by Marty Coleman | Sep 2, 2009 | Marty Coleman |
Of course, you can’t compare it to death, since you don’t know what death is like yet. All you can do is compare your life to other people’s lives. And then you soon find that out the obvious, that it is harder than some, easier than others.
The important question isn’t whether your life is hard or not, it’s what is making it hard.
Is it physically hard, as in poverty, squalor, malnutrition, destitution, abuse, disease?
Is it socially hard as in no friends, no family, no support, no relief, no connections?
Is it intellectually hard as in losing your religion, feeling alone in the uncaring universe, not understanding things being taught to you?
Is it emotionally hard as in feeling unloved, betrayed, misunderstood, alone, depressed?
If ALL those things (and more) are true of your life, then yes – YOUR life is hard. But if just a few of those things are true, then a PART of your life is hard. What about the other part? What can you learn about coping, healing, fixing, understanding the hard parts by looking at the parts that aren’t hard. What are you doing in those areas that make it easy, good, fun? Can you apply that mentality, approach, feeling, to the hard parts?
The main thing to remember is that it isn’t ‘life’ that is hard or not. It is YOUR life that is hard or not. That means YOU are the deciding factor.
Drawing and quote © Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Sep 2, 2009 | Charles Caleb Colton |
A spur is always kicking the tail end of the horse. So it should be with applause. We should already be focused on our next goal and the applause for achieving the current goal is simply urging us on from behind to the next.
If not, the applause becomes the goal and the work you do to achieve it is filled with irritation and disappointment when the applause stops or doesn’t come in the first place.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“Applause is the spur of noble minds, the end and aim of weak ones.” – Charles Caleb Colton, 1780-1832, English Cleric
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by Marty Coleman | Sep 1, 2009 | Robert Orben |
Ain’t this the truth?
Nothin’ to do but to keep on truckin until you pass the loser and set your sights once again on the top of the mountain.
Sorry for having disappeared for a few days. Had a wedding to attend out of my home state immediately after the opening of an exhibition of my photo-collages. It got a bit crazy!
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“There are days when it takes all you’ve got just to keep up with the losers.” – Robert Orben
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by Marty Coleman | Aug 28, 2009 | Logan Pearsall Smith |
I was inspired to draw this after having been interviewed this morning for my exhibition ‘IN public|private’ opening tonight (8/28/09).
Sharon Phillips of FOX 23 and her cameraman have to love (or at least like a bit) all the slow, down times, the miles of cables, the hot lights and the last minute change of plans to enjoy the whole package of being in the television media world.
Being an artist means I have to feel the same way. I have to like the time I spend framing the pieces as well as making them. I have like hanging the show as well as making the pieces. I have to try to enjoy all of it, in other words. All of it is part of my vocation.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“The test of a vocation is the lover of the drudgery it involves.” – Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865-1946, American aphorist and essayist
Exhibition opening is at the Heller Theatre, 4825 Quaker Ave. (on 48th st, just east of Peoria)
Tulsa, OK from 7:30-10:oopm
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by Marty Coleman | Aug 27, 2009 | F. H. Bradley |
One of the best realizations you can come to as an artist is that you don’t really want to possess someone or something. You don’t want to make love to your model, take that field of flowers home with you, keep the mountains.
All you really want to do, in the end, is admire them. And your method of admiring is to look closely, maybe with your eye, maybe a camera. And you translate what you see into your art. You sculpt the model, you take a photo of the field of flowers, you paint the mountains.
That is what you really want. That is what makes you happy. Don’t desire them to be yours because your method of admiration is HOW you make them yours.
You are free.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring.” – F. H. Bradley, 1846-1924, British idealist philosopher
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by Marty Coleman | Aug 26, 2009 | Ken Blanchard |
So, what this seems to mean is that someone who has low self-esteem but who is constantly worrying about themselves; what they look like, how they appear to others, if they are pretty enough, or rich enough, or smart enough…those people aren’t humble any more than the egotists who do believe they are pretty, rich and smart enough.
