Alex Alvis Art

Inspiration Sunday

Welcome to another Inspiration Sunday.  I woke up truly inspired this morning and I know I will be going out into the studio to sculpt again today.  I have been listening to a new book these last few days and I love it.  It is called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (who wrote The Gates of Fire and The Legend of Bagger Vance among other works of historical fiction).  Warning:  this is not your average "self-help" book...which is a good thing :).
 
This morning, I am going to share quotes with you from my Artist to Artist book from the section:  Fear and Doubt - enjoy and know you are not alone when you go out there and create...there are legions of artists who had no idea of the wonder they would share with the world...and thank God they created anyway.  Imagine what we would never had known if any one of these people had decided to drive a taxi instead?

Atmosphere&EnvironmentX-Louise Nevelson

 I felt so insufficiently equipped, so unprepared, so weak, and at the same time it seemed to me that my reflections on art were correct.  I quarreled with all the world and with myself.  ~Edgar Degas 1834-1917

Even at the late date, I go into my studio, and I think 'Is this going to be it?  Is it the end?'  You see, nearly everything terrorizes me.  I think that when an artist loses that terror, he's through.  ~Robert Rauschenberg 1925-2008

I was discouraged about life, discouraged about people being blind, but I don't think I had a day that I ever questioned creativity.  There has never been a day like that.  ~Louise Nevelson 1900-1988

I come into the studio very fearfully.  I creep in to see what happened the night before.  And the feeling is one of, 'My God, did I do that?'                          ~Philip Guston 1913-1980

The only sensible way to regard the art life is that it is a privilege you are willing to pay for....You may cite honors and attentions and even money paid, but I would have you note that these were paid a long time after the creator had gone through his struggles.  ~Robert Henri 1855-1929

The difficulties in drawing the figure-that is, manipulating and using the figure in a composition - are enormous.  ~Martha Mayer Erlebacher  1948-2013

The attacks of which I have been the object have broken the spring of life in me....People don't realize what it feels like to be constantly insulted.      ~Edouard Manet 1832-1883

I assumed that everything would lead to complete failure, but I decided that didn't matter - that would be my life.  ~Jasper Johns 1930-

You see in the past, my needs were very great and my fears were very great and my defenses looked like torture.  Well I have come to terms with a lot of things, because, when all's said and done, there's really very little one can do about a lot of things.  You just accept them.  The point is you just have to keep on working and you just have to keep on living.  That's the ball game.               ~Jim Dine 1935- 

So.  I hope you have a very acceptable Sunday and that you make some time today to get into your studio and create.  We have two more John Cleese excerpts this coming week to wrap up his lecture on creativity.  It's not to be missed.  He saves the best for last :).

'Til tomorrow!

~Alex