Georgia O'Keefe

"I decided to start anew — to strip away what I had been taught, to accept as true my own thinking."

— Georgia O'Keefe

American Painter

1887 - 1986

Papaya Tree-Iao Valley
(1939)

By the time we reach adulthood, we have subconsciously learned a lot about the expectations of the people in our lives — our family, our teachers and our friends.  And we often try to live our lives as others want us to live and work.  The problem comes in when we fail to live up to those expectations.  Some people spend unhappy lives trying to please others.  A few creative leaders are able to shake off the expectations of others and discover their true self.  Who are you?  Are you trying to please your family, friends and teachers?  Or have you discovered the person who you are meant to be?  Turning your back on what you were taught can be very difficult.  Letting go of the past can be very traumatic, but if you want to attain the person you were meant to be, you must find your own voice.

Aristotle

"The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor.  It is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars."

— Aristotle

Greek Philosopher/Writer

384 BC - 322 BC

What are the metaphors in your writing?  Your art?  Your life?  The metaphor is as Aristotle implied almost 2400 years ago a very important part of western literature.  When I studied haiku, it was very clear that metaphor was not a part of haiku.  So why metaphor?  Why do we use one image to represent another?  Why do we find similarity in things are not similar?

Let's play with this.  Here is a metaphor I just made up.  "My life is like a fishing boat adrift on the waves."  How is my life like a fishing boat?  1.  Like the boat I have a purpose — a reason for being.  2.  Like the boat adrift, I am sometimes lost with not direction.  3.  Like the boat I am slapped by the waves of life — pushed here and there by forces beyond my control.  4.  Like the fishing boat I am not the captain of my life.

So here is my challenge:  Share a metaphor that explains your life.  "My life is like . . ."

Kathe Kollwitz

"I have never been able to carry out any work coolly.  On the contrary it is done, so to speak, with my own blood.  Anyone who looks at my works must be able to sense that."

— Kathe Kollwitz

German Artist

1867 - 1945

Do you know why many young people choose to write poetry even when they don't read it?  They have a need to express what they are feeling.  The same is true of older writers as well as artists of all ages.  The creation of a work of art is a form of emotional expression — sharing with the world how we feel about a subject.  What feelings are you attempting to express?  What emotion is exposing itself in and through your creative work?  For at its heart, creative work is about expressing emotions — even deeply buried and often unconscious emotion.  And that's the good news.  If there is emotion at the core of your creative work, it will touch the hearts of those who see it or read it and you will be successful.

Widows and Orphans
(1919)

Moliere

"The greater the obstacle, the more the glory in overcoming it."

— Moliere

French Playwright & Actor

1622 - 1673

We have all faced obstacles in our lives — some big, some small, some real and some imagined.  Sometimes these obstacles defeat us and sometimes we are victorious.  The winners never give up.  There is always a way either over or under or around or through the obstacle.  I have often backed up and found another route around the obstacle.  Sometimes I have plowed right through the obstacle smashing it.  On other occasions I have been able to leap over the obstacle or even dig a tunnel beneath it.  The key is not to let the obstacle stop you.  And the bigger the obstacle, the greater the joy in victory.  What obstacles stand in your way today?  How are you going to overcome them?

John Updike

"Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them."

— John Updike

American Novelist

1932 - 2009

Have you ever wondered why we have hopes and dreams?  Why do we desire to be writers, singers and painters?  Why do we want a house with a little picket fence?  What would life be like if we did not have dreams?  Probably very boring.  There would be no progress.  We would all be happy where we were and would not strive to achieve more.  Understand that since we have been given dreams, we are capable of achieving our desires.  We don't dream about things which we can not achieve.  That does not mean achieving our dreams comes easy.  We have to work hard and not give up.  What are your dreams and desires?  Are you working hard to achieve them?

Herodotus

"Some give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than ever before."

— Herodotus

Greek Historian

484 BC - 425 BC

The one trait that every writer, painter and musician needs is persistence.  Without persistence and determination, most creative people will quit before they are successful.  People often give up too soon.  They forget that the night is the darkest just before the dawn.  When every things appears to be lost that is the time to push the hardest — to exert that extra effort.

Most successful artists and writers throughout history have understood the power of persistence.  Herodotus said it more than 2500 years ago and nothing has changed.  You still need persistence to be a winner — to be successful.  The world is full of obstacles and naysayers.  It takes persistence to find a way around or through the obstacles.  Don't give up on your dreams and hopes.  

