Art, Artists and Vocation

"If you really want to upset your parents?go into the arts!"-Kurt Vonnegut

How many times have people been told that "You can't make it as an artist."

How many times when you've told someone that you are studying theater, dance, the visual arts, do people look at you and cringe; feel sorry for you, and feel that you and your family have wasted a great deal of money, and that you have wasted years of your life.

How often when you tell people that you are involved in the arts, do people feel sorry for you because you won't be able to find a job or make it in the "real world".

A vocation has been described as "something you can't not do."

Frederich Buechner has defined vocation as "the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need."

A very wise man, Harold Babcock, has this to say, "Vocation is not simply about doing, but, at a much deeper level, it is about being. It is about what Thomas Merton called "one's true self," that self that one is really meant to be, and that no one else can be." Vocation is not always something we choose, much as we might like to thinks so; rather, it is often something which chooses us."

An artistic vocation, sharing your beauty, depth, insight and wisdom with the world, is both a gift and a responsibility. People who have an artistic vocation often have having different priorities than other people. It means that having a fancy car, expensive house, designer clothes, is not as important as doing "the thing you can't not do."

If you have a vocation as an artist, you are not different from the world, but rather you have been given an extraordinary gift, one that requires dedication, focus, courage, perseverance and hard work. Art is not for the faint of heart.

© Mary Baker 2005

Mary Baker is a contemporary realist painter, whose studio is in Newburyport, Massachusetts. This New England city, north of Boston, has been the inspiration for the artist's realistic oil paintings. Mary Baker is a professional artist and has shown in New York art galleries. Mary's art work has passion, depth and beauty, capturing moments in time that many people pass by.

Mary Baker hopes that if you have a vocation in the arts that you will share your artistic gifts and artistic voice and be delighted that your art brings much needed beauty, depth, wisdom and integrity to the world.

You can visit Mary's website, Mary Baker Art, at http://www.marybakerart.com , see her beautiful paintings and read her comments on creativity, the creative journey, the creative process, Tips on Breaking the Creative block, Art, Artists and Money, and creative space-the illuminating silence.

---

True Power Series Part I. Visualization: Image Production and Verbal Thought

(5 minutes a day) There is no limit to what... Read More

Shyness - Another View

We are all born shy, aren't we? When we see... Read More

Creativity and Inspiration

Creativity for the mystic has special meaning. In the world... Read More

New Inventions - From Absurd to Wacky!

New inventions? Heard of a revolving restaurant combination television tower?... Read More

Internet Business: 10 Important Creative Ways To Get New Product Ideas

Creativity is one of the most important keys to success... Read More

Becoming More Creative -- What We Can Learn From Disney

When you think about the legacies Walt Disney left us,... Read More

My Work Is My Play - The Journey From Survival to Creativity

"For the love a' creation!", my father was fond of... Read More

What is Creativity?

Here in England September represents the end of Summer and... Read More

Are You Inventive Enough to be an Inventor? Some Guidelines to Invention Success!

Inventors make a ton of money when the invention is... Read More

3 Clever Creative Strategies!

I've got a confession to make... there are many ways... Read More

9 Steps to Supercharge Your Productivity with Creativity

Time is the great equalizer. Everybody has the exact same... Read More

Be Creative: 10 Easy Steps To Increase Your Confidence, Creativity and Cash In The Attention Economy

How can you be more creative? How can you turn... Read More

Self-Care for Creative Artists: 10 Reasons To Care About It

1. To be more comfortable in performance situations ? performance... Read More

Creating Success

All things begin in consciousness.Consciousness originates everything that is manifest.... Read More

Charge Your Imagination (1)

"The challenges are not in the marketplace. They are in... Read More

Creativity Management and Team Size

Effective team structure is critical when managing creativity and creative... Read More

Creative Thinking The Secret Key To Lasting Success

What is creativity anyway? Well, let us look at the... Read More

Fear & Creativity

My fears are most powerful when they're simmering just under... Read More

Connect with Your Surroundings

Clutter is one of my favourite topics, and I've written... Read More

Go Ahead and Think Outside the Box!

I am trying to create a discipline where I blog... Read More

20 Ways to Keep Your Writing Inspiration and Creativity High

When stressed or blocked it is wise to make a... Read More

Its Time to Get Out of the Box

"It is never too late to be what you might... Read More

Mind Power Games

Want a fun way to tune up your brain? Why... Read More

Why Do We Need Creativity?

Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives,... Read More

The Sylvia Plath Pattern Of Creative Flow

* Sylvia Plath teaches a valuable lesson about the Even... Read More

How to be More Creative and Enhance Your Creativity

efore thinking about how to be more creative, let me... Read More

We Tend To Make Up Our Own Truths: What Stories Are You Making Up?

Someone once said that man keeps looking for truth that... Read More

Breathing Out Stage Fright

You're stepping onto the stage, amidst opening night flurry and... Read More

Creativity Myths

Sustained myths about Creativity and Innovation lead to confusion, bad... Read More

Creative Drought

For the past several hours, I've struggled with this week's... Read More

10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity

Creativity is your birthright ? but can often be hidden... Read More

Think & Grow Rich

All wealth is a product of mind. Some economists will... Read More

What Open Stage is Teaching Me About Life

After many years of performing as a vocalist, I switched... Read More