We were asked by our Art Seminar Professor to express what we want art to do.
I'm not sure I want art to do anything. I know I want to do or create art, and most times I think I know what kind of art I want to create. But for me, it's about creativity and all that it entails, which I think it is somewhat ineffable because I do think creativity is defined individually for each person. I can only speak for myself.
Creativity for me, functions on a very intuitive level and comes from the spiritual resource that is a wellspring of creativity that I have faith and belief in. My own creativity only flourishes and is contingent on my own effort, imagination and consciousness to maintain a regular creative practice that can be manifested but not limited to, dance, visual arts such a painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, writing, music, and dramatic performance.
Many folks are very creative in thought and imagination without having to express it in the arts, and sometimes without even being aware they are creative. They believe they have no knowledge of or have forgotten , that we are all born with the gift of creativity.
It saddens me when I hear people state they haven't any creative ability whatsoever. I often hear the proverbial comment. "I can't draw a straight line." Their definition art is whether or not they can draw a straight line.
Rather than addressing what I want art to do, I would pose the question to those who say they can't draw a straight line and have no thought, belief in or hope in their own ability to be creative, what do they want art to do? If they do not know, then I would challenge them to explore their own creativity definition and learn about their own creative process.
If everyone took the opportunity to allow themselves this is inner exploration, art wouldn't have to do anything but be what it is and people would be living a creative life of their own. That's my utopia of the imagination.
2 comments:
Your instructor's question still has some validity. IMHO creativity is more than self-expression. Self-expression can be many things from a bumper sticker to a hair style. Creativity by definition means creating something from a painting to a business. Both creativity and self-expression are associated with art, but are they essential to art? Cannot art expresses something larger than one's self, perhaps a whole culture? Should everything we create be considered art?
Thank you for your comments Chad you always get me thinking! I think of self expression as being inherent to creativity, and yes I both are naturally inclined and essential to art. How does one separate oneself from culture. No I am not of the opinion everything we create is art. Otherwise everything would be reduced to the lowest common denominator, and everything and nothing would be considered art.
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