A Night of Thinking!

There were a few thing going through my head last night, well they have been there for quite some time, but after a very brief conversation with a friend on our way to a bar, I had to come to terms with why my career as a painter is not going any where. This was after watching the movie Julie/ Julia and a quick bite of food. I had been inspired by the life, commitment, and determination of Julia Child and her fan Julie Powell. Last weekend I had also been inspired by a fellow painter of around my age who is doing very well for himself. And as the nice guy he is he deserves his success and his interview with a popular national publication. I don't want to say his name because I would be a little embarrassed if he found out that I'm wishing his life, to an extent, to be mine.
Things have been brewing in my mind and last night my head boiled as my friend told me that he's had conversations with another mutual friend about why I'm not going any where with my art. "We think you are sitting on a gold mine with your talent, but you have to decide how you want to proceed." As agreed, I'm not trying hard enough, OK, not trying at all, to get ,my work out there to be seen by the right people. It is not enough for me to post paintings and endless works in progress in this blog. I have to make this happen and be more aggressive. "You have incredible resources in us, him being a business developer, and I working at the top of an important international news organization!" My friends, who I love to death, have been offering their opinions and ideas about how I should do things, but in the end it is I who needs to decided what's best and go at it full force. The truth can hurt, but truth is also a damn good eye opener and most times the best remedy. I, from now on, will be more focused. I'm not sure how to get my work out there, most artists don't since there is no specific set of guidelines for us to follow. I'll figure it out as I go along. But one thing is for sure, I have to paint more!
With my heart now set on the right path, I can say I'm starting to feel better about myself. Even more so knowing that I'll be taking a day trip to Boston to see the Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto show at the MFA. I think this will be a good way to get the gears going.