WHERE DOES ART COME FROM by ANTHONY MEINDL
We’re creatures of habit. We seek routine and safety. That’s why creating art is a mysterious process for everyone.
Mysterious.
Mystery occurs outside of our safety zones – in the unknown. We’re taught from an early age that the unknown is a scary and unsafe place to be. It’s unfamiliar. It involves risk. So we do everything we can to prevent going there. Even though going there is exactly where we need to go as artists.
Deep down we all crave it. Desire it. The thrill-seeker. The adventurer. The painter. The poet. The actor. The writer – All know that any expansion and growth in life, all discoveries, all creative victories have only occurred by stepping out into the darkness, out into that which is unfamiliar.
Look at your own life. Anything that you’ve accomplished that has been meaningful or significant or fulfilling has required that you first step into that which is foreign. The unwritten page. The blank canvas. The empty room. All art you’ve ever created required that you first take the leap!
The mind tells us things like, “You’re going to get hurt.” “Don’t be stupid.” “You can never do that.” “You’re crazy!” “Who are you to try that?” – and on and on – so that it feels almost counter-intuitive to step into the void. But this is just the left brain trying to keep you safe. Stuck. Uncreative. Unsure.
Don’t listen!
Instead realize stepping into the unknown is simply part of the process of creating. It’s the creative matrix. It’s infinite potential. It’s the molding clay. It’s the substance needed for your art to take root and grow.
It requires letting go of the intellect, tuning out the left brain and letting the creative genius of the right brain flow.
Step into the unknown. Fully. Totally. Committedly. You’ll see that it supports your step. It’s been beckoning you to take the leap into it all along.
And watch what happens in your life. Even if the outcome isn’t exactly what you thought it would be, the sheer act of attempting creates so many other possibilities, insights, awareness, understanding and breakthroughs that nothing is ever lost in trying.
Nothing.
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