Ask most artists why they create art and you’ll find that their answer is usually that they don’t have a choice not to create art. It is as much a part of your livelihood as breathing.
There is often a mutual dialogue that is expressed between the art and the artist informing each of the other’s existence. This is a dialogue that can be expressed in many different media and forms. The transformation begins when the artist is allowed to explore the process of art and its creation in greater depth. This is rarely done without conflict and struggle because creating art often results in the artist having to explore the dark crevices of their soul and past to find the kernel of truth in the work they are meant to create. It is this process that allows the work of art to have a soul.
The artist’s mind does not always proceed in a linear fashion because the approach is more conceptual than that of a tangible concrete object. The artist is forced to rethink and sometimes reject what seemed right at first. This presents a way of working towards such alternatives to create art that has the ability to inform. When the creative process travels through natural and organic paths, it allows the art and the artist to transform, as the journey unfolds.
This process allows the artwork to become bigger than the artist because when art has the opportunity to grow and develop independently of the artist. Art can mature into something more than the artist could have imagined. That is why it is easier for an artist to work with concepts because there is more room for interpretation and free expression. Use all the senses to express what is seen, smelled, tasted and heard, as well as what is felt.
Creating art is like raising a teenager. Try to teach and educate the best you can and know. But there comes a time when you must step back and allow the wings to spread and dry in preparation for the first flight. You are left with nothing but perhaps the sudden feeling of emptiness or emptiness and the delight of the expression of the art form.
Some artists enjoy explaining what their creative process is and what the artwork represents to them. Some prefer to allow that internal dialogue to remain secret and allow the viewer to use their past personal experiences to reveal their own perception of what the artwork means to them.
At that time art has become even bigger and has the ability to transform the viewer as well.