Art and A.D.D.
Hello friends,
I wanted to address an issue that may or may not have crossed your mind about my blog. I have realized that sometimes I say in my posts that I am going to be working on certain projects for a while and that may be what some of you expect to see until I say I am finished with it.
For instance a while back I was showing you parts of my picture book, “Larry, the Lonely Leatherback,” but I never said whether I had finished it or told you anything about it. Update: it has been put aside because….
I get bored sometimes working on long projects. So I find new things to do or learn. The next thing I was working on was learning to draw and paint new sea creatures besides just sea turtles. So I did an octopus and was planning on doing several more. But I just hadn’t found any really good pictures to learn from in how to draw them in different positions.
Then I became interested in Chinese brush painting. So I got a kit to learn how to use Chinese brushes and ink. I painted a few things with those and am still doing it. And as mentioned in my last post, I have been working on learning East Asian calligraphy. I am using my Chinese paint brushes and ink for that and am learning from the book called “The Heart of the Brush” by Kazuaki Tanahashi.
I also said in a post a few days ago that I want to paint more Pokemon characters. I do! I realize there is a story about Gracie the Green Sea Turtle on my blog that is unfinished as well.
You may wonder if I ever complete any of these long projects. I do. A couple of summers ago I painted seven huge sea turtles. It took me all summer long to complete that project, but I did! I have A.D.D. I was tested for it back in about 2002 and the woman who tested me said I definitely showed many signs of it. I also take medication for anxiety and depression. My life has been pretty crazy in the last ten years or so homeschooling my two children, and trying to teach myself art and keep in shape amongst all the other trials and stress we have been through in the last few years. I keep hoping maybe this tendency I have to start things and get distracted so easily will go away, but honestly I believe it is a part of who I am. No medication, religion, exercise, etc. is going to “fix” it. That’s okay! I feel I have accomplished a great deal in my life in the area of art even if I am not out there selling it or promoting it very much. I do art because I am a creative person, I love it, and it relaxes me.
So if you ever wonder when I’m going to get back to something I say I’m going to be posting about, please just be patient with me. I am a work in progress. But if you don’t care one way or the other, please keep coming back! It is nice to know there are people who are encouraged by what I think and do. I appreciate it more than you know.
Here’s a short explanation of ADD even though they are referring to ADHD. The “H” stands for hyperactivity which I do not have! I don’t think I have ever been called hyperactive. Not everyone with this condition has the hyperactive component.
Have a wonderful day, and give someone you love a big hug! 🙂
Posted on September 10, 2016, in Art Talk and tagged ADHD, art, Art and A.D.D., creativity, creativity-and-depression, Vincent Van Gogh. Bookmark the permalink. 6 Comments.
There are some threads in my blog that I will probably never complete 🙂
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Thanks, Derrick! 🙂
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You’ve got to follow your inspiration, Patsy. Keep doing what you’re doing. As for the ADD, I know I’ve got it, although I’ve never been tested. Happy Weekend! xo
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I agree, Jill! I used to hear all the time when I was growing up, “You never finish what you start” and so it always bothered me when I would try something, not like it or get tired of it and quit. For me, though, it was just because I didn’t want to waste my time doing something I didn’t like! I no longer think of quitting as failure. Not trying something because of fear or old emotional tapes playing in my head is failure to me. 🙂 Happy Sunday to you, Jill! 🙂 xo
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Art, by its nature, doesn’t always have a logical progression from beginning to end. Don’t sweat the finish line. Enjoy the process.
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Exactly! I mostly did this post for people who are consistent readers of my blog. And for people who may think more logically and are more consistent in their work than I am. I never sweat the finish line. Art is definitely a process. 🙂
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