Limitations and Creativity (Patreon)

Oh boy! I have thoughts and I want to share them.

This is something that is extremely important to me. It's vital that you understand. Limitations can be a good thing, but arbitrarily ruling to limit things because you believe it will make something better is wrong, and I will be arguing that for the rest of this post.

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FILM PHOTOGRAPHY

A stupid little prayer I overhear people muttering goes something like the following: "And by shooting real film, which is expensive, I make fewer shots, thus they will be better, because I must think harder about them this way; amen." I have heard many variations on this through the years and I have to say I don't buy it. To paraphrase generally, "I only take photos if they are worth taking." is the sentiment which I see so often, and with which I take so great an issue. 

Imagine if an artist said, "Well, I draw as little as possible, only if something is worth drawing." - That would be madness. An artist who draws as little as possible would not, I think, be much of an artist. In fact I think they would wish more to be seen as an artist, rather than function as an artist, which is sadly many "creative" people today I will admit.

"I only write if I think it will be good."
"I only sing if I am certain the notes will be perfect."
"I only paint when I will make no mistakes."

Can you see how this is an intolerable way of thinking? Over many years, I have been approached by an uncountable number of people through emails, direct messages, correspondence via every messaging service under the sun, on social media, publicly, privately - All requesting advice toward creative endeavors. I welcome such communications: Curiosity should be encouraged, and the creation of art should not be a mysterious process hidden behind black doors. However, these conversations often veer toward people withering leanly into timidity, something like, "I'm scared to [make art of any kind], what if it turns out badly?"

"Bad Art" would be a start! Making art, no matter what it is, is necessarily going to turn out badly some of the time. That is ok! Indeed, that is GOOD! Stop! STOP! STOP BELIEVING IT IS BAD OR WRONG TO MAKE BAD ART. I think this is an issue with today's attitudes about what makes "success", but I won't be bothering to argue so broad a point, as it escapes the scope of this posting. My actual point is this: There cannot be good art if there is not also bad art, literally and figuratively.

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SKETCHING

I think the most obvious way to put this is the act of sketching - drawing loosely, putting pencil to paper, or, doodling in a paint program on your computer, phone, whatever. Sketches are loose and unrefined. I think we are on the same page about sketches.

The act of sketching is different than a sketch, though. Sketching is putting to practice all that you have learned as an artist - Or, possibly, a beginning for one who is unlearned. Sketching has intrinsic value. Even if you do not care for the resulting sketch, you have put to practice your skills as an artist. That counts! Yes! Yes it does! It makes you better! By exercising your skills, you improve. The sketch may be worthless - Maybe it's not! Maybe it's a light sketch that captures a strange mood in the moment, or maybe it's a jokey meme that you can share with your friends and enjoy. Maybe you see it as total garbage. Doesn't matter.

YOU, the ARTIST, IMPROVE with every sketch you make, whether it's absolutely bad or somehow better than you expected. Every time you draw, every time you write, every time you sing, every time you take a photograph - You improve in some small way, maybe in big ways. Perhaps you have a realization about a technique that you hadn't had before. Maybe you don't notice it until much later on. But believe me - You improve. And you are the precious thing that matters. Your art, no matter how good or bad it is, whether it's a finished piece or a sketch, is not nearly as important as YOU.

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WAITING FOR THE MOMENT

It is an understandable thing that happens to some people: Waiting for inspiration. Waiting for the "thing" to jump out at you. Waiting for your skills to "be good enough". This is in direct contradiction to the act of sketching - You cannot wait for the perfect photo to jump out at you. You have got to take it.

You can't wait for your skill at writing music to "get good enough" so you can finally write that song you've been thinking of. You have got to write it.

You can't wait for your ability to paint to "become mature enough" before you paint something that is in your heart. You have to paint it. Only you can do this.

All of that is to say: You have to do something badly before you can do it well.

The issue here is often one of perfection - Idealizing perfection and hoping to capture it. Know this: Your work will never be perfect, and I have no respect for people who describe themselves as perfectionists. Saying "Well, I'd get more done, except that I am such a perfectionist I hold myself back.", is willful and arrogant ignorance. Using "perfection" as a means to excuse yourself from creating is outrageous.

I wonder if anyone considers the idea that perfection is only what your imagination declares it to be? In that case, are we to simply accept that perfection is limited by someone's individual imagination about it? I refuse to believe that artificially limiting yourself by an imagined upper bound is a reasonable method of approaching art - or any learned skill, of any kind, in any discipline. People who do this are playing games with themselves and with others. That is not the way of actually learning, creating, or improving, and it never will be. Perfectionism is, however, a cheap thing to be brandished for clout and hollow elitism, and those who respond to it are likely to be just as empty.

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EADEM MUTATA RESURGO

This brings me to the last point I'll make, which wraps back nicely around to the start: There is a common and very incorrect perception that things which are rarified are better than things which aren't. It is easy to correlate "Taking fewer photographs" with "Taking good photographs" because people are taught by every part of society to believe that things which are rare or exclusive are naturally better quality, superior, or desirable. To put it more plainly: That which is limited is good.

I disagree, and profoundly. Limitations do have their place, and can be a useful tool, but never a rule. Do not let limitations rule you, artificial or otherwise. This is true for every area of life: With the arts, with skills of any kind, with friendships and relationships - Create, learn, and love freely.

REMEMBER THIS: Any thing whose value depends upon its rarity has no real value at all. That is to say, if the value of a thing drops when it is unlimited, then it had no value to start with. Things with real value only become more valuable when they are limitless and made free.

Taking lots of photos, making lots of sketches, painting lots of paintings, singing lots of songs - All of these things teach us. We learn by failing just as much as we learn by anything else. Please draw, even if you think you are bad. Please sing, even if you think you cannot. Please - When there is a voice inside of you that tells you to make something, to do something, to say something - Listen to that voice. Do not let the hammer of exclusivity, rarity, or perfection swing down and crush you. Do not obey artificial limitations as rules. Do what you do, be what you are, and although you will be the same, you will rise again changed.

Ok that is all! Goodbye now! Goodbye!