Stick with it, it’s worth it.

It can be too easy to separate my creativity from my work.

“It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.” – Miyamoto Musashi

There are the things that are fun to do, and then there are the things that I have to do. It’s dangerous thinking really. It relegates my livelihood to the status of a chore. It also makes it more difficult to dig deep when I am focusing on something creative. If the expectation is that creativity isn’t supposed to feel like work, then it’s also natural to assume that our art shouldn’t feel difficult.

Here’s the rub. The richest most rewarding paintings that I have created have come from a lifetime of learning and doing. They are born from struggle and sometimes their creation has felt a lot like work.

Gabriel Mark Lipper – Pilon’s Lunch – oil on panel

Now it’s easy to argue that what we are really looking for when we create is that feeling of “flow”. That flow state that allows us to “just be” and to respond. That flow state is definitely the place from which the best parts of my work emerge. These are the moments of effortlessness, they’re intuitive, and almost magical. But they don’t emerge from nothing. They emerge as the culmination of effort, timing, and trust.

I don’t just close my eyes and arrive at a masterpiece. Some times a painting comes together quickly (and these are often my favorites) but even these paintings don’t exist in a vacuum. They exist because I’ve allowed myself to spend time doing the hard stuff.

My “flow state “ is a lot easier to access than it used to be. Hours spent grinding through mistakes and making new discoveries have paved the way. I’m learning what it is that I love, and what I don’t want to do. I trust the process because I know it will deliver. I know that it’s going to be ugly sometimes. I know that I am going to doubt my ability. I also know that I am going to come out the other side. That is what I’m in love with when I create. I love the reward that I get from the work that I have put in.

What leaves you feeling the most fulfilled?

When you knock it out of the park, is it luck?

Is the process your reward?