Scary

Are you a rule-follower?

I am.

I used to be anyway.

I’ll explain:

Following rules didn’t come naturally to me, but I was raised to be a polite, people-pleaser. I can still hear my mother say, “What will people think if you (fill in the blank)?”

So I marched lock-step to rules—others’ rules.

·         Wear white only between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

·         Do exactly what your teachers tell you to do, so you can maintain your almost-straight-A grade point average.

·         No interrupting. Wait for your turn to speak, no matter how long it takes.

·         Never eat ice cream or cookies in the middle of the afternoon.

·         Let the boy make decisions about where you go on a date, even if it is bowling and you hate bowling.

·         The list goes on . . .

Then I became an artist. And guess what? Artists DO. NOT. FOLLOW. RULES.  Sure, there are principles. But principles are assumptions, not absolutes.

For instance, complementary colors (red & green, blue & orange, yellow & purple) pop when I put them next to each other. But this isn’t a rule. I place complementary colors next to each other only if I want to.

So as an artist, something had to change. Certainly I can, and do, take classes and learn from others who are further along the creative path. But my job is not to please others. Instead, it is to please myself. What is my journey? What are my options? What parameters will force me out of my comfort zone? What do I like about my artwork?

Truthfully, I’m not a 100% cured people-pleaser.  

But I’m on my way to creating art I love and not caring what others think.

Somewhat scary. 

Isn’t it?

Going to Water

Warm/Cool Color Study

Judith Kolva, artist