New beginnings

 For the past little while I have been drawing in half finished sketchbooks from college.  I have finally run out of those so I treated myself to a brand new sketchbook!  When I was younger getting a new sketchbook made me feel like I was opening up a new chapter in my life.  A chance for new beginnings, a promise of drawings better than any I had ever done before, and a chance to forget about the pages I felt I had failed on.  Ultimately these were empty hopes, since a sketchbook doesn't make you better and those failed pages will always exist.  Yesterday as I bought my new sketchbook I felt different.  In fact I felt nothing except for a bit of releif that I could check something off my "to do" list for the day.  The thing that has changed between old me and present me is that I have worked so hard to understand the fundamentals of art.  I have learned that you aren't born a great artist and its not something that you wake up with one day.  I used to think that I had good days and bad days and thats just why some of my art was more succesful and some of it sucked.  This is obviously BS i was telling myself.  The most important thing in life, about being an artist or a performer or anything is to put the time (and sometimes money) into understanding the fundamentals so that you can be as consistent as possible.  That is what sets apart proffesionals from amatures.  Although I no longer have anxiety about what might come from a new sketchbook I have to admit I am only human.  I still passed on drawing on the first page of my new sketchbook because of my own crazy made up superstition that should I draw badly on the first page it will set a tone of failure for the entire book. 

I also just want to share an amazing quote I came across on a blog I read everyday .  “Foolish, ignorant people indulge in careless lives, whereas a clever person guards their attention as their most prized possession.”

Have a great day all!