This weekend is the Scottsdale Arts Festival.   I LOVE the Scottsdale Arts Festival!  Not only is the weather completely and utterly perfect, but it’s held in my favorite chilling spot, where you can lay around in the softest, greenest grass in town.

As I’ve started getting more and more arty, though, these festivals have taken on a totally new tone.  Instead of coming away inspired, I often leave feeling overwhelmed, dejected, and hopeless.  The regular thoughts like: “I’ll NEVER be that good”, and this old favorite: “Who the hell am I kidding?  I’m no artist!!”.   It goes on and on.

The paintings I am drawn to are very detailed and nuanced, while my paintings are simple and…simplistic.  And blocky.  Blah Blah.   Check this out:

Painting by Alla Tsank

This is a painting by Alla Tsank.  I am sooooo drawn to her paintings.  They are so beautiful and haunting and very medieval looking.   So let’s get real for a second:  she has been painting since she was 10 years old.  OKAY!?!?  There is no way in the universe that I should expect to be able to paint ANY SUCH THING, after only a year of painting.  Jeez, Angie, GET A FREAKING GRIP!

And this guy:

Painting by Jarrod Eastman

This is a painting by Jarrod Eastman. He is self taught, but he has been painting for 15 years.  15 years!! Okay!?!?!?!  Sheesh.

I was reading (in the grass in the park) I could do anything if only I knew what it was by Barbara Sher.  And she was saying that it’s down right arrogant to think that I should be able to come out of nowhere and suddenly be painting like the masters.  DUH!!!

Plus, even if I COULD paint like that, I have to paint whatever it is that comes out of MY heart.  And maybe even once my skills improve, the things that will come out of my heart will still be simplistic and primary colored and fanciful.  Honestly, I can’t even imagine trying to do a haunting painting; I’m just not that haunted, really.

Here’s the other thing:  now, when I wander around and see art that I don’t like, I still just kind of love the person who created it, because I know that they’re just doing what their heart tells them, that they love what they are doing.  So whether I like it or not is none of my business, you know?

I don’t know what’s up with that saying I’ve been seeing everywhere on those hip designing sites, but I’d say it really fits the bill here.  This is all I have to do:

KEEP CALM.  CARRY ON.