Thankful for the Oppurtunity to Give My Self to Art

This week of thanksgiving what am I thankful for? Well in addition to the usual things like my girlfriend, my family, my cat and dog, being alive, etc., what comes to mind is something that I have always been grateful for. My creative drive; my need to express myself, that for as long as I can remember as always been there. I am not alone in my family in having this streak, as a child I remember all my older brothers being able to draw, I remember staring in awe at their work. My grandfather, my dad always tells me (I never met him) was very good at drawing and painting, in addition to being in a traveling band, (we're talking early 20th century here, not a rock band but something akin I guess).

So a gift that I am thankful for is my creativity, but what to do with it? I have been working at painting and drawing and writing, mostly art though, for quite a number of years now. There is always that gap between having to work full time, and then not doing your art. I am getting to the point soon hopefully where I will start selling my work (you'll see it offered here in the near future you lucky readers), and ideally that would be a large part of my income.

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."
-Buddha

Buddha in the Garden, derivative work
© 2008 Ed Tajchman (original source)

It's not the new year it's Thanksgiving obviously, but I already have a resolution (who needs a new year for a resolution anyways). It's to be more applied and focused in drawing and painting every day. Finishing projects, framing them, and repeating the cycle. To use the creative gift to the full extent and make it my life, to take that last step into working 8 - 12 hours a day at it. (We can all dream right?)

Someone who did manage this feat was a very successful early 20th century musician, Clara Schumann. She also raised 7 kids, was the main money winner for her family through her concerts, inspired and married fellow pianist Robert Schumann, and was considered "the high priestess of music" in her day.

"My imagination can picture no fairer happiness than to continue living for art."
-Clara Schumann

She was lucky enough to be one of those people whose art enveloped every portion of their life from a very young age. She threw herself and her whole life into her art and made a success of it. Taught by her father from an early age, she studied music for her entire life, and through a lot of hard work, determination, and an unwavering focus she did indeed live for art. The Schumann's were lucky enough to be pretty much born into their art in a somewhat wealthy family, next post I'll be discussing more; that struggle that most artist's who aren't so lucky to have that kind of setting feel.