art and fear

I am currently reading 

Art and fear - Observations On The Perils (and Rewards) of ARTMAKING
by David Bayles and Ted Orland.

So far it hits home.

Here are some gems interspersed with my thoughts on current art work...

Artists don't get down to work 

until the pain of working is exceeded 

by the pain of not working.

-Stephen DeStaebler
At least for me that unfortunately can be too true.

Since painting is still near impossible because pressure on the scar 

(on 'that finger' as I am now calling it) sends me through the roof,

I decided to see if I could cut foam and carve some stamps.

gotta create somehow...

Making art is dangerous and revealing. Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might be.  For many people, that alone is enough to prevent their ever getting started at all - and for those who do, trouble isn't long in coming. Doubts, in fact soon rise in swarms...

This is a whole different type of art for me. 

I would like to sell something on etsy this fall and hope that notebooks, 

bookmarks and handmade cards 

might work for gift sales pre-Christmas.

Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending.  The risks are obvious:  you may never get to the end of the sentence at all - or having gotten there, you may not have said anything.  This is probably not a good idea in public speaking, but it's an excellent idea in making art.

Here is my stamp stash ready to go and 

here are my first attempts at cards.

having fun anywho :} (get it - the owl below will say 'who')

Ordinary art means something like:  all art not made by Mozart.  After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people - essentially (statistically speaking) there aren't any people like that.  But while geniuses may get made one-a-century or so, good art gets made all the time.  Making art is a common and intimately human activity filled with all the perils (and rewards) that accompany any worthwhile effort.  The difficulties artmakers face (I like that term - artmakers) are not remote and heroic, but universal and familiar.

I like owls and will have to do some crows of course.

Art is made by ordinary people.  Creatures having only virtues can hardly be imagined making art.  ...The flawless creature wouldn't need to make art.  And so, ironically, the ideal artist is scarcely a theoretical figure at all.  If art is made by ordinary people, then you'd have to allow that the ideal artist would be an ordinary person too, with the whole usual mixed bag of traits that real human beings possess.  This is a giant hint about art, because it suggests that our flaws and weaknesses, while often obstacles to our getting work done, are a source of strength as well.  Something about making art has to do with overcoming things, giving us a clear opportunity for doing things in ways we have always known we should do them.  

I blogged about this same idea here.

I think this one will be a 'Jack and the beanstalk' and say 'once upon a time'...
At least I am having fun and trying not to overanalyze.
How about you?  
What art are you doing for fun this week?
The last quote I will leave you with tonight -

All you can work on today is directly in front of you. 

 Your job is to develop an imagination of the possible.

Doesn't that simplify it a little?