— My first ever guest blog post. This should be a good read. “AWAKE” artist August Naude of South Africa sent me an article he wrote up titled “A Quandary … (This Sound Familiar?)” and I think it definitely worth sharing. So grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy . . .

There are many, many Facebook posts in both of the AWAKE groups. Then there are all the many comments and replies. And this is excellent, because people learn, grow, and become formidable when they work together in like-minded groups — creating trust, obtaining support, and developing almost a fraternity (of aspiring artists, in our case).

And support is important. Because so many of us need it.

Have you read about the many of us starting over, and some of us going back through the “21 Days to Creative Abundance” (some of us several times over)?

And have you noticed the many doubts we have, and how insecure some of us are?

Have you read about some of us who simply cannot believe we are talented enough, and have you seen how we continually compare our work to others in the group, and say, “I’ll never be this good … ”?

Then there are the laments of the limited time we have, and our worries about the fact that we are falling behind while one masterpiece after another keep flying past us on the group page.

And then there is Sebastian … watching all of this, checking in on all of the groups and all its derivatives on Facebook, as well as working to encourage us through his posts and on his blog at Quill & Camera. Some of his posts seem almost written “in reply” to all the concerns and all the self-doubts mentioned above …

But does Sebastian really understand how “difficult” this artistic life can become? This is something I’ve wondered about.

Here is my story, fresh from my journal. It’s a true story – almost a case study, even …

Throughout the “Core” content in AWAKE and the posts on Quill & Camera, you’ll find any number of pointers or bits of encouragement and inspiration. Some of them are worded quite strongly. But that can be a good thing. And I decided to test them in my own artistic journey.

I quote some content from Sebastian below:


“Plan to work harder. As you come up with ideas that excite you, plan to put in the work to bring them about.  And then plan to put in MORE work to make them really good.”


“It’s funny how carefree and uninhibited little kids can be … and how uptight and stressed out we become as adults. And holy cow, we artists tend to get REAL crazy. Worry, self-doubt, frustration, creative angst … stuff like that just doesn’t occur to a 7 year old armed with a paint brush.”


“In working with as many artists as I do, I see this all the time. Otherwise sane human beings, competent and capable adults — all but crippled under the worry and fear that their creative work might not ‘measure up,’ that someone might judge them and think they aren’t any good.”


“Lots of WORK. Meaning lots of PLAY, of course. You should love what you do, but you DO need to put in the hours. To become a great photographer, you need to get out there and create a lot of photographs. You need to experiment, try new things, get outside of your comfort zone. (Never doubt this. All growth takes places just outside your comfort zone!) To become a great photo artist, you need to push your work further and further. And that takes time, effort, dedication to mastering your craft.”


“Rather than stress and fret over it though — it’s just ONE image, remember — better to just dive back in and create some more art. Send in something else next month.”



“Enough. This moment is MINE. Go away for now. This act is not trivial. It takes courage.”


So there I was, armed with all these exhortations … along with my camera, and with my family in the car … and off we went to the coast. Determined to be courageous!

MISSION: TREE TRUNK IN THE SEA.

Nothing more, nothing less. I was going to build this so-called “one image”: a tree trunk in the middle of the sea. I had the courage, I was out of my comfort zone, I was going to put ALL OF ME into this composition. And I was actually quite relaxed about it, because I went into the mission prepared to work like hell. The moment was MINE.

All I had to do was to travel 4,000 kilometers to the Wild Coast and back, find a rock with some water splashing against it (real rocks with real waves, mind you), find some logs and branches on the beach, and somehow find myself a tree trunk.

Now, I knew the sun had to shine in the same direction onto the trunk, the water and the branches. So I was ready for that. And I knew I would have to climb some rocks, which might prove quite large and dangerous.

But I did that too. And yes, I slipped and fell a number of times (and I still have the scars to prove it — there was blood everywhere!)

Oh, wait … did I mention the model?

Well, my dearest wife just had to fall in and help – I mean, this was going to be THE moment.

So yes, she did go into the cold water … wearing an evening gown. And yes, the waves got hold of her and she disappeared under the water again and again. But all this was for a good cause. And remember, the sun had to be at the right angle, so we did not have much time to shoot!

We then walked for many kilometers to gather the right branches and capture photos of those as well, with just the right lighting. I even discovered the most awesome tree trunk.

So truly, you can see I worked at this!

My wife worked too. We defined work. And I was content. I smiled from ear to ear, even catching a blue fish midway through my experience. I HAD IT ALL.

I, Gus Naude, was going to create THE most real and artistic composition of my life. And I would titled it something grand: “Captivity.”

But then, after all this … because I was inspired later that night, and I just had to see what was going on in AWAKE while I was away… I walked up the hill to get internet access (remember this was the Wild Coast) and I logged onto Facebook and then … DISASTER!

Why disaster?

Because there it was! One of THE best artists in AWAKE, the very father of tree trunk compositions, the one and only Phil Clark had posted the most stunning, the most perfect composition …

It featured a gorgeous model, blended with a tree trunk (!), with real water splashing all around (!), the whole thing toned perfectly, with the most amazing lighting …

How was this possible?!

I mean, look at this (published with the permission of Phil Clark):

My moment was gone. I was too late. Self-doubt from all angles kicked in, because Phil is clearly the better artist. I am simply not as good as he is. After all these months of creating art, the professional’s art intimidated me.

I honestly believed that I could NOT have worked harder on my photo shoot … I mean, come on! It was terribly frustrating.

How could I even hope to begin assembling my image in Photoshop? My work would never measure up against Phil’s composition. My opportunity, my one great image … was undone! And I say this with all the respect in this world. You have only to look at his work. It was incredible.

So I sat down. And I began to STUDY what he had done.

I could only admire (deeply admire) what he had accomplished. But then … that admiration led directly to inspiration. And the inspiration gave way to fresh ideas. And those ideas started multiplying …

And I suddenly realized I was smiling again!

After 30 minutes of staring at Phil’s work , everything suddenly came back to me — and I found the courage to dive back in. Because I realized that his work was his, and it was great, but THIS moment was still MINE.

I learned through that realization that WORK also means involving my heart and soul. Work does not only mean the physical effort of driving across the country and putting together a complicated photo shoot. Because the idea I had come out here with was just another photo — not the ultimate image only I could create from it all.

I continued to reflect on this as I walked down to prepare dinner. I looked at the scars on my arms and legs and smiled even more. Yes, I had worked. But the real work had only begun. And as I walked into our kitchen, I hugged my wife. Then I said aloud: “Phil Clark, you champion! I owe you one!”

As Sebastian wrote: “It’s not just what our artists are creating. It’s who they are becoming. And that’s what excites me the most to see.”

Through this trip, through this experience … I had become something more than I had been when we had first set out.

And when we arrived back home and I switched on the PC … it all came together.

Forget despondency or self-doubt or comparing myself to others. Excitement and FUN once again ruled the day!

Thinking of Phil Clark, thinking of every member of AWAKE, Sebastian’s words ring in my ears still: “As an artist, you shouldn’t be worrying about feeling ‘confident.’ Forget all that. Because here’s the thing: Declaring yourself an artist is not about confidence at all. It’s about COURAGE.”

And by god, I had displayed mine.

Gone was the doubt.

I put on my earphones, cued up Pavarotti … and one week later, I was finished.

And I was happy.

– Gus Naude