Here's the thing about art museums and galleries, though: what we're seeing, quite often, is the best of that artist's best.
Their masterpiece.
If you're a struggling artist, still searching for your proverbial "voice," a museum can be equal parts inspiring and disheartening.
As creators, it would be infinitely more encouraging if we could see what's sometimes UNDER that masterpiece because it's most likely a failed attempt. It would be better if we could see the dozens of sketches the artist completed BEFORE he reached that apex, creating the one drawing he would be remembered for.
Because in a museum we see the masterpiece, but we don't always have a firm grasp on the years it took for the artist to reach that point. Because for every painting that commands attention, there are dozens (or hundreds or thousands) of attempts that ended up in the trash (or were painted over). We see the final product, but we aren't privy to the process.
We read a book that both amazes us and leaves us feeling like we'll never write something so great, but we don't consider the number of drafts and amount of editorial feedback it took to pull everything together. We don't consider the number of manuscripts that didn't work and were tucked away.
The point is:
Don't compare your first attempts to someone else's masterpiece.
Know the masterpieces when you see them, appreciate them, but don't forget the training, the years of practice, and the failures weathered to bring that one work to fruition.
Keep the story behind the creation in mind, and keep working on yours.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
