I’d like to say that everything I know about art, I learned from running.
But, I think a more appropriate statement is, “everything I apply to my art, I learned from endurance.”
It’s not that I was a great runner.
I wasn’t. I’m still not.
That isn’t the point.
To be frank, I’m not a great artist either.
Sometimes running is a team sport.
Sometimes it’s just you.
Either way, the internal battle is the same. The further the distance you run, the more the balance shifts from strictly physical ability to mental endurance.
Your worst enemy on a long run is your own mind.
Your worst enemy on finishing your project, is yourself.
If you weren’t physically able to compete, you probably wouldn’t have started down the road you currently find yourself on.
The mental endurance is a different game.
You have to be able to trust yourself as much as you trust your training.
You have to be able to listen to your body and know when your mind is lying to you…and when it isn’t.
What is your mind telling you about your art?
Not always, but much of the time spent bringing a project to life is done in private.
There typically aren’t any crowds cheering you on, or any other competitors nipping at your heels.
But the doubt is there.
That can be real.
So is the WALL.
The true proving ground.
Whether you’re lacing up or fine tuning your technique, the wall is there…and it is looming.
Do you have the endurance to push through?
The reason I’m talking about running in this post is because of the obstacles it provides.
When the wind is howling, when the temperature fluctuates, and when the terrain is full of hills…those are excuses. And when I hear that excuse in my head, I go for a run.
I want the wind, and I want the hills.
Yes, they suck.
But most of the time, when I run dead in to a strong wind and head up hill, I know it’s just going to be me out there. And on the very few occasions that I see someone else, I immediately think, “I wonder what they’re working on…I bet I’d like it.”
The hills and the wind are a proving ground.
Anyone can get out onto the flats on a nice day.
But if there isn’t a struggle, what’s the point?
That way, when it matters, when the storm rolls in and the deadlines loom and all I can see are the hills and all I can feel is the wind…I smile.
I know it’s there and at a dead reckon, I’m headed right for it.
The proving ground.
There are a lot of competitors out there right now. People hoping to catch a break; people who want to have their potential realized.
Sometimes it isn’t enough to be good.
But if you aren’t good enough, and you get lucky, it won’t matter.
Don’t waste your chance.
For me, it’s like watching a runner wing out on the back corner, headed into the home stretch.
You just want to shout, but a lump catches in your throat, your skin starts to tingle and every hair on your body stands on end…because they are making their move and you can see it.
They’re laying it all out in a mad dash for the finish and trusting with every fiber of their being that they can make it.
When is the last time you looked at an artist and got that feeling?
When was the last time you got that feeling about your own work?
When the wind shifts, and you can feel it in your hair…and you know in your bones that this is the move…right now…go!
Gut it out. Trust your training.
At the end of the day, you have to be able to know that you have what it takes to get it done.
That’s the Pendragon way.
Finish it.