Keeping the Dream Alive
Evelyn Murphy, a Harvard-trained lawyer and mother of three, was the first woman to serve as Secretary of State in Massachusetts, overseeing the state’s Department of Public Welfare. As governor, she helped end homelessness by building affordable public housing and tackling welfare dependency by requiring job training to receive public assistance. After leaving office at age fifty-eight, she wrote about her struggle with Lyme disease.
How can you keep the dream alive? How can you stay motivated at your age? The answer is: You cannot ask anyone else but yourself these questions, and that is where the real work begins. The older we get, the harder it is to stay motivated. We become accustomed to doing things the way we want to do them, rather than the way we are able. What happens? We stop aspiring and we settle for less.
Actors and musicians retain their passion for their art into old age, which is what drives them to continue in their field. But why does this not happen with other branches of work? The answer is our drive and motivation depends on what art that we have chosen to follow and when our time comes as artists, there will be a lot of disappointments.
But what happens when one form of art becomes too demanding? You cannot be an artist unless you have a passionate interest in the work you are doing. It is all or nothing. Without that love and passion, everything else will become an obstacle. For example, if you want to keep writing and working on your novel every day for years upon years, it is not going to happen. To last as a novelist you cannot lose interest in the writing process because this is where all the magic happens.
And we all know how difficult it can be to maintain focus and determination when everything around us seems so busy, stressful and overwhelming.
So how do we keep the dream alive? How do we stay motivated as we get older and find it harder to concentrate and focus? How can you be an artist and a professional at the same time if you want to make a living out of your art?
My advice is to surround yourself with people who challenge and stimulate you. To read. To share with them what you have done or are doing, so you have the support of others around you. When I read, I feed my mind with new information and ways of thinking. These things nourish my creativity, which keeps me inspired to continue on in my work as an artist.
I am very grateful for the many years I spent working with and learning from people who were more passionate than me, encouraging and supporting my work. I think it is very important to have support and encouragement from the outside world in order to keep your motivation up. If you are thinking about going back to school for an art degree, I would say again, go for it. Life can always be a lot worse than it is now. If you want to be an artist at any age, don't stop dreaming.
Artists can go on as long as they continue improving their skills and having fun with what they do. I don’t think the older we get, the harder it is to enjoy what you do. I think it gets easier because you can do more and have a lot of fun with your craft. But you need to surround yourself with people who challenge and stimulate you, who will tell you when something is not working or bring your attention to things that you may have missed.
I really believe that if an artist keeps working on their craft and applies what they learn at school, their work will improve. Keep improving on your skills and creating new works that reflect all the knowledge from school plus what you have learned from living life.
The key is to make a living out of your art. There are a lot of ways to do this. Selling your paintings and drawings, selling subscriptions, selling your photography or selling your car are all possibilities when you can make a living. If you do nothing but sell drawing, painting and photography classes, you might realise that these skills can be very lucrative in the future because there is always a demand for the skills you have acquired.
As an older artist, I had to learn how to survive on my own and work hard for things that I really wanted in life. Although I was busy with my art at any time of the day or night, it was not enough. I had to find ways to make money on the side. I started selling my paintings, drawings and finished art work. I learned how to develop a website and make my own videos for YouTube, which led me to making some extra money by putting ads on my site and starting to promote in social media.
However, I was far from being able to support myself or lead a comfortable life. In order for this life of an artist to be successful, you have to get organised and stay disciplined on your goals. Keep working hard and never give up hope even if nothing seems possible.
I have noticed that any job that involves the arts is not 9-5 work. You can get discouraged if you have not found a way to make it work for you, but the key is to find the alternative choice. Many people are not willing to put in the energy and effort that is needed in order to make a living from their art. I would strongly discourage anyone from going into anything that requires a formal education unless they are able and willing for it to be hard work.
That’s because there will be no way for you to live your dream as an artist if you don’t work hard and apply yourself with discipline and determination everyday.
Always remember, there is no such thing as overnight success! It takes years of hard work before this happens. So do not be discouraged if you are working hard and not making any progress. Stick with it! Things may take a bit longer, but the end result will be worth it.
"Art doesn't happen in a vacuum, and if you want to keep having a career, you have to get out there and hustle." (Robert Henri)
My passion has always been to make art and share it with people. I had this dream of being an artist since I was a little kid. Now that I am in my 40s, I am still following that dream but living in another country far from where I grew up.
I have worked hard, finding ways to make money on the side while making art every day with no breaks. I never gave up in believing in myself and taking chances on what I love doing.
There will be days during the year when you feel sad, bored or alone. But that is how life works sometimes because we all go through bad times with crappy feelings. All you have to do is survive it, get through it and come out stronger from every experience. We cannot have success without failure and we cannot live without pain and suffering. Art has helped me get through all these hard times by allowing me to reflect on my life and express myself about what I was going through at that moment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to say that I feel lucky to be a part of this community. It is because of the people who share their opinions and information on this site that my art has improved tremendously.
I am not a professional artist by any means, but that still doesn't stop me from following my dream to be one. I have been making art since I was a little kid and I have learned so much through the years while practicing it every day. Your passion will shine out of your work if you keep working hard on it and always be open with your thoughts and ideas when creating new artwork.