Make Inertia Work for You
This plein air landscape is one of several that are a part of my solo show in August at Chestnuts and Pearls Gallery in New Albany, IN. “Beargrass Creek in Cherokee Park” oil on canvas, 9 x 12 inches. by Susan E. Brooks.
Inertia is one of the forces that makes change difficult, but if we can set good habits in motion, inertia can work in our favor. Back in college I majored in visual arts, but then I got busy raising a family, working overseas, and teaching English and art. The next thing I knew the kids were grown, and it was time for a change.
In 2017, I committed to creating artwork on a regular basis after years of doing very little. Once the inertia of doing no work was broken, it became easier to keep going, and people began to think of me as an artist.
After setting some long term goals of getting my work into galleries and selling it, I took advantage of every opportunity. In the beginning, I donated work for good causes and the chance for exhibition (I still donate for good causes, but don’t need to for exhibitions). I juried into exhibitions, was invited to join a gallery, and set some good expectations in motion. Now, people expect me to be a working artist, even though I still suffer from impostor’s syndrome sometimes.
It may take a herculean effort to get new habits started, but it also takes force to stop an object in motion. By committing to creating artwork and submitting art for exhibitions in my brave moments, I put into motion an artist’s life that is now beginning to move along even when I struggle to produce art.
I did a series of pastels on grief, and this one is also part of the solo show in August. “Embracing Your Grief” 24 x 18 inches, oil pastel on paper, by Susan E. Brooks.
Earlier this year, for example, I lost my mother. For that reason and others, I have struggled with motivation to produce art, enter shows, etc. But I am a member of a gallery that expects me to produce new work and participate in special exhibitions, so I keep going. This year I haven’t entered as many exhibitions as last year, but when I did enter one this spring, I was offered a solo show. That was a surprise, but I’ll take it!
It isn’t easy to break the initial inertia of doing nothing, but once you do, you can put your life on a path moving forward in the direction you want. And at some point, the good inertia will begin to push you—instead of the other way around.
