My Mission Statement

Here in a creaky and worn, slightly slanted rocking chair at my apartment in Enumclaw, at the recent age of 28 years, on this day, March 11, 2012, I have decided to make artistic excellence my life’s endeavor.

First and foremost I will fight and work to use my talents to bring glory to God. I may not succeed in this goal, but I will pray that God will guide my eye, my heart, my mind, and my hand to further His Kingdom and portray, to the best of my ability, His radiance and truth. I have no starting point, nor do I have any inkling as to where I will begin, so with my current objective being the preparation of artwork for a show in this small farming community in the coming month of September, I will demonstrate patience and skill. At the very least, I want the amount of observable effort going into the works to marvel the viewer.

I am also making it my mission to learn digital art and design by going to DigiPen in Redmond. At this time, I need only to finish my application and do a small series of portraits and figure drawings from life in order to show my observation and rendering skills. I trust that God will bless this endeavor if it is His will to do so. I will lean on prayer and the unfolding of God’s plan in my life to direct this path.

I hereby dedicate myself to the study of art, both ancient and contemporary, with everything in between. In order to do so, I will utilize the internet, books, museums, classes, galleries, and the knowledge of other artists. I will compile a list of links to books available on Amazon, for future purchase, in order to contribute to my intake of art and knowledge. I will shop at second hand bookstores to find treasures. I will find books that are written by artists, as well as biographers and historians.

In all of this, I will endeavor to be patient and content. I will aim at glorifying God, and learning what it means to do so. If I begin to get stressed, overwhelmed, tired, negative, spiritually deadened, and/or artistically stagnant, I will look towards scripture for inspiration and invigoration; I will also not be afraid to take a nap. I will not shun friends, but will shun unhelpful distractions. I will let the day unfold and will not watch the clock.

I will not be afraid to be creative. I will heed advice, but will not let others rule my art. I will think about how my art may relate to viewers, but I will not pander to the audience. I will not be afraid to be original. I will not be afraid to be traditional. I will try to the best of my ability to be sincere and genuine.

I will heed the advice of Kurt Vonnegut on the subject of art.

“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

And I will attempt to apply his guide to writing to my art practice:

1.    Find a subject you care about.

2.     
Do not ramble, though.

3.     
Keep it simple.


4.     Have the guts to cut.

5.     
Sound like yourself.


6.     Say what you mean to say.


7.     Pity the readers.