It Doesn't Matter If I Like It... Creating Work and Letting It Be
As I've played with the creative process over the past...little more than a decade I suppose, I've come to sense that the autonomy of creation itself - the unfolding of the sound beyond my intentions, the flow of the paint beyond by directing, the incidental, circumstantial, happenstance of becoming - that this more vital, important, and full of beautiful possibility than any preconceived notion I may hold of the creative act and projected final piece of work.
Fissure
12"x12"
acrylic on canvas
It doesn't matter if I like it. What's more important is that work has been done, creation has danced, being has been brought into form and perceived. That is where the fruit is. Not so much in the "final product", but the act and experience of bringing it into being and the echoes of the perceptions that gather round the artifact in creation's aftermath.
I put faith in the autonomous flow of creation that exists beyond my intellectual and intentional capacity. In fact, I am very suspect of much of what my mind consider's to be "good".
At the end of the day, I am looking to discover and create something that has a home somewhere beyond the mind, beyond my wildest imaginings. I want to discover an undiscovered beauty, not iterate an image or sound that is preconceived. Conception and creation as a single instance, that is a pristine height of ecstasy.
Of course, it's lovely when all these variables coincide into a happy set of amicability. If a free flow of creation rushes forth from the fingertips effortlessly and the eye of the I enjoys... "likes"... what has been produced, fantastic!
However, that phenomenon is more of a bonus than the fundamental necessity. That phenomenon is unnecessary! I may create something and think it's atrocious. At the very least, I've learned something in the process.
At the end of the day, I agree with Andy...
“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol
While our work is quite different, I love advice. Get on with the work. Let creation happen. Set your preferences aside. See what comes... rinse, wash, repeat, and discover and learn in the process.
