Inspiration Fridays! What’s the value of art?

What’s the value of art?

Today I wanted to mail it in. Inspiration Friday? Already? I just wrapped up an amazing online workshop that almost 4000 of you signed up for, and we then opened enrollment to my full 8-week course Learning To See and the sign-ups keep coming!

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

I’m busy!! I also noticed that my video telling everyone about the course was too long and pretty stiff. It needed a last-minute redo.

The thing is, I’m an artist, I don’t do infomercials. I’m really good at painting, that’s where I’m confident and bold. When it comes to staring at a camera alone in the studio, I tend to clam-up and recoil into self-loathing and petty doubt.

How do you sell something you love without coming off as fake or cheesy? I’ve always struggled with that part. It used to feel so horrible to me, even when I believed deeply in what I was selling.

The most obvious example of this was when I began trying to sell my art. I would slave for weeks and months on a painting, only to end up apologizing for the price.

8paint Inspiration Fridays What's the value of art?

Letting your process come through is a beautiful way of sharing who you are.

That changed for me when I began to realize how much joy my work brought to the people who chose to buy my paintings and hang them in their homes.

When I walk into someone’s house and see a piece of mine hanging on the wall, it feels fantastic. 10 or 20 years can go by. That painting lives in their minds and on their walls every day! The same goes for the pieces that I’ve been able to collect throughout the years. I love them. I’m glad I was able to pay for them. They mean a lot to me.

I feel the same way about the course I’ve created. I can see how it’s changed the lives of the artists who have chosen to sign-up and take their artwork in a new direction. They’re inspired and lit up by the work that they’re doing. They finally have the tools they need to explore and play, and to do it well.

So now I’m writing, and it feels good, then I’ll try and do some editing. And after all is said and done, I’ll get back to my painting. It’s all art. I’m grateful, and I love what I do.

Do you know how much joy your art can bring?

What’s the value of art?

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Inspiration Fridays! Good enough? Absolutely!

Good enough? Absolutely!

What if your drawing didn’t have to be “right” to be good? What if your linework was clumsy and your colors were awkward and that was what made your painting stand out from the crowd?

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” – Andy Warhol

The problem for many of us is that we’re actually afraid of sticking out. We’ve been conditioned to “fit in” for most of our lives. Our paintings end up tight and self-conscious because we value recognition over self-expression. Another version has us avoiding any recognizable shapes in our paintings at all because we’re afraid we won’t be able to capture a likeness. Because we’re afraid it won’t be “good enough”.

What if painting what you want to paint could feel easy and free? What if abstraction was a choice instead of a default? Where does that kind of confidence to be loose and fully expressed come from?

Inspirations Fridays Good enough? Absolutely!

Made Pony – Gabriel Mark Lipper 24×24

When you have all the tools you need, coupled with some real understanding of what you want to say, painting is an adventure. The process, of seeing something in a new way, dancing with colors, and creating dynamic compositions, feels transformative. Time is notorious for playing hide and seek when you’re lost behind a brush. Even as the day wanes, the value of your time spent painting is never up for debate. You’ve created something authentic.

Dedicate some time to your passion. If you’re unhappy with your art, ask yourself what’s missing. Make a decision to find it. Believe it or not, making this kind of commitment to what you love makes the world around you a better place.

Is it possible that you were never meant to “fit in”? Maybe you are here to stand out! We’re at our best when we make room in our lives for what lights us up. The fire you bring to your art is inspiring. So when is the best time to start gathering this creative kindling?

That answer is as bright as the paint on your face – right now!

With some new tools, a bit of direction, and less time than you think, your work will land in a way that resonates with who you are. Your discernment, confidence, and ability will grow, and your paintings will finally begin to tell your story.

Look, our paintings aren’t always going to land. Art shouldn’t feel cookie-cutter or formulaic. But instead of feeling frustrated and stuck because we only have part of the picture, the act of showing up for ourselves and our work allows us to shine!

Have you given yourself the tools to thrive?

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Inspiration Fridays! Get Past Your Blocks and Find Your Inspiration

Get Past Your Blocks and Find Your Inspiration

It’s 2:00am.  I’ve been on the computer all-day getting ready for our free workshop next week, and I’m inspired.

“I think that the power of art is the power to wake us up, strike us to our depths, and change us.” – Jhumpa Lahiri

Sometimes inspiration leaps out from the unexpected and bites us right on the neck.  As I grow older in my artistic practice, I realize more and more that inspiration is always waiting for me. She’s waiting in my flat files and hiding between my old paintbrushes. I sometimes worry that I’ve been stood up, that this time she’s not going to show. But she does.
“Where have you been?” I snap. “You don’t write…you don’t call…”
“But I’m here,” she says. And then she bites me.

I like to think of it as a love bite, but sometimes it hurts.  When I feel inspiration has gone, I feel abandoned. I feel lost.  It’s a feeling that stems from the naive and irresponsible belief that inspiration is no longer interested in me.  That she’s run out.

8paint Inspirations Fridays When I respond to the call to create, I'm never disappointed.

When I respond to the call to create, I’m never disappointed.

We all get creative blocks from time to time.  And during these ugly droughts, it can be easy to convince ourselves that we are alone. We stare at the empty corner and see nothing but walls. But the truth is, we’ve probably just turned our backs. We’ve made ourselves busy with housework, and accounting, or maybe we’re just scrolling through our phones.

Creativity is everywhere. It pulses at the atomic level. All we have to do is turn around, and look for it. I discovered her alive and thriving, dancing with my team.  I work with an amazing group of creative people. Inspiration finds them all very attractive.  The synergy that’s ignited when we surround ourselves with friends, artists, and colleagues who welcome inspiration is transcendent.  I never really understood how powerfully I needed a community until I found one.

If you’re feeling uninspired or blocked, try connection. We may all work alone in our studios, but art is collaborative. Inspiration lives in all of us, in our ideas, and in our passion.

Do you ever feel like you’ve run out of creativity?

Who is your creative friend?

Where does inspiration live in your house?

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