An Orchid Painting Inspired by Patience (Nintai)
The Orchid and Patience
At the end of its blooming cycle, the orchid is less appealing without its stunning flowers. However, with continuous nurturing of the orchid, one day it will unexpectedly bloom again. Your patience is rewarded.
My Impatience
Although I’m a Canadian artist, 90% of my customers used to be Americans buying art to furnish new homes and buildings. By early 2008, I could feel the economic crisis begin to sneak up on my business. However, in September 2008, it hit me right in the wallet. I lost about 80% of those customers within a few months, and my struggle as a self-representing artist began.
Now, in this dump of an economy, I’m in survival mode to pay bills. I’m always in a rush. Nothing in my work can be done fast enough, except for when I paint. If I even try to rush through a painting, I just create a catastrophe.
These days, I’m impatient more often. I think it stems from feeling like there’s never enough time in a day to do everything that needs to be done. Thankfully, I work alone so I rarely get the chance to annoy anyone.
The day I created the Nintai (Patience) painting was a day I particularly had to remind myself to be patient with the circumstances of my business and this economy. Like the orchid, with patience and constant nurturing, I believe that someday my art career will bloom once again.
Painting to the Left
Despite aesthetics, I didn’t want the flowers of the orchid at the center of the painting. I simply didn’t want the reward, the flowers of the orchid, to be the focal point. I wanted the patience required to wait for the reward to be the focus of the artwork as well.
Here’s a video of me, Soniei, trying to explain the evolution of my art and the inspiration behind my contemporary paintings.
This video includes a brief explanation of how I left the 9-5 work world to live my dream as a full-time artist.
I also share a few pictures of my original paintings, including my Japanese calligraphy art and other Zen inspired paintings.
Tags: About Soniei, Art and the Economy, Art Career, Art Prints, Art Prints On Canvas, Art Therapy, Asian Art, Asian Paintings, Business, Buy Art Online, Canadian Artist, Canadian Business, Canvas Art, Canvas Prints, Contemporary Art, Contemporary Artist, Contemporary Asian Art, Contemporary Asian Paintings, Contemporary Home, Contemporary Japanese Art, Contemporary Japanese Paintings, Contemporary Painting, Economy, Entrepreneur, Fine Art, Fine Art Prints, Flower Art, Flower Fine Art Print, Flower Paintings, Framed Art Prints, Happiness, Home Based Business, Home Decorating, Japanese Art, Japanese Brushwork, Japanese Orchid Paintings, Japanese Zen Brushwork, Kanji Art, Orchid Art, Orchid Fine Art, Orchid Painting, Original Art, Original Artwork, Original Fine Art, Original Paintings, Pursuing Dream Job, Self-Employed Artist, Serene Art, Serene Paintings, Soniei's Painting Stories, Spiritual Art, Spiritual Paintings, Starving Artist, Stress and Anxiety, Work At Home, Work From Home, Zen Art, Zen Paintings, Zen Sho
July 24th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Wow! While I’m sad to hear economic woes have affected you, I enjoy hearing the evolution of the painting. Your words are genuine and heartfelt. Use your impatience, the economy, and those moments when you ask yourself “is it worth it?” to your advantage. They are the fertilizer of your creativity and like fertilizer, they stink.:-) But in time, the bloom miraculously returns, others find your art and your unique perspective grows again.