Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
A wall in Barbara’s studio
A: When I left the active duty Navy in 1989, my co-workers threw a farewell party. One of the parting gifts I received was a small plaque from a young enlisted woman whom I had supervised. The words on the plaque deeply resonated with me, since I was about to make a significant, risky, and scary career change. It was the perfect gift for someone facing the uncertainty of an art career.
Many years later Tina’s plaque is still a proud possession of mine. It is hanging on the wall behind my easel, to be read every day as I work. It says:
“Excellence can be attained if you…
Care more than others think is wise…
Risk more than others think is safe…
Dream more than others think is practical…
Expect more than others think is possible.”
Comments are welcome!
Posted on January 30, 2021, in 2021, An Artist's Life, Inspiration, Quotes, Studio and tagged active duty, advice, attained, behind, career, change, co-workers, deeply, enlisted, excellence, expect, facing, farewell, hanging, parting, party, perfect, plaque, possession, possible, practical, received, resonated, significant, someone, Studio, supervised, uncertainty. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
barbararachkoscoloreddust.com 
Paint three paintings of the same thing. One for your customer, one for you, and one more for keeping up for the next sale. Guess which one is going to be the best and wanted the most? You got it, the third choice. Always gets sold first. Try it and see.
In my experience, number two, the one you paint for yourself, always turns out the best.