This little guy is still in progress. Strange how plain they look at this stage. I got a lot done this weekend despite having a screwed up back. How did that happen? This week is all work, work, work. I am trying to get four paintings done so I can shoot slides and send them off before we leave for France on the 17th. Don’t know if I’ll make it. I’m working on two web projects, not a lot of hours, but I’m juggling time.
Things you shouldn’t say to artists:
If you have a friend who’s an artist, musician, or writer, saying to them “I like your old work better” is not a good thing to say, ok? art is confusing, art is personal, and most artists grapple with self-doubt at some point. The last thing we need to hear is unconstructive criticism about our current work. Just think about what you are saying. I am my work, my work is me. You might as well be saying “I liked the old Alanna better.” I can no more transform back into a former me than you can. There is only forward. Would you say to a child, “I liked you better when you were 6”? Do you ask cooks to uncook your food? Do you really think that is constructive? Anyway. I was involved in a conversation that went something like:
< short conversation about my latest work >
friend: “I liked the animal stuff better”
me: shocked pause… “I don’t care!”
obviously I do care because I’m still thinking about it 4 days later. No hard feelings, I’ve got a tough skin, but geez… bad form.