Yesterday I was inspired by great art AND Hollywood in the same day! Let me explain:
This past weekend I attended part of The Representational Art Conference TRAC 2014 in Ventura, CA, not far from my home. While there I saw some wonderful art displayed, met some nice artists who have been Facebook friends but whom I had never met in person and watched some great demos.
Going to these large art conferences can be both inspiring and deflating, encouraging and overwhelming. As artists we love looking at other artists' work but depending on our own state of mind at the time it can propel us forward or stop us dead in our tracks. We end up comparing ourselves to others and wonder if we'll ever measure up. We admire their skills and techniques, ideas and innovations and doubt our own creativity. The eyes with which we view other artists are often wearing rose colored glasses while when looking at ourselves they are eagle eyes with spotlights which zero right in on every one of our shortcomings and mistakes. No matter how old or accomplished we may get we have a certain perception of other artists, especially ones we've been following a long time, that places them wayyyy above us on that ladder we're all climbing. When we then meet them in person it can be such a surprise to see their humanity in all its nervous, anxious and insecure glory! Seeing that I'm not the only one who is nervous doing a demo or flustered because I can't find a tool I need as the crowd watches is such a gift those "famous" artists bestow upon me! It reminds me that we need to see ourselves more as others see us. No, that the way we always THINK they see us, with judgmental and critical eyes, but so often with kindness and even admiration. Maybe YOU are one of those artists others look up to and are aspiring to be like one day and just don't know it yet?
I'm trying this year to put a limit on the time I spend looking at other people's work and spend more time looking at mine and envisioning where I want to go. This can be hard with those eagle eyes, but I will temper the criticism with an occasional pat on the back and then an optimistic view forward. Where do I want to take my work? What do I truly want to say? Leave behind?
When I came home from the conference the Oscars ceremony was already over but I had heard how great Matthew McConnaughey's acceptance speech was upon winning the Best Actor award. I watched it on youtube and was inspired for the second time that evening. He summed it up by saying that he needs three things in his life: Someone to look up to, someone to look forward to and someone to chase. I had a pretty good idea where he was going with the first two (in his case it was God for the former and his family for the latter) but was perplexed by who he wants to chase. After all, he's a happily married man now, so it couldn't be a woman! My second thought was it must be some great actor or director whose accomplishments he took as inspiration. His answer was much more profound: he wants to chase himself, 10 years down the road! At 25 he was chasing the Matthew he wanted to be at 35, at 35 the one he aspired to be at 45 and so on, realizing he could never truly arrive, but always strive. Comparing himself to no one, but only improving himself.
I learned this when training for a marathon or any other race. I didn't look to beat any body else's time but only to better my own time. My life, training, experience and ambition were all very different from other runners, so why would I compare myself to someone who finishes a marathon in 3.5 hours?? I wanted to know I could do it and set a certain time in my mind and I ended up beating it by two minutes!
With my art one of my goals had been to get signature membership in the PSA (Pastel Society of America). I received this upon my first application to them when I was still afraid I would not even be given ANY kind of membership, let alone signature status! It was proof that others saw me quite differently than I saw myself. Then the goal was to reach Master level, which I reached and now the goal will be to become a Hall of Fame Honoree before I die:) In no way will these goals be affected by anybody else reaching those milestones first. It does not take away from my own journey and I am free to be truly happy for them.
Setting goals and reaching them only to set higher ones next WITHOUT comparing ourselves to others is empowering and sets us up for success instead of failure. Don't assume everyone else has their s..t together and you're the only one floundering. Everyone puts on their matching socks in public but who knows what their sock drawer looks like at home...or if their insides match their confident outsides!
Here are a few images from that first evening of TRAC 2014:
This painting by Mia Tavonatti just blew me away!!
Another stunner, this one by Kathiucia Dias
Steven DaLuz's work is always amazing! I wish I had atken a picture of his gilded door (yes, an actual door) with abstract painting which I also loved!
Felicia Forte, oh, those lovely grey tones!
The incomparable Pam Hawkes giving a demo on her very time consuming gilding and intuitive painting process. I could listen to her accent for hours! Lovely personality and amazing work!
Graydon Parrish explaining the Munsell Color Wheel and Theory he uses in his incredible paintings, which I have to admit left me quite lost. I just don't know if I want to be that analytical about color!
Tony Pro painting Virgil Elliott
Peter Adams' plein air pastel painting of a rare overcast Ventura beach.
