Thoughts on...starting.

Towards the end of this semester, I heard someone in one of my classes say this:

"If you're at the end of your senior year at Ringling, and you find yourself saying 'I'm just now STARTING to get good'...that's kind of sad."

I don't really see why that's such a bad thing, though. Here's how I'm looking at it: I've been painting for about six years (real painting, not childhood fiddling around with watercolors like I did when I was eight). I have probably, what, fifty more good years to go, at the very least? (I'm planning for eighty more, though. ;) Hey, my grandma lived to 93...) If I was the best possible artist I could possibly be right NOW, then what do I have to work for, you know what I mean? That's 40-80 really boring years ahead of me.

I think it's good that I'm not completely satisfied with the work I'm doing now, because it means I still have places I can go with my art. Art school isn't the END! And if there are people who graduate and think, "okay, this is as good as it gets, my art training is DONE and I can never learn anything more," that's what's sad to me.

So! Here's to eighty more years of continuing to improve!