Not everyone can be an artist or a ballet dancer or even an astronaut. We are all different. We all have a different core purpose. Some people can strongly feel this purpose and they act on it.

Their road is not necessarily easy but they know what they must do and they do it. They love what they do and they can’t be stopped.

Other people do not even believe in a core purpose, let alone pursue ‘their life’s work’. They do not even bother to look within to learn about themselves. That’s fine, it’s all a personal choice.

But sometimes, a fantasy can be mistaken for a goal. Sometimes you will bang your head against a wall and no matter how hard you try, you will not succeed.

Sometimes you have to give up and find a new dream.

Don’t believe people who tell you that you can do anything… you will probably notice that they are not living what they are talking about anyway. You can’t do anything because you are a limited being in a very limited body.

I have been a professional artist for over 30 years,for  most of those years business was good. I have sold thousands of seascape paintings and done thousands of portraits. At the moment the economy is changing, art is a luxury for many people. It is becoming more difficult to sell art in the same way that it has been sold for years.

You have to lower your prices. You have to be less precious about your work and you have to be prepared to give generous discounts. It’s quite humbling… for a while. Then you wake up and say, “Hey, stop making a big deal about a constantly changing world. There’s always change, so adapt and find new ways of selling and presenting your work. There’s always someone out there who is able to buy peace and beauty” (my speciality).

I am forever scanning for new ways of working, new ways of selling and new ways to market my art. After all, I am a creative artist so it should be just as natural to be a creative business person.(psst… wannna buy a painting…?)

I am creatively challenged

Please watch the short movie that I put together showing most of the 100 pastel portraits in roughly the correct order. Distortions are obvious but I want to encourage you by showing that even an old experienced guy like me does not always produce 'pretty' work, especially when it is for practice purposes. Revealing these images is revealing the distorted steps that have to be taken to achieve your goals.

Normally I would not show anybody this type of work but I want you to realize that imperfection is normal. When my subject is sitting in front of me,  it all comes together and everybody is happy with the outcome. The bride is always beautiful on the day. The creative artist falls on his feet.

It is so much easier to draw from real life than from photos. With live subjects, I can feel the essence of the person I am drawing and it is expressed through my hand naturally. I can also see clearly. Believe it or not, it is difficult to draw someone that you cannot see! It sounds obvious, but if unless you have an excellent large photo, it is very hard to actually see and understand the details.

Forget about being perfect and aim at being the best you can. Don't worry about your warts, we've all got them!