Some of you may be asking, why I, or anyone else for that matter, would put so much time and effort into a fine arts career when there is so little, if any, job security in that field. Well, I do it for two reasons. 1. Nobody was kind enough to warn me about the lack of jobs until after I got my associates degree, and 2. I LOVE ART. I fucking love god damn, mother fucking art! Like for realz, yo. I can’t even. And here’s why...
God Complex
If you can draw, you have a power. In fact, during the Renaissance, artists were often considered superior, and more virtuous than normal people, because they possessed the gift to portray the heavens, saints, angels, Christ, etc. Artists have the power to create stories, characters, anything they like. Any ideas I have I can manifest on paper or in sculpture.
If I want to see a crab creature with the head of a cat?
Voila!
What if I wanted to see President Roosevelt fighting off an army of Predators in the name of freedom?
MY WILL BE DONE!!
Communication
If I told you to picture a bear unicycling in a tutu while juggling dynamite. What you picture in your mind would be VASTLY different from what I see in my mind. What kind of bear would you think of? What color unicycle? Did I mean the long red dynamite sticks, or the round black ones with the little fuses?
However, when I show you this..
You know exactly what I’m thinking
(For future reference, you should always picture the little black round ones)
It's like trying to tell someone about a game/book/movie you really love, when you know it would be so much easier to just show it to them.
Art gives people a way to express ideas that they do not have the words or the understanding to express properly.
Boredom
I have often said “If I wasn’t an artist, I’d be an arsonist.” and sometimes I even believe it.
There is so much boredom in the world. That has been made even more noticeable over the years thanks to cell phones and ipads and all other technologies that are almost specifically designed to help us battle every day boredom. Every time you see someone texting or browsing the web on their pone or other devices, that means that person is bored.
I on the other hand am hardly ever on my phone. Those of us who like to draw, can battle boredom with just a pen and a scrap of paper, which are just as portable, just as distracting, and significantly cheaper than a cell phone.
See this?
That’s Clifford The Dog battling Godzilla. Why? Because algebra is boring!
The Rush
Above all of those reasons. The main reason I stick with painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. is because I am, quite literally, addicted.
There is no rush, no high I have ever experienced that can compare to the euphoria that comes form taking your ideas and successfully manifesting them in a painting, a sketch, a sculpture, particularly in a sculpture. The closest thing I could compare it to would be a warm, relaxing, wine buzz.
A great work of art is a constant reminder of your power, your skill, your creativity. A successful work of art will keep your ego strong, and keep a smile on your face... at first. After a while, you need more, more successful paintings, more great sculptures. You need to feel that rush again, to feel that pride and that self worth. It does not have to be a success in other people's opinion, only yours, but the more you make, the more difficult it will be to impress yourself over time. I’ve spent so many sleepless nights working on sketches and sculptures that were not finished, not good enough. It is my drive, my purpose, and my obsession, and I would not trade it for any other addiction on Earth.
