I have a colleague that is a poet and an artist. The other day, I asked him what he was working on, and he told me he was honing his skills drawing life-like objects. He explained how he was focusing on measurements and making sure they were as precise as possible — because without precise measurements, the item on the page doesn’t have the same qualities as what it is trying to represent.
Chuckling, I told him he was sucking the romanticism out of art.We then got into a discussion about how the creation of art is anything but romantic.
It Takes Work to Create a Masterpiece
Most people think of artists as sitting alone in their room or studio, being struck by the muse and becoming obsessed with finishing their masterpiece. They barely think about eating or drinking or taking care of themselves in any way until the work is completed. There are high emotions, and the creator feels divine and happy. All of those feelings are transferred from their being into the work before them, which is then transferred to the audience and creates feelings of joy and excitement within them.
In reality, there is nothing romantic about creating art, whether it is a painting, drawing, poem, or novel. The process revolves around taking chaotic thoughts and half-formed ideas and taming them into something that can be consumed and understood by others. If you think about the thoughts that run through your head at any time during the day, you know that feat is easier said than done.
There is a lot of precision to the creative process, which does mean having the right measurements — or choosing the right word or phrase or using a particular pencil or color — and assembling them in the right way on whatever medium the creator prefers to use.
Being precise and particular can make the process incredibly long. Depending on the type and depth of the work, it can take hours to years to finish a product. And during that time, it will go through a lot of different versions. It needs to be edited and refined. The final product may only have a hint of the original idea that the creator envisioned.
Making Things Look Easy
If you’ve ever looked at a final product — again, whether it be a painting, poem, novel, whatever — and thought, “That was amazing, and it seems like the creator had no issues at all making it,” then the creator has achieved their goal. The more effortless a project appears, the more work has gone into it.
Even if you’re looking at an impressionistic painting or reading experimental fiction and thinking that the creator just threw paint onto a canvas or wrote down any thought that came to mind, remember that everything was done intentionally — and more than likely painstakingly.
Most likely, nothing in the work is haphazard. There is meaning behind the splashes of paint or the seemingly random words. They were chosen for a reason.
No matter how much you appreciate and love the final work, keep in mind that the creator may not think of it as finished. During the process, the creator may have doubted themselves and shed tears because they didn’t think their work would be good enough. They may continue to think that their work isn’t good enough and be thinking of ways they want to change it.
Where you see perfection (or damn near), they may see flaws and problems. But they had to stop somewhere, so the final product in front of you is “good enough.”
If you think you can do better than what’s in front of you, I dare you to try.
See how long it takes you to recreate the work of art that you think was easy. But remember: you don’t get to be the judge. The audience makes the final decision. Do a compare and contrast and have others critique the work against the current standards and see how yours measures up.
Take a Moment to Appreciate the Effort
If you find that the work in front of you takes your breath away or makes you think or gives you the feels, take a moment to truly appreciate the effort that went into the creation. Think about the precise measurements the artist applied, the search for the perfect tool to ensure the final product looked just right, the agony that went into finding the right word or phrase.
Take a step back and soak in the work. Let it flow through you and indulge your senses.
Know that all the time and effort the creator put into their work was for your benefit. They wanted to make you feel. Being creative may not be romantic, but the final product should be inspirational and make you think that the process was effortless.
That’s part of the artistic appeal.
