For the first time in my art life, I feel comfortable in the eddy of Getting Better. Not working toward anything but just spending my days drifting through subject matter and slowly improving my skills. For the first time in my art life, I’m starting to see cause and effect. Spend a month focused on flowers. Start really frustrated and then get better. Weird, right?
You think this sort of cause and effect would be apparent immediately but it isn’t. Just like with many things in art making, you have to spend some time with something before you start to see not only your progress but deeper truths.
I guess it’s a bit like going to the gym. There’s a lot of arm curls before you see any muscles forming.
Art making is the same. And the more you focus on one specific area, the more progress you’ll see. The deeper your thinking will be.
It’s for that reason I’m really excited about taking on a series this year. I need to keep part of my practice just that, practice. Improving skills. But I need to spend another chunk of that same practice building something. Choosing a subject for a body of work and then diving in wholeheartedly. To explore the waters deeper down below.
What all of this means yet, I have no idea. A year ago, I didn’t even know this was part of the process. So it’s fun to realize I’m at the point where I’m ready to take the dive.
Feb 20, 7:00am