When I talk about obstacles that hold us back from making our art, one that repeatedly shows its ugly face is the idea, “why bother?”
It’s an inner critique question that gets to the heart of so many of the obstacles we can face as creatives.
Hi, my name is Carrie Brummer and here on Artist Strong I help creatives like you build your skill and develop your unique artist voice. Today I want to talk about this question of “why bother.”
The idea of “why bother” is part of this messaging that everything we do has to be “productive” or “useful” and in a world influenced by the industrial revolution this stuff we do should be measurable and concrete.
Well, let’s take a stand here:
I refuse to be some kind of factory output.
I am more than the things I can check off a to-do list.
I am more than the art I sell, or exhibit, or have to “do anything” with…
Making art actually has measurable outcomes when you look at measures of physical and mental well-being, but that isn’t ever at the top of our cultural priority list. It doesn’t earn money to say you feel better.
There is research by Dr. Stuart Brown that found a correlation between lack of play as children and later violent crimes as adults. He interviewed multiple violent criminal offenders in prison and found most of them had little to no opportunities or permission to play in their lives, especially as children.
If we could truly understand the power of embracing the things we care about and give that permission and encouragement to others as well, we could literally improve the quality of life for many people, ourselves included.
And this, if we wanted to get technical and back to this priority of measuring outcomes, would have positive financial outcomes for our society. (Though I would argue that should never be the why, or why we think “why bother.”)
This is why I’m here, and why I show up with Artist Strong. I believe we ALL deserve our creative interests, however they show up in our lives and I want to help empower people to have that permission to show up and engage in their art!
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Now it’s your turn: how do you overcome those feelings of “why bother” to keep showing up for your art? Tell me more in the comments below.
Hi Carrie! I enjoy seeing some of the new work you’ve posted. When I get the ”why bother”, it comes after I’ve been looking at work from my peers and comparing my art to theirs. Then I have to silence that critic and use. others’ art as an inspiration. I need to get into the studio and paint.
Thank you Barb! The break I had has me filled with energy and ideas… when I get enough sleep anyway 😉 (2 year olds are FULL of life).
It’s so easy to say and so hard to practice: the only person we need to compare ourselves to is… ourselves <3 <3 I like that you can see it as impetus to get into the studio instead of a reason to stay out of it!
Am over all that am in a amazing situation ,am going for y 15 surgery of cancer , and I don’t break I enjoy every day and create paint restore develop and build is what I do always every day, and I have a passion am the eyes of the blind and the legs of the laim and the voice of the oppress I live in a place where my art and my pain are my tools to serve and deliver people
I’m glad you’ve found a way to make art work for you Alejandro – that’s what I hope for everyone who enjoys creating.
Very cool, Alejandro! Blessings to you.
Another great video and article. I paint because that’s what I do and who I am. # 1) I paint for me and to express my experience in this life. Every painting I make is a story. # 2) I paint to share with others who may find their story.
In that order.
If somebody likes my abstract paintings, I am over the moon. And when somebody buys my art, it’s much appreciated and is a great bonus, thank you so much.
I’m not expecting everyone to like or appreciate my artwork, and I’m fine with that. I receive many critiques about my artworks and abstract painting. And that’s fine, too. I don’t paint to satisfy the art world that surrounds itself with ‘rules’.
We all agree (I hope) that art is all about self-expression. Self-expression is free from any rules. Just let go. Trust your innermost feelings. Let your feelings take over. It is a beautiful journey when you travel deep inside, free to express whatever you want. Whatever YOU want, not the art world. A journey that cannot be described as good or bad, right or wrong.
It’s your journey with yourself. Forget about the 7.5 billion people on this earth.
“It’s your journey with yourself.”
How I wish more people felt permission to embrace this.
Years ago, a writer friend assured me: ” Clover, if you write, you are a writer!” implying that I did not need any further validation to continue writing. Her encouragement gave me that little piece/peace I needed to consider myself a writer and continue to write. I had always loved writing, but questioned whether what I wrote would hold any meaning for anyone else. I mean. gee…I am just me, you know?
Fast forward to the inclusion of art in my “creative process.” One day I realized that if I kept postponing pursuing art for “when I have the time,” I could easily run out of time! So… I jumped in. And as I went, I remembered Marcia Mitchell’s words, deciding to appropriate them to visual art: If I paint, I am a painter. And over the course of a few years, I am now commissioned to paint portraits and dreamscapes! It is all in the DOING!
In all candor, I should also probably mention that I am one of those create or explode people. A little ADD, and not gifted in the art of organization, I realized that if I go for too much time without creating something, I will become…well…bitchy! It used to be with music and now it is with art. I can usually trace my harumphiness to not enough satisfactory time in studio. I do qualify this with the word, satisfactory, because, yes, the just-showing-up is part but not all of the process. For me, achieving SOMEthing…some part or portion of painting is key. Then, if my time stretch has bookends that are close together, at least I can walk away into the rest of the day, knowing I got that li’l piece…and I will not be stewing over it, rendering my time spent other places a half-hearted effort, due to thoughts being stuck in a painting challenge.
Perhaps it is establishing a pleasing contrast by darkening…establishing the sharp edges..in places. Perhaps it is working on the highlights to make that happen. Perhaps it is another layer of mid-tones. Perhaps it is capturing the expression in the eyes. Or warming the foreground and cooling the background – just a little victory. I would rather spend less time on a small victory than more time on the overall…although, that is not always what I do. THAT is when I am at least a tiny bit organized! When time is more subservient, I work in a desultory manner…a little here and a little there…usually on several paintings, as some are ready for a next layer and others are drying. For me, a small victory is key. It might even be tidying up the studio…to be less distracting and serve my purposes better.
Being an artist is one of the things that the Great Artist made me to be. It is not my be all/end all. But it colours my life creatively and even if I were the only one who enjoyed my work….it would be worth it, because it keeps me sane!
I so appreciate you sharing Clover. I completely relate to not having enough studio time and how that shifts my mood.
I ask this question so many times along with “am I good enough”, especially when I just can’t sell anything and what people want I haven’t drawn.
Selling adds another layer to this. Some people sell their art because they want to make it a business or hobby that pays for itself, and others sell as a way to validate and justify their desire to make. There is plenty of art out there that isn’t skillful that sells. Marketing is another skill set we have to develop to sell. <3 You're art is valuable and worthy because its important to you! Thank you so much for sharing. I know you aren't alone in feeling this way.
oof…This is catching me on a rough week.
Typically I use my inner critic to help me study and improve on my work. I don’t do finished pieces typically. Since I treat them like studies, I reduce the pressure to perform and I can try to learn from them and move on easily.
Coincidently, this week I attended a first in-studio art lesson (in 29 years). I should say the bad experience was purely internal, but it felt like an art-existential crisis.
“How do I overcome and keep showing up?”
So I guess my answer is….I center myself with my core beliefs: I create art for myself. I want for community to share in the experience. I hope to help others in their journey.
And I visualize two versions of my self: The one who doesn’t create art and the one who does. I have lived both and I prefer the one that does.
And I reaffirm, I owe it to myself to keep trying and find courage to keep going.
Yes to being the person who creates art. Going to an in-person studio lesson after not doing it for a long time is an uncomfortable act. It’s definitely in these moments we need to be a little easier on ourselves and our work. Keep returning to those values – our world is better with your art.