Making art for the right reasons

Posted on 13 Feb 12:17
There are many reasons to make art. 

Some make art to make money.   This is fine. 

Some make art to escape into a happy place.  Comfortable.  Lost in the flow of the difficult creative task, whatever that may be.  This is fine. 

Some make art to communicate. This is fine too!

Some make art as therapy.  This is a fine reason to make art as well. 
And I am sure that there are many more valid reasons to make art.  

What are your reasons for making art?

Here is what I think:
1) I like the idea that selling art can make you a ton of money and allow you some celebrity. But I hate that idea too.  
2) I love how I feel when I make art.  I love it.  But there is more too it then that.  
3) It is insanely therapeutic. Bliss.  But there is even more than just making myself feel good and become a better-self.  (I do think that I am a better person when I am making art regularly.)
4) Art is powerful.  It can make people cry... and even change.  What a superpower we have as artists.
5) Art as a tool for change is powerful.  I pray that my intentions will be to make art  because it can impact reality.   For me, the artists job is to call things out.  In a painting.  In a documentary. In a song.  Whatever.  

But hey, if you just want to make art because it makes you happy, then please make more art more often :). It helps us all.  By making art you inspire others to make art and so you are doing a good thing as well. 

So, seriously...
Why do you drip paint on boards?  
Why do you turn into a mad scientist when you see colourful things?
Why do you buy your art materials at the hardware store?
Why do you drip silicone off a ledge so it can dry in pretty drips? Then add rainbow spikes to it?
Why do you endlessly put tape onto canvas and paint lines all over the place?
Why do you paint over the same colour in your rainbow explosion 5 times until it is right?
Why do you make baby-rocks out of clay and then crash white and blue resin into them to make it look like waves?
Why do you paint something, resin it, sand it and paint again on it? Like 10 times!
Why do you draw elaborate people pictures only using colourful text?
Why do you insist on painting on all your photos!!!???

I am sure you know why.  

Lately, I am practising saying to myself:

"Art is powerful.  Have opinions. Make bold statements. Make art for the right reason."

The really cool thing about making art for the right reasons, is that your art looks best, and most original, when you are authentic.

Let’s do our god damn job and save the world.  
Artists unite.