I Need a Plan

I'm running as fast as I can and it's not fast enough. I am trying to be a full time artist on a part time basis. This is a fools errand and I think I may end up making myself crazy.

My husband and I talk about the tradeoff between keeping the photography fun and taking it to the next level. Certainly keeping it at the level it is now, where it is a fun and relaxing hobby, is appealing. But the artist in me wants to kick it up a notch. Unfortunately, those projects take a lot of time and energy.

It would be wonderful to have a patron system alive and well in the arts world. But like all the other arts, (i.e. music and literature) the internet has changed the way we sell our work. There is no mythical "other" to support the arts, be it big business or a rich patron. Each artist is tasked with creating work then marketing and selling it. We are asked to tweet, blog, make connections, maintain a web site, amass a mailing list, etc... all while creating ground breaking works of art or literature.

"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time."  Leonard Bernstein

Well, I definitely don't have quite enough time, now I just need a plan.

~ xxsjc

Do you find that you don't have enough time to realize all your creative ambitions?
How do you prioritize?

Connections

I've been watching documentaries again, this time it was Cave of Forgotten Dreams. This interesting documentary by Werner Herzog is about the relatively recently discovered Chauvet Cave in southern France that contains some of the oldest human-painted images ever discovered. These rock paintings were created approximately 32,000 years ago. It was a good documentary and considering the subject matter it was actually riveting; I recommend it.

Why do I bring this up now? How is this relevant to our discussions on "Why"? In all our conversations we have never mentioned legacy or more specifically immortality. One day we will all become dust or random particles. Depending on your beliefs you may return as another life form, you will pass on to another plane of existence or simply stop existing. What ever your beliefs, our time on earth is short and mostly inconsequential.

For me the desire to create has many different facets. I am driven by my inner voice to create much the same way my ancestors were driven to create their rock paintings. I want to use my art to connect with other people. This can be as simple as a brief interaction on IG or an in person meeting that has turned into a friendship. I am also arrogant enough to want to leave my mark on this earth; sort of like my initials carved into a tree or a painting in a cave.

As my husband is fond of pointing out, I have met all my current friends through the internet. (Ok, maybe not quite all, I think there are one or two that I actually met in person through some long lost job or my kids school.) But by and large, the majority are people I have collected in my social media journey. They are a large and diverse group and they are all precious to me. This is what drives me.

So I will keep creating, I will keep reaching out to meet new people and I will keep trying to make my mark on this complicated world we live in.

If you ever want to know my answer to the question "Why?" it is all over this blog, it is in everything I write and in every image I create. I want to connect with as many people as possible before I sink back into the dust.

~ xxsjc

If you are curious about the concept of Immortality I highly recommend a book of the same name by Milan Kundera. An excellent read for the artist and non-artist alike.

If dinosaurs died out 65Million years ago and the oldest human fossil is 4Million years old and those cave paintings mentioned above are from 32,000 years ago, no wonder I feel like a short timer.