Why?Gosh, this is a constant buzz in the back of my head... it's different from the question of what I want my art to be. Here is a "map" called no way around it, that started with a close up of a wing drawing... and became a maze to walk through to the other side... still in process.
So, why did I start this?
- Carolyn Carr, Alice Neel, page 5. "Art was the arena to which Neel retreated when she was confronted with an emotionally troubling situation or an event she could not control. It was the source of her psychic salvation. As she candidly admitted, "the minute I sat in front of a canvas I was happy. Because it was a world, and I could do as I liked in it."
I make art as a way to express things that would make me go mad if I couldn't get them outside of me. I make art to find answers to things that bother me, or gain insights to situations at hand. Most of the time the finished artwork is less important than the act of making it. That is why I so readily sell them inexpensively. I make art almost every single day. It's a way of proving I'm alive, of marking the time as it flies by, of saying something only my soul can speak.
I believe artists make art for a million different reasons. And that's interesting.
Why do you make art?
I make art to share. Ever since I was a little girl my core motivation for creating art was to share an experience with others. Deleuze writes about the role of art and by extension the artist, is the realm of the affect. I believe that IS the role of art. Our emotions can make us feel alive. When art creates a sensation for the viewer, that's a gift. Sometimes art wakes people up, sometimes it reminds them they're alive, sometimes it expands the ways in which they can be alive-when they can have new experiences and develop new neuronal connections. (this, by the way, is not exclusive to art) Usually in small ways, often in minute ways, occasionally in big ways. But these experiences build connections and spark a dialog and that provides a fertile ground for us to connect to the humanity in one another.
ReplyDeleteI'm hesitant to write about why I make art... because I worry I won't sound like a "real" artist. I like the positive feedback I get when I make art. I have discovered that I really like painting murals in public spaces, specifically schools, and I love the many comments like "Wow, you're a really good artist!" while I'm working. I think in a few years I will have more time to think about my own work and I will be able to show up for the Muse again.
ReplyDeleteI make art because I have to. When I schedule a decent amount of time to work in the studio and really focus on my work, it's therapeutic, I get lost in the process and I am a happy and relaxed person. And my work has a message that's very close to my heart--really important to me. As my work has evolved to incorporate that message prominently, it has become more deeply satisfying to create.
ReplyDeleteI make art for many reasons, it is a way to escape the stresses of my other job. It is so I can build a large body of work to show to galleries. I make art to leave a legacy to my children. I make art to sell and provide income. Most importantly I am passionate about my art and I paint to make my soul soar.
ReplyDeleteKATE- Thats what I was thinking of , not only why we make art but what our responsibility is... for the priviledge of making art- what do we give back... that was my next wonder. Art certainly makes me feel alive.
ReplyDeleteCara, you telling me you do school murals?! How magical to work with kids and let them see an adult having fun. There's an immediate feedback and audience. Working like that is generous and hope inspiring. I've gotten much of my identity, since I was a teeny kid, from the show of creating in public. Basically I am a shy person- but when you give me a brush or a crayon I am a performer! AND you have a show at OK Harris opening soon!? Tell me when?
ReplyDeleteSpiderink- that is nice- very succinct and a great statement- I want to see your work!
ReplyDeletePamela- congrats for having a place to go to outside of what your day's about... a day job and kids?? The rest of it- marking your legacy in time, making an income, making a name- worth the struggles... I like the thoughts that have come up about feeling alive, having a message from the heart, having the soul soar... Ya- thats why we do it! And positive feedback helps.
ReplyDeleteI make art because it's fun to do, it's a place that I go where I'm allowed to focus on one thing: making something that's fun or interesting or just "cool looking". Intellectually, I can analyze what I'm doing, where I'm going, how I would explain it if I had to. But when I'm in that space working, for a little while I don't have those ego questions, I'm just swimming and another part of me has taken over that always (well almost always) knows what to do.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS FROM www.nancycrow.com
ReplyDeleteNever, ever do I think about what others expect or want or what will sell, but rather I look at my time in my studio as a process of discovery. I love being inside my brain and pushing myself to think in ever more complex ways because I know the ideas are there for the taking. It’s all about being focused and disciplined and making use of one’s abilities. And about being alone, in solitude, so one can think and feel deeply without interruption. I have definitely grown far closer to myself rather than to others because I see my quiltmaking as my experience which has nothing to do with other people.
I identify who I am with my art work...in other words, I love the work, the experience of making each quilt. It’s my life, my life’s work! I feel lost not doing art, unsatisfied, anxious, bored. Everything else in comparison seems not terribly important. That is not to say I don’t love my two sons or my husband. I love them dearly but I cannot live through other human beings but rather I feel I can live only through using the talents or gifts I was given and to that end, I have always had a sense of time running out.
I believe in just doing it and not looking for excuses because who really cares in the end?
No one but oneself.
I make Art as an expression that bursts out from within. Now since I do it religiously everyday, it is like my spiritual practice and a guide for my life in many ways. It allows me to know what is authentic and what is not. It is my rudder. I did not practice it daily before 3 1/2 years ago. My life has changed dramatically since I committed to my daily practice. Being true to what is inside me and bringing it out on paper or canvas is where my Truth is and then I contemplate it and go from there. I am not always in charge of this. And when I am not - that is when I have succeeded. It is truly a spiritual experience for me. I feel I am in the beginning stages of my work as an Artist. I have only had a taste of the real experience of following my Muse and that is something I crave now. I like the way that I am following my Muse and don't always know where I am going. It is other-worldly and nowhere else in my life is this ethereal energy with my brushstrokes that create the alphabet of my language. Thanks for this platform to have this conversation, Tilly!
ReplyDeleteGRETCHEN YOU HIT IT ON THE NAIL- For me at least it is about showing up daily and letting what is inside burst out. It is a phenomena that doesn't always happen- but is more likely to happen if I show up and practice. When it does it sweeps me from head to toe and I feel connected to some bigger creative power.
ReplyDeleteI make art in part as a way to communicate with others, as if to say, 'There! Did you see that?!' My hope is that my art touches others in a way that is uplifting, challenging when it wants to be, and is a means to contribute to the shared experiences of the greater whole, and best of what it means to be human.
ReplyDeleteIn another way, as a creator, making art is a way to penetrate more deeply into the spectrum of experiences and come away with a greater connection to the mysteries of existence, without the need for decisive answers.
My first art experiences coincided with my first Adirondack wilderness adventures, at a really young age. To have NC Wyeth put into pictures what my fertile imagination was conjuring was a revelation in the powers of paint!
Today I'm finding my art-making encompasses everything I do, from making drawings and paintings to how well I can load the dishwasher! It's all a process of creative engagement, big and small.
Yah! Pieter- art is a communicator and a way of life. Thanks for putting it so well.
ReplyDeleteI make art to soothe myself when I'm stressed. I make art to make sense of the things I see or think. I make art to amuse myself. I make art to explore the things that make us human. Love, hate, pain, joy, disappointment, satisfaction. I make art to discover over and over, the human spirit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog!