“It is not your paintings I like, it is your painting.”

– Albert Camus

I am not a painter.  If you don’t believe me, just ask my 7th grade Art teacher.  He graciously passed me in gratitude for my help with cleanup after class.  I guess you could say he did not like my paintings — but he liked the way I performed in his class.  Each of us is an artist in some way that expresses uniquely who we are.  The results of our work — what we have done — often are the things that capture the attention of others.  It is nice to receive a compliment; and I am grateful when someone lets me know that my work has touched them and given them a different perspective about life or about who they are.  It is a good feeling to know that we have produced something worthwhile.

I would trade all the compliments in the world for one friend like Camus, who sees that any results I produce are no more than the fruits of who I am and of the passions that drive me to be the artist who creates my life.  The day we allow ourselves to be judged by our accomplishments; or, worse yet, the day we judge ourselves by the things we have produced, we will risk losing the passion and the drive that has allowed us to be artists.  I picture the great painters whose works are admired for their excellence and uniqueness.  I ask myself what they would have done if all their paints had suddenly disappeared.  My guess is that they would have found ways to create new sorts of paint — new sorts of color — so that they could continue to express their passion for creating art.

This is the secret to being a painter — or one who lives life in a creative way.  We must not let the circumstances we face stand in the way of bringing our passion to life.  We must not become caught in our accomplishments and forget to continue creating.  Perhaps when our creative process is the thing people notice, we become role models for others so that they, too, learn how to live with intention.  If you enjoy the things I bring to life, I thank you; but I would rather have you remember that I have truly lived my dream.