Create for Yourself

I'm in production mode this week getting ready for ArtFest2 to be held April 9 & 10 in West Acton.  Please take a look at the Facebook page.  There are wonderful artists in the area who will be displaying their work.  There is also a new brew pub in the building so you can get a beer and a bite to eat afterwards.  I will post more as we get closer to that weekend.  I'm not usually as consumed with art making as I have been of late.  I know a number of artists who create full-time.  They go into their studios and work an eight hour day.  They teach and have gallery shows and are fully immersed in their work and I admire that spirit that drives them.  For me, a three hour journey into my work is a great accomplishment and if I get into my studio more than twice a week, I am thrilled.  I recently had a conversation with a fellow artist who talked about reading everything she could about art and observing everything around her for inspiration.   This is the world inside her head and I very much respect this.  I might have felt intimidated or that I wasn't doing enough in my own art practice yet I realized that for her, art is her primary focus.  For me, art is my outlet, my grounding place and what I do to fulfill a creative yearning.  It is an important part of my life, not my focus.  I mention this because I also speak with artists who feel guilty because they don't get work done for weeks at a time, or don't feel they are committed enough to the process.  Often my husband will come home in the evening and ask if I've done any artwork that day.  I finally asked him to stop asking because if I say "no" then I feel guilty, as if I've failed in some way and should be doing more.  The time I devote to my work fulfills a need for me.  Sometimes, I need a lot of time in my studio, other times I am caught up in other activities that are equally as important to me.  I have to remind myself that I am creating for myself and that I need to let go of the "shoulds".

  Here is a new piece that feels very different for me.