Three Truths of Art

The Three Truths of Art

You need to get past the mistaken idea

that the measure of success

with your art is money.

The point of all art is to nurture

your own soul and the souls of others

and to improve upon

the beauty of the world.

The purpose of creation, my friend,

is to create.

Art is a beginning,

middle, and end all by itself.

You are creating art for your own well being

and for the nurturing of others.

If your art nourishes your own soul

and the soul of just one other,

that is enough.

All the better if you can make

a little bit while doing it.

There are only three levels

of proficiency in any art;

Insufficient, sufficient,

and OMG! Wow!

If you are an artist, dancer,

writer, or musician

and you've been practicing your work

for four years or longer,

you can take heart in the knowledge

that you passed beyond insufficient

some time back.

Remember you will always be

your own worst critic

and even when you think

your work is half-assed,

others who see it will think

it's great and like it just fine.

When you begin to show

your work around to others,

you'll soon discover that

for every nine people

you show your work to,

three will be completely

indifferent to it,

three won't like it much at all,

and three will think it's wonderful.

Always remember, the only person

you absolutely have to please

is yourself.

Dewey Dirks