Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

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Here are just a few dozen of those answers. I’ve found reading through them particularly helpful this week, as I struggle with election anxiety as well as navigating life during the era of COVID-19. We’re all having a lot of feelings right now, and it is the act of creating that grounds us during uncertainty. As you strive to make art during this time, discovering what other artists grapple with might help you dismantle the power of your own fears and inner critic. On top of that, may this list of responses help foster a sense of collective resilience and connection, especially during such an isolating moment in history. Like I said, vulnerable conversations like this make me feel much less alone. I’m hoping it does the same for you. It’s a Struggle pg. 29 The ceramics class divided into two groups; half would be graded on quantity and the other half on quality. The half graded on quantity ended up making better work

The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. If ninety-eight percent of our medical students were no longer practicing medicine five years after graduation, there would be a Senate investigation, yet that proportion of art majors are routinely consigned to an early professional death. Sometimes the emotions are expressed unexpectedly or naturally arise from a directive that is not directly about feelings. For example, in “playing” with watercolors through a sensory-based activity, the client might discover that emotions are coming up in themselves or through the art. Or a prompt for a client to create a collage about family is likely to lead to an exploration of feelings that are reflected in the chosen images. It’s a wonderful story, with an enormous amount of truth to it. Part of the reason I’m writing this blog relatively regularly is because of the principle embedded within it. Quantity produces quality. Theorising is death. You need to move, be proactive.His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot – albeit a perfect one – to get an “A”. I basically go out of my comfort zone by pushing and selling my wares. I’ve met many interesting people and will continue to try to make connections to gather exposure and sales. — Dee S Q: [...If each person made their best work, wouldn't] the more gifted make better work, and the less gifted, less? Part of the problem may have been the sheer volume of recommendations I got for this little guy and to live up to those expectations it would basically have to cure cancer, so take that for what it is. But if making art gives substance to your sense of self, the corresponding fear is that you're not up to the task -- that you can't do it, or can't do it well, or can't do it again; or that you're not a real artist, or not a good artist, or have no talent, or have nothing to say. The line between the artist and his/her work is a fine one at best, and for the artist it feels (quite naturally) like there is no such line. Making art can feel dangerous and revealing. Making art is dangerous and revealing. Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might be. For many people, that alone is enough to prevent their ever getting started at all -- and for those who do, trouble isn't long in coming. Doubts, in fact, soon rise in swarms:

A lot had changed in Europe by the 1800s. The 16th and 17th century intellectual and philosophical movement of the Enlightenment had posed yet another threat to the Church. It did not just challenge specific doctrines but the religion as a whole, privileging human reason over religious revelation. It is still challenging for some clients to try to think and express themselves through the art, no matter what directive you give them. And some clients still worry about the final art product looking good or tell me that they don’t like this exercise because they don’t want to pay attention to their emotions.All of these have been helpful for different clients and situations, and I continue to use them when they are appropriate. However, sometimes the idea of drawing or painting feelings can be really challenging for client who aren’t used to thinking about their emotions in the language of color or metaphor (or who aren’t used to paying attention to their feelings at all). I put it on my canvas and work around it and add layers to mold it into something more confident. Otherwise, my anxiety takes over and I won’t get anywhere with the piece. — Dottie T

Join us for the art event you’ve been waiting for in Mesa, Arizona from October 25-28, 2023 and enjoy a terrific lineup of educational workshops, a marketplace to shop, and community building activities. Whether you’re looking to learn a new technique, gain knowledge from a top instructor, or meet other artists, you won’t want to miss Art Fest Mesa! In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive.” It’s not so much fear but really anger that drives me to make art. I find that when I’m angry I put all that anger into making something. It’s the way I cope and deal with situations around me. — Priscilla M to require perfection is to invite paralysis. The pattern is predictable: as you see error in what you have done, you steer your work toward what you imagine you can do perfectly. You cling ever more tightly to what you already know you can do — away from risk and exploration, and possibly further from the work of your heart. You find reasons to procrastinate, since to not work is to not make mistakes. Believing that artwork should be perfect, you gradually become convinced that you cannot make such work. (You are correct.) Sooner or later, since you cannot do what you are trying to do, you quit. And in one of those perverse little ironies of life, only the pattern itself achieves perfection — a perfect death spiral: you misdirect your work; you stall; you quit.” Founded in 2013, Artsper is an online marketplace for contemporary art. Partnering with 1,800 professional art galleries around the world, it makes discovering and acquiring art accessible to all.Sometimes I have to remind myself of the journey I embarked upon to get here today. It was a brave step to follow my heart and ambitions. I proved myself worthy every step of the way and reached my goal of a master’s degree in painting. That’s something. Every painting is better than the last, so get to work! — Kim H