Sharpen the focus of your artistic intent

I attended a teaching artists' workshop today, and the title above are words that I wrote as a "headline" to describe what I learned to do today.

It was renewing and encouraging to be surrounded by artists, whom all work in different mediums, and just soak up their passion for their art and their desire to pass that passion on to another generation. At the same time it was encouraging to hear that we all have similar frustrations as artists, even those that I would consider to be the more established people there. One of the guests at this focus group was not an artist, but a philanthropist of sorts and he said something great. He said "I've always thought of artists as the antennae of society. It's all of your jobs to tell me what I'm missing out on."

One of the activities of the day was to work on our mission statements. A sculptor in my group opened his with "It starts as a profound act of listening..." I found that thought very striking. Some of the conversations today really got me mulling about my current work. I feel that it is inevitable that something must happen to change my work as it is now. I'm a little scared at the challenges that this change may cause- but oddly enough I feel relieved that I've realized that it's got to happen.

I think my job as an artist in the coming months is to practice the profound art of listening to my heart, and to see where it leads me.

I'm tired - *YAWN*