Thoughts on ‘talent', art and creative expression (+ a painting time-lapse!)
Something that’s come up a lot since I started sharing my art and hosting workshops around creative expression, is the idea that making art is for the ‘gifted’ ones, the ‘talented’ ones, those ‘naturally good at art’.
Here are some thoughts on that.
It appears that some people are inclined to create ‘art that looks like things’, and those people may be encouraged all their lives to pursue these skills and put them to use (or not). They may be labelled as ‘creative’.
Others express their creativity in different ways (music, sculpture, dressmaking, performance, film making, poetry, etc), and may also be encouraged (or not).
Still others express their creativity in ways that are totally outside of the traditional or recognised categories of ‘art’. And others again would express themselves in all kinds of ways, if only they’d had access to support, space, tools and materials as a child (or as adults).
However we were taught to relate to our creativity & self expression as a child and beyond, feeds into our ideas of both what art IS, and how ‘good’ at it we are.
We put labels on ourselves like ‘I’m good/not-good at art’, because we can or can’t draw, as if ‘drawing-realistic-looking-things’ is the only form art takes.
Art is a wide, undefinable field of expression that is SO not limited to ‘pictures that look like things’.
Art can be a practice, an exploration, a meditation, a release, or whatever it feels like to YOU, as opposed to something ‘to get good at’.
The making of art, the process of self expression and inner-journeying is a useful and sometimes very powerful practice that I wish we all felt safe to participate in, in ways that feel fun & interesting for us.
I love to reflect on questions like:
What did you used to love doing as a child?
What did you wish you had been encouraged to pursue?
What did you wish you had the materials or money for when you were younger?
What do you get jealous about when you see other people doing it?
How does the depth of your love, your grief, your fear, your joy want to be expressed?
How do your stories want to be told?
Do you want to dance? Do you want to paint? Do you want to make something out of things you find in the woods? Do you want to write it all down? You are allowed.
Art is not something reserved only for those who’ve been labeled ‘talented’. Everyone is welcome to their own practice.
Art is not something ‘to get good at’, although with practice our skills do improve, our creations generate new ideas, and our practice expands.
Art is not something we need to show or share with anyone, although we can if we want to.
Art is not something that is valid only if we earn money from it, although we can do that too.
I recently shared a painting on social media of the moon, framed by treetops, a scene from a walk I had taken, and was praised by kind friends, ‘you’re so talented!’. I do truly appreciate this sentiment and everyone who supports me as a practicing creative, but I also find it hard to accept this particular compliment. The ‘talented/not talented’, ‘creative/not creative’, ‘good at art/not good at art’ narrative is something I want us to explore, unpick, and talk about. These narratives are not always the healthiest or most useful frames from which to view or relate to ourselves and others.*
This painting I’m referring to was a relatively simple one using only blue ink and water, so with very few tools needed I thought it would be a great one to show the process of. It can be intimidating to see a final piece and wonder how it was made, but everything is a process so I want to show it to you. This video above is a time-lapse of the Moon and Trees painting ahead of the tutorial which I’ll share soon!
Finally, I am aware that I have some artistic skills, so I am not denying my ‘talent’. What I want to do is express is that:
my skills improve with practice, as all skills do, and that
those skills are not necessary in order to make our art in the first place, (even if we think we’ll make bad art! That’s okay!) and that
we have to start where we are, with what we’ve got. Explore what wants to come through you.
I have artist ancestors. So do you. All of our ancestors made things and used their hands to create, because we used to *need* to make things for our families, our communities, and for money. Ask your family, if you can, what your grandparents and great grandparents used to make and do. Learn about the crafts that used to be practiced in your area or homelands.
Open yourself to the possibility that making art could be for you, too.
What do you think?
* Check out the extremely helpful book Mindset by Dr Carol Dweck to learn about fixed and growth mindsets.