Blog / 2024 / How to Believe in Your Art

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

For the past few months, I have been at an all-time low when it comes to believing in the value of my art. And some of that has to do with me and stuff that I am going through. But a lot of it is more general.

The artists and writers that I follow, all of them are talking about how hard it is out there. People just aren’t that interested in supporting creativity right now, and especially if that creativity is complex and requires a lot of reflection. You know, memes and six second videos and bucolic landscapes, those are in; richly layered art that’s thought-provoking, that’s out. Waaaaay out.

So today I want to talk about how it is that I keep on keeping on, even when this stuff is going on, because this is not the first time it’s been this hard out there. well. And the way that I do that, the way that I continue want to make art for over twenty years even when there are these moments where creativity is just not being valued is that I dig down into my “why.” Why is it that I make art?

And over the years, that reason has evolved. Early on, I was convinced that art’s ability to make change was my driving force. I’m talking about the way that art can lift a person’s mood or help them see the world anew. I’d even go so far as to say that art’s ability to help people shift their perspective was what might save the world. More recently, I’ve been focused on how art allows us to feel more connected with each other—the pinnacle being the artist statement for my current body of work, which is all about love.

And all that is still valid, but there’s also another reason underneath all of it, and that’s that:

Nothing matters, and so absolutely everything does.

Nothing matters. Not potentially making a fool of yourself by committing yourself to your art when others may or may not like it. Not the myriad rejections you receive from institutions who don’t appreciate your art. Not the fact that actually getting paid to make art feels impossible at times. None of it matters when we are these tiny creatures floating around on a dust mote in the great nothingness of the universe.

And everything matters. You could die tomorrow, so you better do something you care about today. If one little thing you do helps another human to feel more connected to others, then everything you’ve done will be worthwhile. Imagination is what will save us in the end. It’s the only thing that will. We need to imagine a better world before we can create it, and art nurtures imagination.

What’s at the core of you that allows you to create? What’s your “why”?