Yesterday while painting I got to thinking about what exactly this practice of art making is all about. It is such an odd activity. I am always trying to summarize, make sense in the larger context of my life what it is exactly that I am doing. I know art making engages me but I also know that it can be really hard too. Why do I keep doing this?
Making art is a practice. The way I interpret this is, in a way, that I am practicing living. Making art is a parallel activity to regular life that, at least for me, teaches and informs me about how to live and participate in it more fully. Like getting a practice serve in ping-pong before you actually start scorekeeping, making art lets you play with what you desire and find meaningful. It gives you extra time to figure it all out. In the process one makes mistakes, goes in wrong directions, and experiences all manner of emotions.
The problem is there are just many, many, things floating around in one’s head that confuse, and sidetrack what is important, or essential to include in your work.
In Greg McKeown’s fabulous book “Essentialism, the Disciplined Pursuit of Less”, the author details the importance of personal discernment in one’s life. This is not entirely about choosing things carefully so that you can fit everything into your life. Interestingly, he stresses that we need to be discerning so that we can do LESS. In other words, an “essentialist” thinks that almost everything is nonessential. There are, however, a few things that are essential and warrant our focus and selection. Most everything out there is a 1 or 2 but there are, in this gigantic pile, a couple of 10s. Those are what we are after.
[Tweet “”Over time, as our art improves, so can our life.” – Nicholas Wilton”]
I feel sometimes I am super busy in my life dealing with all the 1s and 2s I have chosen. None of it matters. None of it is essential. Will I even remember this stuff in 2 days? 1 day? The powerful point in the book for me is that if we can get really, really good at choosing – at discerning what is essential and ONLY choosing these few things, we will not only have far less on our plate, (free time! yes please.) but what we will have, will ONLY be things that are actually meaningful.
We need to learn how to “distinguish the vital few from the trivial many.”
I don’t think I could of written a better summary for what I am actually trying to do in the studio. When I start a painting I tend not to be particularly discerning. I just am gathering anything and everything that resonates with me. But eventually I need to start eliminating the busyness. It seems I spend most of my time painting out 1s and 2s. I sometimes can’t tell what is essential, but I just keep asking myself the question. And then with that in mind, and a little faith, I eventually find my way to a painting that visually and emotionally gives me a partial answer. My art is a summary of what is important, what is essential to me.
What I am discovering, and maybe this rings true for some of you too, that when you stop making your art, when you leave your studio and walk out into a streaming blue day that you sometimes can carry with you a little bit of this learning. That the ability to discern, to choose from all that you come across, what is meaningful and what is not, is truly a benefit. The idea is that over time as our art improves, slowly but surely, our lives do too.
And that, in terms of why we make art, might be reason enough.
Why do you make your art?
In gratitude, Nicholas
28 Comments
Hi! I’m
Nicholas Wilton
the founder of Art2Life.
With over 20 years experience as a working artist and educator, I’ve developed a systematic approach that brings authenticity, spontaneity and joy back into the creative process.
Join me and artists from all over the world in our Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group or learn more here about Art2Life.
Interesting concepts. I’m not sure I’m disciplined enough to strip down to the essentials but it makes me think about living more with intention. I make art because I love all the supplies and accouterments that come with the various mediums I dabble in. I also love watching a piece develop and feel satisfaction in the process as well as the finished product.
I love all the materials too–I can spend so long in art stores!
Interesting concepts. I’m not sure I’m disciplined enough to strip down to the essentials but it makes me think about living more with intention. I make art because I love all the supplies and accouterments that come with the various mediums I dabble in. I also love watching a piece develop and feel satisfaction in the process as well as the finished product.
I love all the materials too–I can spend so long in art stores!
Thank you for this 🙂 I often find that your blogs resonate with me right when I need them. I’ve just this week started a Foundation course at art school as a mature student. You could say this is a lifelong dream. In this first week I’ve been overwhelmed by how much choice there is and I’ve been wondering how and what I’m going to focus on, as right now it all seems interesting, but there is no way I can do it all. My challenge is going to be not getting bogged down by volume and be discerning in my choices, while I make the art I that want to make.
Yes I can imagine you really need to pare down–I am watching my kids go thru college now–they are young as are all over the place, taking whatever they feel like..however when you get older time feels more precious and you don’t necessarily do too many things…good luck w art school..that is awesome you are doing it btw
Thank you for this 🙂 I often find that your blogs resonate with me right when I need them. I’ve just this week started a Foundation course at art school as a mature student. You could say this is a lifelong dream. In this first week I’ve been overwhelmed by how much choice there is and I’ve been wondering how and what I’m going to focus on, as right now it all seems interesting, but there is no way I can do it all. My challenge is going to be not getting bogged down by volume and be discerning in my choices, while I make the art I that want to make.
Yes I can imagine you really need to pare down–I am watching my kids go thru college now–they are young as are all over the place, taking whatever they feel like..however when you get older time feels more precious and you don’t necessarily do too many things…good luck w art school..that is awesome you are doing it btw
I make art because I love the expression of this side of my creativity. I am a teacher and I bring art into my teaching. That is satisfying to a certain degree but I crave the need to put my own ideas on paper .
I bet–hopefully you can do this …. you will
I make art because I love the expression of this side of my creativity. I am a teacher and I bring art into my teaching. That is satisfying to a certain degree but I crave the need to put my own ideas on paper .
