"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works, if from the head, almost nothing."
Russian Artist
1887 - 1985
Commentary
Sometimes the mind gets in the way of creativity. We are constantly talking to ourselves about our work and usually this self-talk is very negative. "Oh, I shouldn't say that. What will my mother say?" Or "I am no good at painting faces." One expert says that 75% of what we say to ourselves is negative and this negativity hurts our ability to create.
We need to learn to use positive self-talk, to appreciate the talent and skills we have been given. We each are unique. No two people are alike. We all have different skills, interests and beliefs. We need to pat ourselves on the back.
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| I and the Village (1911) |
Since there are enough negative people in the world who will put us down and criticize our work, we don't need to do it to ourselves. I challenge you to listen to your self-talk and whenever it is negative, change it and make it positive. Become a believer in the talent you have been given. Choose to be positive — to find the rainbow in every dark cloud.
When I first became a speaker, I used positive self-talk to overcome my fear and doubt about standing up in front of others. I repeatedly said positive comments out loud prior to going on stage.
Where do you need more self-confidence? What changes in behavior do you want to make? Use self-talk to become the person you want and need to become. You can change who you are by changing what goes into your mind.
Biography
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| La Mariee (1950) |
Marc Chagall was born Moishe Shagal in Vitebsk, Russia, the eldest of nine children born to Khatski Shagal, a herring merchant and his wife, Feige-Ite. Shagal was educated at a Jewish religious school where he studied Hebrew and the Bible. There was no art in his home and the concept was unknown to him. In high school, he saw a fellow student drawing and became interested. He began to copy the work of the masters that he found in books.
At nineteen, Chagall moved to St. Petersburg, then the capital of Russia, and spent four years studying painting. In 1910 he moved to France at the age of 23. He returned to Russia in 1914 planning to only stay a few weeks, but World War I intervened. He stayed in Russia and married Bella Rosenfeld. Chagall exhibited his paintings in Moscow and St. Petersburg. He became a stage designer for a theater in Moscow. In 1923, he returned to France. In 1926, an exhibit of his work was held in the United States. He escaped France during World War II and entered the United States. He returned to France in 1948 where he remained until his death.
Video
Here is a video of Chagall's paintings.
