struggling with their paintings. Always they are
having doubts about their work. They look nervous.
They are seeking opinions from others about how
their paintings look like.
If other person says ‘it’s good.’ then the artist get excited. If they point out some flaws in painting, he will get frustrated. Eventually he will be in depression.
This artist loves his paintings deeply. Otherwise he won’t be in depression and frustration. What kind of love this is? Is it helpful to anybody?
Why this is happening?
‘It’s love ’
Loving the work can lead to failures. depressions and frustrations. Again…Why?
Love causes Fear. Love leads you to reasonless actions. A man without reason, a man full of fear, how can he achieve any thing?
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| Water Artist:Magunta Dayakar |
We love people close to us. Whomever we love, whatever mistakes they do, we will ignore their mistakes. If some thing happens to them because of their misdeeds, we will try to protect them. Because we are loving them. In the name of love we became blind. How can a blind person know the right path?
That’s why if somebody says that they love their work, it is idiocy. How can you expect an idiot to become a creator? Idiots can become successful. Success is relative. It’s sheerly temporary. Any moment failure can happen.
Vincent Vangogh was not successful in his life time in terms of money. But whatever he created became a great treasure to the world of art. In my view, his life is a great book to the creators.
It will tell you how a human being can achieve the greatest things even in misery. That is the greatness.
I don’t think he loved his work. If he loved his work, we would not be talking about him today. He would have been a failure like so many artists who used to paint throughout their life time and achieve nothing.
He started to learn painting in his late twenties, he died in his late thirties. During that period also, he did not paint for nearly 3- 4 years. Is it not amazing? The man who found a place in the history of art, about whom this world talks after Monalisa, that man, the great Vincent did paintings for a very very short time in his life. But in the end he became great. How he achieved it?
It is by ignoring the society. It is the key. You are struggling and you want to be accepted by society. Why should you bother about society? How do they know what you did is right or wrong? Who are they to judge you? You have to be your own judge. You know your limits. You know your goals. Then what is the point asking somebody to judge your ability. It’s meaningless.
They will judge you through their perceptions, or to their taste, or through their experiences. When you are depending on somebody to know about you, eventually it leads to frustration. Because they say things what they feel is right.
That’s why I think all great people never bothered to care others opinion about their work. That’s what I have understood today, in this moment, when I am typing this. A great truth revealed … what all those great people did for their achievement!
It is ‘Understanding’
Understanding is different from love.
Love is mindlessness. Understanding is mindfulness.
A great difference between these two.
Imagine. Two people love each other. One day they got married. After some time they began to quarrel with each other. They hate each other. They may go for divorce or they may live together reluctantly depending upon the cultural background of society. Why this is happening? They loved each other before marriage. After marriage they hate each other.
Why this change? What is the cause for this? Lack of ‘Understanding. ‘ That is the problem.
Nobody denies their love for each other before they become a couple. Yes! It’s love. All ready I say…’Love is Blind’
They want each other. For what? Is it not for physical desires? Because of that desires, they showed so much concern for each other. That so much concern is nothing but fear. The fear of loosing other one. Because of this fear they listened to each other. A little bit of understanding, of course..unknowingly.
Later, once they become a couple, their desires are fulfilled. There is no magnetism between them. No mystery of unfulfilled desires. Now they stop listening to each other. There is no concern for other one. That’s why doubts will start about each other. Eventually it leads to a psychological breakdown.
Love is the reason for this. Instead of love if they understood each other, things would have been different. Same thing happening to the artists also….
They are not understanding what they are doing. They are in passion. They are in love with their work. They think becoming a painter means money, fame, pleasure, greatness. That’s why they want to be painters quickly. Short cuts. Create your own paintings. Do life drawing. Do plein air. Do studio paintings. Find the galleries, which will sell your paintings. Go online.
There are potential buyers. Acquire style. Style will sell. Learn composition. Know rhythm. Find design. Learn color, light… So many things…All these preachings or tips whatever you call it tell you, ‘How to get success’.
So they start to love their work because it’s the one which can fulfil their dreams. But their love leads to fear, insecurity and finally heart break.
That’s why so many artists become desperate in their careers. Always doubts about their ability. Still they are unable to leave art, because they are in love with it.
What they need is … not love. Understanding. Awareness of what they are doing. Then they will know where they are. What they are.
Tail Piece:
Nobody will tell you what you are or what you need to do.
You should be aware of those things. Then you are able to move from one step to another. Because of that understanding, you will be able to examine the path where you are moving. You know it fully. For such a person even failure is movement to him. Its awareness. Its understanding.
When you are doing work without bothering about the end results you don’t have any fear. There is nothing you are going to lose. Because you are not expecting anything. That is understanding. That is awareness.
This understanding can make you a complete person. A complete person is above the success or failure.
Line, texture, shape, size, value, design, composition and other things in the language of art… learn them but not with love. Learn with awareness and understanding.