Finding Your Inner Artist

This is dedicated to two of my dearest friends, H.B. and C.K.

(Dreamcogs - R. Koleilat©2007)

Art, like beauty is everywhere. It’s also - however trite and cliché - mostly in the eye of the beholder. I’m flattered and pleased when you, my two friends say all those complimentary things about my scribbles and half-baked attempts at digital art, but I get upset when you say things like: “I could never do that”. Well, nu-uh! You don’t want to do that, you want to do what you do – and that could be anything. From painting stars on dainty little girlie nails to hand-made scrapbooks or scarves, you’re creating artful stuff without being self-conscious about it.

It’s when you plan to “do” artwork that it happens. First, you manage to convince yourself that there is only a certain way to “do” it properly (and worse of all, that someone/everyone will snicker at what you’ve created). Then you sit down to a blank paper, canvas, heap of clay, whatever, with all this critical baggage. And, boom! You hit a self-created, self-perpetuating insurmountable block: “I can’t do this”.

Hmm, do what? Come out with a fully formed, perfect “artwork”? Not gonna happen - for you or anyone else for that matter. Never, ever worked for me.

Creating in an artistic sense is the same as creating in other areas of our lives. You can’t cook, put your make-up on, write a funny poem or run a marathon if you don’t try. And maybe fail. It may be a bromide, but it’s true: let go of your expectations, and you will find the muse that will guide you. But Ms. Muse won’t come knocking if you don’t go looking. As my favourite Ridiculous Person used to say in the eighties, just do it. You’ll see, you’ll even surprise yourself.