On Making Art
When an artist sets out to create a piece of art, the devil wakes up from his sleep, and sets out to completely sabotage the artist’s plan.
In the journey to translate ideas to a specific medium, every step along the way, presents an off ramp, an opportunity to compromise.
Like a seed planted in ripe soil, all the plant needs to do, is grow. Yet while the tree is growing, assuming something doesn’t prohibit the plant from taking root, the tree will have an opportunity to grow a malignant branch.
Energy from the roots of that tree will be enticed to channel itself to this new branch. The branch is not the tree, the branch is the tree’s first opportunity to compromise.
The initial seed - wants to stand the test of time, it wants to exist hundreds of years into the future.
Art will always seek a timeless medium.
It wants to exist forever. Therefore it will not settle for a medium that compromises its identity.
The devil sends his fallen angels to convince the art, to choose a more realistic identity. They whisper lies into the ears of the artist and those around the artist:
“This feature film would do much better as a short film.”
“You have to thread the needle between art and commerce.”
“It’s easier to make things people will consume.”
These lies permeate around the artist…
The art and the journey to create art, immediately becomes a confrontational mirror to onlookers.
How sad it is, when a person destined to become a saint, settles for being an upright citizen.
A piece of music destined to haunt the dreams of dreamers, settles to tickle the ears of the masses.
A cathedral destined to convert the hardest of heart with its beauty alone, decides to explain itself - by being an echo chamber for words fallen on deaf ears.
…all I want to do is make the next thing.
There is experience in these words. I’ll tell you that opening line is something I think most artists can relate to certainly myself. Well said.
Eloquent and succinct 🙌🥰