Surviving the turmoils of creating art requires finding enjoyment in the process of making it.

Art is seen as something you can make because you "have it" or "you don't," though it is not true.

A species of fear: that your fate is in your own hands but your hands are weak.

Talent is indistinguishable from perseverence.

Art forces you to face the gap between your intention and your capability.

There is no reason anyone else should care about a particular artist's work.

You learn how to make your work by making the work.

Artists do not work until the pain of not working exceeds the pain of working.

Artists who quit and those who do not are not distinguishable by outsiders; successful artists have learned how not to quit.

Stopping is not quitting; stopping happens many times, but quitting happens once.

Drop-outs from art school are low but drop outs afterwards are high when there is no ongoing support for the artist.

Attempts to do art normally fill the student with resistance and horror.

Successful artists challenge their fears.

Post-modern art is post-audience art.

Meaning that is embodied, and meaning that is referenced.

Art is not cut away from things you haven't done; art is the full pay off of things you have done.

Ideas and methods that work usually continue to work.

Returning to habits and schedules at play when work went well can often help.

New artists try many tools; veteran artists employ a small and specific set of tools.

For a veteran their tools become an extension of themselves.

When bankers get together they discuss art. When artists get together they discuss money. ~Oscar Wilde.

[A painter] looked at his schedule and found only seven days a month went to painting; the rest to managing the gallery/business concerns.

Fear of the unknown works to avoid primordal dangers but art requires courting the unknown.

There is no consensus on what your best work is.

Commissioned art has an imperceptible slide towards commercial art.

Playing large, samey cash crop performances in busy seasons since they fund the art studio the rest of the year.

The institution which overlooks the potential of the newcomer often also ignored the achievements of the veteran.

You have to reserve time both for making art and also tending to students.

Art professor who developed a reputation as a flake; missed assignments and did not show up to meetings until people stopped making him appear for management functions. This was his answer for how he found the time to both make art while serving as faculty.

Students seeing graduation as being pushed in to an abyss forever.

Art teaching jobs created to provide for artists who have graduated; but ultimately are only sustained as long as there are other students to justify their job.

Jobs which are "practiced" in that you do not know what must be produced until the time comes, vs. jobs which are technical; the task is defined in advanced.

Technique v. Ideals: artists focusing on working with techniques because they are safer and more defined to work with.

East v. West: faithfully executing the work of forefathers is appreciated by the east, considered derivative in the west.

Someone before you has already explored in the same direction; this is unavoidable.

Style is the natural consequence of habit.

Artists learn how to proceed or they don't.

The artist's means of proceeding is not transferrable to students.

TODO import notes that were taken on windows

How Not to Quit

• Make friends with others who make art and share WIPs
• Consider exhibition to the friend group more important than a museum