Go Deep

I've been thinking about the process of making good art. I have come to the belief that you have to "go deep", as I call it, to really become a master at your art. One must become so good at what you do that people may not like it but they certainly will respects what you're doing. That said, there will always be people, especially where art is concerned, who don't get it - or won't try to get what you're doing. Forget about these people. They will just bring you down. They are the ones who like misery and want you to partake at the misery feast. When you've stuffed yourself with that warm misery pie you can't do great work.

What does "going deep" entail exactly? My belief is that it's doing your work every day, even if you don't feel like it and would rather be at the movies or playing video games. I once read in an excellent book called "The War of Art", that you have to become a professional at your craft. A professional gets up everyday and works. He (or she) doesn't think about working, he just gets on with it and works – even on days where you're sick and don't feel like it.

What is the thing in life that you're best at? I've been trying to figure that out and I realized that I wasn't sure. And not being sure is a sign that I haven't gone deep enough in my painting yet. I've done graphic design and illustration for many years but only recently have been really working on my painting. I can tell that I am making progress "going deep" because I keep making small discoveries and reaching what I call "seeing" plateaus. "Seeing", is where I work on a painting or series for a while then put them away where I can't accidentally see them. After a week or so I will look at them and almost always will see them differently and will add something or paint over them or whatever. It is my quality meter. I think you cannot be a great artist until you learn to see what is good, or what you want to accomplish.

Hello

Hello all,
This is my first post for my Curious Room site. What is Curious Room? It is a fine art site where one can buy prints of my work and Terrell Powell's work.