Rather than listing out the difficulties that I have in creating art, I want to describe the most success that I have had in creating art. There was a time when I created 50 large works in 2 months. It was a hot, muggy summer, but I didn't care. I was outside, off and on all day nearly every day, painting, painting, painting. Totally absorbed. It was wonderful.
So what's different now? Then I had no real responsibilities. I was married, but had no children and I wasn't working at a job. I was taking 2 classes at a university that I only had to attend 2 days a week and one of those classes was a painting class with an amazing teacher who was like a mentor to me during that time. Now I have a house, a family, pets, a job and many friends. I belong to organizations which need me to contribute my time and I have to work harder to keep my health good. Finally, I have no painting mentor now. I think that is actually key here. Having a mentor who helped me find my focus allowed me to prioritize my painting, then not having other responsibilities allowed me to pour everything into it without distraction.
How do I apply that to now? Finding a mentor would be great and not something I have really looked for in a long time. I'm so independent now that I have a consideration that I should be able to find my focus by myself. That's a whole other topic to take up at another time. I do have my own ideas, but it is great to have someone who is able to spot your good points and help you to amplify them. It's like a power source that ramps you up exponentially. If I can focus and turn on the power, then "cleaning up" my life in order to pour myself into my painting without constant interruption would be a next step.
So to simply answer the implied question of "What are my biggest challenges with regard to my art?" They are finding my focus and eliminating distractions.
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