Wednesday, May 20, 2009

What is art?

Had dinner with a good friend last night and the subject of art took up much of our conversation. He has represented some well known Chicago artists and one thing he said , " true art tries to create a new visual language". I thought that was very profound. I went to bed thinking about it, and woke up with it.

I keep a journal and try to write in it every day. This morning I wrote:
- As a form of my inner dialogue, I want my art to be stimulating. Really, i have no clear vision as to where my art is taking me, but i am loving the journey. Free to be free, that's the hardest thing - something is in me and i'm trying to help it come out. I feel it's there - i feel its presence- it's not the Ego, the Ego stops and judges the creative process - it makes the hand stutter-once the Ego is silenced, then i believe, true creativity emerges, that's where i want to be-silence the Ego and let my creative energy take over-that's the struggle. The Ego removes the playful fun-it calculates, therefore, it stifles spontaneity. I want my art to cast a spell on the viewer-captured-entraced-enthralled. Being in a community of artists, I see many of us struggle with making art & a lot of that struggle seems to be around our inability to simply enjoy and relish in the ability to create. We worry too much that our art is not "good enough" which I believe is the Ego, getting in the way and limiting our access to that nebula of creativity we all possess.