Creativity, Service, and Personal Satisfaction

Creativity and Service

There is a quote by David Bowie where he says “Never Play to the Galleries”. In the context of the conversation about “who is the creative work for?” If you start to make work purely for the galleries, the critics, and the fans you’re  are doing your own creative work a diss-service.  There are those creatives that are able to make things curated to certain audiences. But what’s interesting and inspiring to me is when artists are able to give people what they didn’t know they needed by following their own curiosity and developing their own standards.    

I think it’s important to follow one’s own sense of curiosity, interest and inspiration. Being able to do something out of skill is cool. Though some of the best creative work I’ve seen has come from mixing skill and emotion. Some of the coolest stuff I’ve witnessed has come from a strong personal “why” behind the work or just having fun. Expression.

So often  I ask myself what energy are you exploring and trying to generate? When you start making art in order to try and gain others approval, it can become easy to lose your own sense of validation and taste.

The energy you feel, the thoughts you think, what you explore all affect the work. I assume or think that the audience of the work is intelligent, and often I’ve been surprised by random people and skilled artists picking up on intentions and the creative experience present in the work.

Ultimately a creative has to define their own work’s value. You gotta define your own value as well. That value can be and is more than monetary. I think you can provide value and  service for others regardless of skill when that’s coupled with enthusiasm and/or determination. I think that starts with providing value and service for yourself. Making Art can serve many different purposes and can also solve problems.

So when I’m working on pieces for myself or others I ask myself, “What do I want out of this creative work?” “What is here for me in this project to explore or bring out for myself?”

I often ask myself this when I’m working on commissions and also just for clarity in my own work.  Generating dialogue in this sense serves me to focus and hone in on the ideas and energies that I love in regards to whatever I’m working on. This way I can approach work with more clarity and intention.