The act of creation

Creating is what artists do. They strive to create something new and original,

though the odds are greatly against whatever they create actually being utterly new and

original. Still, until proven otherwise, you can quietly imagine that what you create is

new, profound and earthshaking. With some luck and practice, you may actually be able to discern whether that is actually true or not.

Creating is both a greatly rewarding act, and also quite a maddening one. Even the greatest

artists never create a masterpiece every time they try. The usual thing is you create about

ten middling to poor pieces, and maybe get one that will fly.

Then every great once in a while,

if you keep chopping, chopping, chopping, you will get a really great one.

At least on a relative scale. Great for you, maybe not great for someone else. But still, when it comes along, you are quite thrilled. You earned it.

Then you start

the process

all over

again.

Chop Chop.

Its the wading through the poor to average stuff that can break you down.

Make you wonder what the hell you are doing.

Make you want to give up.

But if you know there are good things coming if you just keep going, it is all so much easier.

Personally, I expect everything I do is going to be great, every time.

Right.

You should see some of my tossers!

Actually, I would not want you to.

But if you actually did nothing but create masterpiece after masterpiece, you would (among other things) get a swelled head and not really learn very much at all.

That's because the way you learn is by making mistakes.

You cannot attain the heights without trudging through the wasteland first. It is some sort of cosmic law.

So----allow yourself to make a mess. Have fun. Take chances. Waste lots of paint. and expensive canvases too. (You do not ever want to paint on inexpensive canvas, by the way, because if the "great one" comes along, do you really want it to be painted on a Michael's "three for one" sale crappy canvas?) Be OK with tossing it all if need be, and keep on going.

You will not get anywhere with your Art otherwise.

Enough writing for now, I have some canvases to toss!

And some masterpieces to make.