In a visit to an artist friends’ loft, recently, I learned that I want to start living more like an artist. Does this mean the dark or weird side of the artistic cliche, the Van Gogh ear cutting incident comes to mind. No, the type of living I mean is those few that have found a way to make art their life and living-they have a freedom about them, an open mind to new adventures without reacting as much or at least not showing the stresses we all share living on a daily treadmill.
I don’t feel like we ever truly notice this treadmill scenario until we get a chance to step off for a moment. This does not mean going on a vacation where the treadmill is the same with just a different process; have to go here than there, have to eat at a certain time, stay on budget-this change simulates the standard treadmill but adds a new environment for the stress to lessen. We are rewarded with a change in thought and a relaxed state but we don’t actually feel that feeling of clear thinking and exploration of who we are and what in life is our passion. I suggest going somewhere, somewhere nature is abundant or the environment is different enough or dramatic enough to be a great backdrop for thought and relaxation, once there do what you feel like doing at the time, no plans, no expectations and suddenly instead of a vacation you have a introspective moment away from your life. You are able to understands things clearer, be excited about thoughts and ideas and be motivated to achieve what you have been envisioning in your life, this is the feeling I have gotten only recently and the difference between the two types of vacations are quite dramatic.
Through this introspection I have realized, I don’t want to keep painting the same landscape, perfecting the same effect or even seeing the landscape the same. I want to tell stories in my paintings, subtle stories that the viewer can fill in with their experience or memory so each painting becomes the viewers own story or idea relating to their own lives and background. I have decided to take more chances and err on the side of failure and exploration rather than safety and success.
In the past I have been driven to create art that fits into a preconceived style or subject matter that i felt I was capable of. It takes confidence and security to step out of the norm and paint what you feel like regardless if its good and relying more on the fun and open expression of paint or whatever other medium you would choose. When I was very young I would do puzzles, I enjoyed finding the tiniest detail out of the large picture and identifying an insignificant patter out of the larger whole, this I believe strengthened my eye for detail. As I got older I found it very hard to do a puzzle in my free time because the time I spent could be better served painting or creating something that was mine, I still agree with this thought and don’t intend on getting back to puzzles anytime soon but the idea of the puzzle is still a significant one in my desire to live more as an artist. To learn more and get better, I believe an artist must take chances, get out of the box and have fun even if, like the puzzle idea you’ve seemed to have wasted hours playing. I believe playing and exploring is a part of what makes the creative side see things that might not be readily be seen by the more logical side of our population.
Logic and order ignores that which is not obvious, sees things as a standard and ignores comparisons to non-like things, this is directly contrary to the artist’s way, we must see things in a different state, see things that are not actually there in the obvious standard fashion. I realize now how abstract painters see things out of chaos, creates form and excitement out of colors, patterns and texture. There are so many reasons we create, I want to create for the joy and for the success of capturing what I see and showing it to a viewer in a way they haven’t seen it before, I don’t want to be a formula painter that paints the same landscape and beauty over and over without the viewer being able to inject themselves or feel something from the finished work. I want someone to say, I feel scared, cold, I remember a childhood memory, anything other than just looking at a pretty landscape-I desire to get into the viewers mind and change a mood with the intangible being the catalyst.
One thing that has recently changed in my paintings and writings-the need to stay within some line, some standard that is understood. Granted, I don’t want to lose all reality and all purpose but I don’t believe the artistic life rests in the real world-it is the in between point-the place between creativity and inspiration and the discipline and logic that connect this intangible unseen landscape to the eyes of logic people that see things different than the artist.
I want to start pinning things up that inspire me. I want to start going to places to collect things and paint-I want to leave logic somewhere behind and go out and enjoy life. It’s really a simple thought, a very simple idea of living in the world instead of just living. Life is stressful, it is very easy to get lost in your life and stress and not realize the little things, this is where the artist creativity lies, in the small simplicity of everyday life. I think this is what separates a good painting from something amazing-to be able to capture a moment in time and show people in a way they don’t see it..
I have recently looked at art from full time artists and there is a different aspect of creativity-a purity that is not interrupted by the logic of the day to day. Again, I don’t feel like you need to give up all logic and give up all process of normal life but the path between the two needs to find some happy medium. I think that the artist that sees through logical eyes miss much of what the artist needs to see and explain to the world. I believe that logic and discipline are as important in the process as the creativity itself as there needs to be some path to a finished product but there must be a freedom, a dropping off of logic and reason and a celebration of the sublime. This is where the artist and the craftsman part ways-I want to be an artist, I want to go places, taste things and experience life from a creative standpoint. This is the purpose of this blog-wish me luck….