Confidence and Trust

I have confidence in sunshine,
I have confidence in rain.
I have confidence that spring will come again!
Besides which, you see, I have confidence in me!

— “I Have Confidence,” The Sound of Music
Rodgers & Hammerstein

When I was teaching, my students used to get a kick out of the fact that every once in a while I would break into song.

One of my favorites was I Have Confidence from The Sound of Music.

I’ve been thinking about that song lately. I’ve also been thinking about confidence, trust, and résumés.

A résumé can list what I’ve done. It can remind me of exhibitions, teaching, projects, and accomplishments. But confidence doesn’t come from a list of what I’ve already done.

It comes from trusting what I can do next.

I’ve been working on a new series of small drawings and paintings, and I’m pleased to say that some of them will be going to New York in December for Collective Z’s Small Works show.

I’m excited to be showing with Collective Z again. It’s a wonderful small gallery, and I’ve really enjoyed working with Alex Z. Wang.

Will every piece I make be the best piece I’ve ever made? Probably not.

That’s not really the point.

Whatever comes out of that process, it will be the best of me.

Bill Hendricks

 

Three small abstract pen-and-ink drawings with geometric lines, symbols, and machine-like forms arranged on an artist’s worktable.
Three works in progress from the Small Works series, 2026. Pen and ink on paper.

Collective Z is a contemporary gallery and project space on Broome Street in New York, dedicated to artists working in states of transition, tension, and becoming.

— Collective Z

Author: Bill Hendricks -- Shadowmason

I’m a Minneapolis-based artist working in watercolor, gouache, oil, drawing, and mixed media. After teaching art and design for many years, I returned to making art fully. These days, I spend my time drawing, painting, experimenting, and paying attention to what shows up. I often work small. My work moves between observation, memory, and imagination. Some pieces lean surreal. Some stay close to what is seen. What interests me is what begins to emerge when I stay with the work long enough. On my blog, you’ll find both my artwork and my reflections. I’ve come to see they are connected. What I learn in the studio often changes how I see my life, my relationships, and my community. In that way, art has become more than making objects — it has become a way of understanding and being in the world.

Hope you leave your thoughts.

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