Gratefully

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Pianissimo Watercolor John Hulsey

More than 40 years ago, Ann and I were fortunate to meet a wise man named Don, who would become a life mentor to us. We often talked with him about the artist’s life. He read deeply and loved poetry, and we shared with him our personal experiences, triumphs and disappointments. It was during one such conversation when I was lamenting being passed over in yet another art competition that he said something so profound that it stopped me in my tracks. Don looked me straight in the eyes and quietly said, “It makes no difference whether you get in this show or that exhibition. Your life is your art.” The power of that statement—so simple and yet perfectly true—changed my view of how I was living and what I was trying to accomplish. In that instant I realized that everything around me—my home, my land, my family, my relationships with friends and peers—everything I put creative energy into— were part of one integrated w…