Yes, throughout my years as an artist I’ve found a valuable secret that is 85% of being a successful artist or as part of your quest to becoming an artist, period.  It’s not hard.  In fact, it’s one of the easiest and most simple things you can do but I find that many professional artist have this very problem.  It’s the number one thing you can do to get your work done.

JUST SHOW UP!

Yes, Mr. Monkeyman, you too have a great chance to be a great artist if you just plant your monkey butt at your drawing desk or easel.  All you have to do is show up at your drawing board.  I’ve got a hundred and one reasons why I can’t work on an oil painting tonight.  The garbage needs to go out, Mario can’t save the princess all by himself, the children need to eat, there’s a party at Fred’s house.  I’ve heard and used most of em’ but you can’t let them stop you from consistently working on your art.

Ok, I did stop to feed the kids.  Who can work with all that whining and “Daddy, we’re hungry” going on in the other room.  The older ones can fend for themselves but you have to at least throw a few packs of fruit snacks at the smaller ones.  (In the course of full disclosure I have only one one child and the wife makes sure he’s fed but I have thrown fruit snacks at him)

The point is that you have to make your art a priority.  Every day or as close to that as you can get.  I’ve found that if you “just show up” everything else will fall into place or it will at least have the opportunity to do so.  The hardest part really is just picking up the brush to start.  After that my art monster takes over and before I know it it’s 2:00 in the morning, I’ve got some cad red on my forehead, and I’ve still got to get up at 7 the next morning.  Yeah, you pay a price but look what you just created and if you’re anything like me, it’s all worth it.

Oh yea.  If you do throw fruit snacks at your young ones make sure to open them first.  They don’t have enough  coordination yet to open them and a toddler with a sealed pack of fruit snacks is much worse than one who is just hungry.