What make art? What makes an artist?
These are questions that cross the minds of all creative individuals the world over. No methodology or formula seems complete and the far fetched notion that artists just whip up their artistry out of sheer destiny, luck or madness no longer holds despite the marketing effectiveness of modern entertainment media, galleries or book dealers.
“Start with freedom, not burden” — J. Krishnamurti, Philosopher
The heart of the matter really lies in the intent of the artist combined with the quality of his work. If he’s driven from or by factors outside himself — ideas of what he should make or be — then he’s already at a loss. Ideas (and its associated culture symbols) have no significance in mankind’s search for meaning. The artist has to discover his own way by looking from within. He can not derive his purpose for existence from the external. When he finds reason to create, then his art can, when executed with precision and courage, make culture rather than be made by it.
“Art is what we do, culture is what is done to us.” — Carl Andre, Sculptor
So let’s look at what enables the artist to become who he needs to be and to make what he wishes to make.
Passion
First and foremost there must be an unmistakable drive that comes from the deep love of something. This is the authentic self exercising that undefinable, unmeasurable force upon us. It’s often mistaken for irrational emotion but it’s far more sophisticated. It’s not a conditioned response nor an experience to be fulfilled. This energy — which is benevolent — comes from the inside. It’s not top down but bottom up, a feeling that won’t leave you, prods and nags you regardless of your efforts to ignore or suppress it. It’s what mystics/psychics refer to as intuition, sixth sense vibes or gut feeling. I suspect those who do shove down or bury these strong feelings end up sick, in either the body, mind or both. (Remember, Hitler chose to join the army instead of re-apply to architecture school; leading a fascist regime was apparently easier). And without this deep urge to create even the most gifted artist will fail to persevere throught the trials of becoming a master artist. If you don’t want it bad enough, you won’t do it or stay with it — you will succumb to your fears.
“Our passion for what we most want must exceed our fear, anxiety, and self-doubt. Discard pessimism. Clear it away. Put your eyes fixed on the prize. Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.” — Rumi, Poet
Time
The most common complaint from the modern day artist is the lack of time — time to think, to explore and to play. The artist’s ability to designate and allow for time to work its magic is the artist that makes work that matters. Rushing and efficiency-oriented thinking has an uncanny ability to turn everything into crap. Know this: all good things take time and anything worth doing takes time. So stop trying to save time because it’s a mindset that leads to the most effective way of wasting it. Those artists and organizations that continue to enforce machine-like productivity will get machine-like results; standard fare that’s forgettable in every way. The late great director David Lynch once lamented that he couldn’t make movies under such rigid and rushed schedules for he needed “space to think and to dream.”
“Be a man of value rather than a man of success.” — Albert Einstein, Physicist
Skill
There’s perhaps nothing that imprisons the artist more than his lack of ability. Complain about pressure, time or lack of rersources all you want but nothing is more constraining than weak skills and poor understanding of one’s craft. Having a strong foundation matters. Good design ability matters. These things must be learned and mastered so the artist is then free and confident to create and reach higher ground. With sufficient skill the craftsman can dare to be simple. But this simply can’t be bought or bypassed; money won’t save you here and neither can technology; skill has to be earned. In fact, having unlimited resources and easy accessibility often weakens one’s ability and mental resolve. For example, witness the many artists today who lack appealing design and structure because they neither draw nor understand anatomy or, even worse, the animator who panics when he doesn’t have video reference to copy from. Confidence can’t be faked. Never forget that foregoing quick and easy solutions enables innovation and resourcefulness. Challenging ourselves raises our abilities to take on challenges.
“You’re only kidding yourself if you put creativity before craft. Craft is where our best efforts begin.” — Twyla Tharp, Dancer
Solitude
Our culture condemns being alone. Citing studies of misery, depression and even violent outbreaks as evidence, modern media tells us solitude is something to avoid if not dread. This is very wrong. Having lived around the world and in some of the biggest cities, I’ve seen more loneliness, fear and unhappiness in places populated with people, things and activities than anywhere else. Amongst all that chaos and noise how can anyone hear you? how can you hear yourself? In quiet places, usually amongst nature, the calming, harmonizing rhythms of the universe can be seen and felt. This relaxes the mind. It’s important to note that being alone is not the same as being lonely. Isolation can heal. Purposeful time alone gives us time and space to wonder about things, to find clarity and re-gain sanity. All great and original art has been made during lucid contemplative states — they are rarely, if ever, the byproduct of luck (or drunkenness). Furthermore, all art is ultimately a private affair.
“No one yet has made a list of places where the extraordinary may happen and where it may not. Still, there are indications. Among crowds, in drawing rooms, among easements and comforts and pleasures, it is seldom seen. It likes the out-of-doors. It likes the concentrating mind. It likes solitude.” — Mary Oliver, Poet
Spirit of lightness
It’s not good to take stuff too seriously and especially those things outside of our control. It doesn’t mean we must escape from the horrible and dangerous realities of our plethora of human problems or be ignorant of them — that would be irresponsible and stupid — but we must be careful that we don’t let things outside our agency drain our spirit. Life is hard enough. There’s so much distration in our technologically and commerically obsessed world that being organically human seems almost impossible. So put down your smart phones, take a reprieve from the news. Touch and smells things that are real. Find a lightness to living and to making your art. Be free from fear, free from your thoughts. Let your mind and body breathe, otherwise your art won’t either. Laugh more if only for the saking of laughing (laughing is a great for deep breathing.) Drop things that weigh you down. It’s hard to do anything joyfully when the heart is heavy, burdened by what’s on our minds. Remember, thought is always on the outside and often offside.
“LIfe is wasted when we make it more terrifying, precisely because it is so easy to do so.” — René Magritte, Artist
Labour
It’s pretty simple: do the work. Forget fancy tools, shortcuts or the latest and greatest tech solutions designed to bypass the work. Artists are workmen, we put in the elbow grease. The bullshit notion that it’s passé for the artist to do the actual work is only a propaganda ploy to promote hacks and purely conceptual art (if one can even buy into that!) With the inevitable advancements in Artitifical Intelligence, purveyors of such ideas will soon be out in full force trying, as they might, to redefine what art or an artist is. The future is yet to be seen and only time will tell what we will value. That said, those who know and understand art now, know better, after all those who don’t swim can’t really understanding swimming nor be good swimmers. Genuine artists know that art is not a thing but a process, a practice, a way of living, being, doing and making that opens our eyes and minds, joining us together on the great journey of understanding all the while finding joy and beauty along the way. This only happens with labour. Ideas, afterall, are cheap. Thinking isn’t living. They might steal our art but they can never take away our joy and pride from making it.
“If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all.” — James Baldwin, Writer