Knowing The Frustration of Being An Artist

The progress of an artist is a continual self- sacrifice, a continual extinction of personality. - by Eliot, T. S..

Know what you do well.Know what inspires you.Know that small changes in your habits make small changes in your art.Know that big changes make bigger changes.Know that you are an artist.Know how you feel about your subject.Know what your art means to you.Know that the more time you put into it, the more it grows.And, know that you are not alone.

We've all heard about the artists' world having so many ups and downs. It's not just in the world of shows, acceptances and rejections or selling a painting or not, it's also in the emotions of making of our art. We have good days and bad days in creating. Some days go so smoothly, we approach the easel with confidence and turn out a wonderful painting with ease that we are proud of. The next day, we feel like we step up to the easel with a lack of confidence and have to wipe that canvas off a couple of times. On those days it seems as though we'll never get where we want to go with our art.

As artists we always strive for perfection, but know that we will probably never achieve it. But, you mustn't admit that, then you surely will never achieve that ultimate goal. Once you admit that you will never create the perfect painting, you will have stopped or at least limited yourself as an artist. So, how do you come to grips with the idea of knowing that you will probably never achieve what you aspire to and be happy with the work that you do? I have always had a tough time with this. It seems as though I am happy with my completed painting for about three days, then I look at it thinking I can do better or I would do it differently now. I find it really difficult on the paintings that I set aside for a show to ship off later. I always seem to find myself thinking, "If I did such and such to the painting, it would be a better painting. I now box them up so that I am not tempted to touch them.

I keep wondering when the time will come that I will be completely satisfied with my paintings or does that time never come? I know that I have to accept my paintings for what they are or I would never be able to move on and paint the next one. And that is what keeps me on the road to improving as an artist and striving for that perfection that I know I will never achieve. I have come to the conclusion that I have to look at each painting and know that it was the very best that I could do at that moment in time and that is a good thing.

Becky Joy is a nationally recognized artist specializing in sunsets, landscapes and still life oil paintings. Becky shares art tips, painting demonstrations and art business tips on her blog. http://beckyjoy.com/

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