on liking
Artist’s Statement:
I made sketches of this while I was next to the Merced river last month, swimming naked (with ducks). Now the whole of Yosemite Valley is cold enough to be under snow. Autumn comes on fast in the mountains.
I also just listened to Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, about how to make art and follow ideas and not become too attached while doing it, and also take yourself and your wonderful art seriously. I don't have the exact quote I want, but basically she says: the difference between the soul and the ego is that the ego is impressed by accomplishments (followers?) and the soul is impressed by wonder. That resonated a lot with me— I think everything I am truly attracted to inspires wonder inside me. Yes, even cheese!
Another quote I like on a related subject:
“I am writing a screenplay,” is infinitely more interesting to the soul than “I have written a screenplay,” which pleases the ego.
—Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
Being in process with something, whether it’s a fermentation project or a painting, inspires wonder, while having accomplished something already pleases our ego, our sense of competitive self. With that in mind, I am going to go be in process with the next thing, and hurl this comic into the internet. Maybe it will resonate with you.