{"id":4043,"date":"2016-01-28T15:34:40","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T20:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/?p=4043"},"modified":"2016-07-26T08:05:16","modified_gmt":"2016-07-26T12:05:16","slug":"myths-of-the-working-artist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/myths-of-the-working-artist\/","title":{"rendered":"Myths of the Working Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"

The arts encourage us to reflect, to view things in a new or unique perspective.
\nThe arts offer a celebration of culture, solace, entertainment, beauty, pleasure & peace.
\nBecause the arts inspire, bring ease & beauty to the chaos of our lives, we tend to think of artists lives & how they work as such.
\nPhrases like natural talent are tossed about like petals in the wind.
\n\"autumn<\/a>
\nAutumn Trail 4ftx3ft avail for purchase<\/p>\n

I had the pleasure of seeing Vancouver\u2019s amazing production of Showboat<\/a> years ago.
\nA friend\u2019s cousin played a major role in the musical.
\nVisiting backstage, she spoke of grueling rehearsals, a demanding 6 day work week with several performances daily.
\nThis schedule had been ongoing for months.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t help but ask the question.
\n\u201cWhat do you do on your day off?\u201d.
\n\u201cVoice, dance and acting lessons.\u201d
\nWhaaaaa?
\n\u201cNo staying in pjs all day reading a book??\u201d
\nShe gently laughed with a sincere smile made to light up a stage.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s what most of us do.\u201d
\n\u201cLanding a part like this is highly competitive. We recognize the privilege and work very hard at our craft.\u201d<\/p>\n

She assured me after a show\u2019s duration she celebrated with a well deserved break.
\nMuch of her \u2018off time\u2019 was dedicated to researching roles, attending auditions, and honing her skills with lessons.<\/p>\n

If you know a working professional artist in any genre, you have a glimpse of the dedication, structure and grueling schedules many live their lives by.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a life many choose gladly, others feel the life has chosen them.
\nIt\u2019s a career with tremendous work- load & challenges often misunderstood.<\/p>\n

Watching the sweat drip from an athlete\u2019s brow, performing in front of thousands, we feel their efforts in the most tangible sense.
\nWe witness passion, physical, mental, even emotional tension first hand.
\nIt all enfolds before us.<\/p>\n

For artists, the effort is oft behind closed doors.
\nWe see the fruits of their labour, not the action.
\nSoaring tempos, lyrical words, a seemingly effortless dance, beauty in clay, glass, canvas.
\nThe bulk of creation is internal, then develops within studio solitude. A pen or brush in hand, a lone guitar.
\nNo less taxing than the athlete we applaud.<\/p>\n

A deeper level of exhaustion strikes me after a painting marathon than running one.
\nAbsorbed in artwork I may be more drained emotionally & mentally than in a full Ironman.
\nArtwork asks all of me on every level.<\/p>\n

Like the young actress, I am grateful for the priviledge. It\u2019s work I gladly do.<\/p>\n

A friend\u2019s advice came decades ago while I was working a \u2018regular job\u2019 painting in spare time.
\nI just wanted a normal, quiet, even dull life, I said.
\nI enjoyed creating, but the demands of painting for others, and selling the work I discovered, terribly stressful.
\nIt wasn\u2019t\u2019 a life for me<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“You are an artist at heart. You will never have a normal dull life. Once you accept this you will be able to move forward. Understanding of course, the very difficult challenging road ahead, but it\u2019s the only life for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His chosen career? Reverend.
\n~
\nAs always, I welcome your feedback on the new work & post.
\nPlease note new pricing is now in effect.
\nThanks most graciously for the support of the work and making my path to art a welcome & honourable one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The arts encourage us to reflect, to view things in a new or unique perspective. The arts offer a celebration of culture, solace, entertainment, beauty, pleasure & peace. Because the arts inspire, bring ease & beauty to the chaos of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-work","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4043"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4346,"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4043\/revisions\/4346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}