I thought the process was fun and was happy with the result and posted it proudly to my FB page. The image got some comments and likes and three friends actually offered to buy it. Well, I didn't know what to do with that. I had no idea how to put a 'value' on my work - it was not meant for that. I struggled with why I struggled. What was holding me back from setting a price and letting it go? I had never really looked at my art (aside from my Paverpol statues) as a 'product'. I was invested in the process and how it made me feel. In the end I got some good quality copies made, sent them off to these wonderful ladies and asked them to make a donation to a charity in their neighbourhood. Well, not long after that I got a FB message asking if I would be willing to 'sell' a photo that I had taken of Chesterman Beach, Tofino. That image spoke to me as well and it is now hanging over my bed on a 24 X 36 canvas. Again, what to do about 'selling' my work? In the end I didn't sell it. When I had my canvas done I had two made and the individual simply paid for the canvas. I felt better about not selling it and I don't know why. The second canvas now hangs in the office of a very prestigious member of our community and I LOVE that it brings the same kind of peace to her that it does to me.
These two incidences put my brain into a dither. I like creating things; images, poems, watercolours, acrylics, alcohol ink, pallet projects, statues, journals and more. I love the process. I love how time disappears when I am 'in the zone'. I love the peaceful feeling that comes when I look at the things I have made. I also love sharing a lot of what I create and this leads to the question of 'validation'. While on a photography retreat on Hornby Island last weekend this very topic came up. A very talented and successful artist, Esther Sample, happened to be at the photography retreat this weekend and she touched my life in more ways than she'll ever know. Esther IS an artist. Her work is her income, but more important than that, it is her life's passion. A group of us had a very interesting conversation about the monetary value of art and how it impacts the artist's feelings, sense of validation and more importantly, his/her sense of creativity and purpose. Esther does not paint for money, she paints from the heart, from her daily life and from the surroundings that inspire her time and time again. As a commercial fisherwoman she knows the ins and outs of the sea and the boats and the wildlife that goes with that life. That is evident in her paintings, a piece of her soul goes into every work of art she creates and this is evident in the beauty and power in her images. However, she is impacted by the market, by the buyer's wishes and by the art community at large and this creates a dissonance, one that all artists can identify with.
On a much smaller scale we also tackled the idea of why people write and why some share their writing and others don't. My sister-in-law is a very gifted writer. She has published (in the real sense, not the FB sense :) ) but lately has not felt the need or desire to share what she writes. My own writing, particularly my poetry, often stays within the pages of the book it is written in. Some is for sharing, some not. The question that remained at the end of the discussion still is, "Why?". Earlier in the weekend one of the workshop participants was talking about how art came to her late in life. I understood where she was coming from and mentioned that I had written a poem on that very topic. (an-artists-soul.html )The next day she asked to read that poem and two words into it tears started streaming down her face. She had to take a break, read it slowly, finish it, take a breath and then read it again. She said to me, "I have just met you and you have written these words that describe my life and my feelings for the past year." We all had a good cry, those reading and those who sauntered into the group as the feelings filled the room. I don't write to touch other peoples' lives. I write to explore my own feelings with myself. But WOW, what a moment it was to know my words had touched another in such a powerful way. I will continue to write for myself but I have become so much more aware that those words and feelings may impact another and let them know for just a moment that they are not alone in this world.
So to all of those writers and artists out there reading this:
Carry on!!
The world needs you!
Paverpol Statue - by Roxanne Watson
You can find Esther Sample's work at the following website:
esthersample.com
Ocean's Power - by Esther Sample
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