Sword of Truth

Saying goodbye to 2024, and where I want to go from here

“Sword of Truth,” 40x38 inches

I finished this painting a week or so ago after a 30 hour labor, and I believe it is honestly the best work I have ever done. Things just came together in a way with this work that they don’t often do, and it really pushed the envelope in terms of my technique, skill, and study. I intended to post it with a full scale write-up right away like I do most of my works, but then… didn’t. It seemed right to hang it up on the wall and let it rest while I pondered and reflected.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say that 2024 was nothing like we expected. There were so many curveballs, for me, at least, it felt like I was doing nothing but put out personal fires for much of the year. Professional milestones (yay, Master’s degree!), spiritual milestones (RCIA! Pillars certificate! Hazzah, hazzah!), and personal achievements (getting back into reading books for fun, whee!!) went by largely un-celebrated and un-recognized as I navigated a path unplanned.

By the time I found myself looking at this whopper of a canvas (38 inches wide by 40 inches tall), to be honest I was dead tired, even with the creative juices running at full blast.

So I decided to paint slow. As impatient as I am to get all the ideas out of my head at once, my generalized fatigue forced me to slow down…

And slow down, I did.

And realized just how fast everything else was swirling.

It was like getting off the tilt-a-whirl at the fair; you suddenly find your own legs again, but everyone else is spinning away.

So many creators and artists on social media are almost shackled to the algorithm, which pushes and drives you to post more, more, more, day after day, and only post the things people want to see or else you lose your engagement stats and your visibility which can spell success or failure for a small business. We all know this, it’s no secret. There’s entire courses out there for artists on how to develop a “brand,” and how to cultivate uniformity in a portfolio, how to write about your art and explain its’ esoteric message in 100 characters or less, and how to do niche marketing. But as much as I had managed to give myself boundaries, as much as I got some joy rather than stress from my (admittedly high) involvement on various platforms, I still found myself and my art influenced by the hustle.

It took being forced to get off the tilt-a-whirl to realize I like slowing down. I like putting out works such as “Sword of Truth,” up above, which deviate from the serious “brand” of a botanical and nature artist. I put my socials on hiatus yesterday, partly because of a data breach and partly because this had already been percolating in my soul, and breathed a small sigh of relief. Which brings me to the last thing I’m reflecting on: where to, from here?

Progress shots of "Sword of Truth"

I don’t have an answer for that last question, yet; I’m just happy to have navigated a very tough year with a modicum of grace and incoherent screaming (ha, ha). And perhaps that’s okay. Social media and the idea of having a “brand” is troubling and troublesome for a variety of reasons, and yet, there are things it does very, very well. I am praying into how the expression and public display of my art should look, and where I should devote my incredibly finite time and energy.

In the meantime, perhaps learning to savor an “unbranded” life is more than enough.

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Sound off in the comments or the chat: If you’re a creative, what is your stance on social media? Do you feel it contributes negatively to your art process or do you feel it’s a positive influence?