You Can’t Make Art Out of Excuses

When I have had conversations with other artists who want to create something but have not got round to doing it, I am met with eloquent excuses. They are excuses that are an art form in themselves. They have been well thought out, they are evidence based, there is data to support them and there are heavily embellished stories around them. They have had so much care, time and attention bestowed upon them that there is no wonder they are so polished and refined. And every time I hear them, I wonder this; if you spent that same amount of time and energy creating the very thing you have spent time creating excuses for then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. In fact, it is taking up the very same energy that could be used for creating art instead of creating excuses. Both are creativity in motion.

 So, the question isn’t why aren’t you creating art? The question is why are you creating excuses rather than art? What is it that you are really avoiding? The reasons could vary in nature and could range from fear of what others will think of the art or the fear that you don’t really think your art is good enough and you don’t want to set yourself up to feel like a failure. Whatever the reasoning, it will be something to do with protecting yourself in one way or another. And that is all ok. We have a myriad of reasons why we think we can’t do something, and this is nothing to get hung up about. The key is to know that we are making an art out of our excuses and that this in the end is not in our favour.

 If art is something you want to create then you have every right to create it. In actual fact the reason you have the desire and ideas to create art is the signal that it is something that is in your capacity to do, it wouldn’t be there otherwise. I am met with creative ideas for new art pieces continually because I believe there is a calling for me in there somewhere. I have zero inclination to ever decipher an algebraic formula and therefore never have any ideas surrounding that subject.

 If there is some form of art that you would like to create and you have a reason why you can’t create it, then I am offering an alternative route through. Spend no time or energy nurturing your reasons. Neglect all the reasons the way you would neglect anything that you didn’t want to grow in your life. Don’t give it another thought, ignore it. Let it sit there like an unwelcome visitor and don’t feed it any cake. Instead, do one thing, any tiny thing towards the idea you have and spend time there instead. If it is a painting you want to create, go put the paper in front of you and let your pencil touch the paper. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. Don’t hold any expectation that this painting has to become anything. Be loose with it. The more you lean into the action of your creative impulses and pay that more attention than you pay your reasons for not starting, the more you will have evidence that those excuses you spent so much time cultivating were nothing more than ephemeral thoughts, that were like wisps of smoke that have dissipated without the fanning of them into flames.