The Art Of Discipline
Being an artist can often seem like a road paved with obstacles, as work, family obligations and other distractions often take priority over one’s art practice. Over and over, however, successful people have sung the praises of discipline. Theodore Roosevelt said “With self-discipline most anything is possible,” and George Eliot ruminated that “Genius is the capacity for receiving and improving by discipline.” Discipline is simply practice, the act of repetitively bringing oneself to a task over the course of weeks, months, years, decades. Practicing art can feel much like going to the gym; it feels great when you’re there, but you just can’t get there. The truth is if you are out of practice it takes a lot of mental energy to get started, but once you get going you’ll find it’s a lot easier to keep it up. After a while you’ll even stop trying to fit your practice into your day, but rather schedule your day around your practice. Commit to starting a practice with your art making, and enjoy the results.
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