If it’s not bringing you joy, why are you doing it?

People create art for a variety of reasons, and these simplistic comments will not scratch the surface. Having said this there are those who do art for enjoyment, a rather broad statement for sure, then there are those that do art for commercial reasons, for them art becomes a vocation, or a job if you will. If art as your profession good for you, there are a lot worse ways to make a living.

Thankfully I have sold many paintings and prints, it is heartwarming to think someone wants to hang something of yours on their wall, and of course I don’t mind a few extra bucks, it pays for paints and pens. But I don’t do art with the thought of “will it sell” foremost in my mind, I do it to enjoy, to capture the moment, to experiment with something new.

This month is Inktober. A list of 31 prompts, one for each day to trigger a sketch with ink, then you post on FB or Instagram to see what others are doing; creative interpretation of the prompts is encouraged. I have participated in the “100 people in 7 days”, “Direct Watercolor” challenges in the past.

So I started Inktober on October one with great intentions, I did three days worth.

I must say I thought I was quite creative, I did an ice pack on the back for the backpack prompt, two CD disc covers for the discover prompt, and a car trunk for the boot prompt (for my UK friends). But I quit because in the end it was not really fun. And that is OK, because this is my pastime, what I do for pleasure, it is not my job.

I say all of this to free anyone who is feeling guilt over what they do or don’t do with their art – if it’s not bringing you joy, then it is ok to move on.