What does the unknown feel like?

Painting should be thrilling.

“Every artwork is an experiment.” – Olafur Eliasson

Do you remember the first time that you made a drawing that you liked? There were quite a few crayon monsters for me. Maybe it was the first time that you were finally able to get a likeness (that was at age 5 when I traced Donald Duck on a light bright) or evoke an emotion with color (waking from an afternoon nap in my room, staring up at the skylight through my eyelids and seeing all of the colors in reverse. The blue square above me was brilliant, tangerine, and the white ceiling had turned a light creamy yellow). The thrill of that kind of creation is otherworldly. It gets us at the very heart of our beings.

And then, there was the first time that we got some recognition for what we had done. Praise from a parent (my mom used to heap it on), a friend, or maybe even a teacher. It helped to reinforce and solidify the value of what we were doing. It gave us and our art credibility.

Finding what I love in the landscape.

We all want to be a part of something, but those external accolades can feel like a subconscious sugar rush. It’s a slippery sloap for many artists. The need to be perceived as good and to be taken seriously by our peers can become a trap.

We trade creativity in for approval. What started us off creating in the first place, the thrill of discovery, takes a backseat to what we imagine people might like to see the most from us. We shrink back into our accomplishments and play it safe. We begin repeating what we think we are best at. The opportunity for new and innovative falls away. This is one way that an artist can discover their “style”.

But there is another way! In fact, there are 1000 different ways. An artist’s style can also emerge from what they are attracted to, what they are curious about, and what they love, or want to love. This is the style of adventure, bravery, and risk. It’s a style related to the unknown, and it’s never resolved and rarely recognizable. This style trades recognition in for innovation. Instead of losing ourselves to what others might think, why not choose to lose ourselves in our work and to what is possible?

What was your last discovery?

Would you rather be good at something you’ve done before, or try something new?

What does the unknown feel like?