Befriending Inconsistency
I visited an art and creativity center recently where the staff told me they had a rule that people who come there to create art projects are not allowed to criticize their work. Interesting idea. While a part of me likes that notion, I have yet to meet an artist who doesn't at least occasionally voice some dislike about a work they've produced.
That's true for me as well. Some days I do a painting I'm very proud of -- like the ink and watercolor sketch I did of Vin Ganapathy in my blog post from Monday of this week, or the sketch of the man in overalls at the top of this page. Other times I create a painting or sketch that makes me want to hide it from myself and others.
My goal is to develop patience with the process, to accept the fact that creating art -- like learning any new skill -- can yield what feels like serendipitously lovely work as well as dismayingly disappointing pieces.
Like the Buddhist idea of "making friends with" the parts of ourselves we'd like to disown, I want to make friends with the fact that the quality of my work is inconsistent.
In the spirit of that aspiration, here are some of my most recent sketches, imperfect little darlings that they are!
My goal is to develop patience with the process, to accept the fact that creating art -- like learning any new skill -- can yield what feels like serendipitously lovely work as well as dismayingly disappointing pieces.
Like the Buddhist idea of "making friends with" the parts of ourselves we'd like to disown, I want to make friends with the fact that the quality of my work is inconsistent.
In the spirit of that aspiration, here are some of my most recent sketches, imperfect little darlings that they are!
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