“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
Picasso
I’ve read a lot about other artists’ processes and thoughts on inspiration and regular practice.
Many say that there must be a strict routine, that you can’t and shouldn’t just wait for inspiration to strike as you could be waiting a very long time.
The masters painted every day.
‘Real’ artists can’t actually survive without painting daily.
Successful artists are consistent, disciplined and prolific.
Perhaps I’m just not a real or successful artist then. {It’s alright, I know I’m not a master. 😉 } Don’t even get me started on the meaning of those words!
Whose criteria must I fulfill in order to be able to call myself those things, if I wanted to?
I’m still playing with the varying degrees of this spectrum of routine vs inspiration.
As I wrote in a previous post, I have discovered that I do need some kind of container in which to be productive, but I recoil when artists talk about waking up at the same {horrendously early} time every day, and putting in the hours as though they were in the office.
Clearly that works for some. Apparently not for me, even if the pros like Stephen Pressfield and Twyla Tharp are adamant.
The fact that they are pros and I am not ~ in the sense of being famous, wealthy and prolific – real and successful artists, one might say ~ may say something about the efficiency of my process compared with theirs, but I find both of them hard to relate to as people, even if I agree with some of what they say.
Perhaps it’s at least partly a temperament thing.
Am I just lazy or are there so called successful artists who don’t have a rigid routine and strict rules about their creative practice?
Are there specific criteria for ‘success’?
How can there be when it means something different to each of us?
Take this painting for example. I was pottering around on Saturday, having not painted since finishing this one, {so about a week}, and without warning I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to paint.
I went up to the studio, grabbed a smallish canvas, chose a few colours and probably less than half an hour later it was done. It quite literally poured out of me before I even had time to think about what I was doing.
Whatever needed to come out had come out; I felt complete, despite nagging thoughts about cheating and “no proper painting should take half an hour“. {I’m not immune to the ‘real artist’ beliefs.}
I shared it on Instagram and Facebook and it received a very enthusiastic response, more so than some of my lengthier paintings.
I actually love it, but it’s not a ground breaker in terms of originality or perhaps even quality, it took me no time at all and wasn’t part of a regular routine or focus.
According to Stephen and Twyla, that probably makes me a hobby artist rather than a ‘real’ one, and this painting perhaps something pretty but with no real value.
It’s often said that nothing has value until someone wants to pay for it.
That makes a lot of my work financially valueless, but I don’t think it makes it without value.
Sometimes I wish I was disciplined like the ‘real artists’ are.
Sometimes I’m totally ok with the fact that I don’t die if I don’t pick up a brush for a week or two. {I do tend to get irritable and antsy though.}
Sometimes I wish I sold my art more often.
Sometimes I don’t care because it’s the making of it that feeds me, not the selling of it.
Does how often you paint speak to how professional you are, how much of a ‘real’ or ‘successful’ artist you are?
I absolutely believe that practice makes progress, and thus the more you paint the better you become.
I’m just not sure I believe that you must force yourself to create daily no matter what. That’s never led to anything but frustration and boredom for me.
I love to paint, however and whenever it comes out. I’m sure if I painted every day to a strict schedule I’d be much more skilled, and I might even sell more work. I’m also pretty sure that I’d be resentful and frustrated though, and that would not produce work from the heart, which this painting absolutely is.
The truth for me right now is that yes I only paint when inspired, but creating a very gentle and flexible ‘routine’ encourages me to be inspired more often.
What do you think? Do you have a strict routine? Do you noticeably improve and/or sell more when you have one, or do you find yourself procrastinating and becoming resentful? What are your personal criteria for being a ‘real’ or ‘successful’ artist?
Tara,
this is exactly how I feel with my poetry. I could sit down every morning with the intent of writing a poem, but likely I would struggle with it. My favourite poems are usually the ones that pore out of me (mostly complete) in 5 minutes flat. Luckily as I don’t work at the moment I have the time to write it almost immediately.
