The Wonder of Creation
Montana Horse Gallery, Donna Allen Weber, Fine Artist
The Magical Joy of Creation
You are more used to dealing with rejection than you know. Every day life is full of it. You shrug it off and go on. But....all of a sudden you've done this painting. You poured your heart and soul into it. You agonized over the colors, the design and the subject matter. You spent hours getting it just right. Now you get brave enough to show it to someone. They say, "Oh, that's nice." And there's kind of a funny look in their eyes as they walk off.
You feel like the race horse who just got pulled from the race!
Let's take all these feelings you have and analyze them a bit. You did the painting because way down inside of you, there's an artist. The artist in you, won't let you live your life without creating paintings. You do it because this artist is there and he or she won't be denied. This artist in you is feeling euphoric over what you've just done. So far so good, but there's more to it. What I don't think most of us realize is how much we paint for other people! The process of creating our paintings brings us such joy, we want to share those feelings with someone else! We don't want them to choose our subject matter or how we want to portray it, we want them share the joy we feel in the creation of our work.
I feel almost high when I first finish a painting. I could celebrate! I could dance! I could sing! I want someone else to feel as good as I do right now! So I show the painting to another person! It doesn't make them feel good, it doesn't make them want to sing and dance, it isn't their creation.... That is the secret.
So don't be disappointed when you show someone your painting and they don't feel the excitement you feel. Perhaps they have a child at home who's sick. Maybe they just smashed their big toe and it hurts. They might be in a hurry to get to the bathroom. Who knows what's going through the mind of this person you chose to be your audience. You just chose the wrong audience. You didn't make a bad, worthless painting. For example, take a dollar bill and smash it up in your hands. Throw it on the floor and stomp on it. Rub it around until it's dirty. Now take it to the store and buy a package of gum with it. It's still worth what it was before you rejected it! You are the same euphoric artist you were before someone rejected your painting!
I've found if you want someone who can honestly share these wonderful feelings you have when you first complete a painting, you almost have to share with another artist. Share that first glow of a completed painting with someone who goes through the same emotions, they'll understand. I'm not talking marketing here, I'm talking about the magical joy of creation and the fun of spreading it around.
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