Photo from a recent trip to the Cascades. There sure was inspiration to be found here, plus my Free Range Equipment pack matched the scenery!
DON'T COUNT ON INSPIRATION
Out of all the relationships in my life, inspiration might be the most fickle. It's hot and cold. Unreliable. It's more like a seasonal stream than a flowing river.
I swear there will be moments when I am out on a van trip and suddenly the inspiration strikes me to paint, yet I am miles away from my materials. On the other hand, there are days when I sit in my studio, paints prepped and ready, waiting for inspiration to grace me with its presence…yet it never arrives.
Dedication, on the other hand, that you can count on. Dedication is loyal. It's there by my side when I show up to my work day in and out. Dedication is good at saying “no" to distraction, helping me get the job done. I have this theory that dedication comes from deep within myself, while inspiration flows from somewhere up above. I can control the flow of dedication. But inspiration? Forget it!
I've learned that if I really want something in life, dedication is what's going to get me there. Dedication is there to support the passion and the dream. If inspiration chooses to show up, well that's nice, but again, unreliable.
I write about this concept in my book So You Wanna Be an Artist?.
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 2:
"When I decided to dedicate myself to a life of art at the fresh age of twenty-one, my friends were going out to bars and partying on the weekends, and I was in my bedroom at my art table desk, painting. After class, you would find me painting. After working late nights in the sandwich shop until 10:00 p.m., I was painting. When I realized I wasn’t painting enough, I moved back in with my parents so I could focus deeper on painting. I changed the entire structure of my life to accommodate my creativity. I had the vision, I made the decision to stick to it, and I put it into action. And guess what . . . it worked. My dedication paid off. You know why? Because I was passionate about it. I was deeply driven to become an Artist.
It’s probably not worth changing around your whole life unless you love art. But if you are passionate about your craft, when there is a will, there is always a way. And if you purely wait for inspiration to hit, the truth is, you’re likely never to build a body of work or become an Artist. You must set aside space and time to dedicate yourself to your creativity."
My question for you:
What is your relationship like with dedication?
Journal it out!
Sending peace, abundance, and love your way!
