Catch and Release

(note: this is not a picture of me........I only fish in metaphors.)

Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that the process of making art involves give and take, though I prefer to call it take and give. I accept (take) the gifts I have been given – inspiration, talent, the true desire to be an artist. I make art, then I try to give it back to the world. This is the tricky part as I am often mired in – for lack of a better word – the marketing part of my job. Who is my audience, what venues will best serve me, where can I sell my work? Can one truly “give” ones creative work back to the world in an appropriate way and still make a living? I’d like to think so, but it is always a challenge.

To know that my work moves people, taps into memories, and makes them think in new ways means a lot to me. That’s why I do it. (Which is not to say I don’t appreciate it when people like and/or buy it just for, say, the color.) Once I make a painting and send it out into the world, I can only hope it makes an impression and brings some good mojo into the atmosphere. But that is out of my control – my job first and foremost is to make the art. Yet it is essential to get the work out; creative efforts turned only inward can become a burden. For me, too many paintings stacked against the wall can lead to feeling of stagnation, and can make me feel self-absorbed and somehow psychically stingy.

So I try to “catch and release” – catch the creative energy when it is flowing, then release what I make back into the world so I can catch some more inspiration which will lead me to make more work which I will eventually release back……hopefully, in beneficent and meaningful ways.
(btw, I am always happy to hear about ways in which my work may have enlightened, annoyed, amused or otherwise affected people - so please feel free to let me know. I'm not fishing for compliments here ha ha.)