Back at it

Is there such a thing as a break from art that is too long?

I’d like to say no… take your time… no worries. But the reality is that you do loose skills. I have family that believes in me and in the end that’s one thing. But do I believe in me?

We hit into this Covid thing and I found myself focusing on little things, necessary things, like painting and sealing up a very dry rotten shed. Before that, I hit a certain age and ended up with back issues — doing anything for too long, standing or sitting, and the muscles just tightened up and were killer — and I had to seek the help of a physical therapist.

I found myself saying I don’t care about my hobby… I’d be fine if it went away and that wasn’t a part of me anymore.

I’m the kind of person that I don’t beat myself up over things. In my weight, I go up and down by 20 pounds and I shrug and move on (inwardly self-checking — eat more balanced meals, healthy proportions, no seconds) and the weight falls off slowly. It wasn’t a big deal. But are there things in life that you should really drive into and discipline yourself better on? Yes!

Here’s a good example: Our family has slowly picked up the habit of guitar every Tuesday and Saturday. We were fortunate in having bought guitars and lesson material right before covid, so when the pandemic hit we had something to focus on and give us a goal. Did we get better immediately? No. Was it a habit immediately? No. We wrote down the date for each practice and it was often just twice that month. Now a year later it is a habit every Tuesday and Saturday. We don’t get our free time until we’ve done our practice for the day. It’s now tradition.

The same holds true with art. I have a web page, I have a you tube channel, I have some training and skill… but eradic discipline what if I upped the heat on myself and started to get it done again. Brought out the old books, revisited the old basic lessons and get at it.

I’ve been doing very long art projects lately, like a large steam train that took a year to research and paint or portraits of family. So… that’s the first thing to change. The best way to keep a skill is to do it regularly, small and steady… revisit the basics… like the color wheel…

Or how about just run the video camra while I paint small paintings. Then create a time lapse…

And they seem to work! I’m using simple equipment, nothing fancy. Editing through a free program and posting. If I can keep on, just little art subjects and creations, two per week for a year is about 100 videos or just art moments. Now wouldn’t that be something. And maybe along the way I’ll create a better and more consistant habit. If life crops up again, don’t sweat it, but get back in there.

This artistry part of me just might be a hobby and a habit worth keeping!