I bet–hopefully you can do this …. you will
Thank you for this thoughtful article!
I make art, because it makes me happy to create
something beautiful, which is meaningful to me.
Everytime I see one of my good paintings I smile.
Continuous learning is also a 10 for me.
Thank you for this thoughtful article!
I make art, because it makes me happy to create
something beautiful, which is meaningful to me.
Everytime I see one of my good paintings I smile.
Continuous learning is also a 10 for me.
just for fun, I looked up the definition of “discern” and according to Merriam-Webster … “to see or understand the difference”
I see a lot, and with your help Nicholas, I now make art because it helps me to understand!
just for fun, I looked up the definition of “discern” and according to Merriam-Webster … “to see or understand the difference”
I see a lot, and with your help Nicholas, I now make art because it helps me to understand!
Another great article. I have forwarded your articles to my sons and others who may find that your ideas resonate with their creative endeavors that don’t necessarily involve making art. For example, launching a business venture. For me as a newbie painter who likes to experiment and feels a sense of fleeting time (actually, I’ve had that sense since I was in high school), this article is great food for thought. Will have to look into McKeown’s book as I am struggling with this issue more as I get older.
Why do I make art? I feel that it brings contentment to an essential part of me. I feel it is satisfying a very essential human need — working with hands; creating and interpreting beauty. It begins on a personal level but then it is also something that I want to share. So I am in touch with my inner and outer communities of my life.
I too see how related this all is to life and especially building businesses…actually all of it is pretty creative! Thanks you for forwarding them on to your sons!
Another great article. I have forwarded your articles to my sons and others who may find that your ideas resonate with their creative endeavors that don’t necessarily involve making art. For example, launching a business venture. For me as a newbie painter who likes to experiment and feels a sense of fleeting time (actually, I’ve had that sense since I was in high school), this article is great food for thought. Will have to look into McKeown’s book as I am struggling with this issue more as I get older.
Why do I make art? I feel that it brings contentment to an essential part of me. I feel it is satisfying a very essential human need — working with hands; creating and interpreting beauty. It begins on a personal level but then it is also something that I want to share. So I am in touch with my inner and outer communities of my life.
I too see how related this all is to life and especially building businesses…actually all of it is pretty creative! Thanks you for forwarding them on to your sons!
Very good post Nicholas. I find myself dealing with so many things that really can be put in the 1 & 2 categories. It’s hard to clear them all away and focus on the things that are important to me in life. I make art because it is something i have always wanted and needed to do but perhaps I’m not selfish!? enough to make it a priority.
I really enjoy your posts. One of the few blogs I read. Thank you.
Very good post Nicholas. I find myself dealing with so many things that really can be put in the 1 & 2 categories. It’s hard to clear them all away and focus on the things that are important to me in life. I make art because it is something i have always wanted and needed to do but perhaps I’m not selfish!? enough to make it a priority.
I really enjoy your posts. One of the few blogs I read. Thank you.
Your newsletter topic really made me think (they always do ;). Why do I make art when it is sometimes frustrating and hard, but when successful, an elixir of happiness like no other? I feel my art is a way of figuring out who I am; my art is very revealing. Art, if I am being honest when creating it, is a reflection of my life, but life is not always easy; it is sometimes excruciatingly hard. I used to wonder why you called your workshops “ArtLife”. To me, before I took one of your workshops, thought it was going to be a blend of art and doing some other activity. However, I now understand that it is a name which perfectly describes what art really is; it is life, and because life is a learning, growing, mistake-making, problem solving, up and down thing, so is art. So I make art, because art IS life.
Your newsletter topic really made me think (they usually do ;). Why do I make art when it is sometimes frustrating and hard, but when successful, and elixir of happiness like no other? I feel my art is a way of figuring out who I am; my art is very revealing. Art, if I am being honest when creating it, is a reflection of my life, but life is not always easy; it is sometimes hard. I used to wonder why you called your workshops “ArtLife”. To me, before I took one of your workshops, thought it was going to be a blend of art and doing some other activity. However, I now understand that it is a name which perfectly describes what art really is; it is life, and because life is a learning, growing, mistake-making, problem solving, up and down thing, so is art. So I make art, because art IS life.
I spent decades working in a profession that focused on words: speaking them, writing them, arguing with them. After closing that chapter of my life, I returned to my first love — art making — and explored a method of communicating that I hadn’t pursued completely since childhood. I’ve concluded that I make art because there simply is no other method for me to express myself so fully and honestly. Words elude this process, no words are needed. Art is itself the visible expression of a special, eloquent language. And the magic of it is that although it is unique for each artist, viewers can understand it when they see it. This universal ‘language’ speaks to the human soul.
I spent decades working in a profession that focused on words: speaking them, writing them, arguing with them. After closing that chapter of my life, I returned to my first love — art making — and explored a method of communicating that I hadn’t pursued completely since childhood. I’ve concluded that I make art because there simply is no other method for me to express myself so fully and honestly. Words elude this process, no words are needed. Art is itself the visible expression of a special, eloquent language. And the magic of it is that although it is unique for each artist, viewers can understand it when they see it. This universal ‘language’ speaks to the human soul.
I make art to find myself…
I make art to find myself…