Blessed are the weird people

Blessed are the weird people – poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters and troubadours – for they teach us to see the world through different eyes.
- Jacob Nordby

The “earth” without “art” is just “eh”

Art is...

Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul – and you answer.

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.

Life is art of drawing with no eraser.

When you buy from an independent artist

When you buy from an independent artist you are buying more than just a painting or a novel or a song. You are buying hundreds of hours of experimentation and thousands of failures. You are buying days, weeks, months, years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You are buying nights of worry about paying the rent, having enough money to feed the children, the birds, the dog. You aren’t just buying a thing; you are buying a piece of heart, a part of a soul, a private moment in someone’s life. Most importantly, you are buying that artist more time to do something they are truly passionate about; something that makes all of the above worth the fear and the doubt; something that puts the life into the living.
- Rebekah Joy Plett

Nothing is original...

Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration, or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said:
“It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”
- Jim Jarmusch

Steal like an artist...

1. Steal like an artist.
2. Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.
3. Write the book you want to read.
4. Use your hands.
5. Side projects and hobbies are important.
6. The secret: do good work and share it with people.
7. Geography is no longer our master.
8. Be nice. (The world is a small town.)
9. Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)
10. Creativity is subtraction.

Picture: Steallikeanartist.com

What the heart can inspire

In art the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can inspire.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trying to draw

What I’m trying to draw / what my brain keeps telling me to draw.

Every artist was first an amateur.

I am an artist...

I am an artist.
This means I live in a perverse fantasy world with unrealistic expectations.
Thank you for understanding.

Stop trying to be original...

If you’re an artist or creative person, stop trying to be original.Your goal should be to tell the story you’re trying to tell. (Or play the melody or fill the canvas with color or whatever.)

Get over your self-sabotage

How to feel fulfilled as an artist
(or, how to get over your self-sabotage)
1. Never compare yourself to other artists.
2. Know that your family is biased, whether for or against you, their views are skewed and do not represent an accurate reflection of your work in the world.
3. Base your success on how your art has enriched your life and how you feel when you create it.
4. Constantly push yourself to expand and learn.
5. Know that art can never be measured in dollars – and will only ever appreciate in value.
6. Trust that when you are making the world more beautiful, there is always enough. Honest work is not a compromise if it supports the creation of art.
7. Remember, it’s the job of the artist to create new culture, not simply to regurgitate what exists.
8. Never expect your family to understand your art, but do your best to educate them about it, patiently.
9. Whenever a client/gallery owner/patron offers their advice, smile and nod. Then create your art authentically.
10 Remember what Dali said: “Have no fear of perfection. You’ll never reach it.”

Cloud-walker

Nefilibata
(n.) lit. “cloud-walker”; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams, or one who does not obey the conventions of society, literature, or art.

And find someone who likes me enough...

Like, I just wanna make art, read books and find someone who likes me enough to kiss my face.

Make even more art

Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.
- Andy Warhol

Give me...

Give me a museum and I’ll fill it. 

- Pablo Picasso 

(1881-1973)