A Little Motivation From History’s Greatest Artists

Once we have our mind set, it’s only natural to want it right there and then. But we must be patient in our hard work towards our dreams.

Think of your art career as a marathon, not a sprint!

  Yoko Ono’s was published in a compilation of letters from various artists to young artists. Her letter was published amongst the many under the title of , “Letters To A Young Artist.”

To a Young Artist, You could be 18, 30 or 50, you are young to have decided to be an artist at this time in your life. First let me congratulate you on your choice. From here on, you enter the endless magic life of being an artist. The world is your oyster: It will provide you with unlimited material for your art. Look at it again from that point of view. Suddenly the world is a different place, so interesting, so beautiful, and so mysterious. Have fun with it. And share your fun with us. You, as an artist, will unfold the infinite mystery of life and share it with the world. It may just be two people your work will communicate to. Don’t be upset. Be upset if you are not happy with your work. Never be upset about how many people have seen it, or how many reviews it has received. Your work will exist and keep influencing the world. Moreover, your work will keep changing the very configuration of our world no matter what kind of attention it gets or doesn’t get. So even when you are an unknown artist, be caring of what you make and what you give out. Your work, no matter what, affects the world, and in return, it brings back 10 times what you’ve given out. If you give out junk, you get back junk. If you give out confusion, you will give yourself confusion. If you give out something beautiful, you will get back 10 times more beauty in your life. That’s how it works. You are now like a tree in the park. Your existence is making the city breathe well. So relax and be yourself. Don’t try to be anything but yourself. Rely on your instinct and inspiration. Go with it!o By the way, my thanks to you for being an artist. I am aware that I will be one of the many, many people who gets the benefit of your decision. I wish you great success. I love you! Yoko One New York

Another inspirational quote in the same book by Stephen Shore says,

“But if you wait until you’ve finally found it, you may never have a show…finding your voice may be a process, not a goal.”

One common denominator of both their messages is that an artist must never give up. 

Think of your first car. You waited for it, you worked for it and it may not have been the best model you wished for at first. But you loved it nonetheless, because you earned it. Even if it breaks down once in a while, or runs out of gas (which it will), you fill it up, you fix it up, and you keep driving it. You gradually work towards upgrading, by working for it. The purpose of the car remains the same, but the model and how you earn that model changes. And with each upgrade, comes an upgraded sense of elation.

As an artist, you should treat your artist “name” like your first car. Work for it, nurture it, but nonetheless, don’t forget it’s purpose. It’s purpose is to fulfill the feeling you achieve for earning it and to keep driving you forward.