George Elliot

"It is never too late to be what you might have been."

—  George Eliot

English Novelist

1819 - 1880

We all have dreams and things we want to accomplish in our lives.  Unfortunately, most of us either give up too soon or misinterpret our dreams.  I thought being a writer meant being able to write full time.  It does not.  Many writers had other lives.  Writing is only a portion of living. I thought being a writer meant having a best seller on the charts.  It does not.  Some great writers and artists never made a penny from their creative work.  I believe that we all become what we are meant to be.  We just need to discover what we are meant to be.  Search deep within your soul to understand who you are and what you are meant to do.  For some of us being a mother or father is the most important thing we can do.  Creative works helps to keep us sane.  For others being a teacher is the most important thing they can do.  Painting is the work that keeps them in touch with who they are.  It is never to late to be what you can be.

Bob Marley

"When the root is strong, the fruit is sweet."

— Bob Marley

Jamaican Musician

1945 - 1981

How well do you know your roots?  On what other artists is your art build on?  Who are the artists who have influenced you?  On whose shoulders are you standing?  An artist needs to understand the history of his art.  He needs to know his roots.

How strong are your roots?  How deep are your roots?  Without roots the tree dies.  Without roots the plant withers.  Without roots there is no fruit.  Don't ignore your roots.  Don't ignore the traditions from which you come.  Are you watering your roots?  Are you growing as an artist?  Are you in touch with your roots?  

Here is Cedella Marley talking about her father.

John Amatt

"Face new challenges, seize new opportunities, test your resources against the unknown and in the process, discover your own unique potential."

— John Amatt

English Speaker

1945 -

Only by challenging ourselves to try new adventures do we discover who we are and what our limitations and opportunities are.  Are you challenging yourself to learn something new?  There are physical challenges, mental challenges and creative challenges.  On what level are you challenging yourself?  You must learn to step outside your comfort zone and find new beginnings.  

Thomas Merton

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."

— Thomas Merton

American Writer

1915 - 1968

Have you ever lost yourself in your art and woke up wondering how you created what you did?  I have sometimes written for several hours only to read what I wrote days later and be surprised by what I wrote.  Something happens where I seem to disappear into the writing process and am only partially conscious.  Yet through the process of writing I have also been able to heal myself and in the process find myself.  Creativity is a mysterious, mystical and spiritual process that brings us closer to who we are meant to be.  If you have experienced the creative process, then you have been blessed with a gift.  Give thanks for what you have been given.

Maria Luz Q. King

Old Man

"My art is my conversation with the world."

— Maria Luz Q. King

American Artist, Writer

1952 - 

Junior

Art at its core is about communication, about talking — carrying on a conversation with people today and tomorrow.  It is like a time machine that carries us from the world in which we live into some distant future where we inspire the lives of others.  What are you talking about in your art?  What is the conversation that you are having?  What messages are you sending into the future?

Is the conversation that you are having clear and concise?  Do people understand what your message is  Do you know what your message is?

Romare Bearden

"Painting and art cannot be taught.  You can save time if someone tells you to put blue and yellow together to make green, but the essence of painting is a self-disciplined activity that you have to learn by yourself."

— Romare Bearden

American Artist

1911 - 1978

The Train
Collage (1974)

People often say that painting and writing cannot be taught by others.  The best way to learn to write and paint is through painting and writing.  We discover who we are as creative leaders   by doing.  And while there is a lot of truth to this, I believe one can learn from others.  Not that one needs formal training, but rather the observation and interaction with others.  Those who have been painting or writing for years have much to teach the young if they are willing to listen.  But when the teaching is over, the student must still paint or write what is in his heart. He must create what his heart sees.

See some more art work by Romare Bearden.

William Plomer

"Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected."

— William Plomer

South African Writer

1903 - 1973

Great writers and artists make mental leaps that often leave others baffled.  They make connections between what seem like very different things.  For me, this mental leaping often happens at a subconscious level and only occasionally spills over into the conscious world.  I make leaps while writing poetry that I know don't come from my conscious mind.  One way of increasing this unconscious leaping is to be constantly feeding information into your mind and and letting your subconscious connect the dots.  Even if you don't understand the connection in your rational mind, trust your subconscious because it understands the relationship better than the analytical mind.

Anton Chekhov

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint on the broken glass."

