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Once again I hear somebody who is going to settle down and do their work, painting or writing or whatever, as soon as they get a better light installed, or as soon as they move to a new city, or as soon as they come back from the trip they have been planning, or as soon as… It’s simple: they just don’t want to do it, or they can’t do it, otherwise they’d feel a burning itch from hell they could not ignore and ‘soon’ would turn quickly into ‘now’.
CHARLES BUKOWSKI
Making art was the most important thing to me, so why did I stop creating for a decade?
Art school was a wonderful experience, I love my alma mater, my years there were inspiring and fulfilling. As much as I value my education, art school did not prepare me for the realities of being a professional artist.
Until recently, I don’t think any art schools taught students the business of being an artist.
It isn’t surprising then, how many people with fine art degrees, never make a career out of it. We weren’t armed with business skills, we were taught how to conceptualize our work, how to make the work (hopefully), how to write about it, and how to critique the work of our classmates.
This lack of practical knowledge wasn’t the only reason I stopped making art. I told myself a story about what it meant to be an artist and that story consisted of several limiting beliefs that I accepted as facts.
These “facts” became my excuse and it was easier to stop making art, find a more clearly defined career path and focus on other aspects of life.
When I finally did return to art, I was in my 30s and had a full-time career in marketing. I stopped waiting for inspiration, stopped making excuses and began to realize those old beliefs were not true.
It has been a slow process that has taught me a lot about myself and what it means to be an artist.
During the years when I wasn’t making art, I felt like I was hiding part of myself. I felt like no one really knew me because I didn’t completely identify with the person I allowed myself to become.
I hope that sharing my experience will help others return to art.
If you relate to any part of this journey, I encourage you to share your experiences here as well.
You can read more about my limiting beliefs and how I got “un-stuck” by clicking on the hyperlinks in this sentence.
Oh my goodness how I relate. .My art degree did include a,bs in art ed that I never intended to use, but my mom found out at 39 as a,young widow of 3 that a,teachers degree can be a life insurance policy . Well darn she put an omen on me as I was widowed at 32 with a just turned 2 year old. So I taught for 30 years, 23 in kindergarten then finally in art ed the last 7 . Until now I put everyone and everything in front of my own creative desires. So now at 67 finally it is my time and I hope I’ve got time to let loose. So many styles and techniques for painting I want to do I’m frustrated as I won’t live long enough to do them all. So I do relate and I’m picking my seat up and moving on lol
Elizabeth, thank you so much for sharing your story here! And what an incredible and inspiring story it is. You are proof that it is never too late to start. I imagine you passed on your love of creativity to a great many students during your long career. As someone who had some wonderful teachers, I know how valuable that can be to a young person. I wish you the best on this next chapter!
Rachel, What is the painting app that you use on your tablet? You have written a bit on other art materials but I’m wondering which one you found most useful?
Janice
Hi Janice! I am using Artrage on a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. I love it and found it pretty easy to use just by experimenting. I notice a lot of iPad users go with ProCreate but I haven’t tried it myself since I’m on an Android. The only thing Artrage (for mobile) lacks is the ability to make a video of the painting process whereas other apps do seem to have that feature. Hope that helps you!
-Rachel