The answer, Grasshoppah, is ‘to Be Alive- and to remain in the NOW’. <— If your medium is paint, you can ALWAYS go back and fix it, go with the flow!
“Be Fearless- and Play”, & “Get Out of Your Way”, (Wookiefoot) Find the flow, tap your foot and dive in. (Remember to Breath!) <~~~Very important.
That being said, it takes a special kind of arrogance to be able to honestly stand up in front of a crowd of dedicated enthusiasts and dare to suggest that ones’ art is good enough to accompany the awesome music that is being played on the stage there. I have seen some folks that fit into the flow of the scene very easily and it is a joy to be able to keep an eye on their painting through out the performance. The music and the art seem to meld, and the players all seem to draw inspiration from the same well as the concert goers that are front and center to the action. The opportunity is there to lose ones’self in the moment, and to be swept away with the melodies and the beats so that the crowd doesn’t even seem to be in the room anymore.
The goal in most art folks’ lives is to get out of their own way and let the flow GO. -I talk about this FAR too much, so expect to see mentions of it in several categories along the way. It is something that everyone knows because we ALL have moments when we look up and realize that we’ve been driving for 5 minutes that flashed by like it wasn’t even there, or we get lost in a book for 2 hours which felt like much less. That’s the FLOW that the artist seeks to get the best results for the work being undertaken. This FLOW is also one of the hardest things in the universe to find when the set and setting is not happening the right direction, or if the artist suddenly becomes conscious of one’s self and can’t find the groove for a bit. (Not only is that an embarrassing moment for the artist, it is a potential killer of ARTISTIC flow as well. <~~I said ‘POTENTIAL’- because it is something that can be avoided as long as the artist maintains an opened mind.) Luckily, at concerts we can just wait until the next song is played for a perfect opportunity to jump back in on a fresh wave.
It takes constant practice to stay fresh for 3-4 bands at a venue, and it takes STAMINA to stay fresh for an entire FESTIVAL. I’ve been doing it since 2006, and I’m putting this into words because my days at the plate are about to switch to a new playing field called ‘The Studio”. <~~Apprentices will be taken and all of my painting experience will be shared for a few years, but at 40+ yrs, I have served my time in the tents and I’m ready for an RV! KEEP IT LIVE Baby!
At the Cabooze during the Wookiefoot Halloween, Fall Tour 2009 (Not ACTUAL hair- it's a part of the costume.)