Cloud Mother

"Cloud Mother" - acrylic and charcoal on paper, 18" x 24".  Unframed.  Available here and at Artfinder.

Life drawing gesture pieces are grabbing me.  This one grew from a one minute sketch into a week-long love fest in the paint.  

I subscribe to a lot of blogs.  Every once in a while, a real gem lands in my in-box.  Last week, a post titled "What You and M. Night Shyamalan Have in Common"  on the Fine Art Views website grabbed my eyeballs.  M. Night Shyamalan?  I am a huge fan of this offbeat director, so had to give it a read.

The gist of the article was Shyamalan's belief that your creative journey cannot be about what others are saying about you or your work.  And that, as artists, we all fall into the pit of worrying/caring/mulling over that very thing - what HE said.  What SHE said.  And that gets in the way of our creative process.

I am reminded of a phrase often tossed about in our family: ​what other people think about you is none of your business.​

Cloud Mother

Easier said than done, I know

But there is a creative freedom in not giving a rat's bottom what others say.  You are free to follow your muse, wherever she goes.  And sometimes, that trail leads to something spectacular, and the road less traveled was the ONLY way to get there.

The author of the blog post leaves us with three important points to remember:

Different can be good.
The work of your heart is the work only you can bring into the world.
Respect your process.

Now go out there and let your wild heart play any way it wants to.  Because M. Night Shyamalan says so. :)