Fortunes

“What’s more important – your goal, or others’ opinions of your goal?”

– Lucky numbers: 42, 7, 33, 21, 8, 30

I pulled the above quote from my fortune cookie, after a fine meal at the “WOK” (a wonderful Chinese restaurant in Santa Fe) last night. The words written made me stop and wonder - how often does an artist participate in a new art movement to further explore their studio process and when is it just another avenue in the search for popularity?

Say an artist does create something fresh. Once a style is established it can become even more difficult to grow artistically beyond this new comfort zone. How many artists lock themselves into their styles or the styles that sell, in an effort to remain accepted by their peers, collectors and galleries? Commissions are a slippery slope as well. I don’t believe I have to mention the idea of not compromising style for a quick buck, but how often do we, as artists, let the commissions stagnate us. Too busy creating in the established style of which we are already known, to allow our work to mature to the next level. – DN