Repost from July 2020…

Why Art? It’s a question I’ve been asked repeatedly throughout my lifetime of creating. I used to think it was because my art wasn’t good enough to boast about until I dismissed that notion. I used to compare myself, artist to artist—a comparison many artists have made and many new artists will continue to make. There’s only one surefire way to stop comparing yourself to other artists’ work and feeling inadequate. Are you ready for the surefire answer? I’ll reveal it shortly. If you already know the answer, kudos to you for acting on it.

You see, the surefire way to stop comparing yourself is the same answer for anyone who is not an artist but an art lover and buyer. I’m not only an artist; I also adore art and enjoy purchasing it. Buy art, you might ask? Why would an artist buy art when they could simply recreate the piece they want? After all, a good artist creates, but a great artist steals another artist’s work, right? Well, that may be true for some, but not for me.

I’m all for supporting my fellow artists. There are plenty of artists out there who feel the same way, and then there are those who simply want to be the only one noticed. I can say this because I’ve been in the profession for over forty years, and I’ve seen and heard enough to know it’s true.

As an artist, and I’m certain anyone in the creative arts field (painters, portrait artists, crafters, etc.) has heard the same thing: “Your artwork is too expensive.” Then we artists perform a song and dance about why it’s priced as it is, saying, “I’m no Walmart artist…” Listen, we don’t owe anyone an explanation for our prices. Those are window shoppers who never intended to buy any of our artwork in the first place. If someone were genuinely interested in buying, they wouldn’t fuss over the price.

Dave

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