Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Parking Lot and the War of Art


This time a 12x16 oil on panel of the terminus of Sterling Place at Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, where there's a supermarket and parking lot.

I've just finished a book titled "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield.  It's not as bloody as it sounds.  We are our own worst enemy through finding excuses to avoid creative work.  The author calls it "resistance" and, in this case, it's not a good thing.  An important quote from the middle of the book: "The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work.  The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not come, whatever they like."  Yes, "rewards" are active beings, and "professionals" are not people who get paid to make art.

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