Old wine in new wineskins.

That is an expression that we sometimes use in Holland.

You might have find your work to be just that, some day. Some everyday moment when you are just creating art. Well, you won't be the first one who tried to paint like Picasso, who changed some works into a true  Gauguin or made something that was typically Basquiat.

You might even have been proud of it!

But remember: they already were discovered and had their moment of fame. Even worse for your own chances: they are actually still very much 'alive', with exhibitions all over the world.

So...: you can meet them. Even be fond of them. Even walk together for a few moments. But remember: you already have your own 'mate'. You already share your live with:

Your Own Style.

You might - at times - loose site of it.

But making art is sometimes very much just like being married! With you creative pen, your camera, your watercolour pencils. Once you have found each other and it is a match, you will probably stick together for the rest of your live. Even though you might lose interest some time in your live, still there will be something at some point and some time, driving you back to that 'Great Love'.  In the end: you will be loyal to each other.

So this 'loosing that very important drive to create, is probably some time (or times) in your live.

So what to do when one day creating something great, or even nice, or even medium will not work? Of course you can walk away, just like in a marriage. But you will always return some day and you might miss being busy with that other part of you, terribly. So i hope you don't walk away. But will just accept the moment. Accept getting stuck. Because sooner or later you will return to your love. And try not to loose your ambition and spirit in the mean time. You might just try accepting the down-period will, because there will be a 'High' to help you to work towards good works, great photo's or even greater writings again.

Try to be faithfull to that thing you love, by still giving it time. 

And just start over. With an artwork, a painting, a writing piece.

If you don't know what to write, make or paint: just 'borrow' some of the inspiration of old masters. Nothing wrong with that! But i would advise you don't get stuck in that. Picasso actually died years ago and small chance that you are to be discovered to be his re-incarnation.

And ofcourse in stead of the name Picasso you can fill in any name of any artist, writer, photographer of anyone that you admire and try to - well, sort of - imitate.

So please, let whatever great creativity is inside you evolve in your own system and season it with a bit of new inspiration you will find in yourself.

Let the old wine not just be something borrowed, 'something blue', but let this be a marriage of 'something old and something new'.

Surprise the world with your great outcome.

You don't always have to do it alone. But just don't be that wanna-be Gauguin or other artist either.

Yes, I love the dutch proverbs!

They have so many ways to express the same thing in totally different contextes.

So - because making art is so much like prepaing a meal, by mixing al the ingrediënts together into something wonderfull - i will close up with a nice Dutch proverb that i myself find to be very applicable:

Just add that seasoning to your work, with:

A little bit of you and a little bit of Maggi!

Enjoy re-discovering making your art with some old masters and -may a suggest- just a little bottle of really delicious Old Wine!