When a piece of artwork works, it sings. It cannot help but to.
People wonder how an artist can be so good. How can this painting mean so much? How did they get so accomplished? When you try to emulate it, it is difficult and hard to comprehend how it is that way. It may seem so elegant and so refined, and so incomprehensible. That is because they have found their voice. They have cultivated a lifetime of painting into their art. They have put in the hours and are able. They know who they are. And if it is a child making great art, it is because they have not lost their voice.
When you know who you are and know what you like and what your natural inclination is for, you are able to make art that sings. Art that others want. And if they do not want it and your heart is singing, it is most likely because they can’t see your soul in the art. They don’t know what you are going through when you are creating it.
And if it sings, it will not be long before people will take notice. Yes, it happens where you are not acknowledged for your work in your lifetime, but at least your soul and heart sung when you were making it. And if it is not noticed by humanity, it is noticed by God or whatever you believe in.
There are so many works where the person is accomplished and yes, their heart is probably singing when they are making it, but they are describing a way that is not that great in their art. It is ugly. Disgusting. reprehensible. But at least they got something out of it. At least people have learned something from it. If that thing is only that they know what they do not want, it is still a painting where a human soul was able to express who they are.
Ugly or not, the artist who speaks has a voice and that voice is great when it is singing its own tune. When it is not in tune with society, it is only because society has not caught up yet. And if society has not caught up yet, at least you have put your voice out there into the world and have made something.
In order for your voice to sing, it has to have the core essence of your being. It has to have who you are in its most essential form. For some of us to get there, it takes many years of work and trial and error. We go through stages and make changes in our voice and who we are. It is a part of life as an artist, (and we are all artists to a degree), this changing. This finding. That is the main purpose of art. You make and you find out who you are in the making. You find out who your voice is. Who you are trying to be. Who you are. And what you want and what you are longing for. It is a journal with the divine and it is a journal with yourself, the audience and the rest of the world and life.
Creating a painting is molding your material existence. It is creating who you want to be. It is creating your world. If you are creating monsters, you are becoming a monster and bringing them to you. You are changing your life and molding it in a way that you may not want. Many artists are depressed and sad and in a deep passionate pain. It is not necessary. Cultivate a way to make your work what you want to see in your life. See it as a way to come to terms with all the passionate destruction you have seen, but make it in such a way that your heart sings.
There are some who can take a monster and make it life affirming and make it beautiful. You can change people’s perceptions of what anger fear depression, hate are. You can mold the minds of your audience and make a difference in their lives. Make it a change that you would like to see in yourself. You are creating your future after all. And if you are good enough, you are changing that future of who looks at your art.
Art should be life affirming and energetic. It should bring life to you and your viewers, as creators bring life to worlds. As creators bring life to anything that they touch. If you are depressed, it will show in your work, of course, and it should. But if you are depressed and painting, use your art as the means to work through it. That is the best thing about art. It is creating what you want. There is a certain power that comes to those who are creating their future and it goes for everyone, artist, or no.
Use your skills and desires to mold life into something that you want it to be. Use it to mold the minds of people and change the world for the better. Imagery holds such power when used correctly. That is why every company or corporation has a logo. Art helps you identify what you are doing and experiencing. It helps to view your pain, but if that pain is only showing and causing more pain, then you are not doing it right.
Monsters can be beautiful. They can. Monsters can make you see the power of creation. The sheer power of life. But if you are making something with the intention of causing pain and horror, it is a misuse of your power. Tried and true art is meant to create, not destroy. The true essence of art is that it is beauty encapsulated in faith and integrity. It is a means of living your life. It is life itself expressing itself. And it can be used to manifest your desires. It is the best therapy money can buy. Better than medicine and better than sex in a lot of ways.
The thrill of creating a killer painting (pun intended) is the thrill of creating life itself. It is what is best about life. It is what it all is for. It is what everything has sprung from. And if you cannot paint or draw, you still have creative power. Maybe you can craft a perfect amount of satisfaction in a client or customer. Maybe you can create the right atmosphere for a get-together. Maybe your gift is cooking a great meal. In any sense, the idea is to use your creative power to create something wanted and to move past the pain and heartache. It is life working things out in time. That is art. In any sense.
