Picasso and Me

Yes, I'm a romantic. No, I'm not practicing. I think I've been jaded, and that's not uncommon in one's thirties. I've learned a lot since leaving school, and the school of hard knocks has taught me to toughen up. So, I may have a rougher exterior; it doesn't mean I don't crave the same things I always have.

I want to belong; it's probably as simple as that. I'm a human being, and human beings are pack animals. I know that I'll never be in the art world, at least not in the traditional sense. The world has changed dramatically in the past five years. The big monoliths of the estabtlishment are teetering along. Independent voices are gaining real traction. It's like the Dinosaurs. They were big beasts, and when the Earth was rocked they were erased from the planet. The small rodents (yes, I'm comparing myself to a small rodent) climbed out of the ashes. Some of us will evolve to inherit the spoils, and others will go the way of the dodo. So, while I still have life in my body I will continue to make work.

I remember when I was a child (around 7 or 8 years old); My father took me to see "Early Picasso" at the MFA Boston. I remember seeing a self portrait he did when he was a teenager. It was in charcoal; it was masterful; and it humbled me forever. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to draw like him, but I would find a way to make something worth a damn. When I encountered Picasso's early work it was like watching a young George Saint Pierre in the Octagon. Some people just have it. Some people are born to be; others have to find another way up the mountain. Picasso was always going to be Picasso. GSP was always going to be GSP.

Michelangelo once said something like, "Out of 1,000 drawings, I get one that's halfway decent." That's the spirit of a true warrior. I don't care if it's a cage fighter, an artist or a chef; the spirit of a champion is defined in the grind. We might not get what we want, but I have faith that if you work hard enough, trudge on and have grit then you'll get somewhere. So, I'll draw a thousand more drawings; I'll do a thousand more chokes; I'll read a thousand more words. I may not end up in the Guggenheim or the UFC, but I'm still climbing up a mountain.