QUOTES

My trip to the coast and an early spring brought on an attack of allergies, which in turn heralded the worst cold of the year.  What does this mean creatively?  Well, of course I was too muddle-headed to think of much, so I did my favorite quiet thing, which was to look up quotes to inspire me.  Well, someone was trying to tell me something!  I found quotes aplenty on the subject of procrastination!  I do tend to let excuses get in the way of my creativity, mainly because of fear.

"The greatest mistake you can make is to continually fear you will make one."

So, while I was sniffling, sneezing and self-medicating with chamomile tea and honey, I read quotes like:

      "To rest is to RUST!"

and     "If you are not committed to something, you are just taking up space."

Even more brow-beating:     "Man's ability is usually rated by what he finishes, and not by what he starts."

and     "Success is a result, not a goal."

My favorite? "We have two ends with a common link.

                       With one you sit, with one you think.

                        Success depends on which one you use.

                        Heads you win, tails you lose."

Well, of course this was guaranteed to put me into a self-flagellating tizzy.  I thought of all the ideas that I have had that were brilliant, and that I shot down with excuses.  All of the paintings that I meant to start, and family crises got in the way.  All of the FUN I could have been having, all of the virtuous feelings of accomplishment I could have had.  What was keeping me from accomplishing great things?!

"If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way."

"Happiness is not a destination, but a method of traveling."

"There are three kinds of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who have no idea what happened."

I tried to encourage myself with quotes, but I ran into this one that stopped me dead in my tracks:   "There is no smaller package than a man who is totally wrapped up in himself."     Whoa!  Deeeeeeeeep!  Existential, even.  I was over-thinking it all, AGAIN!  Face it.  I was just being lazy and fearful of not being perfect.  As small as that, and no excuse at all.

So, what is this blog all about, after all?  Encouraging myself to get off my tail and get to painting, get to expressing my life with a visual journal and possibly impact others with my vision.

"When there is no way out, the way UP is still open."

Look for more activity on the creative front, people!  If you have words of encouragement, I will embrace them, and take them to heart.  If you have words of helpful critique, I will be grateful.  If you have similar defeatist problems, let us try to get through them together.

"The most drastic and usually the most effective remedy for fear is direct action."

                                                                     ---Wm. Burnham