Habits make the artist
As artists, we all know what good work looks like. We know it's difficult to achieve good work, but we strive regardless. It can sometimes feel like we are Sisyphus, but instead, we never reach the peak of the mountain. The road to becoming a successful artist however you interpret it can be arduous, for there isn’t a standard path. In our hearts we know we can't just follow a guidebook, mentor or degree to reach it. Which can be frustrating, the not knowing. The passage one must take is unprecedented, a route only an individual can charter through.
If you're not willing to create your own path to becoming the artist you aspire to be, stop here. Put your feet up, watch your subscribed streaming service and pat yourself on the back with admiration and say “I tried.” Knowing full well that your full of shit. Giving up just means you lack the courage to become great on the sole premise that it's not convenient.
We are our habits. If you like to have a drink at the end of the day and put your feet up, that's OK. It's a fair practice to unwind and relax at the end of the day. But don't use this practice as an excuse for not having time. Be real with yourself, you chose comfort over longterm fulfilment. But don't fret, the great thing about habits is that we can change them. We can choose to form new habits. Habits that steer us toward becoming who we aspire to be. Get fit, eat well, read more, write more, paint, sing, play the piano. Whatever it is, making it a daily habit, even if it's only for 5 mins it's a step forth. Because a little growth is better than none at all.
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” - Robert Collier
Confucius said, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” Never give up. Do something, anything that brings you closer to your dream. You might resonate with Albert Einstein better when he said: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” In these words, I believe that persistence and the courage to endure the suffering and hardship to create is a wonderful gift and the curse all creatives must bere. We must all suffer the blank canvas, the empty page, and not give into it, not show fear and create regardless if inspiration is with us or not. For flow only comes after we start, inspiration only embodies us during the act of creation. Form daily rituals that keep you on the path. Habits that positively contribute to your dreams and not your vices.
I will leave you with the great words of Steven Pressfield. “The instinct that pulls us toward art is the impulse to evolve, to learn, to heighten and elevate our consciousness. The Ego hates this. Because the more awake we become, the less we need the Ego“