Motivation

Ngaire Winwood · 04-12-2004, 05:43 PM

My motivation is telling myself this mantra, that I believe I am an accomplished portrait artist already. I of course am only a beginner, but hey my negative mind is pretty strong, so I am fooling it into believing I am already there.

So far it has worked as my passion and dedication has grown immensely. I live and breath as an artist everyday now and am starting to get annoyed when I get disrupted. As a mother, up until now I have not had the luxury to be anything else but my son is a 14 year old now and he doesn't need me as much any more. There is just the two of us. I concentrated to being the best Mum to him till now but because his needs have changed, I have allowed my needs, for the first time to come into the picture. I have started to realise that I am starting to annoy him for the first time as I am becoming more aloof as my artist's mind is developing. Having the spare time to now develop as an artist is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. I certainly will be catching up with time lost.

Brenda Ellis · 08-08-2005, 09:00 PM

I just had to revive this thread.

Joyce, I hear ya. I turned 41 last December (that's so much smoother than saying I'll turn 42 this December), and I am making up for lost time, too. The clock is ticking. But that's not a bad thing. Those years I spent not painting weren't wasted. All that experience of life gets brought to painting through me. I find I'm more motivated to do this now than I was motivated to do anything at 20 or 25. I'm finding that my desire to achieve something far outweighs any limits on energy. And I find that motivation is my inspiration, not the other way around. I started painting at noon on Saturday and thought I'd paint for a little bit and then mosey over to the library. It was 9:30 before I looked at the clock and realized I'd been painting all that time. I had missed lunch and dinner and not even cared. Is this the Painter's Diet?

I have half an education in theatre (got a job before I finished school) and no education in art and if education in art is anything like education in theatre, then I still would have had to spend 5 or 10 years unlearning and relearning in the real world everything I thought I'd learned in academia.

I used to live in San Francisco, Geary, and I miss the good art museums. And it is so VERY nice to hear that I am not the only one who gets up inches away from paintings to see what is really going on! I've always done this in galleries and museums, and then I get embarrassed because I'm the only one doing it and I think I must look like some sort of rube. On the other hand, I don't know how anyone could look at a painting and NOTwant to get close to see what's really going on. But I won't worry about that anymore since I know I'm in good company.

Well, this thread is over a year old, and Joyce, you've probably got a whole different view on things now. And I don't even know if Geary is still around here. But what you said, Joyce, resonated with me and I wanted to respond.

Patricia Joyce · 08-09-2005, 10:11 AM

Brenda,
It was nice to see this resurrected and to reread what had been posed by all! I guess my motivation is still TIME more than anything else (well, of course after the veritable LOVE of portraiture) I spent all day yesterday in my studio painting and am paying the price today (my arthritis flaired up so bad when I returned from Vegas that I can hardly move some days) All of my money goes into art education (workshops with Marvin) and the best supplies I can afford, and acupuncture. A top priority is to be as healthy as I can so that I can keep painting. Western medicine has failed me, so now it's over to the East to see if they can help!!

I'll do anything to be able to keep painting . . .

Brenda Ellis · 08-09-2005, 02:25 PM

Patricia,
I hope you do continue.
I just came from the doctor's office. It turns out I have tennis elbow. I don't play tennis, but I use my right arm just about every waking moment some days. So I'll have to wear this cuff on my arm whenever I paint or draw or do art, which is most of the time.
I know this is nothing compared to arthritis, and my good thoughts are with you.
I know it's trite, but I do believe where there's a will, there's a way.

Patricia Joyce · 08-09-2005, 02:30 PM

Thanks Brenda,
I do to. R Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and I tend to believe you can put yourself into remission with correct diet, sleep, exercise and attitude. But when life is hectic which it has been since I have been back, I am always thrown for a loop. One of these times I will figure out how to keep my cool!!