So Why Do You Make Art?

cuz I can! ;)

Cuz I breathe and can!

So you do it from enjoyment as I gather from you two?

It's like breathing...

I do it because it is something that I have ALWAYS done and it IS who I am and could not stop if I had to.

I also find it incredibly rewarding to have a finished piece. It's a coalesced monument of emotion and thought. I never rest on my laurels though.

Because I can't not....It's an addiction, an outlet, a release, an obsessive compulsive scream inside me that if I don't let it out, I don't deal with life as I should. Each of us is given a gift and to fail to use it, is like Trump burning money. The gift I have is not for others. It's for me. It's healing and beautiful and every once in a while it surprises me what flows from my synapses, through to my pen, through either poetry or onto a canvas.

Another big reason, art creates culture.

I hear that Kim. I seriously would be so lost without art. I'd probably be severely depressed without any creative outlet. Art is also a positive way of channeling negative emotions into the physical world.

It's frustrating when other people just don't get it. They think it's just a hobby to make some pretty pictures. For some it is. But for true artists its a passion we take as seriously as food and sleep.

I enjoy being creative and working with my hands.

I like to implant my ideas into the dominant culture. Unfortunately I do not always enjoy creating art, although I always find the end result rewarding. I have never regretted making an artwork, but some of my art, I'll admit, wasn't fun from beggining to end to create. I do always enjoy watch the piece go from a blank slate to the end result, but sometimes the physical process of creating the art can get ehh. There are a few pieces that were fun to create from beginning to end but usually they aren't my best (atleast in my opinion). Be interested to hear yall thoughts on this.


Does art always have to be something artists enjoy creating?

Because I love to be broke.

Sometimes there are steps I have to "suffer" through to get to the finished piece, but overall I have to enjoy it or it will never get done.

I really don't know.

Maxwell,

I have a bad auditory processing problem. I am a very visual person.
I just basically floated on over into the arts in college.

I had a huge number of ideas and images I created in my mind, but
I wanted to work differently than in a current genre as determined by others.

I wanted to create my own constructs. I wanted to create my own art theories too some extent.

Dave

George Mallory on being asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest: "Because it's there."

Because it's a creative release in a modern working world that creates so little yet, paradoxically, allows me the time and resource to do it...

Oh, and it's FUN :D

- Richard Reeve
ReevePhotos.com

A. because i have to do something creative.
B. to make money.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Maxwell,

RE: Why I make Art

For the exact reason you initially stated:

" it gives me a voice and allows me to influence minds."


Take this from someone doing it for most of his 80 years

Because I love the feeling that I get while in the midst of the process. Its like a meditation. Even the technical learning curves I encounter are enjoyable.

for me is just a hobbi for now, having other hobbis on the side, as football trainnings and matches on weekends, plus consel gaming, is destracting me finding time painting, and being 100 % artist at the moment. friends in here and facebook plus sells, is what moltivate me keeping up with art.

I find that when I spend time on creative endeavors all other aspects of my life are much better. For that reason, I always like to have some kind of creative interest to capture my mind and imagination.

because I want to show you how I see what we all see.....

As for me because I don't wanted a 9-5 job and I like to work for myself.

Max,
It is my chosen profession, so it is far more than enjoyment. As a matter of fact, sometimes, it is downright not enjoyable when facing deadlines,ridiculous demands from clients, etc.

Ted wins my award for comments! lol


Alfred...and sometime you work 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.!

Good topic...for me it's just that basic urge when I see something interesting to nudge the person I'm with and direct their attention so they can also enjoy the sight and sometimes there is no one else there at the time or the image is something that only the camera can see for us like time exposure in extremely low light or light painting or something that only exists in my imagination that can be assembled from RAW materials.

Bob V
http://bob-vondrachek.artistwebsites.com

Because I MUST create. It is inborn. Also it's the only thing that I can totally lose myself in...it takes me to places in my mind whose doors are locked when I'm not creating. I lose the concept of time when I'm making art...it calms my inner turmoil.

It is spiritual meditation for me. Time stands still and I can focus on just that one thing for a while. Everything else is just a bonus.

