Determined willpower

In the past few years I've noticed something that only the most recognized illustrators, artists and creatives share which I believe is their success; determined perseverance and willpower. They have the determination to be the best in their field, to spread their art into the world, or to create their little hearts out til the fingers lay still with satisfactoin. In order to do that, they need to do their "THING" almost constantly. Otherwise they'll never grow as artists or individuals.
They also have the willpower to not let the pesky things in life which try to bog you down keep them down.

A few artists can be named as immediate influences on my own craft, be they peer, uber-famous or passed onto the big studio in the sky. If I name them you have to promise to not be offended by the lack of mention of a certain so-and-so, cause it is late, I'm trying to get sleepy, I've had a rough couple of days, and most importantly My Brain Is Lame At Remembering!

Classmates moved me to try to push past my "Not enough hours in the day" rut did so by working 40 hour weeks while attending the same classes as I, by caring for their children, by being able to hold freelancing projects while doing some or all of the above, by making AMAZING pieces of work all while being social and great peer-artists who would answer any and all questions, no matter how retarded. I can always count on Baker, Hill, Seiberling or Semidei to take a moment and describe what they just did or just give a helping hand getting my own stuff. Whether I watched them push through a difficult course of classes for a semester, rock out the projects while holding down crazy work hours, or hold it together while life kept the punches coming, I could only sit back in wonder and ask myself "Why can't you handle the same problems with such grit?"
So I watched, and learned.

The living artists I look up to are always pushing their boundaries in the pieces they publish weekly and monthly. They work to master the anatomy, lighting and color designs that bring their images to six degrees from living flesh. They fight the two dimensional restrictions and pull the viewer into a world that, even after Centuries, still captivates and holds the viewer spellbound.
I had the honor to pester and recieve feedback from such instructors as Higgins-Bond, Von Hager and Preston-of-the-Jeff-Type. I looked over their shoulders at the perfect blades of grass, the morbidly perfect disfigurement of a Monster, or graceful pastels and recieved answers about all the questions of technique and where to find the supplies.
Ross has shown that anatomy isn't perfected in a computer (even though that's how I practice) and McKean shows me that you don't have to just draw one thing over and over, or hell, even just Draw. If and idea works better in film or sculpy, then you damn well better use that outlet or the idea will fall flat.
More watching, more learning.

The great artists of the past I look to, Frazetta and Kahlo, pushed past massive restrictions to continue their craft. They're kindof like my little art-saints to invoke when I'm in pain and try to throw little pity-parties for my hands and...well, every joint.
Frazetta had numerous strokes in his advanced years, and 3 times over he kick-started himself back into the artists' seat and re-taught himself to draw....sometimes with his submissive left hand. Kahlo suffered massive injuries in a bus accident when she was hardly 18 which left her with ill-healed bones, permenantly injured organs and a damned strong determination. She learned to paint her own portrait and casts while she recovered from this accident, but she was never free of it. She suffered massive pains from this accident throughout life, and had a slight morphine addiction to keep that pain at bay. She painted through that pain, always, and even through the morphine.

Now I'm watching myself and learning that if I push, I'll break though those invisible binds that feel so tight on the hands. That I can stretch, sketch a bit, get a little work done, and not feel self-pity about being a 27 year old artist with an unknown chronic inflammation which causes random bouts of pretty heavy pain.

Today was one of those days, and even though it weighed my hands down at work, I worked through it once I got home. I'm about to sketch a little, time permitting before bed, and even though my fingers are stiff from whateverthehelliswrong, I will try to keep a positive outlook, try to keep a strong willpower to stay true to my artistic nature and persevere to create.
Let's see what happens.