Lyrics by Indi Riverflow

An artist is an individual who uses one or more methods of stylized expression to create something which is meant to be pleasing, in some way, to the artist and some theoretical audience. A successful artist has conveyed that sense of pleasure to an audience, of whatever size and nature.

There is no reason which I have been able to discern why every person ought not be an artist in some fashion, but if you feel empowered to disqualify yourself, this exploration will be of little use. Expression takes many forms, and finding yours may be a journey, but hopefully we are coming together with a clear idea of your available avenues for creativity and skill in using one or more of them.

Consciously or otherwise, all our experience and perspective is poured into a successful work of art. Every thought we have had, encounter with another being, every experience of art we have enjoyed as part of the audience-all are brought to bear on the problem of creation.

At a core level, the process begins in a state of discontent. There is an idea, or a feeling, or a sound, or an image, that is inside of you and is not adequately conveyed to the world so far. You may or may not understand what, specifically, your current project intends to express, but by the time a successful transmutation is complete, the audience will catch at least part of it.

Art is a lifestyle; an artist is always in process. Daily routines, social interactions, incidental labor, even (or especially) making love are not a suspension of the artistic process. These are integral aspects of it.

Artistic expression might be thought of as a series of solutions to the problem of unshared perspective. Your perspective is part of the collective mind. It is a product of every life that proceeded it, and will affect all who follow. The degree and type of impact your personal consciousness has on the entirety of existence can be determined by many forms of behavior. You may choose to be a soldier, or a line worker, or any of a number of prefabricated roles which demand that you suppress your individual initiative. You may also, subsequently or simultaneously, entertain a secret identity as an aspiring artist.

This is perfectly standard. Many artistic ventures of note were begun by simple workers, moonlighting in their spare moments on improbable careers in literature, music, or drawing. We all gotta eat. So if you are stuck in a day job to make ends meet, there is no shame in that; you are in fine company there.

The toils of a daily grind can take all you have to give, however; and a voluntary expenditure of even more effort can become all too dispensable in the exhaustion of employment. All too many let the day job become the main movie, and creative ambitions become just another prop of immaturity fallen to the cold mechanical realities of economics.

A devoted artist will not fall prey to this trap. Instead, the hours of work are seen as an opportunity to develop creative ideas passively, turning them around between whatever tasks you are being made to perform for pay. Contemplation of the creative challenges can become a welcome diversion from the boring work (so long as you are not distracted and put your paycheck in jeopardy), put a bounce in your step, and give you a reason to approach your off-hours in a state of eager anticipation rather than an exercise in relief.

A worker performs duties to achieve compensation. An artist gives freely, from the soul, with renumeration an uncertain afterthought. This is an unfair game where many labor but few get paid, and to let this affect one’s artistic drive is pure folly.

It is perfectly natural to want to be paid for your time, effort, ingenuity and investment in skills and equipment. If you are sufficiently diligent, and there is a market for your work, this is possible and even likely, but putting that sort of pressure on an emergent endeavor is unwise. If you want to dream your art will earn your freedom out of your labors, please do; but realism cushions the fall of many reality checks. Expect nothing from your labors but artistic fulfillment, and you will never be disappointed.

The unlikelihood of attaining professional status in your field is not a reason to restrain your ambition. On the contrary, the most vibrant souls shine to the challenge. But with an integral perspective, the rewards are quite sufficient, whether it leads to liberation from the necessary evil of employment or not.

When creative people, for some reason, aren’t creating art, they are usually creating excuses. It’s all too easy to become too busy. Too busy to devote days before the difficult drawing board, where conceptual card-houses and ivory-tower architectures are liable to collapse under the weight of reality’s eyes.

Say life has been made perfect and ready for the beauty to be brought forth. Yet, why, o tortured artist, does it hesitate? Why does the nectar not flow?

Because you are not hungry any longer. You have feasted on the fruits of the world, and have no appetite remaining for the dew of paradise. Because there is no great leap of faith for you to take, and no reason not to sit serenely in your pleasure-dome. All those obstacles to your path, you have removed them; and only now do you understand that the obstacles WERE the path.