Fortunately, "making art" has provided my livelihood for a number of years now... and enjoyably so.

It is something I will never retire from that allows me freedom of thought as well as an creative outlet.

I don't really know. Not all of my art is made for the same reasons. It would make more sense to ask: why did you make *this particular* piece of art. Each one has a story.
I did the soccer ball because I needed a card for my son's coach and I didn't find anything I liked in the store.
I did the one with the peaches because the peaches were beautiful, and I wanted to preserve their beauty.
Most of my pencil sketches were drawing practice exercises that I ended up liking.
My pottery (not shown on FAA) was driven by a need to find other people to hang out with -- a public pottery studio is a great place to just hang out and do art with other people.
Sometimes I just want to show off -- not the most noble motivation, but... who doesn't like impressing other people?
Certain commissions were done which were a combination of being about the money, wanting to please someone else, and liking the challenge of trying something new.
Other art was done as attempts to participate in a themed art shows (that usually hasn't gone so well -- it's a little frustrating to create a piece especially for a show, and then have the juror reject it. It's a good way to get stuck with a piece of specialty art that I can't show anywhere else.)
I like puzzles -- sometimes I do art because it's fun to try to solve the technical problems.
Sometimes it's just playing with art supplies, messing around with the paint and the colors.
Sometimes I'm bored and it's something to do... keeps my brain and hand occupied while I wait somewhere, or I'm on an airplane.
So far, not really for the money...generally I can make more money doing a traditional job, and it turns out I get really sick and tired of doing art when I have to make the same kind of thing over and over again... which is what I would have to do to sell it consistently enough to make a living at it.

I do it because it makes me happy and relaxed. And I love sharing images of things some people never get to enjoy. Most scenery I capture is within just a few miles from my home.

Well, now that you ask its because I have a need to show what I see and to share it with others. I have a anxiety problem mix with depression and its a mess up in the noggin so I do what is best and go out and find things that is pretty, wild, small, large things that make me smile and gives me a feeling to want to share what I see with the world.
Yes making some money is a good thing too, because if any one says they like being a " starving artist" is full of &*%$. today we can't go and barter like the old days you need the card or cash to get any thing these days.

It relaxes me and makes me happy.
A bit like meditation really.

Creating art is relaxing and fun. I get really excited when one of my artwork sells. The best feeling and greatest compliment.

I never thought about WHY - I just started doing it for no reason. "Why" had nothing to do with it. Doing so just felt right at the time, and I got into the habit of doing this activity that felt right.

... like exercising, ... or walking, ... or looking into a starry night sky. I do not need a reason - I just need an environment, the circumstances and materials, and then the impulse takes hold. Again, no reasoning, but impulse or reflex. I could make up a nice fancy reason, but it would be after the fact of the aforementioned truth.

There, therefore, is no "why". As someone said, it's just "because".

It's a great way to make lots of money.

(^___^) ... yeah, right.

I like being unlike anyone I know.

It's an outlet for stress. It's like when I'm creating I don't have to think about all the bad things. I just get into the zone and have no idea what times it is or what's happening around me. I'm such a day dreamer and introvert with a lot of images just floating around in my head I just have to get them out sometimes. I just love it.
I suppose there are lots of reasons. :)

Art creates stress for me - the stress of wanting to get a curve exactly right, ... getting that damn blend to transition perfectly, ... finding the right shape to fill a void without crowding out other elements too much, ... trashing something I just spent hours making, because it simply sucks, ... starting from scratch again, ... and maybe again, ... and maybe yet again, ... hoping THIS time the confounded thing is more acceptable.

Of course, I would prefer this sort of stress than the stress of starving or running for my life from a predator.

Civilization, thus, allows us the luxury of creating our preferred forms of stress. Life is the art of manipulating types of stress.

I agree with Robert, art is often a stress causer rather than a reliever, even so I usually enjoy it. Does that make sense? Few things feel as "right" as when I'm outside before a beautiful landscape with my portable easel, paint, brushes and panel and the weather is perfect. The rest of the world simply does not exist in those moments no matter how well or not the painting itself is going.

So many great replies, thanks to everyone who submitted.

