Is the tangent actually the main event?

You know that feeling. You’re totally lit up about something, maybe even slightly unhinged. That can’t-stop-talking-about-it electric energy that makes your friends slowly back away? Yeah. That’s the good stuff.

“Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm.” – Earl Nightingale

When we are following what excites us, the creativity flows. Getting ourselves to the studio is easy. Ideas show up faster. The whole experience of creating feels less like work and more like play. Which, ironically, is when our work gets really interesting.

Too often, we try to muscle our way through the act of making art. We show up with furrowed brows and tight shoulders, determined to be “productive” or “serious” or (my personal favorite) “legit.” The best paintings rarely come from that place. They come from joy. From curiosity. From full-throttle enthusiasm about some weird little idea that won’t leave us alone.

Seclusion – Gabriel Mark Lipper – Acrylic on Canvas – 48″x48″

Gabriel Mark Lipper – Acrylic on Panel – 24″x49″You don’t have to wait for inspiration to strike like lightning.  Just pay attention to whatever makes your eyes light up. What colors are you obsessed with right now? What shapes keep showing up in your sketchbook? What painting would you make if no one else ever had to see it?

What are you ridiculously into right now?

What would your next painting look like if it was powered by pure joy?

Is the tangent actually the main event?