Chasing Down the Muse: Be brave enough to share your work, yourself

You think of your art, whatever it may be, as the gift you have made to the world in acknowledgment of the gift you have been given, which is the life itself.—Stanley Kunitz

Live your best life.

The quote from Stanley Kunitz has for years been posted near my desk. In a nutshell, and in its entirety, it says just that — live your best life.

As the holidays brought 2014 to an end, folks began to make their yearly resolutions. Why not start with the words of Kunitz?

What might that best life entail?

It could embrace many facets, like perseverance, beauty, compassion, hope, love, adventure, giving back, gratitude, curiosity, aspiration and honor. What specifically would that look like to you? How would it manifest?

Collecting the dots. Then connecting them. And then sharing the connections with those around you. —“The Art of Asking,” by Amanda Palmer.

When I read these words, I thought that maybe this was the way to the best life, for it seemed a pathway to being real.

The wild horse in the billowy white clouds. The animals hidden in the wallpaper design. The sound patterns in the street that made music. These moments and more “dots” like them made up the beginnings of a creative journey that for me has never stopped. How these things get connected is the creative segment, the thoroughly enjoyable time spent in the moment.

Collecting and connecting are the easy parts. They just seem to come naturally. But what about the sharing? How many artists and artists in the making stumble over the sharing? Too many.

Sharing is the artist striving to connect with others, whether through a painting, sculpture or piece of writing. Through the sharing, each artist is risking, baring something of his or her creative self.

Here is where artists can feel so naked, so raw, that many shrink away from the sharing of their creative endeavors. Stories lie buried in the bottom of a cupboard, paintings in the back of a closet or lining the artist’s own walls — unseen by any but the most trusted.

People have many reasons to hide their artistry. How many have been told that being an artist is not a real job or that they cannot possibly make a living doing art? Creative ideas are often scary because they are threatening to what is, but artists need to share their ideas and their work.

It is not enough to just collect and connect those dots. I say this to every artist — every painter, sculptor, ceramicist, photographer, jeweler, writer, actor, singer.

Keep collecting those dots. Connect them your way. Then get out there and share, share, share you with the world. You are the only one who can tell your story.

Live your best life!

CHERRIL DOTY is an artist, writer and teacher who embraces the mystery and magic of all that is life. You can reach her at (714) 745-9973 or by email at [email protected].