I’ve been thinking about self-discipline lately when thinking of how to better promote my art. Until recently, I have thought of discipline as a dirty word and something that pencil pushers and uptight people do and not us ‘artistic types’. The very thought of discipline as freedom seemed preposterous to me. Now, I’m seeing the light.
Wiktionary defines self-discipline as ‘being in control of one’s self’. Peter Clemens’ says in his July 29, 2008 blog that ‘it involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. Often it involves sacrificing the pleasure and thrill of the moment for what matters most in life.’ Sidney Harris says, ‘Self-discipline without (artistic) talent can often achieve astounding results, whereas talent without self-discipline inevitably dooms itself to failure.’
My journey to improve my own self-discipline started by reading Alyson B. Stanfield’s book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio. It is filled with vital information for artists and has loads of tips and exercises to help get us on the path to promoting our art. This is where I first came across the idea of as self-discipline as freedom. Free yourself up from your ‘shoulds’ and you free yourself up to create more beautiful art. Free yourself from your excuses and you free yourself up to talk about and share your work with others. Free yourself from your blocks and you free yourself to enjoy the fruits of your labor. So, I am going substitute ‘freedom’ for ‘discipline’ and get on with getting more of it!