I can relate to pretty much every post here. Robert, I totally get the whole art creates stress ordeal. The horror. Lol. It always makes me realize how insignificant everything I am is though, and that makes it easier to just go with the flow.

I learned there are two types of fun. The first is the lustful type: sex, drugs, partying, etc. This type makes the sense of pleasure and reward easy to obtain but it's rather vain.
The second type is the more fulfilling: climbing the top of the mountain, finishing the painting, having your book published. This type is much more difficult to obtain but is also more fulfilling.

At some point in my adolescence I traded in most of the 1st type for the 2nd type, and I'm infinitely grateful for that.

What I gather from this thread is that a good deal of artists transmuted their trauma into art like true alchemists. Very interesting.

Glad you popped back in, Maxwell H. to actually follow up on the many good responses here. Some people toss out a topic and never come back to see how it has blossomed.

Your response is mature and elegant.

Expression, addiction, therapy. Some great answers. Maxwell H. Fun 2 might be more fulfilling but Fun 2 in Art attracts Fun 1. People like to be with someone different who thinks, expresses.

I though about it and realized that actually I am not painting. Creative force paints through me. And, to tell you the truth, I don't have much control over it.

I got thinking more about this topic, especially in light of the birth of a brand new grandson born into our family today. As I was contemplating, I went back to an experience of " enlightenment" I guess one could say that occurred not very long ago connected to this particular piece of art. The description states:


This piece came to on a day when I received some sad news. I was mindlessly playing with my IPhone Fingerpaint app and this image appears. From this image, came a thought, do we create art, or does art create us? I have pondered on this subject ever since. It feels like every time I ponder on a piece of art or create something myself , that I am the one who changes, not the canvas. The canvas allows something to appear. I rarely sit down and think, " I'm going to create this....(unnamed image). " It just happens that voila, it's there. It appeared and I am humbled and confused as to how this happens. When people say to me, " What made you think to do that particular piece or create this particular image, I feel relatively ignorant, as I really do not know." My only answer is, I didn't. The meaning almost always comes during or immediately following the creation. It's as if the ink, the paint, the computer commands to something outside of me and it and the message is relayed back to me. It's curious. It's magical and it is what it is. I fear if I try and overanalyze "it" too much, "it" might disappear. So for now, I will continue allowing " it" to speak to me and I will in turn tell others what "it" said or in some instances, allow them to decide for themselves what " it" said.

Kim P.,

That is an awesome reply. My compliments on your verbal clarity.

I too have noticed that creativity is unpredictable, elusive, powerful, and mostly uncontrollable. If I do try to create an artwork where I have the end result planned out before I start, I notice those pieces are much slower than the pieces I create where the creativity seems to flow through my hands onto the surface of the artwork. I wish I could control it. It's like creativity comes in waves. At the apex of the wave creativity is at its prime and takes little effort. On the lull, its more of just doing the work necessary to finish whatever piece is at hand.

Hi, Kim. I understand what you are saying... I consider "it" the hard to explain ability called "creativity".

Oops - I see my post crossed with Maxwell's....

Sometimes I wish "It" would let me sleep.....

The Surreal artist use to come up with ways to trick the conscious mind into allowing the subconscious mind to reveal itself. The movement was on its way out when Dali hit the scene and said he did not need any tricks because he was crazy and always was on his subconscious mind. Kim, pain as it might be at times you have a gift, a channel to that side of your brain, many want it, few have it.

The Surreal artist use to come up with ways to trick the conscious mind into allowing the subconscious mind to reveal itself. The movement was on its way out when Dali hit the scene and said he did not need any tricks because he was crazy and always was on his subconscious mind. Kim, pain as it might be at times you have a gift, a channel to that side of your brain, many want it, few have it.

Hiya Maxwell,

Originally I had planned on becoming a Minister but when I went about making plans to attend a Ministerial College in North Carolina I was hired as a cartoonist to do television commercials in Baltimore, MD. I guess God didn't want me to screw up peoples' lives by telling them how to live but instead, help them to enjoy their lives a little. Also when I was a young man I was a better musician then an artist. I turned my back on that way of life as well to become an artist.