Twyla Tharp talks about how anger is an important fuel for creativity. Many young artists battle against their teachers and prevailing conventions.
Creativity is an act of defiance.
What makes you angry?
What things get you riled up and make you want to take action? It doesn’t necessarily have to be some social injustice, although that can be extremely important.Is there something about the art world you don’t like? What are you going to do about it?
It doesn’t have to be something you’re upset about, per se, but it can be something you’d like to see changed. Or something you’d like to see if it can be done a different way, for the sheer sake of challenge.
What do you want to change?
Artists have a reputation for criticizing everybody else for doing things the same way for ages, because that’s how it’s always been. Yet artists can be just as traditional, either out of habit or for good reason. (Ever fired a pot that had air bubbles trapped in the clay? It goes kablooey and makes a mess and ruins everything else in the kiln.)
Maybe you want to challenge the way paintings are made, from the paints to the supports to the tools used to apply them.
There was a time when Cubism was considered too avant-garde to be taught in art schools.
In fact, Salvador Dali would paint cubist pieces in his dorm room, and got in big trouble when he was found out.
Or just paint with your hair.
Maybe you’re unhappy with the business model galleries have accepted these days. Find a way to turn that on its head — and succeed at it.
Or if you’re an artist who wants to create a “passive” income, find a new way of doing something once and getting paid for it again and again. Who says artists have to have only one income stream?
What do you want to change?
It can be big. It can be small.
I believe you have to change something while you’re here on earth.
What will it be? I’d love to know.
Photo Credit: Massimo Valiani via Compfight cc