Being & Becoming an Artist
I’ve been hovering around several blogs commenting on 1) being an artist, and 2) becoming an artist. I need to begin here with my own exploration of being/becoming by stating, that so far the best handles (definitions) I’ve arrived at for what art is, and what an artist is are these; ART is highly-skilled creative expression, and ARTISTS are persons who must make art.
I don’t mean to sound all uppity and intellectual. It’s just that I’m struggling to find my own way. It seems to me being/becoming is a huge aspect of what art and art-making’s all about; discovery and self-discovery.
ART: Highly Skilled Creative Expression
As I’ve written here before about Contemporary Art, there’s very little about it that is either “highly skilled”, nor “creative”, nor “expressive.” And it’s certainly not for lack of training. Most of those who participate in the contemporary art world have earned at least a BFA, and many more hold MFA’s. So what I’m talking about has less to do with training, than well developed, well applied skills of creativity, excellence, and meaningful expression.
ARTIST: Must Make Art
I’ve worked with, talked with, commiserated with creative people at all stages of their creative careers. One central discovery which has lead me to my own definition of what I call a “true artist” is the idea that a true artist must make art. From Julia Cameron, through Madeleine L’Engle, to Eric Maisel, right into my own experiences and conversations; everywhere I turn some highly creative person is suffocating from a lack of opportunity to make their art. I won’t bore you with my own story of this experience except to say that it was arduous.
Which brings me to the part about discovery and self-discovery; the art-making I do, and that I watch others make very often contains the adventures of discovery and self-discovery. It seems to me that well applied discovery, implies growth, and with growth comes heightened abilities; the development of talents, and better skills.
This is what I dislike about the oft re-quoted saying that, “Everyone’s an artist.” I believe that everyone is creative, but certainly not that everyone is an artist. There’s only a handful of people who experience the suffocating effects of being denied (or of denying themselves) the opportunity to pursue highly skilled creative expression. As well, that same handful are driven to make meaning; to interpret, translate, and communicate.
Being
As for “being” an artist, well to my mind, there must be a willingness to pay the price of discovering and developing one’s skills and talents. I’m one of those artists who struggles with my creativity. It doesn’t come to me as it did to either Mozart, or Conan Doyle, already finished in their heads. No, I’m like so many others I encounter; we have to search, and experiment, and make wonderful mistakes, and feel our way toward the finished work. It’s a journey akin to chopping my way through a jungle of fears and excuses, the judgements and opinions of others, and my own self-doubts to uncover something of creative meaning. It’s a process I’ve discovered about myself, and have come to embrace it.
I’ve also found that “being” an artist is a life-choice; a 24/7 openess to input, ideas, and inspiration. It’s often a perception of the world others usually find odd, different, and even peculiar. It’s a willingness to grapple with this stuff and figure out a way to live with it, to get it out in some kind of creative manifestation, and share it with others.
Becoming
Becoming an artist; well to my mind, that’s a life-long pursuit. It’s a choice to get into the trenches and commit to whatever it takes. I remember popping out of college, degree in hand, feeling so finished and complete. Like my peers I was ready to make my mark in the world. Because school was behind me I figured that I had learned just about all I needed in order to get out there and make my art. Are you laughing yet?
In the daily process of art-making, I quickly learned that what I left school with was merely an ability more akin toward imitation than to originality. Little did I know that the wondrous journey of discovery had only begun. And I think most artists begin this way. I see it in young artists of all media all the time; they begin with what little they know, and that’s usually only what they’ve studied in school. I was no different.
It has taken years, decades even, to be willing to make this mistake ridden, experiment laden journey to find out who and what I am, and then to see my own creative voice emerge from all of that experience. And on it goes, the daily joy of discovery, and development; of growth in self-awareness and abilities.
Some additional perspectives and insights;
Making Meaning | The Cult of Genius | Sarah Jane Gray
jeffberryman | Don’t Forget What You’re Doing | Jeff Berrymen
Stone Works | The Need to Pay Attention | Luci Shaw
Would love to hear your views and experiences;
How do you realize the idea of “being an artist?” What does that mean to you? How do you pursue “becoming” in your art-practice? As it pertains to your art-practice, what does “being” and “becoming” mean to you?
