“I used to be an artist”

When he said that, my jaw hit the floor. Jody was one of the most creatively brilliant guys in art school, and he had just told me he was no longer making work. We were maybe 5 years past graduation and I know he had been waiting tables. But I was shocked to hear that he had given up making art on his own time. He was one of the best in the art department. I mean, isn’t that why lots of artist wait tables? To be able to make art? He seemed okay with it.

Sometimes, life gets in the way of making art

I have not been doing a whole lot of making lately. Maybe there is some psychological excuse of why my more pressing tasks seem to be the impending move/house rehab/car selling/setting up the new side gig seems to get in the way. Maybe I just need to overcome the simple inertia of starting a new project. Then again, it has only been a week or so.

I have a fear, that one day I will have prioritized myself away from my passion of making art.

I know it sounds silly. I don’t know why I think this. I have always made art, and I imagine I always will. That short conversation years ago will always resonate in my head like cautionary tale of how life got in the way of art. I mean hell I have even come up with ways to incorporate art into my basic life chores.

I’d like to hope being an artist is something ingrained in who I am. I have always love art. Am I finding my legacy in my work as opposed to the kids I never had? I read somewhere that many of iconic female painters never had children. And I find myself hard pressed to think of any historic artist moms off the top of my head. Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt (although I would have though she had kids with all those paintings of mothers with their children).

Jody passed a few years ago of cancer. I had not seen him in years, but cried none the less. Did he ever gone back to making art? I have no idea. But what I do know is his words motivated me be aware of where I am with my work. The days I am not working but, instead, tending to the tiny details of regular life, I feel a surge of panic and guilt, but never resigning to giving it up.

Artist need to tend to life too.

So, I am trying to go easy on myself. But if I get more than a month out from doing any work, you guys need to start the intervention.

So, tell me. how often do you guys work normally? What is the longest period of time you have been away from your work? Did you ever fell like you were no longer an artist? Leave me a comment below, post it on the Facebook page or shoot me an email