Monday Motivator: Don't Wait for Inspiration

"Work habits are very important since 'inspiration' is a fickle thing. Teases you sometime: lets you just hang there at others. It will beguile you into thinking that you cannot work without it. But it is a siren on the rocks... calling you to disaster as an artist. ... Without will power one will not be able to stand up to the harsh demands of living a life of creativity."
^{-- Contemporary Artist Ben Mahmoud, on the Painting Forum}

If you always wait until you feel inspired before you paint, you're wasting a lot of time. How many other professions can you think of where people down tools because they're not feeling inspired? Rather, they just get on with it or some aspect of it (even if reluctantly). The same applies if you want to make a living from your art, or seriously improve your painting skills. It's a job, you need to get on with it.

While there is no doubt that some days the results of what I'm doing with a brush and paint are more satisfying than others, that some days it seems to go right and other days I just seem to produce a mess, I still need to put in the hours. But putting this way does rather ruin the romantic image of being an artist somewhat, doesn't it...

See Also:
• 5 Ways to Destroy Your Artistic Creativity
• Tips on Keeping a Painting Creativity Journal

^{Image: © Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc}