[Today’s featured artwork for Day 17 of the 365 Days Project is by DiAnne Cooper.]
It has been said that courage is not the absence of fear – it is the willingness to walk through fear into action.
#17 – Artists are courageous, even though we might not be entirely fearless.
It takes courage to be an artist. Twice. First, it takes courage to bring a vision into the physical realm. Whenever I create, I sometimes have to brush away nagging little thoughts of “But what will people think if I do THIS?” Fear is not intuition. When I turn to my Artist Mind it might say instead, “That doesn’t feel quite right…..how about trying THIS?” That makes a huge difference in the final outcome.
Second, it takes even more courage to present one’s work to the world. Rejection is an unavoidable part of every artist’s career. Over the years I’ve learned that rejection often means, “This work doesn’t fit in with our mandate, style, taste” rather than being a statement on my talent.
In 1956, Andy Warhol offered a drawing entitled “Shoe” as a gift to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was refused by a simple form letter with a P.S.: “The drawing may be picked up from the Museum at your convenience.”
Warhol’s response:
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
Andy Warhol
MoMA now owns over 160 pieces of Andy Warhol’s work.
Most people don’t create because they are afraid of the risk. And those who do create often quit after their first rejection. This is why I applaud all artists who puts their work out there – online, in galleries, in bookstores, on the big screen. It is our gift to the world. It is also a gift to ourselves.
DiAnne Cooper’s artwork can be viewed at DL Cooper Arts.
The 365 Days Project
In 2012, Serena Kovalosky committed to writing an article a day for 365 days as an exploration into the lives of artists and the value of creative thinking in our society.
Experience the full evolution of the project! Click below to read the entire collection of articles.
Descriptions of the images included in this post:
Communis
DiAnne Cooper, Colorado, USA
Bronze
Milano
DiAnne Cooper, Colorado, USA
Nickel-plated bronze
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