I remember this debate that we would get into back in art school … it went something like this: Does Art create life or does life create Art? (maybe it is still going on …. LOL) and somewhere in the process we would always end up in our own personal inquiry about why we were artists and how meaningful our current work is for us.
There seems to be something missing for may artists/creatives if they are not experiencing meaningfulness in their work. (I don’t mean to leave out the rest of the human race … we humans are always in some stage of uncovering, discovering, remembering, creating and/or fulfilling on our purpose or meaning in life) For many creative people it is more than just a philosophical curiosity … it is a driving force … a personal journey.
WHY do we do what we do? WHY do we create? What do we want to share with others, to give to the world … what is our message NOW? You know what I am talking about … it is the really juicy stuff that is beyond what medium you are expressing in or satisfying your ego for a moment or what price you can get for your work.
I think it is one of the most beautiful things about the many artists I work with … that desire to produce meaningful work or work that matters … to leave others in an experience … to provoke thought … to have their own sense of meaning … to leave a legacy even. It is bigger than them.
The flip side is when we have a meaning crisis and forget or move beyond our WHY. That stage, when what our WHY is eludes us, or no longer seems relevant or has lost it’s value, can be very dislocating. That is UNLESS we realize that perhaps it is simply time to create a new WHY and dig for and create something meaningful again. Maybe it is just time to find what is missing and bring it forth. That process can be scary or exciting … I prefer to think of it as exciting!
Whether life creates art or art creates life … my real question is: Does what you are creating give you life?
Are you doing work that you find meaningful and matters to you right now?
P.S. Thank you for the courage it takes to create … it is such a gift to the world!!!
Great piece! Hopefuly it will help some people navigate crisis, in art and in life.
Why I paint? It is a job I love. It makes me joyous while I do it and I see that reflected in my collectors and ocasional buyers. That elicits feelings of satisfaction and spurs me to paint more.
It is my gift to the world and it is what I do best. It is unimportant if it becomes a larger than life legacy. I put them out and they do their own job and find their audiences and change the energy of the space they are in.
In essence, doing what I am doing brings out a lot of love, peace and harmony into the world. What else could I possible ask for?
Lidia – Thank you so much for sharing your why AND THANK YOU soooooo much for your gift to the world …love peace & harmony is definitely something this planet can use more of and I am sure your pieces do an incredible job of that!!! By the way … I went out & took a look at your work … fabulous … full of light and joy!!!
It’s true, if we can’t define our why, we seem to lose our way and meander through streets of familiar (or unfamiliar) road blocks and repetitive thinking.
I shoot images, scenes, landscapes and people because it gives my creativity an outlet. Photography allows me to be my best self; working on the fly, seeing something new and getting inspired to capture it in a beautiful manner. Other people fuel me and keep me going with their thoughtful words and use of my imagery.
I am thankful that I’m able to make money by doing things that I love: traveling, meeting new people and exploring new areas!
Thank you, Sarah, I love that you have your Whys AND it sounds like you soooooooo enjoy and are grateful for what you do that it makes me smile!!
So many good articles i read here, i think you can make creativevisionsrising.com go viral easily
using one tricky method. Just type in google:
Ildis’s Method To Go Viral
Thank you, Aja – I will check it out!
This piece is great Kym. Welcome to my website and have a look. Can you all see why I create art? http://www.jacquelinevandervenne.nl
YES!!!!! Your work is amazing & filled with your passion!!! Thank you for giving all of that to the world, Jacqueline!!!