the house. I don't have a block of time to commit to it so I do laundry instead. Bleh. What am I going to do about it? Well, for the last year I haven't felt like I wanted to do anything about it. I have started working in my journal although I am not committed to it with any soul. It's very trite right now. But the act of painting and mark making will revive me, I believe, and that is a start.