Five Misconceptions About Artists
And Why You Should Stop Believing Them
There are few jobs as misunderstood as that of the artist. The life of a working artist resembles little of pop culture’s romanticization of it. We don’t spend our days brooding in designer coffee shops or lazing about waiting for our muse to strike.
As with all of my writing, I only ever speak for myself about experiences I’ve actually lived. If you or an artist you know has had different experiences, that’s cool. They don’t speak for me anymore than I speak for them. With that in mind, let’s begin the easy to digest numbered list.
1. Artists are sensitive, tragic souls trying to make sense of themselves.
This is a biggie and one that has a kernel of truth to it. Yes, artists are generally more sensitive than the general public. It’s difficult to make meaningful art with a calloused and closed mind. It’s generally a liberal mind that creates, and no, I’m not talking about politics. My politics are complicated, but rarely inspire my work.
I’m not sad and miserable all the time. I get paid to do what I love, after all! I struggle with mental and physical illness just like anyone else, but it’s a poor marker for being a real artist. It’s actually a very dangerous stereotype preventing artists who are struggling from getting help because they believe that they would be less of an artist if they were happy and healthy. Nonsense.
2. Artists love sharing details about their latest project.
This is a messy one.
Many factors are at play. First, it depends on who you are. Second, it depends on how far I am into a project.
There are aspects of creating art that truly appear to be mystical. No matter how well structured and thought out my plan, changes occur throughout. A weird phenomenon occurs once I’m actively creating in which new ideas form out of nothing. Art is always in flux.
There’s an equally strange phenomenon in which sharing too much during this mystical, creative process solidifies the jello-y fresh ideas, making them stiff and unyielding. It’s a possibilities killer.
I want to divulge everything because I’m excited about what I’m working on. If I wasn’t, I’d save myself a lot of heartache and do something else with my time. But I must be disciplined in how much I say. Too much too soon and I limit the project’s potential.
I’ve learned to share details that scale with how much progress I’ve made. You get only broad strokes during the gooey stage. Please be thankful and don’t pry.
3. Artist’s work when their muse inspires them.
Just, no.
First, I’ve never really understood what the hell a muse is in modern context. In popular culture, it’s usually a woman inspiring a man to declare his love for her through art.
“Maybe she’ll notice me if I meticulously study and memorize her body to the point that I can paint an intimate portrait to be found on her doorstep without context!”
That drives women wild…hopefully towards the nearest pawn shop to pick up a handgun so that they can protect themselves from your crazy, creepy ass.
The other interpretation I see is people conflating muse with inspiration, which at least makes a little more sense in a mythological way. But it’s still fantasy.
I don’t wait around for inspiration. The idea that I fart around waiting for some heaven-sent creative fuel grinds my gears to dust.
The source of inspiration is mysterious. My brain takes in stimuli, scrambles it, and spits out new ideas. I don’t know how that process works, but I know how to make it work.
It starts by sitting down in front of my computer or canvas and making marks. I pound keys. I draw lines. I show up, and inspiration follows. It never fails. After working a few minutes, I usually end up with more ideas than I know what to do with.
And when that muse does whisper in my ear with her sour, stale breath, I’m given only a seed that must be nourished and grown into an inspired idea.
I trust my brain to do the hard work behind the scenes. When I show up to work, so does my brain ready to go with a bevy of ideas. I’ve never had art or writer’s block. I think people who experience such things may be sitting in a coffee shop too often waiting on their muse. She’s not coming. I promise.
4. Artists are born with a gift!
Whether you call it gifts or talents, I was drawing the same stickmen beneath a sunglasses-wearing yellow sun that you drew as a kid. It looked like crap.
The average person has absolutely no understanding how much work goes into creating art. It’s unlike any field of study I know of. A surgeon requires a great deal of training and instruction, too. But eventually, a surgeon learns to remove an organ without killing the patient, and masters the craft.
Art is never mastered.
I approach art with a beginner’s mind. A similar result can be achieved a million different ways, each with their own advantages, so I’m always learning. Even if I’m doing something that I’ve done a thousand times, I try to see it with new eyes because relying on muscle memory can blind us to mistakes we’re making.
Art education is rough. The most cohesive route, learning at university or atelier, is the most expensive and geographically restrictive. YouTube University is an amazing resource that’s completely free, but it’s very easy to fall into the trap of jumping from instructor to instructor which isn’t great in the early stages of art education.
There are tens of thousands of instructional books, which are middle of the road in both cost and educational value. Many spend a third of the book showing photos of art materials while a few, mostly early to mid-century books, are phenomenal resources that I still reference to this day.
But filling your head with all the art know-how in the world won’t make you an artist. Like the surgeon, the real learning begins once you put scalpel to flesh, or rather, brush to canvas. Experience is the best teacher and perhaps the costliest of all.
Cheap art materials are frustrating to use and have probably killed more people’s glassy-eyed, enthusiastic art ambitions than anything else. Quality art materials are expensive. A single tube of 37ml (1.25oz) oil paint can run between $25-50. And you need to fearlessly go through a lot of tubes to improve your craft! A starters portion of quality paint, brushes, canvases, and an easel can quickly cross the $1,000 mark. It’s prohibitively expensive for most people just to see if they enjoy it.
I wish I was born with it. I really do. But the art I make today is the result of studying challenging ideas and innumerable sacrifices.
5. Artists have it made because they do what they love!
It’s not work if you enjoy it!
Have you ever heard anything more condescending and asinine? I haven’t. And it’s one that lights my fuse like little else.
I love what I do but it’s more than that. I live what I do. Everything I make is a small piece of my soul that was put there through experiencing all aspects of life. Sometimes that’s a difficult thing to give away. It takes a toll if I don’t refill those chips and pieces with new experiences.
Moreover, people only think this way about artists because they’ve fallen victim to the romantic artist’s life myth perpetuated by Hollywood and popular culture. I put in 40+ hours a week into my art while somehow balancing other life commitments like caring for loved ones and scrubbing toilets. Artists are hard workers.
And when my workday ends, my mind continues to drift in and out of work, creating new ideas, solving problems, and dreaming.
I love what I do. I must or I would choose an easier path. My job isn’t easier because I love it. I put everything into it because I love it! There’s nothing left of me. It’d be a lot easier if I didn’t care.
Though this is just scratching the surface of misconceptions about artists, I think this is a good place to stop for now. Look forward to more in the future and be sure to hug your favorite artist. We don’t get enough hugs.