A questions to ask....
So as I do my journal writing this morning the thoughts come out toward the end of my session..."What is the hardest thing about being a Woman Artist ?"
I want to spend sometime on this question but not to belittle or whine about it....but to embrace it....But time has come where I've got to get ready for class and need to tend to self first...
so will I'm out and about thinking about it...and for sure leave your comments...
I want to spend sometime on this question but not to belittle or whine about it....but to embrace it....But time has come where I've got to get ready for class and need to tend to self first...
so will I'm out and about thinking about it...and for sure leave your comments...
Being a woman
A natural nurturing
Social image of what a woman or isn’t
Cycles and seasons of life
Love
Wholeness
Intuition
Family
Creative homestead work, cooking, cleaning and caring
Personal pain
Wisdom
Guidance
Knowledge
Creating with limits-making it better
Witness
Connections
Being an artist
Self-express
Life experience
Taking risks
Following through on an idea, giving birth
A sense of accomplishment
Mind altering
Open minded
Making the connection
Sharing you view, new perspective
Then there's the business end of things.....
Interesting questions you posed, Laura. My first thoughts were to understand the meanings of those two words: artist, woman. I don't think of them as different from each other, so why? "Making art is a common and intimately human activity, filled with all the perils and rewards that go with any worthwhile effort. The difficulties artmakers face are not remote and heroic, but universal and familiar." Insert the word woman in to that last sentence; the difficulties women face are not remote and heroic, but universal and familiar. Aside from physiological differences like hormones or brain chemistry, human artists grapple daily with the same problems of making art and paying bills. "It is about committing your future to your own hands, placing Free Will above predestination, choice above chance. It is about finding your own work." -Art & fear quotes. What your questions pose are more personal; what does it FEEL LIKE to be in MY studio, or classroom, easel or camera, trying to do the work I need to do and FEELING LIKE MYSELF? I think making art gives substance to my sense of self and because I am a woman, the corresponding thinking is related to my unique hormones and brain chemistry. To quote Art & fear again, " making art can feel dangerous and revealing...stirring deep waters (of self-doubt) that lay between what you should be and what you fear you might be." This sounds to me exactly like what being a woman is like! Wow...deep shit, huh? EXACTLY.
ReplyDeleteYou bet its deep....and it's a kind of question that I don't want to dwell on negatively either. which can so easily go to. I was thinking this morning and the first thought was to be true to yourself...who you are, what makes you tick, what is important to you....and staying steady with it in balance with it....so many distraction for all of us...weeding things out...this isn't a new question being asked it's a old one that is revisited possible daily....When I ask myself what is the hardest thing about being a woman artist...I'm really seeking connection, understanding and truth....and I might not be asking myself the right question but when it comes up as today asking myself on a Wednesday which I give myself a gift of trying my hardest to really be self caring on this one day over all...and to do that I have to let go of something business like put me in there first...Daily I do wish I could do that more. rambling I know...circling but it keeps me seeking and I do love that about life. Which then becomes a big part of my art...so very connected.
DeleteFor me the hardest thing about being a female artist is the constant distractions. To fulfil one's role as wife and mother one must always have one's eye on the clock. No matter if you are in the 'zone' or not...kids have to be collected from school, or driven to sport. Meals have to be prepared, washing etc. to be done.
ReplyDeleteAs time passes you can put many of these things behind you. In these later years I have found that I can really dedicate more time to creative pursuits.
I was going to say that too Jo...distraction seem to be hard on some days....Learning to embrace the short moments and work with them instead of against them...I hear you also I've got more time on some days and there isn't interruptions and I have to say...it's hard to work when I have been use to distractions.
DeleteI was thinking this morning about the hard part of keeping up with the social media stuff...especially if you want to promote or share what your doing ...us human's seem to all be on line and that's the place to share it and means one has to make more time for get it all out there...unless if you have people to help you/pay to do it...a bit of whining but to get to the masses one has to do some hard stuff first...