Being genuine and authentic on Bear Blog
I was surprised and heartened to find this post breeze across my reader today - an unexpected reference to a previous post of mine about being stuck my now page and attendant thoughts about being genuine. The post further prompted me to ponder.
I used to be part of a really small community art gallery where I'd sometimes sell art and photos. One time, I was even paid to photograph an event. Doing that allowed me to almost break even on my monthly costs for nearly two years. I actually miss the calm of being there.
One day, I was talking to a customer and he noticed one of my large paintings. It was leaning against the wall and he had no clue I'd painted it, so he felt uninhibited in his assessment:
Just look at that! Takes no skill at all that sort of stuff!
I just smiled and said not a word. I found it amusing really. The truth is that the thoughts of others, positive, negative, or ambivalent, simply don't bother me when it comes to my own creative endeavours. I don't do it for other people - never have. I do it for myself according to my own tastes. Often, I've cheerfully recycled a piece other people love because it doesn't meet my own standards. If others like it, great. If they don't, no matter. If it sells, just a bonus but not a requirement.
In light of this, it's true that whatever is on my now page doesn't especially matter. Who cares if it's rarely updated? Who checks this stuff? Just like my poor attempts at drawing, it all comes from me, and that's the only thing that matters.
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