• Home
  • Blog
  • Paintings for Sale
  • Painting Course
  • Top Painting Tips
    • Prints
  • Art Coaching
  • Resources
  • Free Download
  • Artist Statement
  • Podcast
  • Painting Podcast
  • Contact
  • Reference and Tutorial
Malcolm Dewey Fine Art
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Paintings for Sale
  • Painting Course
  • Top Painting Tips
    • Prints
  • Art Coaching
  • Resources
  • Free Download
  • Artist Statement
  • Podcast
  • Painting Podcast
  • Contact
  • Reference and Tutorial

Are You Interested or Committed? Your Art and More Depends on the Answer

7/1/2020

Comments

 
Are committed to your resolutions?
How many people resolve to get fitter in the New Year? I'm guessing a lot. Maybe you too? I know that I did resolve to exercise regularly from January onwards. Guess what happened? ​
Not Just Another Exercise App
No I did not put it off. I thought about that, but I did take steps. First I Googled body weight exercise programs for unfit types like myself. One of the results was a service and app called Freeletics. Turns out this app is super popular right now. Not just popular, but suuuper-popular. Anyway.

Freeletics is a bunch of young German fitness nuts who have come up with a good looking app. They include online coaches and a quitting-is-not-an-option approach to exercise. They are German after all. It looked all trendy and slick so I signed up.

The Reckoning
Then onto the first workout called Athena. It is billed as a simple workout for beginners. It consists of five sections in which you do a series of exercises starting with twenty five repetitions in section 1. Each section drops five reps with a short rest between. You call this calisthenics if you are north of sixty five.
 
One of the exercises is squats. Simple to do with only your body weight involved. The trick is that because of the five sections to the program I did not realise how many squats I would do. Turns out it was eighty. Which is a lot for someone like me. I walk a lot so I thought I was fit in the leg department. Turns out I'm not fit at all.

It Burns, It Burns
Squats use an entirely different set of muscles it seems and mine were on sabbatical for the past five years. Now they were back and not happy about it at all. The next day I was in agony. Honestly, the sort of pain that reminded me of bruised ribs. Almost everything I did short of remaining motionless triggered intense pain in my thighs. 

I went around groaning like Gollum that day and the next day too. Nobody cared in the least. However by day three the pain had subsided and I started to feel pretty chuffed about it. I would do another workout and now I am determined to carry on with the program. You see the way they structure these programs turns it into a game. A challenge where you want to score points and bragging rights. I am committed to achieving the rewards including better fitness.

Commitment is Not the Same as Interest
There are many examples of commitment. The word suggests that whatever you are undertaking is not easy, but if you plug away it will be rewarding. Commitment promises good things from your effort and resolve.

But can the same be said if you are interested in something? I am interested in getting fitter. You may be interested in writing a book or interested in taking painting lessons. Yes, being interested is a step in the right direction, but then what? 

What About the Law of Attraction?
No doubt you hear this from many people all the time. People say they are interested in many things. But then nothing happens. Some may say that positive thinking is enough. That the law of attraction will take care of the rest. Well I doubt that. True, visualisation is also a step in the right direction, but it falls short.

To make something happen requires action and that means commitment. 

I am reading a book at the moment about Elon Musk (Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future, by Ashlee Vance). 

Musk is the man behind SpaceX and Tesla Motors. His story will no doubt prompt further writing in another blog post. His approach speaks volumes about commitment. One of the things he did is invest most of his own fortune in his Space and motor projects. In a world where start up businesses only try to risk capital from investors, Elon Musk risked his personal fortune. He almost lost it all too. But he prevailed and is one of the few pathfinders in modern times. That is commitment.

Use the Power of Commitment
What about you? Nobody asks us to commit to risking it all. But simple steps taken today can lead to great things tomorrow. You only get to paint ten, twenty or a hundred paintings by doing your first painting. Then the next and onwards. Does it hurt? Or cause inconvenience or hassle? At first it does. 

Believe me that inertia is a human condition. We are generally wired to do nothing unless the reward justifies it. That is a pretty low level. It is our spirit that compels us to push against inertia to get things done. But to go further and excel? To go beyond good enough? To go beyond the limitations others set for you? Or your preconceived ideas? That demands more. It demands commitment.
​
So when you decide you are interested in something are you going to be committed enough to take action? Now there is the real challenge for this year.

Committed to Painting this year?


Painting Courses

Taking up painting or want to learn more?
​I can help you get real​ results.


Find the perfect painting course for you. I have a structured program of courses for beginners to advanced artists. 
LEARN MORE



​PS: Learning to paint is much easier than exercise and more fun I think ...

PIN for later ...

How to start painting lessons today.

Comments
    FREE Book
    Picture

    Color Tips for Artists:
    ​Free
    Picture

    Book Bundle Special
    See More
    Picture

    Author

    Malcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa
    View Portfolio:

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All
    Art Business
    Artist Notes
    Books Worth Every Dime!
    Its An Artists Life
    Musings
    News
    Painting Course
    Painting Demonstration
    Painting Tips
    Podcasts
    Popular Posts Archive
    Reviews


    Picture

    Picture

    Visit Malcolm Dewey Fine Art's profile on Pinterest.

    FREE
    ​GUIDE

    Picture

    RSS Feed


    Picture

    Picture

Studio:  Troon Crescent, Port Alfred, South Africa
​Malcolm Dewey Fine Art is committed to top quality art, excellent educational material and having a great time! To back that up all works sold come with a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. Simply return the work, undamaged, within 30 days. Returns at purchaser expense. All transaction are protected by third party bank-level encryption to keep your information safe. Plus your email address is safe. No spam - ever!

​Copyright 2010-2020: Malcolm Dewey Fine Art
​
Picture
30 Day Money Back
Picture
Secure Transactions
Picture
Picture
No Spam Ever!
Photos used under Creative Commons from maHidoodi, buggolo, Fabio Téllez
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Paintings for Sale
  • Painting Course
  • Top Painting Tips
    • Prints
  • Art Coaching
  • Resources
  • Free Download
  • Artist Statement
  • Podcast
  • Painting Podcast
  • Contact
  • Reference and Tutorial