Cowboy's Sweetheart

(one of the roads I follow when I actually DO get out of the house)

“You need to get out of the house.” You’ve read it. Heard it. Probably even said it.

If you’re like me, you may spend months telling yourself that you needn’t listen to this advice. Your time is too valuable to be out gallivanting around when you should be in your art studio.

The fresh perspective – the fun – the spontaneity – will all have to wait … You have deadlines. You have obligations. You have a blog to write – a website to update – a marketing plan to follow.

You also have a stiff neck – a hollow smile – and NO inspiration at all.

It’s not too late to make amends and free yourself from all those chains. Open wide the doors, my friend, and GET OUT Of THE HOUSE!

Here are three reasons why Artists Should Get Out of the House …

• 1. Getting out into the world will help you see yourself, your art, and your world in a whole new way.

After I finally forced myself out of the studio and into gas-eating Bertha last weekend – the road I followed (see the top of this post) began to feel more like this …

Blues and greens felt purple. Foggy air felt lustrous. And boring, tired ME suddenly felt happy. Really, really happy.

As trite and silly as this may sound, it is absolutely true … When you get out of the house and into nature (be it a walk around the block with Fido, or a hike up Mt. Everest) you begin to see yourself as a part of the big, wide world beyond your studio. You begin to love yourself and your art again. You remember what it’s like to really BREATHE

• 2. Getting Out of the House Will Lower Your Stress Level And Help You Become A More Productive Artist

Ask any coach – sports coach, life coach, art coach – and she/he will tell you that sitting on your can for too long does more than make you dull. It makes you tired. Irritable. Depressed. And yes – dare I say it- LAZY.

If you’re wondering how working your butt off in the studio without leaving the house for days on end could possibly make you lazy – think about it. You may be working like a mad dog – but you’re bound to get tired after a while. Don’t you hate it when a friend calls and invites you to lunch, and you say, “I just can’t. I’ve been working for hours and I just have to finish this (painting, drawing, necklace, blog post, newsletter … blah-blah-blah).

Who do you think you’re foolin’? Certainly not your friend. An hour every now and then won’t bring your art to a screeching halt. As a matter of fact, an hour spent pleasantly with a good friend or different surroundings could help light a fire in your belly … just like taking a photo of this horse last Sunday lit a fire in me …

Right before I snapped this picture, the horse tilted her head ever so slightly – and I noticed how, in that little glimmer of light, her black hair seemed almost purple. I would have never SEEN that – or been compelled to PLAY with that idea – had I schlumped around the computer and the drawing board all day like I had originally planned. (Again.)

I felt GREAT after taking this picture – I had connected with a creature that I love (a horse!) And I was definitely more productive once I got back home and had a NEW image to experiment with. I may even take it a step further – add some text, change the background – and I’ll have a new image to add to my Art Licensing portfolio.

• 3. Getting Out Of The House … or “Away From the Studio,” so to speak – can improve your perception of your existing body of work.

I’m a big fan of Robert Genn’s Painter’s Keys – and I keep a file of my favorite Robert Genn posts and quotes.

In his post entitled “Nothing Much Here Right Now,” Robert shares his thoughts about how, as artists, we tend to be dismissive of the value of the existing work in our studio. That is, when someone asks to see our work, we often reply that there is “Nothing much here right now.” And, to quote Robert, “In the land of the truly good (artists), there is the tempting illusion that the truly good stuff will be created “later.”

In other words, we always think our best work is just around the bend – and that nothing that we have created thus far can ever be as good as something we may create in the future. And – that when we are open to the need to Get Out of the House – or Away from our Art Studio – we become “traveling artists” … or positive thinkers.

Here’s how Robert puts it ….

Intuitively, while we may love our studios, we also suspect them. The travelling artist has the benefit of being a more genuinely empty vessel, at least to start with. Newly virginal, with only optimism and without a nagging history of “not much here”–you have a clean canvas, a fresh slate, an empty sheet, and there’s nothing to do but fill ‘er up.

In short, Getting Out of the House – Away from Your Studio – enables you to once again BECOME AN EMPTY VESSEL. Creating is new – creating is fun. And what you’ve already created may actually be quite wonderful.

I’m already beginning to like this introspective artwork again!

So – I’m Getting Out of The House. I’m off to have lunch with a friend – and afterwards I’ll stop off at the rim that overlooks Cody, Wyoming and take a few photos.

How about you? Are you finally ready to Get Out of the House?

Deb Trotter ~ Cowboy’s Sweetheart Artist