As an artist I am ruled by my heart ! My thoughts are divergent, like those of a child. I experiment but whilst I listen to others, I weigh up my options, then I follow my own path. To be a child at heart is to be free from worry, stress and to live for the moment.
When I was a young child, my grandmother always used to say money is the root of evil. It took me a while to understand that remark or even care. Caring is an adult, grown up response. Growing up is overrated. I am 72 and I am fiercely independent. It’s only when you loose your parents and or grandparents that you have to answer your own questions and be totally responsible for your actions. As a child at heart, it’s great to have a safety net. I should add that I am an only child so I didn’t have older siblings to watch over me.
Returning to grandmothers and capitalism, my granny taught me a lot. She was not particularly materialistic but had been through two world wars which must have shaped her outlook. She was 22 when WW1 broke out. She had a profession that introduced her to people who had a lot of money but it didn’t seem to have affected her adversely – in fact the reverse was probably true. She valued precious stones and jewelery and must have worked very hard to forge a career, both at an early age and in hostile, misogynistic times. I’m not sure whether it was in the first or Second World War that she worked in a munitions factory, making artillery shells but her career was put on hold. After the hostilities she married and became a mother and housekeeper.
My grandfather was a was hard working taylor and part of a well respected firm of outfitters. He and his brothers started the business and any spare money went into the company rather than the pockets of the directors. That said, the family home was a comfortable detached house in a nice part of town. My mother had a horse and a small sailing dinghy. Her father was what would be described today as “old school”, he said if she wanted a horse she had to save for it and look after it properly ! He taught her the value of money. He also insisted that she had the very best quality tack (saddle, reigns etc) . He didn’t spend money on himself or on foreign holidays and didn’t have a car until much later in life. He too had a horse and rode around the countryside visiting his clients.
Sadly, if you want something you have to earn money to exchange for your dreams. Perhaps this is something our successive governments need to take on board. We import more than we export and we borrow more than we earn. Will the penny ever drop ? Perhaps the economists out there can explain things to this “kid at heart” who only wants to paint and sell the odd painting in exchange for a can of beans !
chriswoodartist 
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