You can create what you want. You can. It is there for you. You just have to see and understand that what you are focusing on and what you are thinking is creating your life. If you are focused on ugly and fearful things, your painting will produce this. And that is not all that bad, but it is not the best way to put your energy out there.
I love the alien paintings of HR Giger, but because they are painted in such a way that the artist is true to who he is and is expressing his true self and true heart and passion. If you think about it, crafting the right kind of monster is creating a beast that is in you. And if the beast is only there because you want to scare someone, and are not trying to make some sort of positive change in the world, you are just muddying up the system for everyone.
Giger’s alien is there to shake things up and has a certain beauty in it that is unmistakable. Yes, it is a monster, but it combines monstrosity with beauty, and the creator’s spirit and true heart are in the work. Yes it is scary, but sometimes things are deceiving. If you have a keen eye, not everything has to be all fluff and fantasy, but be aware that what you think is beautiful is most likely because it is life affirming if even in a most unconventional way.
If you are unconventional, it is because you are an individual and if you are creating your own individuality, it is beautiful. No matter the convention applied to it. Be yourself most of all and be who you are meant to be. Use your crafting skills to craft something that is life affirming, if even that affirmation is that you are unconventional. Be unconventional, yes; but do it in a way that is progressive for humanity. In a way that is life affirming for those who know what life is.
Life is what you make of it and beauty is the best in life. If you can see beauty in something so bizarre and strange, then it is beauty for you and if it is not, then it is for someone. Don’t put down other’s expressions, for it is only them being who they know how to be. As a creator, you should be aware that it is good sport to allow self expression in all of its forms. Its forms are inherent in who is expressing them and the one who is expressing them should be who they are in their essence and their life affirming self.
What’s life affirming for one is not for another and if you are not moved, move on and keep being who you are. There will be others who may want what you have or want to emulate your soul, but that is only because they recognize your skills. You are talented whether you believe it or not. Sometimes you just have to find your voice.
There is such a large amount of other people to see and appreciate and try to emulate, but when you are doing it, do it to emulate your own higher self first and foremost. It is who you are you are wanting to be in your self expression, your higher self. It is who you are you are wanting to get in touch with. It is who you are who is meant to be expressed. And if you are expressing someone else, it is not art, it is copying. Art is what you are, not what you are trying to be.
You can emulate and be inspired and reminiscent of others, but do it in a way that is you being you, for you are worth it. You are meant to be great. You are. And you are great, sometimes it takes a lifetime of trial and error to see that. Sometimes you never find it. It is a shame not to find it and not to be your own person. You have to get in touch with who you are and who you are meant to be. You are meant to be great. And you are. You just have to find it.
And you will.
When you are ready.
You will..
And you will be who you were meant to be. You will express who it is you are. Who it is you are trying to be and who it is you want to be. You will have life in your hands and hold the power of creating the life you want and the life that is meant to be had. You will be creating what life is supposed to be and changing humanity for the better. You will have made a difference, and if that difference is only in your own life, you will have made all the difference that is necessary.
So change your life for the better. Change for the better of humanity. Change because you are supposed to and be who you are. Be who you want to be in your changing. Be who you are in your expression. Be who you always are meant to be. Be who you want to be and be your own person. First and foremost. Find your voice. For your voice will find you; if you stick to it and do what you were meant to do- be who you are in your truest self. In your truest sense of who you are.
That is where your life lives.
That is where your art lives.
Where you voice is- in your truest expression of who you are. And that is you to a higher degree. You to a degree that you want to be, for you will find it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but you will. It is what life is all about. Finding and being your truest self. That is what you are meant to be. True.
tim.
Tagged: art blog, art inspiration, artist, artist manifesto, be your own person, being yourself, changing, expressing yourself, expression, ideas, individuality, inspiration, motivation, original, painter blog, professional art, The artist's way, thoughts about future, unique, who you are meant to be
