Purposeful Creation

I've been thinking a lot about creation and expression, and what should be the intention behind the work I do. When I first started getting involved in the arts, I was inspired by the works that told a story, not just in a narrative sense, like a comic, but in a symbolic way. Symbols always fascinated me because of the way one thing or several well chosen elements could stand for so much, and were sometimes even more impactful than just telling a story in a straight forward way. They were able to capture emotions because they weren't always literal, and that was what made me feel the power of art and expression in my early years.

I recall one day on the train, on my way home, during the early days of art school, when a friend asked me what I hoped to do with my art, and I remember telling her, that I wanted to be a voice for other people. I said "you know those artists that do portraits of people suffering somewhere else in the world. I want to be like them, because I get to tell other people's stories and give them a voice." In retrospect, it seems like a very bold dream and maybe even a little presumptuous. But I didn't mean it as being intrusive, but more that I felt the need to share with the world the voices of those who didn't have one. It felt like a duty to care about what other's had to say and what they were going through, to help them in some way.

It's been a few years, and honestly, that attitude towards my art hasn't changed. The only thing that has changed is that I've looked more inward to find my inspiration for symbols, because I believe the best kind of art comes from a real, lived place. From personal experience and understanding, so that others can relate and connect with it.

Which brings me back to the whole point of this post: "Is your creation purposeful?" Do you have deeper meaning behind it? Or is it just about making pretty pictures and things that look aesthetically pleasing? While aesthetics are good to have and also hold a place in the industry, it also needs to be driven by some type of meaning. Some type of purpose. I think it would be really difficult to create art without purpose, because art to me is all about the understanding and perspective you acquire that happens beyond the visual.

#purposefulart #artcreation