October 13th, 2016
Tomorrow is my daughter's eighth birthday. Both my daughters will stay home to celebrate. I will be eating cake, playing with her new toys, going out for lunch and taking lots of photos so my next post will be on Monday.
Today's post is about perseverance. There are so many sayings like: "Jump and the net will appear" or "Follow your heart and the money will come". I have followed my heart and I jumped without hesitation. Guess what? There was no net or money. However, I get to do what I love every day. This includes taking care of my family, participating in activities that contribute to my community and developing my skills as a writer, public speaker and art therapist. I also enjoy a better work-life balance now that I am my own employer.
This post was inspired by a 100 year old artist named Carmen Herrera. She was born in Havana, Cuba but spent a great deal of her life in New York. Her father was the founder of a newspaper, El Mundo, and her mother was a journalist. Carmen was creating innovative, minimalist art in the 50s along with Frank Stella. As a matter of fact, her geometric shapes and use of colour and contrasts were unparalleled. Why haven't you heard about this artist before now? She's a woman and, in the 50s, she was not included in art shows because of her gender. I
n the documentary, The 100 Years Show, Carmen recalls a moment when she met a woman who was the curator for an art gallery. A friend assured Carmen that this curator admired her work. Carmen went to see this woman, hoping to be included in an art show. This woman explained that she did love her work but she couldn't include a female artist in her exhibits. This shocked Carmen because it was another woman who was placing limitations on her.
Carmen married a photographer who encouraged Carmen's creativity and fully believed that her work would be recognized one day. They were great friends. He passed away at the age of 100 after years of suffering from dementia, becoming dependent on Carmen for his care. Carmen has created every day, finding purpose in "putting order in a chaotic world". No one was buying her art but she created for herself. She created because she simply had to do it. That is true passion.
It turns out, her husband was right. People started to recognize her talent and she is now selling her art, included in art shows, part of the collection in a dozen art galleries and, interviewed in various magazines and newspapers. Starting in 2002, she has enjoyed being a recognized and celebrated artist. While it saddens her that her husband never got to see her efforts pay off, she is grateful for the income. It allows her to stay at home and afford the supports she needs such as an art assistant, a physiotherapist and a chef.
Her documentary is short but inspiring. For all of you who have worked hard and have yet to reap the rewards of your labour, there is hope. Just keep doing what you love. Trust that you are where you are meant to be and, perhaps, one day when you least expect it, your moment will come. Hopefully, you won't be 100 years old when it does.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Thursday, 13 October 2016
Friday, 15 January 2016
Book of the Week-Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
January 15th, 2016
Big Magic was on my wish list this Christmas. However, there was some confusion and I ended up with, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto which is not usually my type of book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is beautifully written and I couldn't put it down until it was done. It made me want to pick up a guitar and learn to play Flamenco. Then I started reading Diana Leeson Fisher's new book, The Accidental Farmwife and, just like that, the urge to devote myself to Flamenco music died. I had moved on. Diana's book revived my dream of owning chickens, a goat and a vegetable garden.
Last week, I went to Indigo Books in Barrhaven with my girls and bought Big Magic. I was eager to read it and gain some new wisdom or tips I could integrate into my workshops. The book wasn't what I expected. I read it in its entirety and many parts made me laugh but it's an unusual book. It feels like a pep talk or motivational speech for writers. Basically, the author explains that we all have a treasure buried deep within us that we can choose to unearth. She encourages the reader to write for the pleasure of it and not take it so seriously. She describes the way a creative calling or idea comes your way and waits for your collaboration. If you ignore it, it will keep going until someone else produces the exact same thing and you think: "That was my idea". The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, warns the reader to avoid the common mistake of believing that you must suffer for your art. She assures us that it is possible to enjoy, and surrender to, the process. She also instructs artists to follow their curiosity rather than wait for a deep passion to emerge. The goal is to stay busy and keep moving. When she feels stuck, she may pursue a new interest and find that her creative flow has returned.
The section that was most inspirational to me was devoted to an artist's work ethic. Elizabeth has pledged that she will write throughout her life no matter what: success, failure, lack of inspiration, no motivation etc. She doesn't "burden" her art with the expectation to make a living. Therefore she worked other jobs for money while she continued to write until the success of Eat, Pray, Love. This was a new way of perceiving my passion. Much of what I do: write and publish children's books, offer workshops to children or to women in their 40s, 50s and 60s, interview people for the local paper and write this blog, feeds my soul. I thoroughly enjoy all of it. I become conflicted when I try to earn a certain amount of money from my work. Then, the success of the work is determined by my pay as opposed to my sense of purpose. It may be worthwhile to work for money during the day at a stress-free job and enjoy my calling in the evenings and weekends, unconcerned with the financial aspect of these endeavours. Food for thought!
Big Magic was on my wish list this Christmas. However, there was some confusion and I ended up with, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto which is not usually my type of book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is beautifully written and I couldn't put it down until it was done. It made me want to pick up a guitar and learn to play Flamenco. Then I started reading Diana Leeson Fisher's new book, The Accidental Farmwife and, just like that, the urge to devote myself to Flamenco music died. I had moved on. Diana's book revived my dream of owning chickens, a goat and a vegetable garden.
Last week, I went to Indigo Books in Barrhaven with my girls and bought Big Magic. I was eager to read it and gain some new wisdom or tips I could integrate into my workshops. The book wasn't what I expected. I read it in its entirety and many parts made me laugh but it's an unusual book. It feels like a pep talk or motivational speech for writers. Basically, the author explains that we all have a treasure buried deep within us that we can choose to unearth. She encourages the reader to write for the pleasure of it and not take it so seriously. She describes the way a creative calling or idea comes your way and waits for your collaboration. If you ignore it, it will keep going until someone else produces the exact same thing and you think: "That was my idea". The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, warns the reader to avoid the common mistake of believing that you must suffer for your art. She assures us that it is possible to enjoy, and surrender to, the process. She also instructs artists to follow their curiosity rather than wait for a deep passion to emerge. The goal is to stay busy and keep moving. When she feels stuck, she may pursue a new interest and find that her creative flow has returned.
The section that was most inspirational to me was devoted to an artist's work ethic. Elizabeth has pledged that she will write throughout her life no matter what: success, failure, lack of inspiration, no motivation etc. She doesn't "burden" her art with the expectation to make a living. Therefore she worked other jobs for money while she continued to write until the success of Eat, Pray, Love. This was a new way of perceiving my passion. Much of what I do: write and publish children's books, offer workshops to children or to women in their 40s, 50s and 60s, interview people for the local paper and write this blog, feeds my soul. I thoroughly enjoy all of it. I become conflicted when I try to earn a certain amount of money from my work. Then, the success of the work is determined by my pay as opposed to my sense of purpose. It may be worthwhile to work for money during the day at a stress-free job and enjoy my calling in the evenings and weekends, unconcerned with the financial aspect of these endeavours. Food for thought!
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