Timothy J. Pruitt's Blog, page 100
June 3, 2022
Blue Ocean Abstract Art Piece
This abstract piece was inspired by seahorses. They are fascinating creatures, and this is a one of kind design. It’s available now through our online store as a digital purchase.
Art Unboxed Inspiration
This week I was relaxing watching a YouTube video the app suggested, Art Dealer Diaries. Behind the person being interviewed there was a statue. It was distant, so I could only make out that it was a cowboy on a horse. It struck me that I couldn’t see much of the black metal statue, but what I did see was enough to reveal what it was.
You guessed it, I began drawing, in silhouette, a cowboy and a horse. The fun part of it was, not what I drew, but what I didn’t have to draw. As someone who has drawn a number of them now, I can tell you, horses are not the easiest animals to illustrate.
I was having a little difficulty with the legs, so I added a cactus and a mountain. Then another mountain or two, moonlight, and a cloud. Finally just a touch of color that the light was exposing. It was a very quick, and yet rewarding, partially because of the ease and the way it turned out, but also because it was different.
I loved that it was inspired by a statue. I am usually amazed, both at when someone turns a painting into a statue, or paints a picture of a statue. It’s the fascination of going from 2d to 3d and vice versa I believe. The Minister in me is reminded of a sermon Bishop Spencer McCool preached at Camp Meeting one year on When Eternity Stepped Into Time, and Christ’s manifestation in the world.
I mention the drawing because of three points it sparked regarding inspiration. First, this was a interview with someone I had never seen before. If I had been use to watching the man, I would probably not have paid any attention to what was behind him.
Second, the man had a statue of a cowboy and horse because he was a writer and collector of western art. What inspired him became an inspiration to me. When you meet people, even for a moment, you can learn from them.
Thirdly, I was taught to continue to seek inspiration. I didn’t start to watch it with the idea of drawing, but to learn something. Because this was instilled in me by wonderful people, it stays with me to this day. It’s a lesson I pray I can pass on to our son, continue learning, and have a mindset of a student.
One of the greatest descriptions of the differences between the way Jesus taught His disciples, and the schools of the Pharisees I have ever heard referred to this. The Pharisees strived to learn to become masters, but Jesus taught as disciples we should remember we are all God’s students, and never stop learning.
The greatest artists readily admit they do not know everything, that they are still learning. Wise men and women view learning, not as a burden, but an adventure. Inspiration, learning, and practicing are rewards, not punishments. I’ll offer one final example on this.
I was drawing a sketch of Red Skelton for another post from this week, and used a fountain pen. While I love the fountain pen, the idea was not working. I hoped I was wrong, and I asked my best art advisor, my wife Ashley. She confirmed it wasn’t working, and I tried again.
After three attempts, I knew what I had to do, I pulled out my mechanical pencil. The face would not be a one and done, it would require practice, and an eraser. I kept on until I received a confirmation from her that it was where it needed to be. Inspiration doesn’t just come in the form of a spark, but of counsel, advice, and critique, not criticism but critique.
I would encourage you to watch something new. Maybe you’ll be inspired to draw something, maybe you won’t today, but I guarantee it will inspire you tomorrow. One of the greatest things that we can unbox in art, is inspiration.
June 2, 2022
Before You Share Your Story
I say before you tell your story, because all of us have a story to tell. Each of them are different in some way, all of us are unique. We may share some experiences, but we also share differences, ones that can help others. I have seven questions for you, before you tell your story.
1. What would writing your story do for you? How would sharing what you know, be a blessing to you? What areas do you see it would be beneficial or add value to your life?
2. What would writing your story do for others? How would sharing what you know, be a blessing to others? What areas of your experience would add value to someone else?
3. What would your story be about? Would it be a personal experience, life lesson, or fictional story? What parts of your story are you passionate about?
4. When could you start your writing? Could you start today, tomorrow, or let’s say Saturday? What time would be best for you to begin writing?
5. If you can answer all of these questions, why aren’t you writing your story? Is it a matter of schedule,? What if there was a way for you to write and lead a busy life?
6. How do you write your story? Where do you begin your story? What does your first sentence look like?
7. What should you do next? I would recommend starting by setting a point in time you would begin writing. I would start with one sentence, and write three to five paragraphs. Then I would make it my goal to write 500 words a day. An average sentence is 15-20 words, an average paragraph is 75-160 words, so 5-6 paragraphs would average 500 words.
Sharing your story isn’t an impossible dream, but a concrete reality. It isn’t made up of giant leaps, but small steps. Each of us have an experience that is valuable, and others can learn from. So my last question is, how long will you wait before you share your story?
June 1, 2022
Your Writing System
If you know me, there is a running theme that fascinates me, those who are so talented, they pursue two passions very successfully. Many have heard me write about Tony Bennett, but today I would like to share another person who was instrumental in my writing and painting. He is a man I’ve never met, his name is Richard Skelton, known to the world as Red.
In his lifetime, he wrote 8,000 songs, 64 symphonies, 4,000 short stories, as well as multiple books. He was an artist as well as a writer, earning roughly 2.5 million a year from his lithographs. At the time of his death, his paintings were selling for 80,000 apiece. Red was also a radio, television, and movie star with a star on the walk of fame, an Emmy, and a life time achievement awards from the Screen Actor’s Guild.
A number of his musical compositions were sold to businesses for background music. That may not sound impressive, until you consider how profitable this was. Red found a way to use his passions, for no one can write that much unless they enjoy it, to bring a return. It inspires me, because writing is one of my passions.
A second passion, while I love art, is to help others to write. That’s the purpose for this article, to encourage you to write your own story. There is a possibility you desire to write, not 4,000 stories, but one idea. If one man can write 4,000 short stories, and do all these other things, there is time for you to tell your story.
I believe that the majority of people have something you are passionate about. My thinking is, if you believe it’s valuable then don’t you have a duty to write it down? Maybe you haven’t started yet, or maybe you’ve tried, and faced obstacles.
I understand about the obstacles. For the thirty some odd books I have written on Amazon, I have ideas that didn’t work, and so did Red, but he had a system. Basically he would write a story idea down daily, at the end of the week, he would review, choosing the best handful to continue developing.
While my system is different than Red’s, I do have a system. If it’s a single idea I add it to my writing reminders list digitally, or as a note. On the same digital notebook I develop the idea more until it’s big enough to move to my writing software where I have a project system. Once the rough draft is complete, and the rewriting and multiple draft process is finished, I move it to publishing.
Because I have this system in place, it allows me to work on multiple projects. If I face a block concerning one idea, I don’t throw it out, and I don’t blunt force it. I will work on something else, and then I can return to the other topic later with fresh eyes. I am currently actively working on four projects, and have thirteen in my writing list.
Some ideas may be blog posts, campaigns, ebooks, or hardback books, I don’t always know at this stage. I do know that they are further along because there is a process to move them along. Think of the system as the vehicle to transport your story. There are a number of different methods writers use, and not every process works for every writer.
However, if you don’t have a process, you can learn a lot from viewing other writer’s framework. If you would like to know more about writing process, progress, and project systems, our website PruittWrites.com has several resources, as does our book Writing In Real Time: A Guide For Writers With Busy Lives.
Watercolor Hyacinth Macaw
A watercolor of the Hyacinth Macaw from the zoo. Such an amazing blue in its feathers.
May 31, 2022
Sketch Baby Cheetah Rozi
This is a sketch taken from the Cincinnati Zoo’s new baby cheetah Rozi.
