Painting when you don't really feel like it

This is my TEDtalk or my Tedblog anyway. It's hard enough to paint stuff and keep your brain from collapsing from these possible things : A) Fear of failure. B) SBS or Small Brain Syndrome.  C) Noninspiration.  D) Unsurity as to direction. 17) Complications due to life and such.  R) It's tough to know if it's done. Q.5) Kids F) Health things. Y) Rejection  6) Locusts. π) Whatever. It's just hard to be an artist. It IS awesome!!!!!!!!!! but depending on how you see things and/or circumstances, it's hard. Howevs I think it's harder than we make it out to be.  I have had many artists say to me, "Thanks for being frank about life as an artist", for example, the latest article in Plein Air Mag had a good bit of honesty to it. I feel better knowing that out there somewhere is another artist who might think of me (or anyone) as a success, coming to realize that whatever "success" we may seemingly have, we all struggle with this thing. What do I paint? What sells? How do I frame it? How do I price it? Why do I have to listen to anyone about what I want to do? Who am I trying to please? Why do I ask so many questions? What day is it? I have had this conversation with many accomplished artists and it's all pretty much the same.

For some of you it's a non-issue for me it's a constant head to wall butt.... and I have to think if there is one like me, there are probably at least 15 or more out there who feel similarly-ish. I don't care if people know my angst, we all have it, even the best of us. I would have to imagine if we had the chance to interview the best artists in the history of realist painting, unless any one of them had a Machiavellian ego (and sometimes that's what it takes) most would say that at least they were unsure of themselves but they keep moving. Except perhaps Mr. V. Van Gogh. A lesson in being undeterred. For me, I when I feel stuck, I go to the thing I love the most to paint.... water.

Let's just say you don't have any of this crap. You just have the will to learn but you know you have a long way to go.... get used to it. Get it done. Don't feel like it? Too bad. Get it done. Do studies, move paint, play music, look for galleries, develop a website, work on giant canvases as if no one will ever see them. Paint over old stuff, throw old paintings away. Get it done. Do it.  I can't tell you how many people I have met who have said, I want to paint but..... I always say, "Do it, Get it done, Don't wait another day". And play a bunch, the house paint thing that I've written about has really changed the way I paint, it has given me a new lease on painting life. May not be the most archival thing but it sure is fun.

My lesson is, and I will learn it someday, who we are is directly attributed to how we see ourselves. Think you will be a success? You might. Think you are gonna fail? You probably will. Get it done. Just do it. Be the best you can be. Only you can prevent forest fires.