You Can’t Please Everyone
Is everyone going to like your art? No. That might sound tough, but it’s absolutely true. And once we understand that, we can move forward. And that leads us to our next watercolor wisdom - lessons I’ve learned through watercolor that can be applied to life – is…
You can’t please everyone…
So many artists try to paint or create for the masses. They want to create designs or paintings that everyone will want to purchase because income is so important to survival of the creative small business. I’ve struggled with wanting to create art that will please others in mass. I’ve thought that if I paint for the customers more paintings or prints or greeting cards will sell. But art is subjective, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You can’t please everyone with your art.
I’ve had to learn that income is not more important than the creative process. When I try to paint what I think the audience wants, I’m never as happy with the results. But when I paint what I want to paint… what I feel inspired to paint, that love and respect of the subject comes through; and I’m so much more pleased with the final product. So I’ve had to realize that not everyone is going to like my style, my subject matter, my art. And that’s OK.
In life, the same is true. We’re not going to connect with everyone. We’re not going to find kindred spirits with everyone. And that’s OK. The important thing is being true to ourselves and the good relationships will come. When we try to be what we think others will like in order to be liked, in time we realize we’re not fulfilled in those relationships. They are difficult to maintain, and they seem empty. They don’t last. But when we present ourselves as our true selves, those relationships that we develop are full and vibrant and comfortable. And that’s when we know it’s right.
In art, we need to be true to ourselves and paint what inspires us because that is what fulfills us. That will make the art even more beautiful, and the audience will eventually come. And in life we need to be comfortable with who we are because the relationships we develop as our true selves are even more beautiful. We can’t please everyone, but being true to who we were created to be will make all the difference.