Wednesday, March 12, 2025
My past work occasionally haunts me. A kind soul will reach out to me and offer a compliment on something I previously produced. In some cases the work touched them to profound effect. It’s all you can ask from art. And, the attention sure does feel good.
It can also be distracting.
I always see my artistic path forward as steps on a vast plane in the high desert. It’s a clear sunny day with long shadows and a warm breeze. Hearing a compliment about my old work takes me out of that space. I reactively look backward with my inner eye to discern what the compliment is all about. Because the work is already done, there’s no risk, no concern about what’s next. It’s sort of like sitting in a dopamine hot tub with a delicious cocktail. Life is good, why leave.
Adulation is a fabulous byproduct of being an artist. Those moments help bridge the precarious chasms of the self-loathing and insecurity. Yet in-and-of-themselves they are ultimately anchors.
When I was young, after accomplishing something creative worth talking about, my first agent always said: “Enjoy the moment. Take yourself to a fabulous dinner. Then forget it by the time you finish your coffee tomorrow morning. By then you’ll be nothing until you get on to your next work.”