ART OR CLUTTER
“ In the end it all comes down to this: you have a choice (or more accurately a rolling tangle of choices) between giving your work your best shot and risking that it will not make you happy, or not giving it your best shot - and thereby guaranteeing that it will not make you happy. It becomes a choice between certainty and uncertainty. And curiously, uncertainty is the comforting choice.”
~ David Bayles & Ted Orland from Art & Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
Do you sometimes feel like you are just making more clutter rather than creating another drawing, painting or sculpture? It’s easy to feel this way, especially if you are not inspired, or you are just going through the motions so you can call yourself an artist.
It really does help to be inspired and excited about your concept, idea, process, technique or subject matter. If you currently feel as if you are just creating clutter, I would start by assessing your inspiration and motivation levels.
Creating is about so much more than just making stuff. It’s about self-expression, communication, expansion and growth (both as an artist and a human being).
The process of creating is about learning. Learning how to be a better artist. Learning more about yourself, your thoughts and ideas, your subject matter, and about the technical aspects of your chosen medium.
Creating is about thinking, exploring, solitude and meditation. It’s about fun, joy and exhilaration. It’s about challenging yourself and allowing yourself to be challenged. And, above all, it’s about the process, the attempt, and the time spent creating.
Like every other artist I know, I have a huge stack of paintings in a storage area in the corner of my studio (See above photo). But I try and not focus on those. That’s what dumpsters and fire are for. {Smile}
But, seriously folks, I re-purpose my art. If a painting is still around after a year or two, it gets re-purposed into a fresh, new painting. I love doing this. I know this presents it’s own problems, however, I don’t care. I have created some of my best pieces by working over the top of another painting.
Art or clutter. It’s really all about how you look at it. In my world, it’s all about creation. Never clutter.
Best,
David