Inspiration Fridays! Can Your Art Be Both?
Can your art be both?
When I first started painting, I wanted very much to be right. My paintings were carefully executed. The work needed to be accessible and relatable in order to be “good”.
“The thrill of creating art is the thrill of getting out of one’s own way.” – Stephan Mumaw
I’m grateful for this time because it allowed me to refine my seeing. Instead of stumbling through work and hoping for the best, I was able to develop confidence around what I was doing, and who I was becoming.
This stage of learning was like learning a song. Repetition gave way to spontaneity. Without some initial structure, I wouldn’t have been able to let go and explore.
We’re all at different stages in this exploration. Some of us may feel the need to reel it in and others want desperately to be free. But neither side of this pendulum works without the other.
Balance of Power – 36″x48″ – oil on panel – Gabriel Mark Lipper
When our art is grounded, in understanding, it gives us the potential to fly. If we cling too tightly to the craft we get stuck, but if we have no craft, we will spend more time trying to find our way than we need to.
The trick is honesty. Are you still coloring in the lines because you’ve never really taken the time to figure out how to draw? What would others think if you broke away from being careful?
Or have you avoided the lines altogether because of the fear that you wouldn’t be able to pull it off, or even worse, that you might get trapped in limitations?
The balance and real freedom come when we trust that we can learn and that we can let go. Letting our careful live side-by-side with our clumsy. Knowing that our best art comes from our knowing and from the unknown, and allowing the fullness of ourselves to be seen.