“The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.”
Piet Mondrian, Artist

Always Be Creating Your Real Work

I encounter so many artists who are waiting to do their “real work” until they have experimented and explored all of the mediums, tools, techniques and styles they think they might need to create their ”real work,” when they finally get to it.

I used to do this and, for me, it was a form of procrastination and perfectionism which, as it turned out, was fear of actually creating my real work. I was afraid to fail. As a result, I never got to my real work.

I was afraid that, if I did not have everything all worked out and learned first, then how could my real work ever have a chance of even remotely being good, or meaningful, or beautiful, or powerful. Which was a lot to ask ( I told myself ).

The reality was that I was afraid to do the work I was meant to do.

I learned that experimenting can let you off the hook. Since you are still experimenting, you can not even entertain the idea of beginning your real work. Experimenting is a much safer place to be.

If someone wants to see what you are working on, you can say, “Oh, I am experimenting, so I am not ready to show you anything new yet.”

As long as you are experimenting, then the experiments cannot and should not be looked at, or critiqued, or judged.

So, here is what I do now. I don’t separate my real work from my experiments. I am always creating my real work. I experiment within my real work. My real work contains the experiments. I fold my experiments into my real work.

This does two things for me.

One, it helps me build momentum for my art-making and my real work because I am always working on it.

Two, it makes me feel more like an artist. Because of this approach, I take myself and my creating more seriously and professionally.

Here is another valuable benefit of combining my real work with my experiments. Experiments, successful or not, just add another aesthetic layer to the painting.

And, often times, my experiments (and accidents) are much better than what I may have done on purpose and intentionally.

Always be creating your real work.

Best,

David