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WHY DO WE CREATE? A Journey of Artistic Self Discovery

Mary-Brigid Mahoney

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February 20th, 2015 - 09:41 PM

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WHY DO WE CREATE?  A Journey of Artistic Self Discovery

by Mary-Brigid Mahoney


I have never had much confidence in my creative skills. Sure, I’ve had compliments but they were just being polite or felt obligated, I reasoned. I often feel like a fraud because, quite honestly, when it comes to the technical aspects of photography, I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing. My confidence became virtually non-existent after someone told me that I should not call myself an artist, or a photographer for that matter, because I don’t make my living through art. (I work with seniors as a computer/technology teacher). Instead, it was suggested, I should just say, “I like to take pictures.” Dejected, I packed away my gear and went into crisis mode. I felt a deep sense of loss, an acute longing for a vital, yet severed, part of my identity. I was plagued with doubt. Would I ever have the courage to create again? Would I ever be a real artist?

Having been blessed with endless curiosity, I struck out on a journey of artistic self-discovery. How do we define “artist?” What’s the difference between a photo and art? Does art have a function? Why do we even create in the first place? I read tomes, attended lectures, and interviewed people who are actually employed as artists. While I learned a great deal and met fascinating people, answers were agonizingly elusive. Then, something miraculous happened.

I was contacted by the owner of a Newbury Street art gallery. She found my images on a photo sharing site and was interested in two in particular. She encouraged me to enter them in a juried art competition. Begrudgingly, I did and almost passed out when both were chosen.
They now hang in the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Milton. Had this been what I needed? After a few weeks, however, the glow faded and I was no closer to my goal.

It wasn’t until several months later that a nurse at the hospital spoke these sage words to me: “The hospital is a very scary place. But, every day, I see patients notice your artwork and they are drawn into it, taking in all the details. It may be just for a few minutes, but for that time, they forget their fears and are reminded of the beauty in the world.” Tears fell then and they fall now as I write. Suddenly, I was enlightened! It all made sense to me! It was never about the prestige or accolades. Something that I created had brought comfort to others.

Art does, indeed, serve a purpose! It is meant to evoke an emotion, a memory, an experience. It inspires, uplifts, invokes, and can even heal. It is not just about the artist’s expression or interpretation of the world. It is about human connection. One spirit touching another. A photo becomes art when a glance becomes a lingering gaze and, even if just for a moment, we lose ourselves in the image.

We create art because, for us, it is innate. It is a passion burning within us, a thirst that needs to be quenched, a beast fed. It is who we are. We have been given the ability to not only see, but capture, the true essence of a person, the way the sunlight filters through the trees, the beautiful lines of a façade. We spend a lifetime learning and perfecting our craft because without it, we would be that much less than whole.

In her poem, “Love”, May Sarton writes,

Spiders are patient weavers, They never give up.
What keeps them at it?
Hunger, no doubt.
And hope.

We create because we are insatiably hungry.
We create because we long for connection- to others, the world around us and to ourselves. We create because we are artists.

Have confidence, be courageous and don’t ever give up.

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Dianne Connolly

9 Years Ago

Kaitaia, No

Creating Art is as important as breathing to me, in fact as soon as I feel creatively stifled my breathing becomes shallow and unhealthy. I also enjoy others enjoying and being inspired by my artistic efforts as well.