“Creativity takes courage.” Henri Matisse.
Yes it does. And if not courage in a lion roar kind of way, a gentle consistent showing up no matter what kind of way. Do some paintings feel slow or hard or above my learning curve? You bet. But when there is joy in the activity, the courage shows up and walks beside me and shows infinite patience in the messy middle temper tamtrum stage of art. (Nod your head, painters, you’ve been there.)
I would not consider myself an exceptionally courageous person in life pursuits. I push my own limits….comfortably. I’m not an adrenaline junkie or speed freak, I never liked downhill skiing much because of the speed, trees I was likely to run into and fear of…trees and speed. I tend to play it more cautious but there is something about painting and art and most creative pursuits that makes me say, WTF, why not. What do I have to lose? What if Matisse never painted those crazy colors because it was not in vogue at the time. He knew. He knew he had to muster the courage and paint irreverent goldfish and pink art studios and portraits that he was told were “garish”. But he did it anyway. And well….Matisse.
Creativity does take courage. And a sense of humor. And perseverance. And good snacks. I’m sure Matisse would agree. He was French, after all.
Thank you, Henri Matisse, for the brilliant and simple reminder. xo
“Creativity Takes Courage” 24×30″ oil on gallery canvas. For inquiries, please email