Blog

It's been nearly 2 years since my left hip began hurting - some days, badly enough that it makes me yelp like a puppy - and I have missed hiking.  For someone who's spent most of her outdoor time on foot (or bike tires) on trails, this has been a sore hardship. But some of the lessons learned from my hiking, biking, and backpacking days remain useful, even if I am not using them on the trail much these days. 

When on the trail, at some point, decisions must be made. A direction chosen. A turn taken. And that will affect your experience. Up the mountain means more work - at least at the outset - but you may be rewarded with killer views at the summit. Or, you may find it so enclosed by trees the vistas are all but hidden. A turn into a valley or canyon promises shade - and maybe water? Or, it may be too late in the season, and all you'll find is sand. 

In a painting practice, the quandary is similar. You can feel pulled in so many directions - do I blog today? Or rework the website? Plan for my next class? Or manage social media pages? Send out those show submissions? Post my newest paintings - or send an email blast? Prep panels? Organize the studio? Or should I ....actually paint? If I paint, I might gain more work - more experience, more skill, perhaps something I can show, or sell. Yet, as a working artist, there are so many tasks that require attention; if that isn't accomplished, the work itself can suffer, either from a lack of preparedness (more on this in a future post) or lack of focus (ditto).

The truth is, everything you choose to do affects your practice., and your life. Each artist - each person - has to make those decisions, daily, in order to get from point A to point B, figurative or not.  The important thing is, perhaps, to simply choose - the canyon or the summit, the open field or the tree-lined path - and pursue, for a time, that path.

After all, you can always turn around.