That is a very good point. I remember when I worked at a large company. I had many clients who were “business savvy” and I would ask them if they knew how to make a profit. I would say, “Have you ever tried to make a profit at your job?” to which I would get a blank look. I was shocked that anyone would make a living doing something so stupid.
I think the same is true with painting. I recently had a conversation with a painter who was starting out. He said that he has a knack for making it to the top and making huge amounts of money. I asked if he was making more money with each painting than he was making in the first few months of being in business. And he said, “No.” He said that you have to be lucky to do it.
As you might suspect, most people think that painting is stupid. I disagree. It is one of those things that, once you begin, you can’t stop. It’s hard to stop, however. It is the ultimate addiction. Like the drugs or alcohol, it always comes back stronger than you expect.
And like the drugs or alcohol, it’s addictive. You can become addicted to any number of things in life. Painting, as you might expect, is one of the easiest ways to become addicted to a paint. The process is simple. You pick a color, you decide the size and number of the strokes, and you paint.
You have no idea how much I love this analogy. I’m not talking about the type of addiction you see in the lyrics to that song, but the more extreme type. It’s the type where you start painting and then, all of a sudden, you have a painting with no idea how you did it. You don’t know why you are doing it, but you are. I would describe that type as being in the “start again” phase of addiction.
My friend Alex has been in the beginning phase of painting addiction. He has started painting for the sole purpose of it being a hobby. His friends and family have always been supportive, but he has had to keep going because he has to pay for the art school he is attending. He is hoping to finish his painting degree by the end of the year. He paints every day.
This is the thing with addiction. I remember when I was a kid painting in my grandmother’s house. She would always have me paint in her house and I would always get in trouble for it (I’m bad). It was only when I started going to school that I started to get in trouble for it. But that is just me. My friend Aaron does the same thing. He paints every day and goes to school. It’s really cool.
The thing is, Aaron’s parents are not the same way. They are not just painting every day, they are also being paid to do it.
Aarons parents are not just painting in their house, they are also being paid to do it.
Aaron, not so much. His parents would probably be painting in their house if they had the money to do it. They are also being paid to paint in their house.