Every one of us has our own thoughts, emotions, feelings, and of course, we vary in the way we appreciate things around us. This fact also applies to visual arts like paintings, sculptures, crafting, and so on. Most of us are bound to judge things that we can see, oh! Forgive me, I don’t intend to hurt your feelings but that is what we are. Although being judgmental somehow sounds rude but for some artists, this is exactly what they need to improve themselves. As an artist, I understand that my artworks are bound to be criticized by others not to pull my self-esteem down but rather to improve myself even more. Now, in this article, I just want to share with you the meaning of art for an artist and everything that is connected to it.
A piece of art is not just what it looks like when you look at it. For the audience or critics, the art may be just what it is but for the creator, that art has a story to tell. I often observe artists nowadays who use their talent for money, and the same goes for me but that’s only the half side of us, of course, we need cash to fund our materials, after all, some of which are pricey.
So, let me tell you a secret, some artists including me, create artworks just for themselves. Not just to practice but to paint their story. For us, our painting is a story without words. It is being shared without even bothering the creator to personally share it with you. It may sound weird but a person who learned to comprehend the hidden message of one’s art is just as awesome as the artist who created the piece.
All materials we used in arts are just as important as the art itself, without it, the masterpiece will never be completed. It’s just like making a poem wherein we need rhymes and wisely choose words so that they create a wonderful art of literature. Like music that first needs an outstanding poem with a heartbreaking story then followed by a solemn but elegant melody, visual arts such as paintings, drawings, photography, etc. will be as good as a fairy tale with the help of its materials. In other words, each material of art is just like a fragment of a story.
Although it is now common for artists to improvise, and as we practice, we don’t just create a good quality of arts but we innovate and develop new forms of materials by combining the present ones, and because of these new forms and styles of arts emerge. In arts, we can say that there is no limit to discovering new styles. So, for those who can’t afford their mediums in arts, just try to improvise or you can try to save money for the materials you want instead, it’s always up to you after all.
Now, the masterpiece. It is the output of both time, courage, talent, perseverance, story, emotions, and knowledge. An output of time because we exert effort, and we gave time to finish the work. Time is crucial for one’s greatest masterpiece because time will define the determination of one’s artist to finish the job thus, the longer it takes to finish the more fascinating it will be. It is an output of courage and perseverance because we did start making it into reality even without knowing what will it look after we finished it, and we persevere to finish it no matter how long it will take. An output of talent because we have it in the first place. It is a story that cannot be told with words, and because there are no words on it, the only possible way to understand and reveal its story is to feel the emotions implanted unto it, and by doing so, the knowledge will automatically be passed down to those who can truly see and appreciate the story that is being told.
For those who have talents in drawing and painting just like me, all I can say is practice and practice. If you want to make an artwork filled with sorrow, don’t make it when you're happy because it will result differently. Before making an art set up yourself and dive into the emotion you like to be present in your piece. Do not worry about your materials, either cheap or expensive it doesn’t make any change, well, unless your mind is already set up about the difference. When we don’t have the budget yet to buy high-quality materials do not be sad, make your wise brains work, utilize everything around you. You can even use cotton balls or tissue to smudge for example.
That is all and please don’t stop making arts if you can. We may not be famous but at least we can make it worth it.
I find it fascinating how a work of art gets a life of its own. If you, as the creator, try to convey something with it, the audience, or parts of the audience, often find something else in the artwork, something being far from your intentions. Once you have "handed it over" to the audience, you lose control of it; it gets a life of its own, and it can affect people in various ways you could not even have imagined. (I don't know if I have well managed to explain what I mean, but I hope you catch the essence of it.)