The humble person is the one who spends more time thinking about the other people and how they can help them than about themselves.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Aug 25, 2009 | Josh Billings |
Hola friends,
First I wanted to let you know about an interview with me that just got published online at INSPIRATUS. I think it is pretty good and it has tons of my work showing as well as many of the artists who have influenced me over they years. You will learn a lot about me, if you care to!
Ok, now onto the napkin. THIS is one of those semantic pet peeves of mine.
People say it very casually, ‘Well, I did the best I can’. But, did they really? I had a heated discussion about this once with a friend. She was of the opinion that people ALWAYS do the best they can. I was of the opinion that people very often don’t.
I was basing it on my own experience. I know I very often do not pull out all the stops, focus myself entirely on doing the very best I can. It might be edging the lawn, it might be building a new fence, it might be in a relationship. But I often see where I could have done better. I didn’t do the best I could.
The one area I feel I always do the best I can is in my art. I am sure if I evaluated close enough I could find times I don’t, but as a rule I think I do. But I know in the promotion and business side of it I don’t do the best I can. I try, but do I try my best? I don’t think I do.
It is also philosophical to me. If you feel that people always do their best, then where is the incentive to progress? Where is the need to become better? I am not sure I get how those elements all work together in someone who always thinks they do their best.
What do you think?
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“The rarest thing a man ever duz iz the best he can.” – Josh Billings, 1818-1885, American aphorist and writer.
By the way, the misspellings are intentional. He purposely misspelled words often to build on his ‘homespun’ reputation.
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by Marty Coleman | Aug 24, 2009 | Henry David Thoreau |
Think deliberately about what you believe and don’t be afraid to change if, upon examining, you find you don’t really have enough to back it up.
This belief can be about your paranoia, your faith, your money habits, your attitudes, it doesn’t matter.
You distrust everyone? Is there really proof that all are untrustworthy or is it just one or two from your past and now you have applied that distrust to everyone.
You believe women are inferior to men? When and how did you make that decision? Do you have proof it is true? Evaluate and see.
What is the nature of the afterlife?
How do you know what you believe about it? where did that belief come from? What would happen to you if you modified that belief?
The life that is thought about is the life that is able to progress.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“It is never too late to give up your prejudices. No way of thinking or doing, no matter how ancient, can be trusted without proof.” – Henry David Thoreau, American Author, 1817-1862
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by Marty Coleman | Aug 23, 2009 | Andre Gide |
Why a dresser? 
Because it dresses you.
Many are possessed by how they dress.
Many are possessed by what is on top of the dresser (my inclination).
Many are possessed by the mirror and what they see, or hope to see, or pretend to see.
For many it is the dresser itself. Old, handed down – memories you can’t know from the family you do.
Maybe it’s the status of having that exquisite designer piece of furniture.
Maybe the dresser possesses you.
What is your ‘dresser’?
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“All you are unable to give possesses you.” – Andre Gide, French guy, 1869-1951
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by Marty Coleman | Aug 22, 2009 | Victor Hugo |
A vintage napkin from 2001 for your contemplative pleasure.
I don’t remember now why I have a nail talking in this drawing. Anyone want to give a whack at how the quotes are connected?
I am a science fan and think science says a heck of a lot of great things. I even have my own little theory that back in the day (the day meaning about 2,ooo year ago) religion was science. It was the best, most intellectually valid explanation at the time for what was happening in the world.
As a matter of fact, I wonder if this quote might be equally valid of we exchanged the word ‘religion’ for ‘science’. hmmmm…interesting to contemplate.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“Science say the first word on everything, and the last word on nothing.” – Victor Hugo, French Author, 1802-1885
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Of course, you can’t compare it to death, since you don’t know what death is like yet. All you can do is compare your life to other people’s lives. And then you soon find that out the obvious, that it is harder than some, easier than others.
