Making My Life A Masterpiece

At my last Open Studios in November 2016.

I'm starting 2017 with a radically different guiding concept. Up till now I believed that my purpose on earth was to produce art. At the conclusion, I would leave art as a record of my expression and ideas and a contribution to the larger world of art. And like so many other artists, I hoped this would mean producing a masterpiece or two along the way. Or that I would gain critical recognition with my Spirit Boats. This is the norm. Most artists entertain and aspire to ideas like this.

How would this happen? Most likely-  when all elements were in alignment  - when I was in the right state of mind, with the perfect subject, using the most exciting materials and the best of intentions. Or some recipe like that. It would happen because it was my destiny or that I would be so brilliant it would be inevitable. And I have been trying but it felt a little desperate that is triggered by age issues.

But over the last few months, I have experienced a shift. One question, brought up by my coach, Jeffery Kelton of http://globalwalkabouts.com/ has rocked my boat.
How can I make my life a masterpiece? 
Ii never had stopped to consider this. What if I let go of my deeply ingrained belief and focused on me? What if I were the project and the goal? What would that feel like? What would I be loosing? What would I gain? How can this help others?

Since I have adopted this new philosophy, I have felt a lot calmer. I am not nervous about my next show or how many people I am reaching with my art, my postings or my teaching. This new question becomes a very centering exercise. One that will keep me going for the rest of my life.

How can you make your life a masterpiece?

In the process of writing this blog I looked around for others who are working with this theme. Here is one that has all the right/write stuff - from Jon Gordon - http://www.jongordon.com/positive-tip-design-masterpiece.html