If there is anything I have learned from painting these last 25 years, my artwork only gets better when I am taking care of myself outside of the studio. If I was ever sleep deprived or had unhealthy habits, they would show up in my art in the worst ways
The main things I try to keep in my life are healthy relationships, exercise, eating right, and time in nature. If any of these areas are off, I can see a big difference in the quality of my work. This goes for any of us. Even if we aren’t creating art, our health drastically affects how we see the world.
The wonderful (and hard) thing I have noticed about improving areas in my life is that if one area gets better, the areas that aren’t doing as well will be that much more noticeable. For instance, when I was working at DirecTV, I didn’t give myself enough time to work out and managed my stress with more comfort foods. At the time, I was about 40 pounds heavier than I am now. After I started dating my girlfriend (now my wife), my love life drastically improved but the lifestyle I had at DirecTV was then starting to take a toll on my health. As a result, I quit my job, got back into exercising, and really reshaped my diet. As I look back on this time in my life, I can also see a drastic improvement in my art as my decisions to get better improved.
What is it in your life you can do to improve?
