Summary

The article discusses valuable life lessons that can be learned from artists, emphasizing their unique approach to thinking, creativity, and emotional expression.

Abstract

The author, an Autistic artist, reflects on the mental flexibility inherent in artistic creation, which involves seeing things from multiple perspectives and balancing various aspects such as composition, color, and form. Artists are seen as pioneers of new cultural trends, driven by a desire for evolution and aversion to stagnation. The article highlights the emotional depth of artists, who channel their feelings into their work to create beauty or expose societal issues. It also touches on the joy found in the creative process itself, rather than the final product, and the importance of curiosity in personal and artistic growth. Finally, the author advocates for a commitment to a personal vision, suggesting that the true essence of being an artist lies in striving for a better, more beautiful world, regardless of the outcome.

Opinions

Artists possess the ability to view the world from diverse perspectives, which is crucial for creative problem-solving and personal growth.
The pursuit of novelty and the avoidance of repetition are fundamental to artistic endeavor, reflecting the ever-changing nature of the world and the individual.
Emotional depth is a defining characteristic of artists, who transform their feelings into works that convey their unique worldview.
The act of creation itself, rather than the finished piece, is where artists find true joy and fulfillment.
Artists embody endless curiosity, which is essential for learning and self-discovery.
A commitment to a personal vision, often at personal cost, is a hallmark of true artistry, driven by a desire to improve the world.
The article suggests that everyone has the potential to be an artist through their actions, thoughts, and interactions, not merely through the production of art.

6 Things We Can All Learn From Artists.

I am an Autistic artist and I have spent a lifetime analysing and agonising over my own thinking and emotions. It has been a painful experience but as I often write about… there is a treasure within the ruins.

So here we go. An artist's mind and how it can act as a signpost to better ways of living and seeing the World.

Mental Flexibility

This is the ability to see things from multiple perspectives rather than just accepting your own perceptions and biases. Through the process of constructing a painting, I must wear many different hats. EG, composition, colour, form, expression, intuition, atmosphere, meaning and so on. I must constantly switch between these different ways of observing and thinking.

Of course, there is never a right or final answer to each question, but I consider each one that arises. The task is to find a balance that feels correct to my eyes and resonates with my soul.

We can do the same in our everyday lives too. This is where we can move beyond our own perceptions and consider multiple perspectives and viewpoints. In this place, we are creatively free to consider all options available to us and find the best solutions.

We can never do this if we are forever at the mercy of our egocentric worldview.

Search for the new

The world is forever changing. The world, and us as individuals, constantly evolve and mutate.

Artists see this in the World and within themselves. Artists have always been the creative force behind new cultures and trends. It is artists who keep pushing at the boundaries, both externally and internally.

As a painter, I only want to evolve. For me, stasis is the antithesis of artistic endeavour, as is repetition.

Each artist is conveying their own unique view of the World in the moment of creation. No artist is the same. It is the potential of this emergent newness that drives an artist’s motivations.

I believe it’s important (and I offer my coaching clients this) to embrace new possibilities. To be curious and explore new perspectives, new ways of thinking, and new ways of thinking, experiencing and expressing.

Channel emotion creatively

Most artists are morally driven. They either want to capture the world and societies beauty or expose it’s darkness. Wherever an artist sits on that spectrum, they all feel… and feel deeply. Artists by their core nature are highly emotional humans. Emotion fuels creativity. Its gives weight to the endeavour. It gives meaning.

Artists communicate their worldview through their emotions without causing harm to others. Artists always want to create beauty. It is in their nature. They see beauty more than any other demographic in society. This is why they also see darkness to such an extent too - Matisse and Picasso being two examples of the extremes.

Artistry could be described as the positive transformation of emotion into beauty.

Find joy in the process

When I teach painting, so many students are terrified to start due to a fear of what the outcome will be. Most people, when they are wanting to become artists, struggle with this psychological barrier. It is the fear of being negatively judged and not meeting a certain standard.

What many people fail to understand is that being an artist has nothing to do with what you produce, but how you think and observe the world and your experience. Being an artist is a way of being in the World

For an artist, the joy is found in the process of making. I know for myself, once a painting is finished my mind immediately switches to the next possibility. The next stepping stone on my personal creative journey.

Artists know there is no real outcome other than death itself. We never arrive anywhere. For an artist, each piece merely represents a snapshot of that moment in their life and development.

You don’t need to create anything to be an artist. How you live, think and interact can in itself, be a work of Art. In the end, life itself is a process of learning from experience and hopefully, spiritual growth.

Endless curiosity

Who are you? I mean really…who are you? Do you know? Is that really your voice reading these words? If not, whose voice is it?

Artists are existential in their outlook. Asking questions is what makes artists who they are. Even if it doesn’t overtly show in their work, it still occurs in their minds.

Curiosity really overlays the whole way of being in the world. It is such an important yet often neglected human ability. To be curious is to educate yourself. It is the cornerstone of all learning.

“The mark of an educated mind is be able to entertain an idea but not accept it” — Aristotle

Commitment to a personal vision

Artists are led by their values to such a degree that they are often prepared to live in poverty in their pursuit of personal truth. It is worth noting that it is this stripping away and living on the fringes of society and existence that feels most real to many artists. An Artist will always see beauty in decay.

I am not recommending that level of extremity, but I am advocating for something that virtually all artists share.

A desire to create a better World. A more beautiful World.

Surely we should all try to do this through our actions and words.

Artists strive for peace, both internally and globally.

Although we will fiercely defend our rights of expression as sacred, we also want resolution, acceptance and peace for everyone.

Artists recognise with blinding certainty that life is suffering. Any unnecessary suffering is therefore at odds with the artistic soul.

So remember this. You can be an artist even if you never produce a single work of art. Many people produce ‘art’ but they are not artists. Many just copy a technique and replicate popular styles to make money. This is not artistry.

Your personal artistry can be in the way you mould and shape your internal world. We all have innate creative ability and as such, we all have the capacity to be artists….True artists are dedicated to a personal vision with absolute commitment, regardless of any outcome, good or bad.

It's your voice. Share it.

I believe if we taught our children to think and care like artists, the World would be transformed.

Thank you for reading my thoughts.

Be kind to yourself and each other.