I came across this Lynda Barry quote a while back on Tumblr and immediately created a design to print and frame for my work space.
When I read this quote, I knew that it was something I wanted to incorporate into my art life because it is something that I struggle with. I've blogged about it before, and I don't think it's a secret around here that I struggle with doing just to do and creating just to create. Ever since I was a kid, I've been driven by this desire to have a purpose. I thought only by having this so-called purpose, would my life have meaning. While I'm getting better about not viewing life (and myself) that way, it's still something I struggle with on a regular basis.
Which is why quotes like this resonate with me so much and why I love quotes like this, so that I can design a poster to print and hang in my work space as a reminder that it's okay (and for the best) to create just for the sake of creating. A reminder that I can create anything my little heart desires and that's okay. Most importantly, so I remember what attracted me to art in the first place—exactly what Barry says: "making being in the world not just bearable, but fascinating."
Good art isn't about putting yourself in a box and creating what you think you should be creating. It's about tearing down the walls and creating what comes from within. In the end, that's the only way to create art that moves you. And when it moves you, it's much more likely to move others as well.
When I read this quote, I knew that it was something I wanted to incorporate into my art life because it is something that I struggle with. I've blogged about it before, and I don't think it's a secret around here that I struggle with doing just to do and creating just to create. Ever since I was a kid, I've been driven by this desire to have a purpose. I thought only by having this so-called purpose, would my life have meaning. While I'm getting better about not viewing life (and myself) that way, it's still something I struggle with on a regular basis.
Which is why quotes like this resonate with me so much and why I love quotes like this, so that I can design a poster to print and hang in my work space as a reminder that it's okay (and for the best) to create just for the sake of creating. A reminder that I can create anything my little heart desires and that's okay. Most importantly, so I remember what attracted me to art in the first place—exactly what Barry says: "making being in the world not just bearable, but fascinating."
Good art isn't about putting yourself in a box and creating what you think you should be creating. It's about tearing down the walls and creating what comes from within. In the end, that's the only way to create art that moves you. And when it moves you, it's much more likely to move others as well.
