Art Can Be Fun When You Let It!

Sometimes the way my brain works is astounding to me, especially when something that might be obvious to everyone else, doesn't occur to me until years after it should have. Like the reasons for making art. Yes, I know that art is in my blood, in my soul, and whether or not it's a small unruly sketch on a scrap of found paper while I'm out and about or a studied and intricately executed piece on canvas makes no difference: I am called to do it. But when it is that serious piece of work, what or who am I completing it for? Ultimately, the end result should be that the work is hung in a gallery and then is sold and handed over to an art lover and out of my hands forever. But is this an essential conclusion? Should all my work be geared towards this end result, especially if the end result doesn't end up with a show and a sale? What about just making art for art's sake?

I had this epiphany recently and was amazed by the idea, believe it or not. While I have always enjoyed the work (obviously), there has also always been an element of compulsion to it, be it in the subject matter or medium and whether or not anyone other than me would like it and sometimes that leads to disappointment in the end, which is silly if you think about it. And then it occurred to me: why does there have to be a specific result of all this work? Does it all have to mapped out in advance? Why don't I just make the art I want to and if there's interest in it fine, and if no one in the world ever sees these pieces then no one ever sees them? Holy cow, this was like a lightning bolt slamming into me. And the new end result: art is fun again, rather than being the frequent grindstone it can become when all sorts of weights and strings are attached to it (even when I was the one attaching them). I do what I want, when I want. Serious, stupid, silly, odd. No worries about whether this material is archival or not and how well it will hold up because it isn't going anywhere unless I want it to and right now I don't care. And then I store it safely away and move on to the next piece. I feel light and unfettered now when I work.

After all, art isn't about how successful you can be at it, it's about making beautiful little mirrors of your soul, your heart, your intrinsic being. And sometimes those little pieces of you are just for you to see and sometimes they aren't. But there need be no overt orchestrations to make sure they are what the world will want to see, or should see. I am me and my art reflects me and that is all that matters. And I figure that since I've already sold more art in my lifetime than Vincent Van Gogh did during his, that I'm ahead of the game and life is good.