I CAN DO THAT!

Have you ever been in a museum or a gallery and thought to yourself "I can do that" or maybe you've had the opposite thought and said something like "that seems so hard to do." I'm certain the first thought probably came from the initial sticker shock of some abstract piece. Maybe it's true, you could do such a piece but could you sell it for that much money? There is a famous Picasso legend that goes something like this:


“It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.” So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the women his work of art. “It’s perfect!” she gushed. “You managed to capture my essence with one stroke, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?” “Five thousand dollars,” the artist replied. “B-b-but, what?” the woman sputtered. “How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!” To which Picasso responded, “Madame, it took me my entire life.”


The realty is that career artists are only worth the money when they've been promoted, their work is owned by collectors, and art dealers are demanding exclusivity. The subjective part of the work, its meaning, might be created by the artist and dealer, but the true value is created by the buyer. Picasso didn't mean to say, "a life time of painting," he meant "a life time of self promotion."


On the other hand, thinking you're not capable of such talent is also a fallacy. If you love art you can make art. You just need to be committed to the learning process not just being artsy. There is a difference between being artsy and being an artist. Being artsy is a fleeting trend, being an artist is a lifelong dedication. I have seen many talented and dedicated people not pursue art because of fear. I have also seen many  lazy, undedicated, artsy people consider themselves artist because it's cool. My version of a successful artist doesn't look a certain way, they think a certain way. My artist is dedicated and passionate about their work. They can admire the process not just the final product and they're relentless about self promotion.


I can teach anyone to be an artist, but I can't teach commitment nor can I erase your fears. It is up to the artist to promote themselves and work closely with the art dealers, and it's up to you to pick up a brush and truly believe YOU CAN DO THAT!