- Carry the Weight- GC Myers
I’m off this morning to speak with a group of college students at a local coffeehouse. Every year, a class in drawing or painting from our local community college meets at the end of the semester with professor Dave Higgins to discuss what their next step might be: what opportunities are there in the art field, how they should proceed, if they can make a living, etc. The things that lay beyond the nuts and bolts instruction of the class. Dave likes to have me come in to serve as an example of a local guy who was once much like them, attending the same school with the same concerns and self-doubts, but was now living as a professional artist.
Whenever I speak with students, I try to speak less about technical aspects of painting and more about building up the belief that they have a unique point of view. They have to understand that there will always be someone more talented than themselves out there, someone with greater technical skills and more education. This is unavoidable but they can’t let it deter them. Because success in the field of art, and other fields as well, is not necessarily about who is the most talented or who has the most letters behind their name. Success comes from making the most of your talents.
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I know that’s an old chestnut but it’s true nonetheless. Art is about gathering and refining whatever talent you might have and using it to communicate your vision of the world to others. It’s this belief, that your view of the world is as important and viable as any other, that transcends other limitations. Once they have this belief, the hard work and the sacrifices needed to succeed don’t seem so daunting.
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So that’s what I try to accomplish with this talk. Make them think about their view of the world. Let them know that their feelings and thoughts are no different nor less important than anyone else’s. Their voice can be heard if they so wish.
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That’s a newer piece at the top of the page, a small painting on paper that I call Carry the Weight. I thought it fit well with this post even though I’m not sure what is in the red bag. I have painted this fellow a number of times and he remains a mystery to me. Maybe that’s his purpose.
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Who knows?
Redtree Times 
Hmmm… Taken together, your post and the newer piece suggest even talent can be a burden.
It isn’t enough to gather up what you have and then carry it around with you in a handsome red bag. Eventually you need to find a place to stop and open the bag, and start sharing what’s inside.
Which is pretty much what you’ll be telling the students today 😉
I don’t know if burden is the right word here. Perhaps responsibility is closer to the mark. I think we all share a certain resonsibility to share what we have learned in this world, if only to spare some other person from having to go through the same avoidable struggles that we ourselves may have encountered in getting to this point. If they choose to not to heed the words, that is beyond one’s responsibility.
Hopefully, some heard a few words that made sense to them…
It was a pleasure to meet you today – I’m the nature photographer. Thank you for sharing your story. Your words were especially inspiring to me and I believe the students were equally inspired and interested. Our conversations continued at the other stops Dave planned for us.
I think that sharing our stories helps newcomers understand the value of their vision, and yes, the pitfalls that are always there. We all have romantic ideas of what it means to be an artist, but as everyone shared, there is true work involved and choices we have to make.
Even though I’m just beginning to embrace the public aspect of being an artist, up until recently I’ve been quite satisfied to simply get outdoors and enjoy what I find there. I’ve come to realize that few people see nature the way I do and I think it’s important to share that vision so others realize the wonders that surround them, and perhaps value them enough to protect them.
While nature photography is an especially tough field, it’s where my voice rings with an authenticity that I think is essential to an artist’s success – however they define success. I don’t need to be a big fish in any pond; I just want to be recognized as a fish.
Bonnie– It was a pleasure meeting you as well. You bring up an interesting point about the definition of success. I think anyone who stays true to their idea of what their art means to them can be labeled a success, regardless of how the public embraces their work. That should be the first criteria any budding artist should seek to meet– satisfying their own needs in their art first. If you aren’t meeting your own needs with your art, it will not resonate with anyone else.
I don’t know if that came through today. There is so much to say that sometimes important points go unsaid. Hopefully, someone caught something that could help in some small way. Again, good to meet you and I wish you all the success you seek……..