Letter to a Group of ‘Young’ Artists
I am writing you today
To express my sincere impression
Of our meeting yesterday
I had hoped for more...
Perhaps 'artists' with more experience
I am wondering
If you are an artist in transition
From a lifetime of doing something else
Perhaps it is too soon to call yourself an ‘artist’
What is an ‘artist’ after all
One who is focused on his work
One who is willing to sacrifice everything
For his work
You know
It is said it only takes three things
To be an ‘artist'
One is the desire to be
And most people have that
Two is the determination
A lot of people have that
But the one that really makes or breaks an ‘artist’
Is discipline
This is the ‘bugger boo’
For few artists have it
When you are just beginning
(And maybe an artist is always 'just beginning'
And in transition) it would be best
To create a body of work before you show the work
It is an insult to ask someone to look to your work
Or to speak to your work
Before you have created it
To say....well I think I want to......
I’m going to.......
I hope to........
Show yourself who you are
For you really do have it all
A person who is interesting
Filled with light
And now you have the gift of time
All you have to do is to do it
Be yourself
Be your best self
Do the work you were meant to do
Do you have any idea how tired it is to drag out 'old' work
'Old' work that has been sleeping under a pile
All of its’ energy seeped out onto the pavement
It is nothing but yesterday’s tired experiment
With the visual arts
'It' shows
Everything shows
On its’ face everything is written
You do not fool anyone
I am showing my every stroke
My every attempt to be
My failures
My successes
There is no place to hide
Yesterday I had the feeling
I was with a group of ‘want-to-be’ artists
Not a group of hard working
Devoted artists
Artists who had answered the questions
For themselves
And were working on the answers
They had found for themselves
Each of you maybe 'artists' one day
But in my opinion it is to soon to tell
August 5, 2014
Note: I do not mean to be unkind, but I think, perhaps people use the term 'artist' too loosely. Because you want to be an artist, doesn't make you an artist. What is 'authentic,' comes with the work. A person who is not sure, is a person who has not put in the work, the hours, the years.....is not an artist....yet.
7 comments:
This is interesting, Annell. I often think about how loose people are to call one another" artist" and then there is the discussion of "an artist of life" etc. Mostly I wonder this about those who spend many years, sporadically making art, who are definitely "creative" ....are they artists? I think also because of my teaching, and the sincerity and quality of the work of some of my students, who only work sporadically...they are in there, but is not the same committment, ......it is clear here, how you see it.
I think, first comes the spark - the writing or painting because one HAS TO, it wells up from within.......and then comes the journey, the years of writing or painting oneself across one's life..........I agree, it takes time - a lot of it - to truly become an artist.
I truly hope that being an artist takes work.. To think to live the words you create... and just maybe a few of us here are artists.. but in the meantime we are having a lot of fun :-)
ha. it is interesting...i think there are those that really try to work on their craft...to get better...to try new things...and some never get there....some do it for fun...are they artists...maybe...but they may never be masters...i would hate to take art from anyone...
I like this, I think that focus is the key to becoming the best one can be.
"Be your best self
Do the work you were meant to do"...these lines speak volumes...
Desire..determination...discipline..and then the bravery to say yes..this is who I am and what i do xo
Post a Comment