Creative Journeys: A Path of Discovery
As I look forward from the current showing I have up to what’s next for my work, I am reminded of the creative journey I’m on, and how I’ve come to this place.
A lot of artists I read about talk of how they’re engaged in “process,” or how the materials drive the “making.” While I agree with both of these motivations, mine is much more about the discoveries which emerge throughout the journey of making. As long as I’m willing to get up, get into the ArtRoom, and become open to the possibilities, I am taken on a journey of, “What about this? What if we added these? How about this? What’s that do for it?”
I find it useful to revisit my creative journey simply because it causes me to make course corrections; to realize the fertile place from whence came my current work; to appreciate the fact that I’m not stagnate, but am developing new elements to the work I’m making. I revisit the journey, less to justify what I’m making than to reground my choices. It’s a lot like checking and rechecking the road map along the way.
What’s most fascinating to me about checking where I’m at and where I’ve come from are the serendipities along the way. Art, when it’s merely nurtured and not mauled into submission, has a tendency to take me places I’ve never imagined. These discoveries are priceless gifts because I’ve chosen to live in a creatively nourishing and nurturing place.
The creative garden doesn’t grow unless it’s got lots of chicken pooh and compost all thoroughly turned in to the soil. The garden needs seed, sun, water, and frequent attention, and without forcing it into being, the fruits of my labors emerge. They timidly break the ground seeking the light of life. They begin simply, undeveloped, and hungry for water, air, and the light of day. Like a new fruit tree, these new works need pruning and gentle guidance to encourage them to produce the best fruit.
Last Friday night while at the ArtFx Gallery responding to questions, one young lady asked me if I know what I’m going to be doing next. I told her that I’m incredibly excited because I have a sense of the next steps out ahead of me, and I can’t wait to get back into the ArtRoom and begin working on them. Through my Morning Pages (Julia Cameron), art journal, and sketchbook, I always have something creative in development.
The future – the near future – is filled with many possibilities waiting to be explored. It is in those explorations that I will find new works, new processes, and new bodies of work.
Are you on a creative journey? Is it something you review from time to time? How do you feel your way forward creatively? Creatively, what are you nurtured and nourished by?
Have Courage. Don’t think too much. Live and create in Faith.
After the Party
You know how it is when you’ve hosted a really good party. There’s bits and pieces of stuff lying all around; shreds of streamers, dirty dishes, empty glasses. It’s the stuff of friends and family having been there. It all looks just as if they have simply had fun, said “Goodbye,” and walked away. Their presence and laughter almost hangs in the air.
That’s what the ArtRoom looks looks this morning; a brush rests in the water pot, the hair-dryer sits on the worktable, a press block has not been put away yet. It’s a scene of something having just happened. It bumps the heart for a moment. My usual reaction to the morning after a party is to savor the memory; to hear our guest’s voices again; to capture the fleeting scent of the moment. In the end, a party becomes an ethereal memory in just a heartbeat.
The really great thing about art-making is that it’s up to me to start another “party.” It’s my job to straighten up the ArtRoom a bit and get back to making more artworks, because in art-making, the fun never stops.
At the ArtFx Studio Gallery, where I currently have a show on view, I’m available on the evening of the First Friday ArtWalk there in Fremont. I get to answer people’s many fascinating questions and enjoy their reactions to the body of work on display. I love listening to them because I learn a lot about their perceptions to the work. I get to share in their own personal revelations as they engage the many pieces hanging on the wall. And in this case, since these works deal with the art of quilts, I’m gifted with their stories about quilts; everything from how they make their own quilts, to their recollections of quilts they own. It’s priceless.
But there’s still the morning after the party. The ArtRoom’s empty. There’s no new work on the tables waiting for the next steps of making, and there’s no regret, remorse, or after-party let down. I simple get to make more. I get to begin at the beginning and make more paperstock, and create more collage quilt blocks, and group them into new and exciting pieces of new artworks.
What happens next is entirely up to me. The Gallery Reception was fun, and there’s another just a month away, and I’ve moved on to the next generation in my work. But there’s little time to sit and savor what’s done and gone. Right now it’s time to get back to work creating art that engages conversation, contemplation, and brings a little beauty into people’s lives.
Happy Creativity!
