Going to call this one ‘Isolation’ (the night watched) I think. Partly because it’s about the isolation of colour, partly because it was done during lockdown when we’re in a sort of forced isolation and partly because it got me thinking about isolation as a thing in itself. 

 

When we create a painting, we’re putting it out there for evaluation. We’re probably hoping people will love it, or at least like it. It’s only natural. After all, we want to be liked and accepted. To be accepted is one of life’s greatest joys and conversely to be excluded is one our deepest sorrows. 

 

But if you’re putting your art out there to gain the approval of others. If you’re basing your feelings of self worth on whether a group of strangers will accept your work and by association, you. Then you are misplacing that trust. 

 

Some of the very people you are seeking approval from might be threatened by you, or more likely, just be too wrapped up in their own life to notice or to care. Or you might just have not developed enough technically for your work to catch their attention yet. Either way, try not to let it get to you, or worse, make you bitter. 

 

Especially on virtual platforms. Social media is a weird world, where we’re forced to form mental images of people from brief exchanges through comments, emojis and what’s posted on their page and everyone posts a ‘warts n all’ image of themselves on their page right? We would never consider editing our embellishing our content to only show the good stuff. 

 

The truth is most of us are just as insecure as the next guy and if you want to get buy it’s best to give them the benefit of the doubt; to imagine what they’re like, what they’re thinking, what they mean, ‘generously’. 

 

It’s wonderful when people do notice our work, do care and love it, but be careful who you place your trust in. Your peace and joy, your feelings of self worth should come from those who genuinely love you, love you for who you are, not for what you can do. Those are the people who’s opinions we should care about more and the relationships we should nurture. Those are the ones who support us when things aren’t going so well.