I’m in the last few weeks before my show in June at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. As I’ve written in earlier posts, this is a time filled with finishing paintings, filling in the final details of pieces. There’s photography to be done and then matting the pieces on paper and framing them all. There are frames to be stained and sanded and glass to be cut. When I see it all written out it seems like an awful lot of work but I’ve been doing this long enough that it seems like second nature, just something that must be done.
The one thing I do notice in these last few weeks is finding myself so immersed in what I have to do that I neglect the outside world even more than I do normally. I read the newspaper and listen to the news but nothing seems to register, nothing seems to stick. A few minutes later and I can’t remember much of what I’ve read or heard. Quite honestly, even when I’m reading my mind is focused on my work and, as a result, my attention is never fully engaged. This bothered me in the past, making me feel even more apart from the outside world. Made me feel even less intelligent. Less informed.
I’ve come to accept this as part of who I am and what I do. I realize now that for my work to succeed on any level, my total involvement and immersion in it is required. Commitment.
This was somewhat reinforced by a video a friend sent me this past week of Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers, talking about the common traits of those who succeed creatively. He spoke of a commitment to do whatever their chosen field was, to immerse themselves totally, excluding many other aspects of their life in order to practice their craft. I immediately knew what he was talking about and felt somewhat reinforced in my commitment to my work. So I put my head down, push the world aside and get back to it…
Redtree Times 