Artists that do their own thing get a lot of flack. One reason this is so is because they are standing up to the giants. A lot of the artwork that you see in museums are pieces from artists who did their own thing, they didn’t conform to any rules just to make a dollar. During their time, they were typically very controversial people, but only because they were made out to be that way. There are too many people out there trying to control art, but that isn’t what art is. There are a lot of phonies out there that are involved in art just to be an image, or to portray the illusion of what they think an artists is-they are pretending. And these are the people who get offended by the artists who do what they want.

These false persona artists who are just playing a role may have some temporary success here and there, but the people who are truly passionate about what they do, and create from the heart, are the ones who have their work hanging in museums and are the ones who are written about all throughout the history books. Everyone has their opinions, but as an artist you can only read and listen to what others say so much before you have to just make art. Learning from others and practice are great but its more about being true to yourself and listening to the mindset that these great artists had. Aside from anything visual, what are some common ground factors that make a great artist great? I hear the little things here and there more so than their actual work. I connect with greatness, whoever its projected from. They’re not telling you so that you make exactly what it is they are making. They’re sharing their experiences so that it leads you to your version of this truth.

Here are a few that stand out to me (paraphrased):

“Whoever learns to paint like a child has mastered art".” -Picasso

“There will be someone after me who uses color even more.” - Van Gogh

“Write the truest thing you know.” - Hemingway

“There are two important days in a mans life, the day he was born, and the day he figures out why.” - Mark Twain

I could go on and on with these. I don’t think about them as much as I did when I was younger because that’s what led me to where I am now, and I focus on my own style. I go back and find new things all of the time, but I’m more concerned with forwarding what I already know. All of the things that I read, heard, and saw from other brilliant people, created the picture that I am today. It’s not about making yourself, or your art, look like someone else’s. It’s about being true to yourself and true to the art that you create.

You can’t put chains on greatness. If you are doing what you know and love, someone is going to recognize that. There may be more people who don’t like you, and talk bad about you, but that’s good. You don’t need those people. All of it is moving you in the direction you need to be and weeding out the people who don’t belong. Someone is going to want to find out the truth about you, and invest in you because they see lies and envy flowing from the eyes of others, and they know that you’re the one who’s being real and genuine. Those stories people are saying, whether true or not, are stirring curiosity in peoples minds-they are interested to know more. This is what I’m seeing at the moment.