Perseverance:
Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
In spite of myself, good things have come my way. Reflecting on my last blog post, I can see how it could be construed that I’m bitter, jealous and possess expectations that are, perhaps too unrealistic. “Who does that @*& Madison think he is?” "He ought to be grateful for even getting into any show!" If you know me beyond what you read on this blog, you quite possibly might agree that I am usually a pessimist but I think most would agree I’m not the jealous type, nor bitter or even too unrealistic. Ok before you rattle off a bunch of things I am or am not, stop reading and think about this for a minute.
Out of all your friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers and people who you see daily how many of them are artists? Out of that list, how many are artists who earn a living solely by art? I know a lot of artists, mainly because I am one. I’ve read about a lot of them, met some, but I only really know two that earn their livelihood on selling art, and I’m not one of them. If I were to take that risk and leap, quitting my day job, we would be bankrupt. Somehow two of the people I’d like to consider my mentors, survive in this economy as artists, and live well doing it.
My persistence or perhaps its stubbornness, led me to these artists whom I’ve learned enough from to keep my course of action straight. Good advice is hard to come by, and often those wise enough to [...]