"I am an artist"
"Like for work?... Like for money?"
It's usually not an adequate description on it's own. The question was, "What do you do?" Not, "How do you pay the bills?" Frankly, I can't decide which is more personal. What I do is not who I am, although the real question was most probably, "Who are you and are you worth getting acquainted with...?"
In the spirit of the question, the answer is perfect (and of course I am worth talking to!) The answer is not only true, tells the questioner something important about me, but furthers the conversation as well. People generally go one of two direction with this information. The way of the income or the way of the subject. Do I paint kitties on velvet? And if this earns me my daily bread -- If painting kitties keeps baby in shoes... well then I must be a reasonably worthy artist or at least pretty good at marketing myself. But alas, I do not paint kitties. A more accurate description of "what I do" on a day to day basis could be: loose sunglasses, eat yams, vacuum lint, Google things, watch squirrels run across the fence, along with countless, varied sundry acts of care and cleanliness... and creation.
Our understanding and appreciation of art can limit this creation at times. Most of us can't produce photo accurate renderings of people, places and things -- and this in itself isn't art (ah, but that's another opinion piece). But that we judge this fact as lack of artistic ability should be a sin. So many people create wherever they go, in their homes, vocations and in their relationships.
I play, I create. What I create is very personal to me. I am pleased if others like what I do, but I do not need them to. I still have an underlying belief that I require the odd purchase of those fruits of my creativity... so I run the razors edge of passion vs. production. I believe that there is bit of an artist in everyone. Just as we all have some "healer", "teacher" and "leader" in us. Not everyone chooses to produce pieces of art, but if we look around, we can see compelling personal expression everywhere. The choice to accept it as "creative" is personal, very much subjective -- and a true leap of acceptance and faith. We put up roadblocks for ourselves; want excellence in order to be beyond reproach. We value something new, different, special -- unique. To me, "creator" is a life path for which I am truly grateful. It is my ultimate joy. But I still put up roadblocks for myself daily. Tearing them down is the only way to make the inspiration flow.
My questioners usually want to know about the end product, but it is when they ask about process that I am captured. Sometimes they want to know about technique or materials. But it's a far more challenging task to describes the trajectory of one's creative thoughts. What is my inspiration? Everything! Everything! (more detailed Blog entry to come) How exactly does an inspiration seed an idea?
Where do ideas come from? The brain? The soul? Perhaps from the great collective unconsciousness -- Spiritus Mundi. Many artists believe that they are only vessels for creation. "The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel," says Piet Mondrian. It is an old teaching. "Creation is only the projection into form of that which already exits," ~ Srimad Bhagavatam. What is now being explored by scientists is whether natural talent exists at all!
"Traditional conceptions of giftedness assume that only talented individuals possess the necessary gifts required to reach the highest levels of performance. [Studies present] an alternative view that expert performance results from acquired cognitive and physiological adaptations due to extended deliberate practice. A review of evidence, such as historical increases in performance, the requirement of years of daily deliberate practice, and structural changes in the mediating mechanisms, questions the existence of individual differences that impose innate limits on performance attainable with deliberate practice. The proposed framework describes how the processes mediating normal development of ability and everyday skill acquisition differ from the extended acquisition of reproducibly superior (expert) performance and how perceived “giftedness” gives children access to superior training resources, resulting in developmental advantages." ~K. Anders Ericsson, Kiruthiga Nandagopal, & Roy W. Roring
Ericsson and Ward have used techniques like this to compare thousands of experts with novices in fields from music, sports, medicine and law enforcement. They've found no evidence that experts are born with any more natural "talent" than other people. "We have yet to find any compelling evidence that any talent matters," says Ericsson.
What matters then is that you practice your art, do what you love and do it often. Practice compassion, do not judge the outcome, and encourage others. What's so great about being bigger, better or more special anyway? It's exactly this kind of separatist, elitist thinking that encourages the competitive and irresponsible practices that are damaging our planet. We will soon have to come up with some very creative solutions for our troubled world. As Einstein says, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." So let's all stop worrying if we can draw straight lines and start creating positive change!
