Feel it!
Bliss by Ivan Tirado
Take a moment to breathe in. Consider where you started and where you are now. Breathe out! Think of the moments when your heart was immerse in that piece you were creating. Time seemed to stop and you were in a different dimension of inspiration. Wouldn’t be great to experience that with each piece you create?
Sometimes it seems that artists are creating racing against time trying to compete with self-imposed demands. We are trying to produce and in the process we detach from the blessing that is creating. We used to dance with muses. Now we are rushing them. We put ourselves at risk of burning out our inspiration in the race. Yes, we can work fast and produce many pieces, but there is no need to deprive our spirits from the pleasure and satisfaction of art making. We should not run when we can soar.
Feel it! Let the result takes a second place. Allow inspiration guide you. Let yourself go. Don’t race time. Time will stand still while the muses dance to a rhythm of their own carrying you to that place. Feel the bliss of the process of creation.
The deal with self-promotion is not about talking about yourself or self-adulation. The deal with self-promotion is that no one else can explain or describe your vision and ideas better than yourself. We all have a way to explain what we do. I can be very passionate when explaining what I do. I add a little drama to my explanations too (that might be in the blood or the comedian in me… or both). Explaining my art is no exception. I get very excited when I describe my ideas and process of each piece. I like to tell the stories of the people I teach and encounter and their testimonies because I truly enjoy seeing people happy and satisfied with the experience of art. I am not talking about myself, but I have to talk through myself.
It is very possible that half of the people who see my work ask this question: How long does it take to finish something like this? I take it as an honest question. We humans are trapped inside the clock. Even when traveling to another place we don’t ask how far it is waiting for a response in miles or kilometers. We want to know how far it is in time measures: “How long does it take to get there?” We create deadlines in an attempt to beat time. The workplace establishes a shift based on hours. In many of these places it is of little importance quality and production than the time spent there. We are measuring nanoseconds to switch from one screen to another with a touch of a finger and we panic if takes “too long”. Even sharing a cup of coffee with someone is based on how much time they have for us at that moment. It seems that control is leaving us out of control and ripping away some of our humanity.
The measure of time in art is not about how long it takes to make, but how long it took the artist to master the technique to make it happen. It is about how long it took to study and understand how to turn the idea into life. Time for the artist is about thinking how to pour the self on that piece. I can finish a painting in an hour or two, but it took a long time to get to that point. Even so with sculpting. I can finish a sculpture in a day but it took many years of practice, effort and sacrifice to reach a comfort level of my technique. However, the joy of creating and the bliss of the moment should not be shortened or retrained by time. The feeling is too good to rush.
Where Your Treasure Is
It is healthy to perform an evaluation of our motives in the things we do and what we want to accomplish. Humans have the capacity to align their behaviors based on their goals and behave accordingly. Our goals are informed by our values and how we measure success in our lives. Those same goals will determine our view in life and how we conduct ourselves with others.
Our society sadly measures a successful life based on money. It only takes one quick look at all those wealthy celebrities who are suffering illnesses, depression, depending on medications and illegal drugs, and even taking their own lives. I might sound like a credit card commercial but indeed there are many things money can’t buy.
I personally believe that relationships are more important than things. I believe that touching other people with my art and when I teach is more important than getting paid (that doesn’t mean I work for free or give away my art). Making a difference in someone’s life is more important to me than money or recognition. Connections with people are more important to me than selling many pieces of art. Yes, selling art is nice. It is my job, as it is teaching, but money can’t be the focus of what I do.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
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