Art is Frightening

Art is frightening.

Art isn’t pretty.

Art isn’t painting.

Art isn’t something you hang on the wall.

Art is what we do when we’re truly alive.

If you’ve already decided that you’re not an artist, it’s worth considering why you made that decision and what it might take to unmake it.

If you’ve announced that you have no talent (in anything!), then you’re hiding.

Art might scare you.

Art might bust you.

But art is who we are and what we do and what we need.

An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artist takes it (all of it: the work, the process, the feedback from those we seek to connect with) personally.

Art isn’t a result; it’s a journey. The challenge of our time is to find a journey worthy of your heart and your soul.

These are the opening lines from a new book that my wife bought for me, The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin.

My favorite lines are – “Art isn’t something you hang on the wall. Art is what we do when we’re truly alive.” Just yesterday, during coffee with my friend, John Featherstone, we were dancing around this same idea saying that an artist is not just someone who produces paintings or music or dance…but someone who allows creativity to invade all parts of their life (and I would insist…even their spirituality).  This DOES make us truly alive. Without we fall into some kind of creative schizophrenia.