The Struggle: An Artists Tale
Hello,
When last I left you I gave insight on what it is to walk in an artists' shoes. Though every experience is relative and every outlook is based on personal perspective I am sure you understand that I pull from my experiences that lead to my perspectives on life. So, I am here today to give yet another insight from personal perspective and experience. We will journey the path of self-discovery and being an artist...Enjoy.
In discovering who you are as an artist you inevitably discover who you are as a person. An artist has the unique opportunity to capture life in its purest form and give it back to those who view it. In doing so you also give a part of yourself in that process. One might argue that the person and the artist can be completely separate but I argue that in order to be the artist you have to in fact be the person....confused? "Painting is self-discovery, Every good artist paints what he is" My favorite abstract artist once said, "Painting is self-discovery, every good artist paints what he is" ~Jackson Pollock. This is true for every discipline of art. Jackson Pollock understood that the artist could not be void of humanity itself. You can not separate one from the other. Art itself stems from human experience whether it be positive or negative. Artists are the oldest of historians re-enacting, capturing, documenting, re-creating and displaying moments in time long past for the sole purpose of present viewership, acknowledgement and to learn from it what we can. In essence, art is the epitome of humanity and therefore should not be viewed as a separate entity. So in self-discovery we understand that the journey will be ladened with trials and tribulations. It is because of this that taking a look inside is often shied away from. The thought of knowing, discovering and accepting who one truly is frightening to even the most self-confident of people. However, in the profession of being an artist it is the very act of self-discovery that separates us from the rest. "The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are; the second greatest is being happy with what you find" It has been said that "The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are; The second greatest is being happy with what you find" ~Unknown. Yet as artists we are constantly challenged to look within ourselves in an effort to be as authentic as possible within our art form. "One must embark on the formidable journey of self-discovery in order to create a vision with authentic soul" Hungarian Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi said himself, "One must embark on the formidable journey of self-discovery in order to create a vision with authentic soul." Could you imagine having to constantly come face to face with the truth of who you are? Let me be the first to say it's not always a pretty sight and I don't recommend it without having some time to reflect afterwards! The amount of energy and time an artist spends discovering and re-discovering who they truly are as it relates to the world around them only to convey that truth through their art is immeasurable. I am sure this goes without saying that it can take a toll on a person's emotional and physical state. Maybe that's why people say that artists are crazy. I mean my favorite classical artist Vincent Van Gogh was said to have cut his ear off and then later committed suicide...lol (dark humor). Suicide is NOT and I repeat NOT something to be laughed at or taken lightly! So, how does this relate to one's personal life? Well, I said earlier that art itself stems from human experience. The very experiences that you come face to face with when going through the process of self-discovery. It is in those experiences that truth is discovered, life is renewed and self is reborn. As artists we shed our skin everyday revealing another layer to our humanity and placing it on display to be judged. Through time we learn to deal with those criticisms in the best way that we know how. We become hyper aware of the world around us and how our part in it affects the outcome of any given situation. Those stories we partake in become the very stories that fuel the art we create be it negative or positive. "The story ends up being a journey of self-discovery" ~ Elijah Wood inevitably the very stories that we present as art are nothing more than our journey to self-discovery. So don't shy away from discovering who you truly are, there just might be a Monet hidden within. To all my fellow artists, keep dreaming, keep creating, keep building because when all hope seems lost it is you that they will turn to for solace. "I became an artist and thank God I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life" As one well respected artist once said," I became an artist and thank God I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life" ~Viola Davis. I Love You and I HOPE YOU LOVE YOU
