[coigach]

Vonnegut's quote resonates very heavily with how I view things. My main inspiration and motivation for practicing my art is simply this:
To be able to, if only for a while, shut out the world while I try to make one single thing perfect.

I totally agree. And the fact that the quote came from a serious jester like Vonnegut makes it all the better!

There's definitely something in the idea of practicing art regularly. Making mistakes, fumbling onwards. (Just be ruthless with your editing before you show others ). I'm a firm believer in learning by doing, and often creative cock-ups contain the germ of an idea that can result in something better, and often far from where you started from. It's also a good way of overcoming 'artistic-block' when the well is dry too. (Am currently suffering that affliction, so have taken a sideways turn from my usual b + w landscape photography the last few months into learning to print polymer photogravures, and setting myself the challenge of completing a small thematic series of colour, impressionistic out-of-focus photographs).

Art, both making and being consumed by it, are as important for me as sleeping and food. Imagine a life without visual art, music or literature that doesn't change the way you think and feel?? Gulp.

For me, art is brain and soul food rolled into one...