Why I'm Doing What I'm Doing

Why create art in the first place?

If you think that's a rather odd question, then you're probably an artist or very creative by nature and the question doesn't even cross your mind. And if it does traverse through your mental landscape here and there, the answer might seem obvious. Even if you believe that this question has it's validity and should be asked (perhaps even frequently), and should be directed specifically towards artists, then you are not wrong either. 

With this blog post, I would like to invite you onto a little introspective, philosophical journey - and on the way uncover my motivations for creating art & what it means to be an artist in today's world, given technological progress has gained momentum and has changed and continues to radically transform the landscapes of our human existence...

Without any further babbling - let's dive in!

Art is a connection to the divine

True art - and with that I mean art that comes from the heart and not from the ego & its endlessly self-perpetuating ramifications, analyses and commentary - has the potential to awaken something within the viewer or the recipient (let's use the word recipient here if the artwork at hand is not visual (like a painting, a movie or a piece of furniture for example) but a musical piece, a novel or otherwise perceptually perceivable).

Art that comes from the heart comes from the soul.

Art that comes from the soul is channeled from a higher source.

And what is channeled from a higher source carries more light, more life-affirming & life-enhancing energies. 

Through these life-affirming energies the old, stale, often very bitter and dark aspects of humanity can be transmuted into higher forms of consciousness. If this sounds 'super-woo-woo' to you - that's okay. I'm simply sharing my perspective here and what feels right in my heart, my essence. 

The transmutation of darker, more destructive aspects of collective energies into something higher, more constructive always meets a lot of resistance from the masses. 

Why?

Because the human brain (and the mind that emerges out of the brain's interconnected computational nodes) has the propensity to undermine anything that could pose a threat to the ego. Why is life-affirming creativity often met with eyes of boredom, annoyance or even strong irritation and hate? you might ask... One reason is that the ego feels scared to touch upon anything that is "out there", meaning: The ego carriest a gargantuan fear of being wrong. 

Being wrong can be good. If it is the ego that is proven wrong, it will inevitably create pain - in some form - even if it is only a momentary emotional pain that results in a critical, negative reaction that offers a contemptuous gaze and a dismissal of another's viewpoint. Now, when the ego is confronted with life-affirming energies that point towards source it gets scared because it wants to stay in power and not realize and accept that something greater than itself is actually in power.

This applies to all areas of life: Power scares people. True, instrinsic power that is. Not forceful action that pretends to be power. This would be just trickery - an illusionary construct by the ego to impress and control other egos. True power stems from the heart, the soul and the connection to realms of divinity. It is limitless, infinite and all-encompassing. This limitlessness is often met with irritation and spite as a large part of society is scared to tap into their own ethereal power. 

Art can be a gateway to that intrinsic power. It can heal the heart and balance the mind - so they can be fruitful, life-enhancing collaborators once again.

Although every human being and every conscious being walking the surface of the earth has this underlying, constant longing to reconnect to the great source, we often don't know how to connect to it - and it's so infinitely more powerful than 'us' that it can seem intimidating.

You can call this higher source whatever you like - god, source, god-consciousness, the highest aspect, unconditional love etc. What matters is that this source is real. And every living thing, being, plants, material elements... is an expression of it. And art is one of those expressions. So, it makes sense to use our willpower, our internal compass and guidance system and make use of this potential for expressing something with love, heart-centeredness and the awareness that what we birth into the world matters. 

Art doesn't exist in a vacuum

The emotions that an art piece can elicit are and the energy an artwork carries within its field is either a reflection of the artist's soul or a reflection of the artist's unconscious aspect. Therefore, the final artwork / result can point to one's essence if creativity is pursued through the lens of awareness, appreciation and love (for the craft, the motif and creativity - even the world to one degree or another) - or, if the process unfolds through actions that are led by the unconscious / subconscious aspects of oneself, the final piece can result in a manifestation of these unconscious, often life-denying or at least very critical, divisive and dark aspects. 

Either way: The artwork will have an impact on the world.

Now, this impact is neither to be judged as good nor bad - it is simply a cosmic fact that what we send out into the world has an effect on the collective. This effect can propel an old energy-pattern forward, bend an established pattern or create a new energy-pattern that slowly plants the seed for a paradigm shift. 

Whatever you choose - know your reasons for your choice and ask your heart: "Am I creating from a place of love and wholeness? Or does the art I'm creating stem from a hurt ego, pains from the past, traumas, subconscious hate towards something or someone? Am I truly expressing the best version of myself?"

Why I'm Doing What I'm Doing

I believe that the words of the cosmos are not literal - meaning, words often are incapable of touching what lies beyond.

But art & music can very well touch upon this divine quality that slumbers within us all. And it might help us process and express what cannot be expressed otherwise. 

In the past, I went through a lot of darkness - and my drawings, illustrations, books etc. reflected that strongly. But since a few years, I feel more connected to my heart and soul than ever - and it clearly shows! All my artworks have gained this peaceful or inspiring, or at least (I hope) life-affirming quality that wants to show appreciation and gratitude towards mother nature and her wonders.

And this is exactly what I want to express with my art: Appreciation, deep love and gratitude for our planet, for Gaia and her gifts to humanity - all in a humbling, yet colorful and timelessly inspiring manner. 

This doesn't mean that I only want to create naturalisitc artworks - if you've seen my work, then you know that I often infuse my pieces with a childlike quality. And I deeply love to come up with quirky, unusual characters that could be featured in a comic or an animated movie for instance. I appreciate all shades of artistic expression, as long as the motifs are wholesome, the energy life-affirming and the heart and love of the artist can be felt throught the artwork.

I can say that I'm creating the pieces that I create purely for the joy of it. That joy encompasses a multitude of things:

For one, it stimulates my senses, when I get to use a brush and mix all kinds of colors (and I truly find all colors to be beautiful, if used in the right context). Another element that is contained in the seed of artistic joy is the all-enveloping presence and gratitude that can be felt when working with materials that result in something we can label an artwork.

Those aspects matter as much to me as does the fact that I want to get better at what I'm doing and refining my hand-eye coordination, my technical knowledge and the ethereally pulsating connection to the source that offers us all these creative gifts and opportunities to bask in the beauty of divine creation.

Now, this might sound all flowery and dramatic, but these are just the phrases that pour out of me, while typing these paragraphs and pondering about the reasons for creating art.

Are they not all divine expressions?

If you understand the value of art not only on a mental and emotional level but also grasp the significance of life-affirming, life-cherishing art on a spiritual level, then you're probably more tuned in than most members of today's society. 

And besides those three components (the mental, emotional and spiritual/metaphysical), art has a practical application as well: Think of all the beautiful things you are surrounded by every day that make you feel giddy and joyous like a child - or in the least grace your face with a subtle smile - are they not all manifestations of creativity? Are they not all divine expressions of art?