Tennis, art and ambition

I’m sitting here watching Wimbledon and wondering what drives some of these tennis stars to perform in the way they do. And also how this relates to us as artists or painters.

Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon 2023

What makes a great tennis player?

I think that three words sum up what makes a great tennis player, someone who rises to the top.

1. Dedication

2. Passion

3. Fame (and of course I’m sure the money helps!)

Why do you paint?

1. Dedication. Champion tennis players are dedicated to what they do. They play daily and they practice daily. That’s what makes them champions. Just like masters of any discipline, whether they be athletes, musicians or artists, they practice. They set time aside for it, they prioritise time for it, and they are dedicated to it.

So how about you and me? Are we dedicated enough to want to progress, to become the masters of our medium? This will take time, although even five minutes a day works wonders. If we want to excel we must be dedicated. Half- hearted efforts produce half- hearted results.

1. Passion. This is the driving force to help us become dedicated. What is passion? It is the inner desire to do something combined with the fun we have doing it. Without enjoyment and passion I don’t think even the best tennis player in the world would succeed. They play because they enjoy playing. Talk to them and you will find they are passionate about it.

And us? We have to enjoy painting to do it. It can be hard work, it can be frustrating and complex. So if we don’t enjoy the process we might as well give up. Someone once said that the process is more important than the final painting. It doesn’t matter if the painting doesn’t work out if we have had fun painting it. So enjoy the process and the match is won!

1. Fame. So what of Fame? I guess that fame is a driving force for most tennis players and other athletes. Who doesn’t want to be famous for what they are dedicated to and passionate about? That’s why they enter competitions and they earn a good living from it.

Do you want to be famous? You may say no, but do you post your pictures on Facebook or Instagram or Pinterest? Do you check out your ‘likes’ and do your emotions go up and down with how many or how few you get? All of us who do this are seeking fame. We want others to see our hard- earned work and applaud it. There’s nothing wrong in this, it’s perfectly natural, and for many of us it is the only approbation we will get. So enjoy the fame, however big or small it is!

Up the garden path, oil on board, Plein air 5″ X 7″

Thought you might like to see this plein air painting which came from dedication and passion. You can make me famous by liking it below 🙂

#learningtopaint #Motivationtopaint