Peter Clothier is a long time expert in art, a fellow dharma practitioner and fellow blogger. You can find his blog over at, "The Buddha Diaries." He has written a great, easy to read book titled, Persist: In Praise of the Creative Spirit in a World Gone Mad with Commerce. As both a Buddhist and an artist I was pleased to read aspects of Buddhism within his advice on how to be a creative person/artist in this modern world of commerce.I especially liked how the author compassionately stated that just because your art doesn't sell, doesn't mean you're not a good artist. That is a very brief summation of a lot of the book so I encourage you to read it cover to cover for yourself but for a struggling painter like myself who doesn't make consistent money from my art--it's nice to hear. Especially coming from someone who has been in, "the biz" for as long as Peter.
I use to think that if my art didn't make me a millionaire that I wasn't a true and talented artist. Peter helped me rediscover doing art simply because it's my passion and brings me joy. I guess you could say he teaches to, "Paint canvas and carry turpentine" as in the Zen saying, "Chop wood, carry water" to remind us all to be present in the moment and to focus solely on whatever activity that moment finds ourselves engaged in. I also really appreciated his advice on meditating before doing your art to clear your mind of doubts about your talent and that critical voice that says, "You're not doing it right." It is clear how the meditation can clear your mind for the creative ideas to flow freely in the moment. This is a great book for anyone interested in being a creative person in a modern world that has boiled art down to mere commodity.
~Peace to all beings~
