Courage and Confidence

photo courtesy DouglasNelsonPhotography.com

Wandering around San Francisco, down by the Pier, we came across a kid playing a trumpet and tap dancing. Now it's not every day you see a super talented kid like this (wearing a fedora, no less) just moving and grooving like he was having the time of his life in front of a HUGE group of bystanders.

But I have seen this kid before, he's hard to forget. Last summer while in Los Angeles with my daughter, who was attending a dance convention there, we came across him on Rodeo Drive. My Dancing Diva and I stopped to be a part of the audience for quite some time. "How old do you think he is?" "I don't know Mom, probably younger than me." she said, las summer she was 14.

 

Courage

Watching this young man made me think about just how far a little faith in yourself will take you in life. It's a cyclical thing too, isn't it? The more faith you have, the better you will be, the more faith you will have, the better you will be.... 

Have the courage to try again. Dust yourself off and submit your artwork to the next juried show, or the next call to entries at your local art league. Don't be afraid that you are doomed to be rejected forever. You're not. I almost was, but you're not! I could have wallpapered my studio with rejection letters in the beginning. I really could have. Or, at the very least, I could have made a whole bunch of collages with that paper. But it was on terrible quality paper, anyway. 

It's important to keep trying, that's the only way it will ever work out.

Confidence

You have to believe in yourself. When you put your artwork on there to be judged and juried, you have to have know that if you don't make it into the show, that it's nothing personal.  This kid is dancing and playing and sometimes singing, he misses a note or two here and there, but he hasn't got a care in the world. Because he's got everyone smiling, he's got people stopping to watch him. He's got self confidence regardless of his flaws because in the BIG picture, he rocks.

Confidence makes you bold, makes you strong, makes you willing to take risks, try new things, and put yourself out there. Now who couldn't use some of that?

With art, we all need to remember that not everything appeals to everyone. Art is subjective, it's in the eyes of the beholder. I have taken a collage that was rejected by one juried show away, only to have it win an award at the next show. Keep this in mind.

And yes, I have told you this before. But I just was reminded, that it was about time I told you again. Thanks to the kid in the hat.

And PS, this kid really gets around doesn't he? He's taking his act on the road, one city at a time.

Thank you for being part of my art journey.
Elizabeth