If you love your work, eventually it leads to failure! So ignore all the rules...

Last night suddenly something hit me in my inside. That is about Artist's failures. In their work. In their life also. Of course both are interconnected. If you are not successful in your work it will be difficult to earn money to fill your stomach.

So many questions arose in me. 'Why most of the artists are feeling insecure? Why they are thinking so much about technique? Whereas in other fields, people are working simply without bothering much about the rules and techniques, here why they are breaking their head on them? Instead of developing intuition why they are after techniques? Even after chasing techniques, why they are not becoming confident? Why they are always trying to prove that they are the best? If somebody won't accept their work, why they become uncertain...even after learning all the rules and techniques? Not only in art, in every field it is like that. What are the reasons for this? Recently one professional artist said these words.'' When somebody points out flaws in my paintings, I feel uncertainty. I want to throw my canvases, brushes and I would like to run away '' Actually he is doing well. Some of his paintings are really good. Even then fear is hunting him. Why?

The reason is 'LOVE'
When you love something or somebody, what will be the first thing that is going to happen to you?
It is ... Fear!
'Whatever you love, you may lose it.'
That thought itself will create fear in you. To conquer that fear you should not be in love. Then you should be above the love. Then there won't be any fear.

Artists should be like that. They should not love their paintings. Then there won't be any mental agony. No fear. Nothing. This is the right way to become a most successful artist. Confusing! Not loving painting...becoming a successful artist! How it will be? If you don't love your paintings how do you become an artist? Not only in art, anyone can become successful in any field, if they don't love their work

Yes. It's true.

* * *
You may think, if you don't love something, you may not get fear. Because you are not going to lose anything. But how do you become successful in a field, where you don't have any love. It's puzzling. Because you experienced till this minute, all successful persons are saying that they love their work
like anything.
Is it the truth? Really these successful artists or persons are loving their work? Are they lying? Or maybe they don't know the reasons for their success?
To know the truth these questions have to be answered.
That's what I am trying to do. I am searching for the answers.

* * *
They say 'Love is Blind'. That means the person who is in love won't think about reason. He will be moved by emotions. Sometimes these emotions make him successful, but most of the times they will lead to destruction. That is love. Love is illogical.

It 's not creative also. A creative mind has to do a lot of search. In that search so much analysis is needed. Again it's logic. All analysis is linked with logic. Logic and love, both are opposite poles. Love never bothered about logic.

So, love is blind. It's a proven truth. So loving your work means you are blind. Interesting. Everybody
will say '' Love your work. You will become successful.''
How is it possible? When you are blind towards something, how do you become successful? Many artists say '' we love our work. We are ready to die for it.'' May be! They may die! Anybody moving in darkness without some light, can enter into a dangerous path. Eventually that will lead him to death.

* * *
We have been seeing so many artists who are struggling with their paintings. Always they are having doubts about their work. They look nervous. They are seeking opinions from others about how their paintings look like. If other person says 'it's good.' Then they will be excited. If they pointed out some flaws in painting, he will get frustrated. Eventually he will be in depression.
This artist also loves his paintings deeply. Otherwise he won't be in depression. Frustration. What kind of love this is? Is it helpful to anybody?

Why this is happening?
'It's love'
Loving the work can lead to failures. Depressions. Frustrations.
Again...Why?
Already we discussed this. Love causes Fear. Love leads you reasonless actions. A man without reason, a man full of fear ,how can he achieve any thing? A mother loves her child. We love people close to us. Whatever mistakes they do, we will ignore them. If some thing happens to them because of their misdeeds we will try to protect them. Because we are loving them. In the name of love we became blind. How can a blind person know the right path?

That's why if somebody says that they love their work, it is idiocy. How can you expect an idiot to become a creator? Idiots can become successful. Success is relative. It's sheerly temporary. Any moment failure can happen. Vincent Vangogh was not successful in his life time in terms of money. But whatever he created became a great treasure to the world of art. In my view, his life is a great book to the creators. It will tell you how a human being can achieve the greatest things even in misery. That is the greatness. I don't think he loved his work. If he loved his work today we would not be talking about him. He would have been a failure like so many artists who used to paint throughout their life time and achieve nothing. He started to learn painting in his late twenties, he died in his late thirties. During that period also, he did not paint for nearly 3- 4 years. Is it not amazing? The man who found a place in the history of art, about whom this world talks after Monalisa, that man, the great Vincent did paintings for a very very short time in his life. But in the end he became great. How he achieved it?

