art for all

30. Miles ahead

May 24, 2021 Danny Gregory Season 2 Episode 30
art for all
30. Miles ahead
Show Notes Transcript

How to really believe in yourself as an artist.



Welcome to art for all of the sketchbook school podcast. I'm your host, Danny Gregory. And I'm the author of a dozen or so books on art and creativity. And I'm a sketch book artist. I've been reading about jazz a lot recently, specifically about Miles and his seminal album, kind of blue miles Davis was intensely committed to what he did brave in a way. I wonder if I can ever be. He seemed to live without doubt. At one point, he and the author had this argument about what day it was. And when he was shown a copy of that day's paper, proving that he was wrong. He said, you see that wall of awards. I got them for having a lousy memory. He didn't dwell on the past. He didn't repeat himself. He did what he did. And he kept on forging ahead. What keeps one? So resolute Myles was successful. He was rich by jazz standards, but he was derided for how he behaved people, thought he was arrogant and racist and misogynistic and uncommunicative. He would often play with his back to the audience and he never spoke on stage. I don't believe that he behaved this way because he could, I think he was just being uncompromisingly himself. That was the key to his art. He was an asshole, but that was okay with miles. How do you learn. From person like this, how do you follow his example in order to become purely yourself? Does it mean being unresponsive to any input being pig-headed selfish? Rude, of course not believed in his art. His commitment was complete and he worked enormously hard on his technique and his ideas. And even if he wasn't right, and by and large, he was, he could tell his inner and outer critics that he did his very best and that he had faith in that perhaps that's the point of one's life to discover what one loves. To pursue it to the utmost of one's ability and then to gauge the success of one's life, by how purely one has done that, rather than by the criteria that other people said, it can be a tough road. One can struggle to make a living. One can fail to get accolades or even support from others. Personally, I wouldn't be satisfied with the life that, that offended and alienated the rest of the world, but maybe I'm just aware. So I think if you can sustain my holes, like focus on your own, your chances are good. Van Gogh spent a decade drawing crap, but he kept at it. And then he suddenly blossomed. I'm sure many people will say, are you telling me that if I work hard enough, I'll succeed. And conversely, if I don't achieve the Heights, it'll be due to my lack of sustained effort. I don't know. I don't want to paint such a black and white picture, but I think focus and perseverance are critical. The thunder struck artists whacked by the muse and suddenly a big hit. That's a myth you got to practice and practice and practice. Down to your core. And then you've got to have the bravery to be unflinching about exposing that core. And then you've gotta be smart, figuring out ways to share your work with different people who give productive advice and, and help to share your stuff with others. And it helps me lucky, whatever that means. And I believe that a positive outlook is essential to that takes work as well. For my own worst enemy, my inner critic being had every shadow. I can wake up at four in the morning and keep myself awake with horrible images of my inevitable fall from grace in my churning mind, my foolish ways destroy my family, my savings, my health, my my promise. Instead of being a grownup, I'm just dabbling in feeble, artsy things and willing to suck it up and just do my job as a man and a provider. I'm indulging myself in crap like this podcast. But when I wake up exhausted from this assault, I try to get to work, to paint a sunnier picture. The fact is. I've dealt with harder things than nightmares and nagging internal voices. And I've done that by being positive and proactive. The future is a blank sheet. I can try to catapult crap at it, but that's just making the present uglier and a long succession of ugly today's will lead to an ugly tomorrow. On the other hand, I can impact the future by believing in myself, by working hard, by staying the course by confirming my directions with those who have already traveled it. By purifying my expectations in my intentions by keeping my chin up maybe miles, wasn't actually all that confident. Maybe that's why he put poison in his arm and up his nose. Why you raged and socked. But I know he was positive about his art. If he hadn't been. He would still fad all that doubt and stress, but he wouldn't have had blues for Pablo. He wouldn't have had by, by black bird. And nor would we thanks for joining me today, create something new for you again next week, till then I'm Danny Gregory. And this is art for all.