Remember the cartoons of the kid sitting at a piano with his teacher hovering over him while he looks wistfully out of the window? Kids are supposed to hate practice, but where would Picasso, Tiger Woods, or William Faulkner be without it? Yes, good old practice gets us where we want to be in the creative world. Daily practice is preferable. Jack Canfield put it succinctly in his book, The Success Principles, where he gives the example of two athletes of equal ability, but one practices more than the other. Who do you suppose will get to the top? I love to practice, but I get stumped on "it's not good enough" and so often will be reluctant to sketch when I'm out in public. I'm gradually getting round that, by doing it anyway. I can write quite easily in public now, after years of practice at my old stomping grounds in Berkeley, The Junket, and now here in Taos, either at Loka or Tazza. You can find writers any hour of the day beavering away in Taos coffee shops! Another way I get around it is to try new things. I'm working on a painting where I put a lot of impasto under the gesso. It's helping me look at a painting differently whether I ultimately go that route or not ~ fun and practice all in one!
Speaking of Taos, El Rito writer and illustrator, Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw just had her book My Travelin' Eye published by Henry Holt. That's the cover in today's image! I was lucky enough to do a review for her (click on Children's Book reviews on the left). I'm sure Jenny has put lots of practice hours into her art and writing. Also, if you're in Taos this weekend, you can catch Art of the Song presenters John Dillon & Viv Nesbitt, Sunday April 6, 9:00 am at
"Creativity and Spiritual Health" John & Viv will be keynote presenters at The Higher Truth of Health conference.
News: I'm now an official member of the Creativity Coaching Association! See their website at http://www.creativitycoachingassociation.com/
Have a fantastic, creative week for yourself!
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