It is by ignoring the society. It is the key. We will struggle to be accepted by society. Why should we bother about society? How do they know what you did is right or wrong? Who are they to judge you? You have to be your own judge. You know your limits. You know your goals. Then what is the point asking somebody to judge your ability. It's meaningless. They will judge you through their perceptions. Or to their taste. Or through their experiences. When you are depending on somebody to know about you, eventually it leads to frustration. Because they say things what they feel is right.

That's why I think all great people never bothered to care others opinion about their work. That's what I understood today, in this moment, when I am typing this. A great truth revealed. Then what all those great people did for their achievement?
It is 'Understanding'

* * *
Understanding is different from love. Love is mindlessness. Understanding is mindfulness.
A difference between Mindlessness and Mindfulness. Imagine.

Two people love each other. One day they become a married couple. After some time they began to quarrel with each other. They hate each other. They may go for divorce or they may live reluctantly depending upon the cultural background of society. Why this is happening? They loved each other before marriage. After marriage they hate each other. Why this change? What is the cause for this?
Lack of 'Understanding'. That is the problem.

Nobody denies their love for each other before they become a couple. Yes! It's love. All ready I say...'Love is Blind' They want each other. For what? Is it not for physical desires? Because of that desires they showed so much concern for each other. That so much concern is nothing but fear. The fear of loosing other one. Because of this fear they listened to each other. A little bit of understanding, of course..unknowingly.

Later once they become a couple, their desires are fulfilled. There is no magnetism between them. No mystery of unfulfilled desires. Now they stop listening to each other. There is no concern for other one. That's why doubts will start about each other. Eventually it leads to a psychological breakdown. Love is the reason for this. Instead of love if they understood each other, things would have been different. Same thing happening to the artists also.

They are not understanding what they are doing. They are in passion. They are in love. They think becoming a painter means money, fame, pleasure, greatness. That's why they want to be painters quickly. Short cuts. Create your own paintings. Do life drawing. Do plein air. Do studio paintings. Find the galleries, which will sell your paintings. Go online. There are potential buyers. Acquire style. Style will sell. Learn composition. Know rhythm. Find design. Learn color, light... So many things...All these preachings or tips whatever you call it tell you, 'How to get success'. So you began to love them. Love leads to fear. Love leads to insecurity. Finally it leads to heart break.

That's why so many artists become desperate in their careers. Always doubts about their ability. Still they are unable to leave Art, because they are in love with it. What they need is not love. Understanding. Awareness of what they are doing. Then they will know where they are. Nobody will tell you what you are or what you need to do. You should be aware of those things. Then you are able to move from one step to another. Because of understanding you will be able to examine the path where you are moving. You know it fully. That is mindfulness. For such a person even failure is movement to him. Its awareness. Its understanding. When you are doing work without bothering about the end results you don't have any fear. There is nothing you are going to lose. Because you are not expecting anything.

That is understanding. That is awareness. This understanding can make you a complete person. A complete person is above success or failure. Line, texture, shape, size, value, design and composition... every technical aspect you can learn eventually whenever you need, but not with love. They can be learnt with Awareness and Understanding.

I will conclude this with a small story....

A centipede walks with a hundred legs. A frog, who was a philosopher, saw the centipede, he looked at and watched him and became very troubled. It is so difficult to walk even with four legs, but this centipede was walking with one hundred legs ... this was a miracle! How did the centipede decide which leg to move first, and then which one next and then which one after that? And one hundred legs! So the frog stopped the centipede and asked him a question, ''I am a philosopher and I am puzzled by you. A problem has arisen which I can not solve. How do you walk? How do you manage it at all? It seems impossible!''
The centipede said, '' I have been walking all my life, but I have not thought about it. Now that you ask, I will think about it and then I will tell you.''
For the first time thought entered the centipede's consciousness. Really, the frog was right...which leg should be moved first? The centipede stood there for a few minutes, couldn't move, wobbled, and fell down.
And he said to the frog, '' Please don't ask another centipede this question. I have been walking my whole life and it was never a problem, and now you have killed me completely! I cannot move. And a hundred legs to move! How can I manage? ''.

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