Is What Allows Us to Experience Them as Art

Artists are primarily thought of equally makers. And aye, of course nosotros make stuff. But we are likewise thinkers and feelers. We call up. And we feel. Deeply. And I believe the thinking and feeling are the virtually important parts of an artist. More than important than the making. Because our thinking and feeling is what spurs the making and leads to what we make.

That's why I write these essays and that's why I draw in my sketchbook. I have all these thoughts and feelings swirling effectually in my mind, constantly bumping into each other and trying to connect with other things. It can exist overwhelming if we don't take an outlet for all those thoughts and feelings.

Seeing Our Thoughts + Feelings

Often, as artists, our thinking can run over the other aspects of being human being; actually, it can run over all the other aspects of beingness human. Information technology can run over the being part. Nosotros can go so focused on doing, on making, on thinking, that we lose our awareness of what's going on. I've realized now that fine art (for me, and maybe for you), is the key to becoming aware.

Making art isn't a direct way to change our thinking or change ourselves. Fine art is a way of seeing ourselves. A way of seeing our inner globe—our thoughts and beliefs, our feelings and emotions, our loves and aversions. Through making fine art we tin can learn about our inner earth.

Sometimes we'll notice mundane or airheaded thoughts like, 'hey, mushrooms are interesting'. Other times nosotros'll discover something profound, similar idea patterns inside u.s. that we never knew were in that location. Sometimes those idea patterns are subversive, narrow-minded, and so habitual that we were unaware of them for years. Art tin can illuminate this inner side of us, and make us more aware of ourselves.

Turning Thoughts + Feelings into Art

The thoughts and feelings in our minds are constantly flowing and surging. Information technology can be exhausting, and sometimes we become swept away. Just making fine art allows us to stand, even for a brief moment, in the middle of that river and encounter what's flowing around us.

And that seeing is primal. If we're able to run across these inner idea patterns, they tin can begin to alter. We can weed out subversive behavior and habits to bring in more acceptance and love. We can run into our thoughts every bit just thoughts, and we tin can use those feelings to make fine art, instead of allowing them to set upwards camp in our brains and have over.

Cartoon each 24-hour interval, looking into ourselves each day, we tin can see those parts inside nosotros may have otherwise not noticed. Nosotros tin can become familiar with how our listen works and how our hands create from it. And this process leads to satisfaction in our art and more credence and confidence in ourselves.

A Existent Life Case

Yesterday, I went through this entire process, unknowingly and peradventure unwillingly. I had been feeling off all mean solar day just didn't really realize it. I was just floating through my mean solar day in a general state of "meh". I tried to intermission out of the funk: I took a nap, went on a walk, ate a snack… nothing worked. The funk was still there. It was i of those times when yous but don't want to do anything—not even draw. The only matter I could put my finger on was that I felt "meh", and nothing more than specific than that. I was floating in a river of thoughts and feelings but completely unaware of what I was thinking or why I was feeling this mode.

And so, not wanting to exercise anything else, I sat downwards to draw. The theme for #MightCouldDrawToday this week, called this morning by me, is Villains. That choice should have given me a piffling clue to how I was feeling that 24-hour interval, simply ya know… unaware. So I sat downward on the couch with my Posca markers and sketchbooks, and inside a few minutes of considering what to draw, information technology came to me—Cruella De Vil. Something well-nigh that grapheme clicked and I instantly went from non wanting to draw at all, to a deep desire to describe this character.

And so, for the adjacent good while, I lost myself in cartoon. I dropped out of the outer world and dropped into my sketchbook.

As I was drawing Cruella'due south facial expression, information technology dawned on me. This is how I feel. I feel like Cruella de Vil right now. And not just any Cruella de Vil, because in that location are many sides of every villain—I feel like THIS i. This i that I simply drew. And suddenly, it was as if I had seen what was inside me. All the vague feelings of "meh" and the thoughts swirling so fast I couldn't take hold of them… everything came into focus.

I now had an sensation of how I was really feeling in that moment.

To be clear, art isn't magic. My Cruella mood didn't immediately transform into happy-puppy-mood only because I became aware of information technology. Awareness doesn't solve all our issues unfortunately. But the cartoon gave me a breather from the rush of thoughts and feelings, a moment of clarity, and a step in the right direction. Like people speak about meditation, I believe experiencing sensation of our thoughts over and over can lead to big changes, both in our art and in our lives.

Try it Yourself

The side by side fourth dimension you experience downward, discouraged, or "meh", try using fine art to look within. Take some time to draw your thoughts and feelings, if only for a few minutes. Don't become in with expectations of a revelation and don't judge your drawing as information technology goes along. Perchance y'all'll realize something profound, and perhaps you'll simply realize you're grumpy.

Whatever information technology is, just draw. And permit information technology all come out but the way it is.

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Source: https://might-could.com/essays/turning-thoughts-and-feelings-into-art/

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