Maybe the difference with artists is that those “professional” ones are more inclined to do it with a monetary end in sight, it’s a business to them. You do it because it is what your heart tells you to do.
And I love that painting.
Kind regards
Hi Theresa, thanks for stopping by! It’s true for my poems too. It does seem to be a fine line to dance in terms of making art for money and making it because you ‘have’ to. I always admire those who manage to do both with integrity; it’s a lot harder than it might seem!
oooh!! this is such a juicy post — i love it to bits!!
now, while Stephen Pressfield is part of my personal Holy Trinity (along with Nathalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron), i do take exception to the all-or-nothing thing he has going on. and i’ve never read Twyla Tharp because everything of hers that i’ve seen quoted makes me think of some tight-lipped drill-sergeant and that simply does NOT inspire me to be creative.
i fall somewhere in the middle. i am definitely more productive when i *work* every day…but then, i allow myself the freedom to choose exactly “what” i’m working on, rather than scheduling anything in. (which is such an icky thought).
i suppose it’s true – i might have a five-figure book-deal and have sold the film rights to all of my unwritten novels if i were more disciplined, but if it comes down to a choice of letting my art/writing unfold organically and intuitively or else churning it out on-demand, i think i know which one i could live with. 😉
xoxo
Hello Mel! So lovely to see you here today! I so hear you with Twyla Tharp; I simply couldn’t find any common ground with her. Everyone raved about her book and I couldn’t finish it in the end.
I like your distinction between doing something every day, but having the flexibility within that as to what that will be – which I realise I probably like because it’s what I do as well!
It does to some degree seem to come down to whether you want/need to make a living solely from your art {whatever that may be}, or build up several income streams within that area, OR simply enjoy it as a hobby.
Interesting questions, as always Tara. Let’s see, I’ve had 8 solo shows and sold hundreds of paintings that lie in collections all over the world …. and I go for MONTHS without painting!! I’ve always wondered if I’m not a ‘real artist’, hmmm … now I know I’m not 🙂 great post, buddy!
Malini you are ABSOLUTELY a real artist, in all the ways it’s possible to be one, in my humble opinion! Besides your evident success with recognition, exhibitions and sales, you are an example of a real artist to me because you channel your true calling and allow it to come through. It’s so very clear that that’s Who You Are. I’m starting to think, writing this, that a ‘real’ artist is actually more someone who heeds the call and allows themselves to be a vessel for it to emerge, than it is anything to do with the material world of sales and fame. Those things are really just byproducts of being the true artist you are; and that’s why I think we’re all artists really. Just some of us haven’t fully uncovered that part yet. 🙂 {Steps gingerly off soapbox.}
Hi Tara, thanks again for a great post.
This topic is something I thought about for a long time. Even to the point that I thought I couldn’t really love what I do, because I’m a procratinator pur sang. And if I love what I do so much, than why do I have to put myself to it.
Long ago I used to completely go with my flow, and create when it simply poured out of me. And if not, not.
But since I’m a mother, I simply can’t afford to work in the nights, of everytime I feel like it, all the time.
I’ve learned that in ‘planned’ time, my work might not flow that easily, and what comes out seems sometimes omewhat forged. But in retrospect I can see that it contributes to my development in a more consious way, because it makes me more analytic.
Also it really helped me to read about how our subconsciounce works when we think we are not working. Dutch researcher Ab Dijksterhuis wrote a book called: Our clever subconsiounce.
He explanes that it is much more able to analyse complicated situations than our concious mind is. And that often the best advice in processing information en decissionmaking is: sleep about it. So our subconsious can do its job.
Since I know this, I trust more my organic way of working an learning. And when I realise I’m procratinating, I rely on the thought that my subconsious is not. Which really seems to be the case, because, at the due-time I always get done what had to be done. I simple put myself to it, and let flow the work my subconsious did for me.
Forgive me for my poor english, I’m a dutch girl trying to express myself in english.
I hope I contributed a little bit to your thougts, that are so helpful to me.
