One must be in it and of it wholly. Before a subject can be transmuted aesthetically it must be devoured and absorbed. If it is a painting it must perspire with ecstasy.” — Henry Miller, Writer
Being an artist is both liberating and immensely difficult. Freedom (and authenticity) comes with the price of discipline. Part of that discipline is forcing ourselves to accept the need to be, at times, completely vulnerable. Our art demands it, else it won’t be true nor distinctly ours.
Our logical minds love to get in the way. Rationalizations and the ever-critical left-brain will always do its best to stop us from taking risks. If we hold back, we think that we’ll be less responsible for non-favorable outcomes. But what’s for certain is that we’ll also be far less invested. Perhaps this is why it’s so challenging to find the “best” answers to problems that matter. Creativity won’t lend itself to easy solutions or formulas; we can’t achieve ecstasy without anxiety or pain.
There are no rules to be established, no handy recipes to master, or you will produce nothing but industrial art.” — Henri Matisse, Artist
Sure, there are standards, and if the work is particularly commercial or industrial, then yes, by all means borrow and duplicate; it’ll work, at least for a short while. But if we want to create something new, something exciting, something that lasts, then we must get personally involved. This isn’t popular in today’s large scale corporate culture. Proposals and ideas fostering new approaches or products require research, time and patience — elements viewed as impediments in the drive for short term profits. Furthermore, we all know that groundbreaking work is isn’t easily nor readily accepted. Doing anything new, let alone art, will ALWAYS be challenged.
Art, all art, not just painting, is a foreign city, and we deceive ourselves when we think it familiar. No one is surprised to find a foreign city follows its own customs and speaks its own language. Only a boor would ignore both and blame his defaulting on the place. Everyday this happens to the artist and the art.” — Jeanette Winterson, Writer
Therefore, the artist must remain steadfast and courageous. He must dare to be kind, open and different, to be utterly and completely vulnerable — traits society tells us endanger his very being. But he mustn’t compromise vision or instinct on behalf of fear and insecurity. The monkey brain obsessed with codes and dollar signs — which can carry with them a very convincing allure of certainty — must be ignored.
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” — Erich Fromm, Pyschologist
The irony is that there is no such thing as security. If there’s one thing that’s certain in this universe, it’s change and unpredictability. Taking chances and trying new things is not just a way to find personal fulfillment, but the only way forward for mankind. Unfortunately, as much as man has achieved in terms of industrial advances and new technology, the mindset of society is still one of scarcity as the obsessive concentration of wealth and power — often at the expense of many others — continues to dominate our world. Historical hierarchical structures are no longer efficient or pragmatic in a world of almost 8 billion people with vast means of instant communication. Clinging to the old standards of education and careers for security might, ironically, become the one way to lose it in today’s ever-changing world.
“The only people who get paid enough, get paid what they’re worth, are people who don’t follow the instruction book, who create art, who are innovative, who work without a map. That option is now available to everyone, so take it.” — Seth Godin, Writer/Marketer
I suspect within the next 25 to 30 years, the world will look vastly different from the one that’s in front of us now. Artists and non-artists alike will be taking a more personal and “artistic” approach to living; no dogmas, no rules, no restrictions on how to be. There will be an opportunity, perhaps even a self-driven obligation, to engage in life and doing a craft, whatever that may be, fully attentive and fully committed. A life of connection rather than one of accumulation. Process over product, throughout the day, every day.
To let each impression and each germ of a feeling come to completion wholly in itself, in the dark, in the inexpressible, the unconscious, beyond the reach of one’s own intelligence, and await with the deep humility and patience the birth-hour of a new clarity; that alone is living the artist’s life; in understanding as in creating.” — Rainer Maria Rilke, Poet
Ultimately, we can’t do our best holding ourselves back, producing “safe” work. Nor will we ever find real joy and truth in our actions should we act according to other people’s opinions. Personally speaking, the only regrettable mistakes I’ve ever made always involved choosing an outside voice over my own. That kind of pain stays with you for a long long time.
If you’re gonna fail, it’s better to fail on your own terms and not someone else’s.” — Clint Eastwood, Actor/Director