On Inspirations

They say that the greatest compliment is to inspire someone.
I have never gelled well with compliments, less so where my art is concerned, sometimes I just want to get in the tank with my snails (African Land Snails that is) and chill with them, instead i have to stand and accept compliments with humility, to have someone state quite plainly that my works inspire them to move on in their artistic journey is even more than a compliment, you are responsible for another individuals journey, you are responsible to them, not only in their journey but by standing by your own reputation and moving on yourself.

To stand still as an artist is not only to tie a noose around your own neck and slowly but surely watch the world according to art, move onwards without you but also to not be able to justify any ones reliance upon your work to inspire them, if you go nowhere, how can those who find you inspiring have any thoughts to moving forward themselves if they see their mentor floundering and going nowhere.

It is the latter that I hold most dear to my heart, if I am going to be a mentor to others I must move forward myself. My life has been one where to announce your achievements was seen by others as one who 'braggs', though experience has shown that the belittling of anothers achievements is done purely out of jealousies and an inability for those others to move on themselves, more out of laziness than anything else.

it is these people that hold others back, another form of bullying i suppose, they are not willing to take the plunge, to branch out against the flow, they hold you back in order to keep their lives ticking along in a way that they are able to deal with, some people hate change, some people see others moving forward as a threat to their apparent stability.

to move in those circles necessitates that you become like them and less like your true self, how can you find your true self, to experience all that life has to offer, to find and work for your dreams in life when you allow yourself to linger in the now, yesterday is history, tomorrows a mystery and today is a gift, but not if you make the present a continuation of a static yesterday, and to make tomorrow the same as today, a never ending circle of nothing and nowhere until the time comes when you are unable to see any tomorrow, or, worse still, when the tomorrow you envisage is one to not look forward to.

to move forward is to find yourself and life, sadly that necessitates leaving those others behind, what are they to you if they are the ones that expect you just to remain the same; it is said that old habits die hard, that is just so true, to work and continually move forward as an artist requires sacrifice and hard work, it relies on finding your niche in accordance with your life and destiny, how many are willing to make sacrifices of friends and family.

those that are strong and able can easily find their past if they so wish, that however must be done only with a strong grip on todays reality and achievements, without that strength the past will always seem appealing but will always drag you backwards, the more time on the past is less time for the future.