Hi Sofia, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences of the ‘real’ artist conundrum! I love your points about the subconscious, and how learning how it works has enabled you to be more organic – and I guess allowed you to take some of the pressure off yourself as you know it’s all percolating away underneath. 🙂 I have certainly developed an approach of percolating in between paintings or creative endeavours; it’s not to be underestimated! Fascinating stuff, thank you so much for this interesting angle Sofia. And by the way, your English is excellent {and a million times better than my Dutch!}.
Tara I love this post! So much food for thought. Truth be told – I think that as there are many different forms of art and artists – so there are infinite ways of working and creating art. So we should just go with what is best for us as individuals. No pressure – no conforming to any one elses ideals/ideas. For me routine definitely helps – freedom within a structure – but then life and all the other things we have to do as self employed artists takes over (and that is the bit I resent) so a week or two can go by and I have not put brush to canvas.
But really – do what is right for you – be inspired by other folks work ethics but find your own way. Also the whole ‘definition’ of being an artist bothers me – as does ‘defining success’ – I think you are brilliant in everything you do and being happy and satisfied with your own way of working is far more valuable than comparing yourself to others. (I have been a lot happier since I stopped doing that – and when the doubts creep in I try to shoo them away!)
Love to hear your thoughts on this Gillian. I totally agree with you that it’s always going to be unique to the artist how their process will work and evolve. I find the defining of terms limiting too ~ I’m actually not interested in being ‘successful’ if it means anything like fame or having to prostitute myself about to get noticed! Success for me is exactly as you say, feeling happy and satisfied with my own way. {Although I won’t deny I love selling my work too. 😉 }
I think we can all relate to this feeling on various levels and at various times in our lives as artists. I tend to steer clear of the people and places where there is a set standard for what determines your value or success as an artist. It’s such an individual process and so very subjective.
As you mention when you talk about Steven and Twyla’s routines… their routine would be oppressive to you (and me! lol), but your (or my) routine might not be good for them either. This is a hard area, this success thing as an artist.
We compare ouselves so much to other artists and what they’re doing. I think it would be fantastic to make money creating art, to sell more of it, and then I weigh what it would take to do that, with what I’d have to sacrifice (because there always is one), and I find that I’m already in a happy and successful place with my art – whether anyone buys it or not.
What determines my own success for me is how I feel after painting something, sometimes how well-received it is, and if I can see that I’m growing as an artist in my work. How great is it that we all get to decide what will work for each of us! Your painting is beautiful by the way and inspired me to let go a bit more and just move the paint around for the sake of it on a few of my own ;D <3 Great post!
Hi Patricia ~ thank you for sharing your perspective here. I found your response really interesting. Reading it made me think of the ‘layers’ that seem to make up success. As you say, the first thing tends to be how we feel inside after painting and whether we feel we’re growing as an artist. Then there are further outer layers of reception by others, sales and so on. But the core of it is our ‘why’. And that seems to render the word ‘success’ obsolete really. Thanks for getting me thinking further about this!
To me the real success is to be able to follow my heart, to be true to myself, and to make art that resonates with who I am. Success to me is also my capability to grow in my art, to change my artistic expression so that it is congruent with all those changes that are happening inside of me. I don’t believe that I’m not successful just because I haven’t been able to sell a painting or have an exhibition. One of the most renowned critics in my country actually said to me: “You ‘re crating paintings that nobody else does, and you can demand almost as much money as you want for your art. You can’t have an exhibition in our gallery. Why would anyone give you a lot of money for your paintings, when one could get the same picture done in a couple of hours with a computer program?” lol He probably thinks I’m not successful. But that is his perception. 🙂
We’ve been trained to trust others and their opinions and theories more than we trust ourselves.
I really love this post of yours – your ideas are very similar to mine in so many ways (also regarding the structure and discipline).
May each of us find immense joy and a sense of fulfillment in our creative projects and in our life in general. I do believe that this is one of the most important ingredients for being and feeling successful.
Much love to your, dear Goddess! 🙂