Reality Brings us Back to Square One

"Namesake" acrylic on canvas

I just read something that flipped me out: “Want to be happy? Don’t build a career based on something you love doing.” from the book “Transform” by Jeff Haden.

Isn’t this what most of us want and desire? Haden continues: “Where business success is concerned passion is almost always the result of time and effort. It’s not a prerequisite. Passion is the side effect of mastery.”

And from Cal Newport, a professor at Georgetown University: “Skills trump passion. Too many people confuse a hobby with a career.” For that reason, Newport suggests that we apply the test: “Will people pay you for it? Will they pay you a lot?

“Potential customers don’t care about your passion or your potential,” Newport says. “Customers care about giving up money.”

As my readers know, I’m an avid watcher of Shark Tank on CNBC. Robert Herjevac pulled this gem out of his hat and used it on a wanna-be entrepreneur: “A goal without a timeline is simply a dream.”

How many times have you put in the “time” expecting results because you were passionate about what you were doing and then wondered “where’s the success?”

"Raccoons at Sunrise" (getting a drink before they go back to sleep) acrylic on 16x20 canvas/framed

Sorry to burst your bubble, but passion is not enough. Practice and hard work is not enough. Unless you take the necessary steps to set goals and complete them, you are simply spinning your wheels. Unless people are willing to pay you money for your skills, you simply have a nice hobby.

Haden’s contention is that once your skills are improved and you become confident, the passion follows automatically. If your career or business takes off, you will fall in love with the process.

You may agree or disagree, but it certainly made me rethink my goals and aspirations. Still, I believe it is much easier to work hard when you’re doing what you love. The feeling of “anticipation” is much more welcome than that of “dread.” Being eager to go to work is much better than hating the thought of it.

It’s like arguing about the adage “which came first the chicken or the egg.” And does it really matter in the end? Probably not; but I’ll bet my bottom dollar that it’s much easier to get up in the morning if you’re looking forward to your job.  Yes, we’ve all worked for peanuts at some point in our lives. We all must take a dead-end job just to pay the bills, but that doesn’t mean it has to last forever.

I admire those who have the courage to quit doing what they dislike and start doing what they love. People who quit the “rat race” in order to raise goats or llamas; and why not if they love the farm life and the freedom to do what they enjoy? 

I’m not the barnyard type, but I admire their macho! Sometimes you just have to see if you can. Why not follow your dreams to the end and find out if you have what it takes to make and grow a business? If you don’t try, you’ll come to the end of your life and wonder why? If others can build a business, why not you? If others can make their dreams come true, why not you?

"Brown Thrasher" 16x20 acrylic on canvas

Owlish Eyes make Smart Girls Look Chic

(I've been wearing glasses for about three years now. Before that, I wore contact lenses)

It wasn’t that long ago that people said “men never make passes at girl’s who wear glasses.” Pity the girl who believed that saying because her self-esteem was sure to plunge.

Now career women everywhere wear glasses whether they need them or not. Glasses give the impression that #1 (moi) is ready to be promoted! Wearing spectacles makes a girl look serious and hard working. Glasses are trendy and classy. Magnifiers like “Foster Grants” add a fashion flare; the more pairs the better.

In spite of the availability of laser surgery or lens implants, more people are wearing glasses than ever before. When I got my first pair as a child, I was mortified. I’d already been sitting in the front desk at school. Now what would they think when I walked in with a pair of these?

For awhile I got the usual “four-eyes” and “nerd” comments all of which I’d dreaded and expected; but hey, for once in my life I could see! 

I remember how clear the mountains looked. I could even see sagebrush! The clarity of my new world was breathtaking. I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing.

Still I felt ugly and self conscious. To make matters worse, the boy I loved had fallen for a girl without glasses; one that was athletic and well coordinated. I felt clumsy and awkward. In those days, my feet grew faster than the rest of me. I was called skinny, and big foot -- now this?

During the summer I worked in the fields for money like all farm kids did in my community. After picking beans all morning in the hot sun, we gathered around for lunch in the cool shade of -- you guessed it, beans. One of the older boys threw me a smile and said “You have beautiful eyes.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “How can he see my eyes when I’m wearing glasses?” I wondered.

Instead of saying thank you, I ducked my head in embarrassment and wished I could swivel like a corkscrew through the earth. I still remember his compliment even today. Whenever I feel insecure or unworthy, I reel in his comment and savor it once again.

(My first ever portrait when my Dad was a younger man.)

Painting or drawing glasses is fun. It adds another dimension to a person’s personality. One of my very first portraits, a simple sketch of my father, shows him wearing glasses. Some artists prefer to show the person without glasses. But if that’s how most people are used to seeing that individual, you’d better know how to draw glasses realistically.

The following YouTube video is the best I’ve seen for how this should be done. It’s also in one of my favorite mediums: pastel. Expertly drawn by “Agnes” this short video is a treat to watch. When it’s over try adding glasses to your next portrait; go on, give it a shot!  

Take the Plunge; Dive into Your Work and Believe in Yourself

I’m a slow learner. I have to hear something many times before it “clicks,” and I finally understand. I have to paint many mistakes before my eyes actually see the object I’m struggling to paint. Mastering the art of painting, at least for me, has been a long and arduous journey.

Perhaps it seems that way because we don’t see how other people struggle behind the scenes. All we see is the finished product. We don’t know how many hours it took to paint that masterpiece. We sometimes wonder at the asking price, thinking it may be a tad high. Rarely do we know the time and effort that went into the project.

"Sand Cranes at Twilight"  24x30 mixed media canvas

I’m currently preparing for a show and trying to determine the price to put on my own paintings. First, I must consider the commission charged by the gallery, additional charges for credit card use, etc.; the cost of framing and materials, the amount of time and effort. By the time I consider the demands of the marketplace, my time is almost negligible!

I’m wondering if the show is really worth my efforts, and yet without publicity and advertising we remain at a standstill. There is satisfaction in seeing one’s work posted in a gallery. There is joy in making sales, even though, in the beginning of an artist’s career, it isn’t much.

"Window on Pine Island" 16x20 oil on wrap canvas

I’ll be participating with hundreds of other artists in the Art Council of Southwest Florida at Coconut Point. The location is good. The people are fantastic. Part of the fun of working with different leagues and galleries is the joy of meeting new people and making lasting friendships

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Sure, I’ll give it a go. It’s all part of the adventure. You can’t just dip your toe in your profession or in the marketplace; eventually, you must take the plunge. Leaving your career to chance isn’t an option.

"Vikeholmen Lighthouse -- Skudeneshavn Norway" 16x20 acrylic

If you don’t give your dreams all you’ve got, you may as well hang them up to dry and let them wither on the vine of past regrets.