Artists are an odd lot. Some (very few) are geniuses – most are not, but we all think we are. Except those who believe that they have nothing to say, no one to say it to, and who cares, anyway? Can an entire sub-class of humans have bipolar disorder? As a group? Seems so. Why is that? Can anyone be an artist? What is an artist?
Okay, ‘can of worms’ time. I’m about to broach a subject that almost no one can agree on, everyone has an opinion on, and the ones who yell their opinions the loudest usually don’t know anything about the subject, anyway. Sounds like fun – here goes.
I’ve been an artist, in multiple disciplines, for most of my life – at least fifty years. In that time, I’ve come up with an idea or two on the subject. First off, art requires more than talent. It also requires more than inspiration, but we’ll get to that. Talent is a nice start, but the artist has to truly buckle down and learn the tools and techniques of the craft in order to be any good at it. I’ve had others disagree strongly with this point, but I see it as inescapable. Picasso famously stated that he had no use for any painter who didn’t sit in front of their easel for at least eight hours every day. Presumably the artist in question wasn’t merely daydreaming, sleeping or picking their nose the whole time. Yes, Picasso was known for his abstract paintings, but he was also one of the finest realists of his day. Writers constantly tout the maxim – ‘A-B-C’: Apply Butt to Chair. Actors are always taking classes, dancers are always dancing, musicians usually practice for many hours every day. Why? Because if you don’t work at it, you don’t get better. And if you don’t get better, you get worse. Sux, but truth.
Art is less about inspiration (though that does occur – more on that later) and more about active observation. Art shares this trait with science, believe it or not. Artists look carefully at the world, draw it in through their noses, their pores, their ears – then process it through the twisted mishmash of their individual psyches, informed and diffracted by their life experiences, and finally splash the result across a canvas or a stage or a sheet of paper. The intention is to show people around us what we’ve seen and what we think of it. It’s a messy process. Where art differs from science is that art has rules, dammit. Science is mostly messing around with stuff that intrigues you, then writing down the results. The math comes later. Prove me wrong.
Art talks to you. I’m not referring to the audience, here. Yes, you’re important, but I’ll get to you. Art talks to the artist, tells her what it wants to be. Some art whispers, some bops along to its own tune (occasionally in a language the artist doesn’t understand), some art cusses and fumes, some shouts and throws furniture around. Most of the best artists I’ve known over the years seem to embrace the louder forms. Is it any wonder the Greeks and Romans insisted that all art came from otherworldly spirits called Muses? Inspiration or ‘in spiritu’ in a literal sense. Many artists, even today, would agree with this. For all our work and honing of the craft, there comes a point where many artists fall back on trusting an intelligence which doesn’t precisely inhabit their bodies. I think this is backwards – the falling back, I mean. We do need to start the process by getting down to the business of art – the ‘grind’ in some people’s view – but by doing so, we invite the Muse into the process, and as long as we can stay open to ‘outside inspiration’, the whole event can work as smoothly as possible under the circumstances. In my own case as a writer, I usually start with a rough idea (I have tons of them), sit down and start writing the first paragraph. Typically, by the time I hit the third paragraph, I’m ‘in the zone’, if you will. This doesn’t always work, especially with the longer forms (novels), but for the most part things roll along just fine. It’s a fun and exciting way to work.
Editing is an absolutely necessary part of any artistic endeavor. As Hemingway put it: “The first draft of anything is shit.” Do better than that, I dare you. After the first rush of creation is done and you’re catching your breath and changing the sheets, you’ll start to see little things in your magnum opus that annoy you or seem incomplete. Make a note of them and wait. Depending on your schedule, or patience, you should wait a few days or a week to change anything. If you’re working in acrylics, you only have minutes. Oils, a few days. But change things, change everything if you need to – as long as it makes the end result better. In terms of words or music, shorter is usually better. Gives the remaining notes more punch.
Finally – the audience is as much a part of the artistic process as the artist (told you I’d get back to you). A painting which no one sees doesn’t exist, a play no one watches doesn’t happen, a story no one reads is just literary masturbation. Art is a form of communication and there must be a speaker and a listener for communication to occur. Any art the artist produces only for himself is just practice. Furthermore, there must be feedback for the process to be both useful and rewarding. Put more succinctly, audiences need to support the arts – with their applause, their admiration and their money. Art lifts up the soul of the viewer (consumer) as much as it salves the soul of the artist. Cities that embrace the arts become more beautiful and attract more tourists. Art lovers that support and encourage local artists help keep the body count from suicide under control. Not actually kidding. Make it a habit to take time out and go to a neighborhood gallery, see a local theatre production or listen to live music. Your show will still be on Netflix next week – you won’t miss it.
So, artists are an odd bunch. And while anyone can exercise some creativity, I would insist that artists are actually uncommon as well as weird. But we are essential to the functioning of society in ways that are not usually considered. For instance – the fact that artists can be mildly psychotic or hallucinogenic bleeds off the negative energy of the society around them, making the body politic healthier in an odd sort of way. The audience reads the story, looks at the painting, listens to the music, and without knowing all the physics and metaphysics of the transfer, feels better about life and the future. Surely that’s useful – and worthy of your approval. Your donation at the door is kindly appreciated.
TGC