The Higher Ground

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Sunny Morning on the Hudson River 1827 Oil Thomas Cole

We often talk about the myriad tasks of life that seem to buzz around us and can become distractions from our artistic focus. We call it “ground clutter”, a term borrowed from radar used to describe unimportant signals in the landscape. While it is important not to trip on or bump into ground clutter as we move through life, there are times when we have to remind ourselves to quit watching our feet, look up and see the bigger picture.

One of the things that increases the buzzing and can sometimes completely obscure the larger vision comes from comparing and competing. Although it may be rewarding for one’s art career to be accepted into a national juried show, or even win a top prize, this should never be the goal in art. Acceptance is affirming, but it is often only the temporary opinion of a juror. Plenty of deserving art gets rejected from these shows every year. Likewise, the social benefits of working within …