Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Robert Genn
The Painter’s Keys. An excellent twice weekly newsletter was started by Canadian artist Robert Genn. Robert is no longer with us, but the bi-weekly letter and website were carried on by his daughter Sara who is a talented artist and writer in her own right.
Robert was not only a talented acrylic on canvas artist recognized throughout the world for his work depicting the west coast of Canada, but he was also a thinker on the process of creating art. That’s why I grabbed a quote from him for use this morning.
“It’s the child that makes the artist.” – Robert Genn
In my opinion, this quote is a very simple but important one. There is a tendency to loose our inner child as we grow up and into our careers. When we first try our hand at art as a child, we work with abandon and no thought of what is ‘right of wrong’ we just do. As we age, we begin to listen and be shaped by the outside world of parents and teachers and supposed friends who tell us what is wrong with our work. How we can’t make a living as artists. How we could do something better if we just did it the approved way.
To grow as artists, I suggest that we go back to that inner child now and then and just play with wild abandon. Try something new. Push boundaries. Don’t label something as good or bad but as a learning experience. I talk about this many times, but it’s a message that will help you forge new art in your life. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t listen to people that tell your work is not up to par it doesn’t matter. Play. Play some more. Study new ideas and try to put them into practice.
Scientists ‘read dreams’ using brain scans. Rebecca Morelle, BBC science
Will this result in masterpieces immediately? Many times no. But often it can lead you down a new path to help you become a more creative individual. Picasso had a quote along similar lines, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso
Don’t let the world take out your inner child.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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