Creative Process, Contradiction, and Surprises

The first comment I often get (from paintings like the one below) is, “Why did you add the door?” It’s not meant to be an unkind comment. It’s an honest comment, and I like it because I made someone ask questions. I challenged their thinking. I made them wonder. I hope I even made them a little uncomfortable (but in a good way). Art can stretch our thinking and break the boundaries of what we expect and anticipate. How ordinary the world would be if every painting of a vase was just a vase. Variety is truly the spice of life.  

Artists are in a unique position to be who they are and express themselves accordingly. One may paint a vase with great detail and skill: an exact replica. Another may draw the same vase with a childlike style not unlike Matisse. There are so many different ways to represent the same exact subject. Each perception is unique.  

Thoreau says, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” This is true in art and in life. How fascinating that our interpretations of an event can be so varied. Just like every vase is a vase, every interpretation of an event is still that same event seen from a different angle. We spend so much time being surprised that others see things dissimilarly. In these moments, we should draw a vase and marvel at our interpretation. It will be a vase, but it will never be exactly the same as someone else’s drawing of that very same vase. This is an apt analogy for the ways humans interpret things: there will be variety, contradiction, and surprises. Within each interpretation we can find threads of truth. 

This blog is a challenge to make some art and compare it with the creations of other artists. Don’t compare to rank and judge. Compare to celebrate all the possibilities and to recognize that your interpretation is valid, valuable, and important. We are so quick to judge ourselves and others. Make something, be mindful, and let it be what it is. Trust your creative process and embrace it. Do the same with what you see others create. You will have taken a simple step that will help guide this fascinating planet to greater understanding, less rigidity, and a bit more shine. 

This is a photo of a window and a vase. The vase has a door leading inside it. The artist wants the viewer to wonder about the door: where it leads, why it’s there, and what it means.