That Workaholic

"WHY HAVE I NEVER BEEN BORED? For more than fifty years I have never ceased to work." -Henri Matisse

To have been able to utter such a quotable quote, Matisse must have been a workaholic, as most artists are. But contrary to how we define and use the word workaholic in this day and age, I believe there should be another definition of it, outside of its association with neurosis, compulsion or anxiety.

Being a workaholic must also have to do with a certain kind of passion; for excellence, for perfection. It may not necessarily be a need to work for works' sake but to work en route to a vision. Like Matisse and other creative types -be they writers, inventors, performers or artists- work is not work as we know it. Work is craft.

So as I hope to develop the same kind of workaholism like Matisse's, I marvel at his very unbelabored-looking works -quite a contradiction don't you think?

Paintings by Henri Matisse, images from www.henri-matisse.net