5 Reasons Why I'm an Artist
I’ve been recording a podcast recently where I interview people on the topics of art, life and the philosophy of both. I introduce the interviewee, get the conversation going and then ask questions that are designed to get deep into their connection with art and how it works for them. One question I’ve been loving the answers to is about the WHY of people’s art. Why do you make art? Why are you an artist? Here are my 5 answers to that question.
1. It’s fun to be creative.
Creativity feels awesome. It’s a space of complete freedom. It may just be on a page or a canvas, but it’s an experience of no rules, no wrong or right, just being and action. It’s a beautiful, light and positive space that I wish everyone would experience more.
2. I love the world of art.
The world of art is so vast and so deep. It stretches back through time and culture and pushes forward in to the future. There are millions of practicing artists worldwide and they all have some unique perspective or approach. They’re are different dimensions like galleries, museums, private collections, art studios, art co-ops, art schools, street art, Youtube videos, Facebook groups, Instagram hashtags, Pinterest boards, etc. There are so many ways to experience art and they are all great in one way or another.
3. Art and artists are an abstract reflection of society and culture so in that way it’s an interesting lens through which to experience reality.
Art is engrained in culture and society. In the book Art & Science they argued that art visualizes the future and then science brings it into reality. In the present, artists recreate what’s around them, what we are all going through, what we experience as individuals and as a whole. Artists also commemorate the past. People, places and things live on in our memories through art. Through art the past never truly dies. The expression that is art in all its forms is how we experience history.
4. I experience the flow state while I create art.
When I am creating art for any short or long period of time, I experience what people call Flow State, or the Zone. Time fades away. The outside world fades away. I fade away. I meld with the artwork that’s coming through me. It’s a space of wonder, exploration, timelessness, presence and true creativity. Everyone can reach this state through a number of different methods, I reach it through making art.
5. It feels right. I feel so comfortable with a brush in my hand, as the artist that I am.
I’ve always just loved drawing and painting. Since I was a child I loved looking at things. I loved drawing, doodling, recreating what I see around me. The world is so visually beautiful to me that I’ve always been in love with it and with mimicking it on paper or canvas. From here I’ve always been so comfortable with the process and the mode, that thinking about it, reading about it, writing about it and talking about it has been what I feel like I’m here to do.
To conclude, I feel so blessed to have found my niche so early on. It’s saved a lot of searching in terms of my life purpose that other people are forced to do. I love art in every way. It’s what I have done forever and what I’ll continue to do until I can’t. I wish for everyone to find their true love in terms of their life’s purpose. Ask yourself about the WHY to your life. See what comes up.
Follow your passion. Do what feels right. Be your best you.