Why Do We Make Art?

One of my mentors and dear friends Laurie Doctor wrote yet another thought provoking post on her wonderful blog, A Silver Fraction recently. Her thoughts and questions about why we make art spurred me to deeply revisit some of my own questions on the same topic.

I have been thinking a lot about my own creative practice lately and why it calls to me. This query is especially poignant for me after a long hiatus of resisting my need to make art. The hiatus was necessary, I am sure, but heart-wrenching, nonetheless. It was the most painful time of my life, and although I had navigated dark times before, this one really stopped me in my tracks. The pull to create was strong, but somehow facing what might come out if I did paralyzed me.

Thanks to my recent head injury, and ensuing debilitation, I was forced to surrender to my need to make art’s familiar tug deep in my heart. It was literally the ONLY thing I could do. Once I surrendered, my daily art practice emerged back into my days like a wildfire burning out of control. I know that this fire will wax and wane, but I feel like I have finally come to understand in the deepest way (not just in my head), how important it is for me to honor my creative practice NO MATTER WHAT.

Whether I spend 10 minutes creating in my journal, or hours making art in my studio, that time and practice is crucial for me. Laurie’s post really got me to realize one of the many reasons why. For me, it is a way of mining and expressing in a way that transcends the everyday hum of words, thoughts and rationalizations that tug at me and pull me outside myself. I can get so caught up in these things, especially in relation to others.

My art removes me from that mayhem, if even for a few moments. It clears away the extraneous distractions and ushers me swiftly back into myself and into my connection with spirit. It grounds me and helps me to feel where I stop, and others start. It creates an energetic bubble in which only spirit and my soul are present. It is when I can truly feel at peace.

The only only other thing that does this for me is sailing alone on my beloved sailboat, Cassiopeia, and I am deeply grateful for both.

A big thank you to Laurie for always helping me to dig deeper and root into what I know in my bones to be true. If you have never seen Laurie’s work, read her blog or most especially taken a class from her……you simply MUST! Please do yourself a favor and know this lovely soul! You will never be the same!

Tell me.....why do YOU make art?