Do you like your work

June 19,2021

Recently, I was asked this question (from at the time a potential client). “No", I answered without further thought. I have to be honest (to myself as well as speaking about my work). They gave me a surprised facial reaction and asked “why". My response was as follows…

“In any art piece I can find a section that I like. A part that naturally creates a happiness and overall achievement within the design. That size is usually a two inch square. It is extremely rare an artist will be content or truly finished with a work or piece. Dare I say they might be lying if they tell you otherwise. I am never truly done with a piece of work. I will pick it apart, ask myself why I did that and reimagine another direction. An artists work is never done, but you have to find a stopping point or it can get muddy or just overworked.”

After this discussion (this client did hire me) I meditated or self assessed this question further. “Do I like my work?” I can say that daily practices encourage me to challenge and grow my skill, experimenting with new mediums and forcing myself out of my comfort zone make me appreciate my work more.

This question continues to evolve in my thinking of “ do I like myself”. My art is a very raw and forward expression of my thoughts, feelings and observations. I can only hope that the message it presents is received as genuinely as it is applied. But it is also my job as an artist to educate the community about art appreciation and expectations.

As I continue to work on developing art, I also continue to work on myself. Phrases that marinade in my head throughout the hours are “beat yesterday” and “be better today".

Thank you for reading.