PATCH | rough sketch
Last week I wrote about the struggle to begin a project. Today comes the really fun part- STARTING OVER.
I painted the art for a new children’s book project last week. (It’s a fast style for this one, so I got all 15 spreads done in five days). Monday morning I came in and could see that the art was just not good enough. Color, line, harmony… uggh.
Here’s a secret the pros never mentioned during their dazzling slide shows when I was in art school: Professional artists are not magicians who nail it on the first try every time.
If you are not satisfied with your work, it is not evidence of a lack of talent. It means you have the eye to know when it’s right and when it’s not. Not everybody has that.
Now the question I have to face today is –Do I love the process or only the final result?
Time to fall in love with the process again…
“Talent is the willingness to keep trying until it’s right.”
-John F. Carlson (Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting)
David –
I appreciate that you discuss the struggles of artmaking as well as the joys.
Your question, “Do I love the *process* or only the final result?” is a familiar one to me.
There are four possible black & white answers:
1) I don’t like the result or the process.
2) I love the process but not the final result.
3) I love the result but not the process.
4) I love the process AND I love the result!
Of course there can also be shades of gray: “I enjoy this part of the process but not that part,” or, “I like the color harmony in the final painting, but not the composition.”
On more than one occasion in my studio I’ve gone from utter discouragement and berating myself to irrational exuberance and artistic satisfaction within the space of 20 minutes!
I’ve decided my moods while artmaking are like the weather: feelings will go up, down, and sideways, but most of the time if I just keep on working they will blow over.
Best wishes for your second attempt.
Steve Eichenberger