Anca Dunavete

Lately I’ve been reading The Art of You: The Essential Guidebook for Reclaiming Your Creativity by James McCrae, and it got me thinking about why we create and share art. I’m not ready to recommend the book yet as I haven’t finished it, but so far SO good!

One question that came to mind while reading is why we often feel our art needs to be extraordinary before we share it, and I’d like to share my thoughts on this with you.

At its core, art is simply an expression of our creativity and our essence. We make art not because we want to create a masterpiece, but because it allows us to say from time to time, ‘Here I am, this is me’ – and this is such a universal need that it explains why so many, if not most of us, are artists in one way or another.

But even though we make art for fun, as we like to say when we struggle to take ourselves seriously as artists, we hesitate to share it.

Not necessarily because it’s too personal – often art can be simple and straightforward, like a drawing of a dog, a ceramic cup, or a song. While words on a page sometimes reveal too much about a person’s thoughts and feelings, other art forms, such as instrumental music, provide a glimpse into the mind and soul of the artist without revealing too much and without making the artist feel overly exposed or uncomfortable.

I think we hold back because we’re afraid that our art isn’t good enough. Society tells us that our work must be unique and spectacular in order to be considered a worthy artist – unlike anything the world has ever seen before, ideally. But is that really true?

Here’s what I think: If you’re making art for commercial success, so if you’re making art to be the number one best-selling author, number one on Spotify or whatever, then it makes sense to strive for perfection, and I can understand not wanting to share your art yet.

(Although can you see the irony? How is it ever going to be the best it can be if you don’t practise? And how will you know what you need to improve if you don’t share it with others and get feedback from your intended audience?)

But most of us create art because it brings us ✨ joy ✨ – that’s it. We write this story, we draw this piece, we sing this song, we make this cup because it feels good, because we enjoy it, because we like it. That is play. That’s how we play as adults. It’s playtime. We don’t have to earn anything for it, not even recognition. It doesn’t even have to be good for it to feel good.

What I am learning from this book is that if you feel like it, if deep down you want to share your art with the world slash your community, if you’re proud of your art, if you want to put it out there but your goal isn’t necessarily to become the number one best-selling artist of all time (that would be nice and could happen, of course, but honestly, what are the chances of that? And even if you do get your 15 minutes of fame, it’s still only going to be 15 minutes of fame)… share your art!

It doesn’t have to be unique, outstanding, or original to the point where no one even understands what it’s about. It just has to be you. The idea that somehow our art needs to stand out… I don’t know, it’s starting to feel like a lie to me.

Think about it: art is an expression of who we are. But who are we? We are our essence, shaped by our environment. We’re inspired not only by our own thoughts and feelings, but also by the world we live in – the people around us, pop culture, music, films and books.

If a film, book or song inspires you and you turn that inspiration into art, that’s fine. If someone says your work reminds them of another artist, that’s fine too. It’s normal to be influenced by what you consume.

We live in a globalised society where most of us have access to the same type of content, and we’re all influenced by what we consume – whether we like it or not. It’s only natural that our work reflects these influences. That doesn’t make our art any less valuable. It makes it a unique blend of who we are and what inspires us.

I mean, even historical artists have painted common subjects, like… I don’t know, trees! Well, everyone could see trees everywhere they looked, but that didn’t stop any of them from painting some more – and, on top of that, each had their own vision. Now that’s #creativeinspo.

Similarly, if you want to start a blog about, let’s say, travelling, it doesn’t matter that there are other people who are also talking about their travels. That’s okay. They’re just like you. You’re not going to be the only one in the world doing what you’re doing.

The point is that you’re sharing your own perspective. It’s informed and inspired by other people, as it should be – otherwise no one would resonate with you. But it is still you.

Everything you create is a puzzle of all the pieces that make you you, and no matter what you create, it will bear your unique signature. Even if you mimic someone else’s words, your expression will be different because you are different. People will be inspired by your art and like it because of who you are.

Create and share your art for yourself first and then let it find its audience. You can even help it find its audience. There’s nothing wrong with hoping for commercial success, but that shouldn’t be the only reason you’re creating.

Oh, and one more thing: you don’t need permission to call yourself an artist. Art is about expressing yourself in a way that is meaningful, fulfilling and beautiful to you. Being creative, being an artist, is part of who we are.

It’s not a badge of honour or permission that we ask from other people: ‘Look, I made this, can I call myself an artist?’ You don’t have to win an Oscar to call yourself an artist. You just have to make art.

So if you feel like sharing your art with others, which literally makes you an artist in the truest sense of the word, then do it. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, it just needs to be you.

On that note, here is my art and here are my books. And you can be sure that, whether people like it, I’m going to write some more!

What about you? What will you make, and how will you share it with the rest of us? I’m curious to know – leave me a comment and I’ll check it out :)

Anca x