Start Where You're At

Is there a myth to the idea that inspiration must be with an artist for the artist to create?

I think this is something that most artists struggle with.

I know I do.

There really isn’t anything like being in the process of creating.  Whether I’m sitting with pen and pad, charcoal and sketchpad, or behind the camera or computer, I’m at my best when I’m creating something.

You’re probably the same.  You’re probably at your best when you’re creating something.

If, as artists, we don’t need inspiration to create then what do we need?

Perhaps it’s the idea of creation as a response?

Theoretically we respond to anything.  You respond to emotions of rage, anger, love, lust, etc…aren’t those emotions enough to trigger something – anything – that can, in turn, work itself through creation?

Start where you’re at.

I’m doing that now.  Just writing about creating is, in itself, an act of creation that can trigger responses to my lack of production in the past couple of weeks.

While it may feel forced at times I think it’s worth noting that forcing yourself to be creative from time to time can actually be an enormous gesture.  Especially if you embark on this forced journey with no goals in mind. Perhaps it allows a subconscious idea to emerge that can transform into a new project or direction in your artwork.

Art Is All About Starting Again

Art is all about starting again.

Throughout my life as an artist I’ve faced (and so far beaten) that tendency that every single artist faces from time to time.  Some artists are able to beat it but most aren’t.

That tendency?

Quitting.

We aren’t talking about stopping.  We’re talking about quitting.  Never picking up the brush, the pen, or the camera again.

There is a difference.  I’ve stopped making art for days, months, even years at a time.  But I’ve never really quit.  I’ve never lost that core thing inside of me that gives me my identity as a person.

I hope that I never lose it.

In truth, I don’t think I could.

I do wonder though;

Why do so many artists just quit?

Why do they let their brushes go dry?  What makes them pack up their cameras never to use them again?

Is it fear?

Sometimes I think that discovering the answer to this question would somehow help prevent me from becoming an art quitter.  Another failed artist.

I don’t mind “failing” really.

I don’t think I really will fail to be honest and not quite so freakin’ humble.

I just figure that I’ll be too stubborn or shortsighted to know that I’ve failed and I’ll die trying.

I think I’m okay with that.

Own It

Original.

Overrated.

Obstacles in our paths.  That’s what both of these words represent to me.

One is the quest for making your own mark in the world.  The thing that sets you apart.  The idea or vision that every artist truly attempts even if they search for it in the works of the masters of the past.  This can take more than a lifetime.

One is the idea that once we “make it” someone, somewhere, has the ability to completely denounce our hard work and possibly end our career (even before it’s really began).  The art world is brutal and fickle.  It can be maddening to entrench yourself in this arena and even more maddening to find yourself a spectacle instead of a gladiator.

Over it.  That’s how I have to be when these thoughts creep into me.  I have to strive past the idea that true originality is unattainable.  I have to suppress the fear that someone out there, without any control of my own, can “make or break” my career.

Own it.  I own it.  I own my art.  I own my path.  I own my career.

25 Random Things About My Art

This is an exercise.  Try it.

1. I love art.  No really.  I LOVE art.  I love how art can take people to a whole other place and how art can bring people into themselves.  I love how it’s transformative and how it’s timeless even when it can be timely or tired.
2. I love how photography limits what I can create.  It keeps me from being able to completely manipulate a scene while forcing me to find angles and use equipment to tell the story or spread the idea.
3. I have a really bad memory.
4. I write things down so I don’t forget them.
5. I photograph people, places, and things so I don’t forget them.
6. I’m genuinely scared that someday I’ll forget too much.  I’ll forget why I do what I do.  I’ll forget who I am.  I’ll forget why I love the things in my life that I love.  It scares the shit out of me.
7. I can be highly emotional.
8. Movies, books, and art have a big influence in my life.  They make me feel.  They help me relax and they fire me up.  They inspire me to be a better human.
9. I’m scared my kids will grow up in a world without culture.
10. I listen to music almost all day long.
11. I dance when no one is looking.
12. Sometimes I sing in the shower.
13. I hate reality TV.  I really do believe that it’s ever growing popularity will trigger the downfall of our society.  Or something like that.
14. I wish I never had creative blocks.  But sometimes I’m thankful for those breaks.  It gives me time to reflect.  Even if I’m reflecting on how much my creative blocks suck.
15. I secretly (okay not so secretly) want my kids to grow up to be creatives even though I know how hard it can be both personally and professionally.
16. I think technology is pretty freakin’ awesome.
17. I believe in humanity and progress.
18. Even when I’m scared for our future I’m optimistic about it because I see so much passion in the art that comes out of the young.
19. I want to create the kind of art that makes people stop and think or feel.  Even if it’s only for a split second in their hectic lives.
20. Sometimes a great piece of art can literally take my breath away.
21. The idea of working at a desk for someone else, for the rest of my life, for something I don’t believe in, is almost worse than the idea of spending the rest of my life in prison.  If I didn’t have a family it would probably be equal.
22. I’m compelled to make art because it’s what I believe in.
23. I am one of those people who never stopped believing that art can change the world.
24. I believe that great art is supposed to make you think…
25. Did I mention that I love art?

Back To Work

I often worry about over-reflection.

I think most of the people in my life worry about the same problem.  Not so much “over-reflection” on their part.  No, rather, I think most of my loved ones and close friends worry about the deep places I go to during these times of reflection.

They worry about my over-reflection.

I suppose that’s why I refer to it as “over-reflection” rather than simply “reflection”.

This also happens to be the reason I don’t take pain medications anymore.

I’ve been tired, sore, groggy, busy, bored, uninspired…physical therapy sessions will do that.  At least this is temporary.  At least I’m not facing surgery again.

An old injury flairs up and I become almost worthless.  At least I caught up a little on my Hulu and Netflix?

Back to work!