This Is Why We're All Artists
But Many of Us Don't Believe It
The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. — Aristotle
If you poured a few cans of paint onto a canvas for no reason, what comes out might be a beautiful composition of colors. That, however, wouldn’t be a work of art. It would just be a beautiful composition of colors.
The story changes if you want to express something by using paint and canvas. For example, you might want to portray a particular joyful period of your life, so you pick the colors you associate with that time and pour them onto the canvas in a way that best represents those moments.
The result would still be a beautiful composition, but what you’ve produced is a work of art, and you can now call yourself an artist.
What makes a work of art a work of art is the intention behind it, not the creation itself.
We believe making art is reserved for a few creative people. When we think of artists, we might think of Michelangelo, Dua Lipa, Freddy Mercury, or Joyce Carol Oates.
But when we were kids, we used to draw what we saw in the schoolyard to show our parents, friends, and teachers how much we loved that place.
We created like the artists we were.
What makes an artist?
An artist is someone who uses his creativity in order to express an idea, reveal a truth, tell a story, bring a feeling into the material world, or shed light on an issue, concept, or perspective. We’re all capable of doing that.
Whether we do it skillfully is another story.
Developing the skills and mastering the technique can make us a better artist, because skills and technique allow us to express more and with more nuance.
A guitarist can’t produce much if he only knows three chords. A novelist who knows how to develop a character will likely write a better novel than one who doesn’t know a thing about character development.
Skills can be learned. And if our art is consistent, authentic, and honest, it will naturally find its audience.
What about money?
The ultimate goal of an artist is not to make money.
Money and art can coexist, so if an artist wants to make a living from her work, she must shamelessly and actively do something to sell it.
Some people say that a true artist should stay away from money because money is the root of all evil. No. This is a very unhelpful belief to have if you want your art to be your job.
Money, however, might come after years of rejections and false starts. Money might come after years spent creating and experimenting — a process that will help you figure out who you are as an artist.
The artist who chases nothing but money won’t last long.
Artists create to shine a light on what they care about, and they do it to make an emotional connection with those who care about the same thing.
That’s the ultimate goal.
Closing quote
I opened this essay with a quote from Aristotle.
I want to close it with one I recently found in a book by Fabri Fibra, a rapper considered by many to be the number one in Italy (my country).
It’s the quote that inspired me to write this piece.
I’m not saying that every lyrics must have a strong, unmissable message. You can communicate something even without discussing serious topics. Often the artist himself represents a message, if he’s an artist.
