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From Potboilers To fameCopyright © 2007-2008 Celeste VarleyIf you think that artistic fame comes only to those who are blessed from the start, then you're normal. I shared this view until recently. You might harbour lofty goals in your heart, but sticking to them with persistence takes a heap of a lot of faith. It's more than okay to have lofty goals and intentions. Nothing wrong with being motivated by what you love either. So, why does actually working towards your dream seem too much of a stretch? Many artists assume that they need to anticipate what people want, and make art that attracts and pleases people. Recently, I heard an artist saying that every time she paints a sunset, it sells almost immediately. In her experience, that's what people want. The moment I heard that sunsets sell really well, a story my husband told me years ago, sprang to mind. Bill had a college friend, 55 years ago in Southern California, who was an art student. This friend, Jack, made a lasting impression on Bill because of his persistent devotion and just plain street smarts. Jack made "pot boilers", as he called them - paintings sold out of the back of his old van. Jack would pin a line of blanks on a line. Then he'd go down the line, painting in all the horizons, then the sunsets, then the water, then the sailboats, and so on. What a slick entrepreneur, huh? That's what I thought too. These pot boilers sold quick and cheap right off the street. They kept him in supplies so he could do his "real work" and continue taking classes at Scripps College, Claremont. Jack paid his way through college by painting signs on grocery store windows. "Bread 14 cents". He'd clean his brushes by wiping them on a spare tire in the back of his van. One day, someone wanted to buy this tire with all its colourful brush wipes, so he sold it! He seemed to attract fame from the start. I always wondered what ever became of the audacious Jack. Was he just a phoney street entrepreneur? After all these years, I decided to look him up. I googled Jack Zajac recently. And what a surprise! It's true, that he studied sculpture in Rome on several prestigious scholarships, and is still a very successful, internationally respected artist. At 78, his work sculptures are shown in many world-renown galleries. He made no pretensions about his sunsets being his life's work. Jack never fashioned his real work on what he guessed would please people. From reading his biography, he always had very firm views on what his goals were. Jack Zajac may have broken all the rules. . . except one. The most important one. He knew his calling and followed it, whatever that took. He instinctively knew that his heart's calling was always true. We won't all have such international acclaim and success as a Jack Zajac. Nor do we all have such single-minded devotion. Still, true stories in our time like Jack's are inspiring. They show us what's possible given the goal and intentions, the faith and persistence. We all have at least one true heart's calling for doing what we do. Once you find it, there is no doubt. You'll know it without guessing. Not a long shot or daring, hunch or gut feeling, your true heart's calling has always been quietly there, waiting for you to join it. Whatever your true heart's calling may be, have you ever longed to dance out of line; to break the usual rules and see where the call leads you? You don't have to be stopped by the humble nature of your calling either. If you're a dish washer, be the best darned dish washer you can be! Next to hearing your true calling, taking sovereignty of it, making a commitment, living your clear intention are the most difficult. The neat thing about art is, you can practice it at any age. True devotion is fraught with pitfalls and not for the faint of heart. But so is life. "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Mary Oliver, poet Here's wishing you the courage to take flight and soar. Celeste Varley About The Author:
*** Digital Reprint Rights *** *** Author Notification *** We ask that you notify the author of publication of his or her work. Celeste Varley can be reached at: celeste.varley@thephantomwriters.com *** Print Publication Reprint Rights *** If you desire to publish this article in a PRINT publication, you must contact the author directly for Print Permission at: celeste.varley@thephantomwriters.com
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