By During my childhood, whenever I was given a choice between two things, I always said I wanted both. So much so, my father used to jokingly call me ‘both’ sometimes.
Recently, I came across a French painter called Paul Gauguin. It is very rare in the field of art to find a practical and pragmatic painter. In fact, it is often thought that a pragmatic person cannot become a painter. Gauguin is a self-taught painter; he learnt the nuances of painting while he worked his 9-5 job, through his painter friends.
Most of the big names in the field of painting are those that have given up everything just to be able to paint. Take the case of Vincent van Gogh, for example. He gave ever up everything for the sake of art- literally- and in the end ended up shooting himself owing to his mental illness. Despite belonging to a well-to-do family, he lived frugally his entire life and traded his grocery money for his painting supplies.
More often than not, examples are shown to inspire young students. They illustrate a person sacrificing much for art, giving up everything for love of art. You can tune into any reality TV show (usually on singing or dancing) and the contestants always claim on how they have given up everything for their talent.
In fact, those who say to give up their 9-to-5 job and follow your passion are actually propagating this train of thought- that it is worth giving up everything for the thing you love; for even if you fail; for you will not have the pain of regret.
Gauguin’s life answers those who claim that love requires giving up all else. It shows that devotion can coexist with other pursuits. At the age of 23, Gauguin worked as a stockbroker. On weekends, he used to travel to the countryside in order to pursue his hobby of painting. He did this for a number of years, balancing his career as a stockbroker. Later on, when the stock market crashed severely, he had to face financial setback. That is when he decided to earn only through his paintings. It took him sometime until he could see success.
Indeed, this is not a comparison of van Gogh and Gauguin. Both had limitations and ideas about the life they wished to lead. Van Gogh’s paintings were sold for millions, just not while he was alive. Gauguin, on the other hand, lived life to the fullest with all its luxuries and practiced painting along with it.
Gauguin is an example that you need not always have to choose- you can have the best of both worlds. If you have the will, you need not give up anything- you can have it all.
The picture used in this post is a painting by Paul Gauguin titled 'Mahana no atua' or 'Day of the God'
