Why We Make Art! - Perceptions by CA Land

I wrote last week about getting back our rhythm after an event that knocks us off our stride. I said that we should go back, and think about why we painted or created art in the first place…our “Artist Statement”. Mine, being the intricate designs, I see in nature. We all come from different places. What motivates one person is not going to be what motivates another. Some people will be motivated by life events, some by the human condition, some by an element of design: line, shape, color, or texture.

I read this past week that Jackson Pollack’s main reason for painting was the activity itself. The act of pouring paint and moving about. “The act of concentrated frenzy”. This is easy to understand. He put many canvases on the floor and walked around them, pouring paint on them. Creativity manifests itself in many ways.

Each person has his own idea of what is beautiful or interesting, what is funny or meaningful. Picasso found beauty in a tin can, in a rusted coil spring, in a junkyard. If we as artist’s, tap into those things which make us feel deeply, and enjoy the process, we will be successful in what we do. Just know what it is that makes you passionate! When what we are doing becomes an academic exercise, and we find ourselves struggling, it may be time to change, and do something new. When we worry about what we are creating instead of, creating, we are wasting our creative energy.

It is good to occasionally check in with our “creative soul.” Assess what we are doing, and make sure we are still finding our bliss. Do we still feel exhilarated by the process? Was what we did stimulating? If not, maybe we have exhausted that subject and need to find what it now, that feeds that need to create.

I recently saw a change in my work. I moved from the very organic shapes to the more geometric shapes. I can still tell you that, the intricate designs in nature motivate my work, but I also know I am viewing some things differently.