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11.14.2011

A difficult balance

In his book, The War of Art, Steven Pressfield discusses the difference between an amateur artist  and a professional artist.  To quote Mr. Pressfield, "The amateur plays part-time, the professional full-time.  The amateur is a weekend warrior,  The professional is there seven days a week."  Unfortunately,  I am not in a position to abandon my day job,and yet, I'd like to think of myself as a professional.  I've tried very hard over the years to put into practice the behaviors Mr. Pressfield's proposes...with varying success.   And, this week I achieved my constant goal of getting some studio time in every day! What a productive week!  My list of accomplishments includes: riding the learning curve of my new Epson printer, daily sketching and working on a suite of prints for Advent.  It feels good to be creative every day.  On the flip side, with all that studio time, my house is a mess, there is a mountain of laundry in my hamper, and my refrigerator is empty, (tonight I had a single boiled potato and a piece of peanut butter bread for dinner).  Mr. Pressfield also writes that a professional will not tolerate disorder, must eliminate chaos by keeping the carpet vacuumed and the threshold swept so that "the Muse may enter and not soil her gown."  Hmmm, Mr. Pressfield must have a wife.

2 comments:

  1. oh, carpets, hampers, and fridges be damned. Sketch and create!! But a single boiled potato and peanut butter bread? A bit pauperish,I say. Get some take-out !!!! And I would add, on paper plates, but I know your green conscience wouldn't allow it.

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  2. you'll be happy to know that paper plates are recyclable in these parts! we just toss 'em with the yard waste.

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