By Celeste Hawkins
You have no choice but to make art.
Artists are like scientists or mathematicians. They set out to crack a code, to work though a problem. They never give up until they’ve ‘cracked it’ (double meaning there!). But even if they feel like they have-there is always more. If they give up they are tormented. If they keep going they are tormented. Either way, the life of an artist can be extremely frustrating, elating and isolating all at once. All the fears arise along with feelings of self-judgment, shame, doubt and self-deprecation. But despite all this-they know they have no choice. They must make art. There comes a point where a balance has been lost. A sacrifice must be made. A breakdown of a relationship or loss of a paid job is common as the only satisfying element left is the act. The strongest most reliable relationship is with the art.
However, just like a Hollywood movie, every cloud has a silver lining. There is also solidarity and collaboration with others who share your yearning. There is a feeling of deep immersion in your craft and immense feelings of joy. There is the exploration into the infinite caverns of the subconscious mind. There is a deep satisfaction that what you are doing is worthwhile and necessary and what is everything else anyway?
Art is everything in that it is both immaterial and material. It comes from this other worldliness, which is immaterial and can be sold or viewed as a commodity, which is material. It has a language of its own, mostly visual or spatial but sometimes textual or a combination. Most of all at its heart, it is the real language of life.
I’ll leave you with this. One of the three short films in a collection entilted; ‘New York Stories’. This clip is taken from the Martin Scorsese short called ‘Life Lessons-starring Nick Nolte and Rosanna Arquette. Its one of my favourtes! Enjoy.
