Self Portrait

This simple contour drawing of myself was completed around 2001 for a drawing class at the University of New Orleans. I was the only engineering student in the class.

Even though the rest of my classmates were artists, I had the best grade by far in that class and some of the best works. Why? Simple: artists are conditioned to have no self-discipline. Society tends to see artists as inconsistent and dependent on “inspiration” to get anything done and instead of overcoming the stereotype, artists tend to fall into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The real truth is that “inspiration”, just like the “muse”, is a fleeting myth and any artist who depends on it won’t get anything done. Remember: being is artist is a career choice, just like deciding to be a doctor, a lawyer, or a plumber. Like any career choice, you have to discipline yourself and work hard if you want to be successful.