I have artists all around me. Sometimes they're the children I work with. Sometimes they're friends and family. Equally often, they're the ghosts of professors or imagined ancient artists that live within me.
I am always kind to these artists, because I want them to grow. When an artist grows, we all benefit. And I've got some amazing artists swirling through my space.
I am less kind to myself and my own work. I am easily discouraged, because I find I cannot advocate for my work the way I can advocate for a friend, or a child. I somehow view my "stakes' as being higher than the stakes of those around me, and thus I'm hedging my bets against myself by not lending me my full support. This isn't fair to myself or to other artists, yet I do it anyway.
The truth is, I need to not freak out about everything in my artistic life. It's not going to happen all at once. I can only try and work and think and not think too much and hope to gain footholds here and there that will, someday, lead to successes. Or at least fewer freakouts.
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