Your quotes address the same subject this post does, but from a wholly different point of view.

My personal disagreements, “It is essential for every artist to paint…bad paintings.” I would not say essential, merely likely. And that plowing through them can lead to better paintings if discernment and efforts to improve are applied.

“Artistic talent is the only obstacle.” Not at all. The primary obstacle is our own distorted perception of how to use that talent and how to stand in our own power in the midst of a rather deranged world.

“…the critic without and within must be trampled underfoot.” This one grazes the truth without hitting it dead on. Criticism from dysfunctional sources both within and without needs to be discarded. Emotional distortions are simply not helpful.

However, discernment is essential to recognize what works and what does not. If that comes in the form of criticism it can be most valuable.

In any event, we all need to take our inspiration where we find it! Thanks for participating!

Lexi

“The conceptual artist arrives on the scene frozen with fear and is too scare to transmute his ideas into paint and commence a string of unacceptably pathetic canvasses and thereby experience himself as crap. It is essential for every artist to paint a succession of unacceptably bad paintings.”

“Artistic talent is the only obstacle”

“Art is made to impress, but we are not in awe”

“we stand firm by the rights and laudability of the intrepid explorer. In short the critic without and within must be trampled underfoot.”

This is a great post because you can apply the lessons to so many other projects or goals in life, using the analogy of creating a painting. Thanks!