Dan from Empty Easel: What art means to me.

Dan, from EmptyEasel submitted his take on what Art means to him. Check it out below, and check out Empty Easeltoo.

Art is hard work.

Unlike some, I can’t relax when I’m painting. It’s too difficult, and to be completely honest, I don’t always enjoy it. The real reason I create art—the one thing that makes it worthwhile—is seeing that finished, perfect painting when I’m done.

I actually feel the same way about painting as I do about working on my 1976 Datsun 280z. I love that car, but it takes some serious work to keep it in good shape.

Every time I head out to the garage I just expect to skin my knuckles getting a bolt loose, or to spill brake fluid all over the floor trying to get those darn air bubbles out of the brake lines.

So I plan ahead to make it easier on myself, assembling all my tools beforehand and thinking through the process each step of the way. When I make mistakes, I work twice as hard to fix them, because I know that’s the only way I’ll get my car back on the road again.

And that’s exactly the way I paint, too. I wish it came easy, but it doesn’t—and I’m amazed when I hear other artists say that painting itself is fun. Is it really, for you? Are there any artists out there who know what I’m saying?

Because for me at least, art means a hard day’s work—and yet it’s still worth it in the end.

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