Do you feel trapped?

Yes Janis I have to admit to having two alter egos and I let them keep their work separate from mine….......................not that any of us exactly have a fan club, but when I did a brief stint at art school I was reprimanded for not having a distinct style. I applaud you for having a distinct and easily recognisable styole which we all love. I also love your comments, journals and writngs which are really inspiring

Another thought provoking artical. I’m not sure I have a style just yet. Like my mind, my art is still a little chaotic. But I’m working on both and this really helps. I believe one should follow ones own path, artistically or otherwise. No-one is static or one dimensional. We must reflect the changes with passion and resolve. In life and art.
Thankyou so much for your support and encouragement Janis.

Mx

very impressed janis. i refused any life style in which i had to be a slave. it was my way and it will be my way till my last day. i have not succeeded at all, but i want to proud myself on this point. thank you for your article Janis, i copied it in my computer.

Yes, I see what you mean. I believe one should only create art that is passionate and right for oneself. Surely as artists we are free to create as and when we are inspired or motivated. I wouldn’t want to conform to any imposed edict. I do empathise with the need to survive, but at the expense of ones’ integrity. A fate worse than death…

Mx

If you were to start with several styles and varied genres, your followers would enjoy the excitement of watching you for new things. You would be wise to help your followers to develope an interest in your art by with those same varied styles. You have to create the antisipation of your art in the followers.

Or you can create your niche and style and stick with it and all that comes with being in a rut. Emotional worrying, is part of a rut as well.

It is much like actors “stuck” in the character roles they are famous for….they are “Fonzy” forever! lol:) I haven’t developed a style and probably never will because I enjoy sooo many different modalities. As my bio states…I didn’t even OWN a camera until I was 65 yrs old and have no visions of grandeur of being famous now,at the age of 70! lol:) I create for my own inspirational outlet and if others enjoy it along the way…wonderful! My work is selling, but I don’t get out and market as others do….I’m just toooo lazy and would rather take the time creating! lol:)
I enjoyed the article and can understand the emotional trap of “sameness”, but I opt for contentment in MY soul first….then that frees me to be more creative! I liked the idea of creating in a different name…I think it would work well. Thanks for sharing…look forward to more! Have a blessed day everyone.

this one makes one think Janis….I have been saying to myself for a while now…I have no style as I am all over the place painting whatever takes my fancy…(but also enjoying myself tremendously)! I am not pushing my art for sale just yet but have had a few commissions and sales…which have been a little bonus. That aside I think for the professional artist out there they are recognised first by their style and do become famous because of it eg monet …and have a huge following. I suppose the bottom line is if you really want to live off your art then you have to churn out art that makes you money…but to satisfy your appetite for different subjects you should paint away to your hearts content to fill that creative need!

Hi janis..thanks for that and a good article.. very interesting and it had me thinking!

well all i can say is that I don’t worry about any of that just yet ..I guess I don’t have to just yet!
I always just paint what wants to come up and what wants to be painted..it’s almost as though I don’t really have much control over that sometimes and the spirit is involved..sometimes I look at a painting and I’m so suprised myself as to what has emerged onto the canvas!

..and I would never paint just to please a certain audience or person.
sometimes people want me to paint certain things..and I do try ..but I just can’t do it! ..it just won’t come up…and I don’t think it can be forced either.

also I think you have to keep the” joy” in what we paint and create..that’s half the problem solved..I really beleive that if people can see some happiness and some joy in what we paint..then they will like it…no matter what the subject..etc

I don’t think I could paint the same thing over and over again although I have had to so that in the past on the ceramics and ( I might end up having to do that with my ceramic dolls too) hha!! . ..at least they will all be painted differently and different colours etc.. but with a painting on canvas..it’s always a one of and they can never be repeated anyway..I guess I am willing to sacrifice when it comes to the ceramic dolls..it’s a good sacrifice and easy to do and even though I might end up becoming tired of painting a similar theme over and over..I know they will be popular and they will help me to get some well needed money into this household.
they are happy strange things and there is obviously a niche for that type of 3D painting

I would never do that with the canvas though ..just paint the same thing over ..it would become so boring and people have to either like what I do..or not ..it doesn’t really matter to me..I ‘m a rebel when it comes to things like that …whatever the spirit sends ..that’s it !

I always remeber a story of a japanese man who painted a blade of grass..over and over agin..he wanted to perfect his grass stalk..and he wanted it to look so real ..that all he ever did his whole life was to paint one blade of grass..I admired his determination..he wanted to do this project for himself and to see if he could do it..
so to me that is a different matter..he wasn’t doing that to please anyone else but himself..to me it was a good lesson in determination and perfection and discipline..he must have been a zen…hha!!

god bless..and that was all good to think about !

xxooo

much love

cathy walker ‘xxxooo

Lovely thoughts Catherine…I paint to suit myself too…I try all different things because I believe it’s the journey that matters, not the end…so keep doing waht you so…I am quite sure that every doll you do will be different from each other and you will be just as excited at the first one as at the last…

Great article Janis. I know that I don’t change mediums very often but I do try to keep the subject matter different. I too have seen this happen. Like yourself and Catherine, I also paint for myself. I love it of course when I do sell something, but I would paint if I never sold another piece. One last thought, like so many other things in life, if we practice to learn a little bit of everything, we never really become good at anything.

yes Janis so true…this minute is what matters…right now I want to go get my paintbrush and play….but have chores to do…..roll on retirement :-D I look forward to the day when I find my niche …

Great debate, I read not so long ago about the artist Maggi Hambling saying that she “had to” go to the studio every day, and every day she would paint, put brush marks on the canvas whether it worked or not. At times it would get to a point of complete chaos, then maybe days weeks later, after suffering great torture, something happened and it all worked, she states that she works for those moments, and what ever the medium, whatever the process, system you use being in a rut doesn’t apply not to Maggi Hambling. She has to go to the studio, she is compelled to work. I believe that, if you have the ability to put a mark on a surface then you should try to, and keep trying regardless. keep trying one day something wonderful awesome will happen.

‘play’ to me Janis is experimentation at this stage, as I am still trying to find my niche (any advice?) ...... I am serious when painting tho. and lose myself in the moment when creating… with the chores wish we could afford an in-house cleaner/maid, a laundry service, a gardner, a cook, manager of finances etc…an all rounder really….but we do have one… it is me :-) You are an inspiration to us all and have a bundle of wise information Janis…keep sharing…

just yet but I would love to paint every day…and you inspire me to try different

just as well it is not going to be a career for me….would have loved it to have been years ago…I fear it may be too late for me….I am way behind…..have a lot of learning and catching up to do…maybe I should set myself a goal of picking up the paintbrush every day too….see you inspire me all the time! :-) will see how I go….............

thanks for the encouragement and kind words Janis…not too late for me then :-D (showing my teeth) ....I am nowhere near 70! (prob. no teeth then tho.) looking forward to what the future may bring …....

Excellent article, thank you for posting it! This is exactly what’s on my mind lately, and I will ALWAYS BELIEVE, ‘It’s never too late.’ Reading what all of you have written on this subject has helped me considerably. I started to feel that I had to have a particular style or stick to a particular theme in order to become successful, but what the heck is that? I am successful because I am doing what I love to do. I create art in the medium and style I prefer at the moment and that is wonderful to me. I needed to appreciate that fact a lot more! I may never become rich or famous or even have a ‘following’ but I sure love what I do and I won’t beat myself up because I’m not selling every single piece of artwork that I have ever created. Thank you all for the great input, this is a super place, isn’t it? RB, I luv ya!