struggle
November 17, 2011
Should we not struggle in our work?
This question came up during a fall drawing workshop held in my studio. I was stressing the virtues of effortlessness, or at least the appearance of it, in one’s work. I’m a big advocate of maintaining a positive mental attitude while creating art, which challenges the myth of the tortured, genius artist.
Enter Van Gogh, Pollock, Rothko.
The short answer, and my opinion, is that struggle is neither right nor wrong, good nor bad, but largely irrelevant. True it can energize one’s work to a certain extent, but there’s a downside. Once the adrenals kick in, vision and creativity narrow, you see more problems than solutions (or beauty for that matter) take fewer chances and paint defensively.
It does no good to struggle for example when dialing a friend; you know the number, in which case it’s simple, or you don’t, in which case it’s impossible.
How hard you work at dialing makes no difference at all, except perhaps to give the feeling that you are doing your absolute best. But alas, all of your best efforts will be repeatedly met with a chilly, “Who is this?”
What’s the phone number in this analogy? Observation. Raise your awareness, keep your eyes wide open, focus on and enjoy the process instead of forcing a result. Then make popcorn and go enjoy Kirk Douglas’ portrayal of Vincent.
