A Small Clarification

Wow! what great comments on the last post. Amazing to be surrounded by such thoughtful, creative women. To the point, probably should have explained a little better what was meant by getting my ego out of the way.
1. I want to come to each new work free of the baggage of the last piece.
2.Of course, I want my voice to be visible but not at the expense of the work. This is a hard one to explain but I would compare it to production work. Does that make sense? Where you find a formula and do it to death....never moving beyond that safe place.
3. While it is nice that people like your work, I want to be in a space where the viewer's opinion doesn't effect my approach to the work. My move to abstract from representational this year was my declaration of this premise.
4. Not sounding too metaphysical, I want to step outside the work and let it lead me....instead of me forcing it.

Hope this helps explain my thoughts. Whether I accomplish any of this is yet to be seen, but it is the new approach to my work, successful or unsuccessful. At this point (please no offense meant) in my career, it isn't as important to me to get into every exhibit on the block or even worse, to make pieces that will win big prizes. I just want to do the work so that I can grow as an artist and human being following an uncertain path that leads to many places.