Taking Care of Herself

Taking Care of Herself
Acrylic mixed media collage portrait painting on paper
Day 24/365
Prints

Resistance is not a peripheral opponent. Resistance arises from within. It is self-generated and self-perpetuated. Resistance is the enemy within. ― Steven Pressfield

I’ve heard so much about the book called The War of Art, but I never was interested in reading it. I thought it was some rah rah get in the studio and paint kind of book. I don’t have any trouble making large quantities of art. I’m not afraid of it, and I never tire of doing it. Sure, I’ve had a couple dry spells, here and there over the years, but for the most part, I get into the studio and paint. No problem there, so I didn’t think the book was a worthwhile read. 

About a month or so ago, I saw it on sale at Amazon, so I figured, eh, why not see what all the fuss has been about. It’s a short book, which can be read in less than a two hours. Yet, here I am on day 3 because I’m finding that I must read, and reread parts of it to let it really sink in. 

Steven writes about the differences between being an amateur and a pro. The path between the two has a great deal of resistance. hm..I had never given much thought to resistance before. Once I started to examine it, tho, whoa! Truth is, I am coming up against resistance hard every single day.

I don’t resist painting, and because of that, painting is easy for me. To be an artist in this day and age, it’s not only about painting, tho. There are many hats to wear throughout the day when you’re in this business. Maybe if I was rich, I’d hire an agent or manager, but that’s not the case. Like most artists, I have to do all the hustling myself, and this is where the resistance, for me, comes in. 

I resist getting my work out there. I have no problem listing my work for sale on various online venues, but I absolutely loathe any form of social media, marketing, and (gasp!) writing blog posts. Yes, that’s right, I said it, I don’t like blogging. I literally have to force myself to do any of these things. I’m pretty sure, although I try to hide it, it’s obvious most of the time. There is great resistance, and I’m not sure exactly why. I’m going to get to the bottom of it, but I have to dig deeper first. So, surprisingly, I think this book is going to be a real game changer for me. I recommend reading it if you’re feeling any sort of resistance anywhere in your life.