Just had to share what happened this week in the emergency room here in Taos. I went in for possible appendicitis (turned out not to be…thank goodness) but my attending physician was a young visiting Resident from Albuquerque. Being just out of diapers and filled with tons of newly learned knowledge he sat down and said…”Well, I can tell you have a few good years of wisdom left …” I am sure he thought he was being kind and thoughtful by using the word “wisdom” but his message missed the mark.
Few? Who was saying “few”? I realize I am not in my 40’s but to say I have a “few “ good years left was rather disconcerting.
Needless to say as I left the hospital I pulled him aside and strongly suggested he not use the word “few” but to tell his patients they had many years of wisdom yet to share. The key word being “many”. Bet you are wondering how he took this new knowledge….as he said “thank you” I noticed there was a definite look of “I haven’t a clue what she is talking about” Of course this got me thinking about the words “few”, “wisdom”, and “years” as it applies to artists.
What this means to YOU…
There are many artists in the world and the world benefits from the beauty they each produce…but there are a few fabulous artists who are brave enough to push fear aside and share their true voice. Finding your unique voice takes courage and persistence. It requires that you dig deep and discover places inside yourself that are sometimes uncomfortable.
Those few artists… and I am talking about YOU…are the ones who bravely continue to show up in the studio when their painting was just rejected in the local show. Those few artists share their knowledge generously.
Those few artists may question their abilities but they continue to create because not creating is just not a possibility. For you to share your knowledge you must have “wisdom”. Wisdom doesn’t mean you know everything but what you know you share. Wisdom also means when someone is sharing their ignorance…such as explaining how your composition is wrong…you are wise enough to silently let them spew their lack of knowledge. Wisdom means you always have a beginners mind…you are open to new ideas and hearing old ones again for the very first time.
And “years”… yes, it takes years to become the powerful person you are. It is your years that I call your history… this is your depth as an artist.
Your years are your pool of inner strength, spiritual recognition and discovery of the inner self. It is your pool of life stories that become the paintings you create with love and share. To you, my beautiful artist friend,… enjoy your many years of wisdom yet to be shared.
