Sometimes art is hard. There’s always a big pull between what inspires you and what you are able to bring to life. There’s also always a need to reinvent and breathe new life into your work while still maintaining your vision. (Have I totally lost you yet?;))

There is so much work on the back end that goes into creating art work of any/all kinds. It goes far beyond picking up a camera and knowing how it works. Sure, that is a huge part of photography, but that’s often not enough to really get the work you love out of your images. The creative process is ripe with the blood, sweat, and tears of the creator; hours of work behind the scenes that are frequently taken for granted (by anyone--including the artist!). 

There are books written, courses taken, lots of trials and inevitable errors made. There are lists upon lists (anyone else ever write up a list of lists that need to be made?). It is motivation times inspiration times sheer willpower to equal progress. That is just the truth of the artistic process. It can be full of love or, sometimes, even dread. It can be hard. That is just the honest, raw truth. 

But, it is a battle worth fighting through. Because sometimes it isn’t hard at all. Sometimes you pick up your camera (or paint brush or ink pen or whatever your vessel is) and the creative juices flow readily through your veins and it feels like magic is happening. You can almost see the fireworks coming from your fingertips and everything in the world feels just right. Clouds part, angels sing, and even the weather seems to rejoice in the wonder of it all. It is nothing short of spectacular. And it makes every moment of doubt, every difficult task you’ve attempted to master, every failure, every hour of courses and research well worth it.

Not every time is like that. Not every other time is bad or “less-than.” It is all a part of the process of refining yourself through the artistic process. In my personal opinion, this epic pursuit of progress (motivation x inspiration x willpower) is the fire that refines us as artists, but also as people. It forces us to work our asses off, shed any pride, and adopt a mindset emphasizing hard work and determination so we can continue to progress. 

It can be so hard some days. But I really believe it is the best work. It is working to become more than yourself, to be more in tune with the universe, to be a better human. It is a defining process that makes us all better.

So, GO. Struggle through the process. Keep working hard. Keep doing whatever it is you can to get through it. Know that sometimes it is just a hard journey. But keep creating. Keeping trying to master your craft and bring your vision to life. And when you do, hold onto that feeling. And keep working harder. We are all better for it.