Hello reader!
Recently I have had the luxury of some unexpected time away from my day job. This has resulted in some obsessively intense sessions of drawing. These sessions have been incredibly beneficial to my practice and my state of mind. I feel I have crossed another threshold in my drawing, I have actually started to believe that I may just be able to pursue my lifelong passion at a higher level than just scribbling and scrawling in front of the TV as a form of escapism. I have also realised that I have been doing myself a huge disservice in that I have seemingly been on cruise control in terms of artistic rigour (without sounding like an utter prick) – drawing in front of the TV, giving little of no thought to a serious future within the visual arts, lacking the ambition and drive to develop my work – all WITHOUT actually realising.
How delusionally blinkered can one individual be?
Since this latest bout of luxurious activity I feel I have become far more intune with what my work is, what I should be doing, the manner and how in which I should be completing it and I have for the first time since graduating the way it could/ should/ will develop. It is incredibly exciting for me.
The tedious nature of some aspects of my practice mean monotony can be a problem – especially when I am asking a lot of myself on a particular piece so I have taken to putting YouTube on in the background (usually videos of lectures/ documentaries relating to my favourite areas of art history). This I find is just enough of a subconscious distraction to allow part of my mind to remain active without leaving my chair – hence upping output and focus. Brilliant.
Another thing I have found – which is probably completely obvious is the fact that hard work – I mean genuine hard work makes an incredible difference to whatever I am doing. It has shown me the way forward (whilst driving me slowly insane).
I have had enough of unfulfilled potential and what iffing so on this wave of positivity I am going for it and pushing myself harder than I ever have done to see exactly what comes out.
Signed happy artist.
(Please excuse the poor iPhone image)