— Anton Chekov

Russian Writer

1860 -1904

Writing is in the sharing of details.  Even the smallest detail helps to create the story.  Writers are cautioned again and again not to tell, but to show.  If you tell, you are placing judgement on the story.  If you show, you are allowing the reader to make up his own mind.  And I think the same is true of painting.  The goal is not to show the moon hanging in the sky, but to see it reflected in the plants and trees.  Painting is about light and shadow.  You know the sun or moon is there even if you can't see it.  You see the light on the leaves.  Dig deep and reveal the details.  The story is build on the details.

Denis Waitley

"There are two primary choices in life:  to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them."

— Denis Waitley

American Speaker/Writer
1933 - 

Do you accept your world as it is or are you willing to change it and make it better?  As creative leaders we have a choice —  to make things better or leave them as they are.  If you are unhappy with your life, then change it.  If you are not happy with your art, then change yourself.  Practice more.  Study more.  Create more.  Life is about choice.  Don't waste time blaming others.  Don't blame your parents.  Don't blame God.  Don't blame your education.  The choice is yours.  Choose to be a winner.

Leonardo da Vinci

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

— Leonardo da Vinci

Italian Painter/Creative Leader

1452 - 1519

Sometimes we make the world too complicated.  We need to learn to simplify our lives, our work and our creative expressions.  What can you leave out of the painting that will make it stronger?  What can you leave out of your short story that will make it better and more meaningful to your readers?  What can you leave out of your poem that will make it more powerful?  Strive to achieve simplicity in all that you do.

Alfred North Whitehead

"No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others.  The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."

— Alfred North Whitehead

English Mathematician/Philosopher

1861 - 1947

Who have been your mentors?  Who have helped you along the way?  I believe we must from time to time stop and acknowledge those who have assisted on our journey through life.  Most people start with their parents and move on to their teachers.  My parents gave me a start by paying for my college education.  I was the first in either my mother's or father's family to graduate from college.  So I have much to be thankful for.  And my teachers have been numerous, whether in the classroom or in books or in day-to-day living.  And don't forget your children and grandchildren.  They teach us parents so much.  They help us to return to the passion of our youth.  How about the person who hired you into your current job.  They saw something in you that others did not.  I could list hundreds of people who have touched my life from beggars whom I gave a handout to the Presidents of companies.  And don't forget your neighbors.  The person who mowed your yard when you were sick.  The minister who married you.  The banker who loaned you money.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Yet, how easily we forget and feel we have nothing.  It is time to develop an attitude of gratitude.  Give thanks today.

Lucille Ball

"One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged.  Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself."

— Lucille Ball

American Actress

1911 - 1989

It is very easy for creative leaders to become discouraged and depressed when their ideas don't work out.  Yet what good does it do to wallow in self-pity and discouragement?  We become less productive and might even stop creating all together.  The challenge is to find ways to keep our chin up and to keep moving forward.  Having spent the first 35 years of my life as a pessimist, I know it takes work to become an optimist.  And it is easy to backslide.  Being down on ourselves does us no good.  We need to keep the faith.  We need to believe in ourselves.

Here's part one of a documentary of Lucille Ball's life.

Ralph Ellison

"It takes a deep commitment to change and an even deeper commitment to grow."

— Ralph Ellison

American Novelist

1914 - 1994

Change and growth require commitment.  People dream of changing their lives but usually they lack the deep commitment to do so.  Change takes hard work and follow through.  Nothing changes overnight.  Many in the American society expect instant change.  Not happy with your body weight, take a pill or have surgery.  Not happy with your body, have plastic surgery.  Change takes commitment and patience.  It is better to lose weight slowly than quickly.  Becoming a writer doesn't happen overnight.  It takes years.  Actors often are labeled an overnight success — a success which took ten or fifteen years.  Harrison Ford, the actor, spent 15 years in Hollywood before he got the break in Star Wars that made him famous.  Creative expression is a lifetime commitment.  Don't give up.

Bernice Johnson Reagon

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are."

— Bernice Johnson Reagon

American Singer/Composer

1942 - 

We all face challenges in life.  How we handle these challenges helps to form our character and our soul.  Sometimes these challenges will knock us off our feet and leave us lying face down in the mud.  We must find the strength to climb to our feet and regain our courage.  Only in distress do we learn who we really are.  What challenges are you facing today?  Have the challenges knocked you down?  Have you picked yourself back up?  What are you learning about yourself?  

Here is Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon performing Old Ship of Zion.  You have to hear this.