Sometimes I goad myself into working by comparing my life, to date, with Van Goghs.
It's a reminder of how easy I really have it.
Van Gogh: Dead at 37.
Me: Alive at forty-odd.
Van Gogh: Candlelight & Gaslight. Painting mostly limited to daylight hours.
Me: Alive in the time of Electricity. Could paint 24/7 if I were so inclined...
Van Gogh: Mostly just oils, expensive and had to be ordered in from London or Paris.
Me: Cheap and easy access to oils, watercolors, acrylics and pastels, pencil crayons, expanded definitions of art that allow for mixed media and found objects
Van Gogh: Actually went into the field and met subjects.
Me: Can obtain inspiration & reference materials from cheap digital camera or internet, photoshop & print pre-gridded.
Van Gogh: Properly studied Art in Belgium and London
Me: Training from You-Tube
Van Gogh: Mostly relations with prostitutes.
Me: No relations.
Van Gogh: Living in France.
Me: Living in Calgary.
Van Gogh: Spiritual & deeply religious.
Me: Agnostic.
Van Gogh: Probably schizophrenic.
Me: Undiagnosed.
Van Gogh: In the last year of his life averaged over a painting a day.
Me: Um, I'd rather not say.
Van Gogh: Sold only one painting in his lifetime.
Me: Not dead yet.
It's pretty close, but I'd have to say the advantage lies with me. Being alive is a huge advantage. And I want to scream at myself "WHY ARE YOU NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE!!!"