Process and Product

The beginning and the end.  
Crossing the finish line is only part of the story.   Our story - the story for artists -begins at the beginning.  Our story has a beginning, middle, and an end.  It is a process.  In fact, it is a cycle.  After all, does not the end of it lead us to the next beginning?

The artist as gardener.
We begin the process by sprinkling a few seeds.   We cultivate a garden of sketches and ideas.  Not every seed  sown will blossom and mature into a bountiful harvest.   That's the process.
 
Our journey and story.
So it's not about producing beautiful bouquets.  In this garden, it is about the journey, the process, and our story as gardeners or artists.  It is not about just getting the result.  It is about something more.  It is about believing that what we go through, our struggle, our process, our story - what we put into it is what we get out of it.  Taking the super-highway or taking a shortcut makes absolutely no sense.

What is at stake, anyway?
So what do we get?  We get a connection with ourselves and our own human experience.  We get to enjoy the journey, and the creative process.    We get to play our own game and that is truly fulfilling.  

Process and product.
Cycling through the process many times, we learn our lessons.  And the thing that I am learning is this:  
As an artist and as a human soul, it is the honesty and integrity of our efforts which can truly sustain us, lead us to self satisfaction, unshakable self confidence, and real peace of mind.   And that is why the relationship between process and product is so important.