The pain and joy of writing about my art

As artists, we often need to write and speak about our work. I get it that it is hard. And vulnerable. And it usually feels like we have nothing to say and we have no idea why we are drawn to do the things we are doing. And let’s be honest- this culture of ours does not appreciate mucking around in the not knowing (i.e. creative work).

We live in a culture that believes in logical linear thinking, step by step plans that get to goals and clear minded projects. Yes of course… and under all of that is the mucking around in the not-knowing for a while. Creativity is messy- and writing about our work is scary because we don’t like to appear so messy.

But here is a story about writing to inspire you.
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I just wrote an artist statement for a piece that I am submitting to a competition. It took a few days of letting it stew in the back of my head while the front of my head said I have nothing to say. And then early one morning, with my first cup of tea, before I could get in my own way, I let it flow.

And it turns out I did have something to say. It also turns out that this thing that I made really does have something to do with what I think and feel about what is going on in this culture. Infact it turns out that it would be a good thing if this idea can get out there in the form of a piece in the show that I am submitting it for- it matters more than just another notch on my stick, line on my resume. (Nothing like feeling that I am working toward those lines to slow me down with a sense of drudgery and resentment, but that is for another article)

It wasn’t until I wrote the statement that I realized what I had been doing in my work and that it feels important to get the idea out into the public discourse. Yes, my work matters! (so hard to believe most of the time!)

The funny thing about this one is that I thought I was just doing a portrait commission- a bust of a man because his wife wanted it, but as I did the piece and connected to the woman, who I like a lot, and her appreciation of her husband, I was tapping into something deeper. Something in me about what is important in a man, and how challenging it is to be a man of integrity right now. This is something in our culture that needs to be attended. And I want to add my voice to the conversation.

We are not separate from our culture, as artists we are part of the culture and all of what we think, feel, want for our culture will come through when we do our work. Our culture needs us to tap in to ourselves and find those difficult truths and articulate them. It’s our job.

We need to not only make the work (without necessarily knowing what it is about as we make it), but we also need to write and speak about it. The act of bringing words to the work is an act of taking what we have been creating below the surface of our conscious thought- and bringing it to the clarity and focus of consciousness. It helps us to see the value of what we do, and it helps us to deepen our understanding of our convictions. And it is our job as artists in our culture to provide this deeper insight both in the form of the art work and in the form of our words.

If you are an artist or creative and could use some help believing in the importance of your work, finding your rhythm, getting the work out there, just making time and space to make work, please take this quiz to see if I might be the right person to help.

You can find the artist statement I am referring to on the portraits page of my web site.
 

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