This isn’t going to be a motivational post… I am not going to tell you that no matter what life situation comes up you must carve out the time to GET INTO THE STUDIO… because it really doesn’t work that way, does it?
There are artists who find refuge in the studio, when their world is turbulent and far too demanding; and there are those who can steal half hours of time for their art, without ignoring their responsibilities .
I personally cannot switch off the world in 20 seconds and dive in… I need time in the studio to futz and fiddle and mesh my mind and heart with the materials at hand. Any time block less than 3 hours is rarely productive for art, only useful for cleaning up and organizing a bit.
The only real exception to this, except for plein aire, where I spend the futzing time beforehand packing my stuff, is when I am with a figure group; a structured period of time that involves money and other people’s schedules. Classes and structured groups are very helpful that way.
I often hear a student bewail that they don’t draw enough, that they have heard from one teacher or another that to improve they need to draw every day.
Every…single…day. Really?
In my entire life I have have never done that; I think it is a terrible burden to put on an artist or student, and can set a person up for failure, much like New Year’s resolutions.
So I guess I am giving you my opinion on a few guilt producing nuggets of ‘wisdom’….
If you hear…
“Draw every day if you want to get better”
“Artists must paint(draw/sculpt/whatever) 40 hours a week if they take their art seriously”
“Get in the studio, no matter what”
think instead…
“Drawing gets better with more practice, duh”
“Interspersing Art Making with Life Living is a good thing”
and
“The studio will still be there when things calm down”
Why this post today? Doug and I are moving our art school Lafayette Studio to a lighter, brighter space, the same building but with an outside door and window. With only 2 1/2 weeks to get moved (wall torn down, wiring redone, flooring moved from one studio to the next etc.), I am so not getting into my studio to paint! I also haven’t had time to post new work to UGallery, or work with my daughter to organize my business, or sadly, to get out into my garden.
So, they will all be there when things will calm down (except the basil, which has been ravaged by some pest I haven’t had time to look for).
Carry on!
Looking out through the new Lafayette Studio