Art Process – Reasons to Make Art

Through the process of planning a recent artist talk, I wanted to share some of realizations that came to me around making art:

#1. Mileage
In the beginning, I was never entirely certain of my capability to succeed at making art in any fashion.  When I read about other artists’ journeys, I realized that success is measured at different levels. There was comfort in knowing that there was such of wide range in the definitions of success. Then I came across this video shown above by broadcaster Ira Glass which made me think about having more patience with myself and to make sure I get more painting mileage.

#2. Self-Awareness
When I finally sat down to plan my artist talk, I was stumped. It wasn’t until I reflected back on how I got involved in art in the first place that I finally found the words to begin.  I also remembered that I wanted to be challenged creatively and to have the freedom to generate as many ideas as I could.  In the end, I became more aware of myself and the decisions I intuitively make around art. This overlaps with #3 below.

#3. Connection
In my day job, I wanted to find ways to better engage audiences through my presentations so I attended a storytelling workshop.  After watching this TED Talk video by Brene Brown, it gave me permission to open up on a more personal level and allow people get to know me more. For others to really take in what I’m expressing, there needed to be some sharing of vulnerability. When I embraced this concept, it only enhanced how others connected to my story and to my art.  The video is about 20 minutes long but it is so worthwhile to see!