Why I Create

The other day, I had the opportunity to answer the question, 

"If time and money were no object, what would you rather be doing?" 

 I used to think I would hull up in my own art studio and just create art for all my days. But I'm beginning to think a little differently. I want to travel the world and have adventures, then come back to my space and use my new experiences as fodder to create new works of art. I told my mom, "I don't think I would be content to have a singular experience of the world." 

But the dream doesn't stop there. I would not be satisfied to hoard my time and art all to myself.

I want to give it away.

I realized this: I create in order to give. I write knowing that someone else will read my work. I make things for the people I love all the time: poems and notes and little doodles. I have this blog, very much in part, for your enjoyment, as much as it is mine.

And if that doesn't convince you, maybe mail art will. My mail art days are kind of hard to describe... I think back on them as a wondrous, renaissance-time of my life, in which I used an incredible amount of stamps (which I still ask for for Christmas and birthdays) to send works of art through the postal system. If you'd like to see some of my work, I blogged many pictures over at my mail blog.  

Unfortunately, the responsibilities of my education and work have hindered me from making much mail art lately, but it is something I hope to return to later. Here's how it fits into all this though: I wrote letters and created these beautiful works of art, only to send them off into the world for others to enjoy--not keep them to myself. 

Matt Appling in his book Life After Art talked about this beautiful part of being an artist. He says that children create things in order to give to other people. Children, he argues (and forgive me for not having proper page numbers here), are generous with their art; however many children lose that generosity as they "mature." I think I have always been generous with my art, especially mail art, but I want to continue being generous with my creativity and my art, even when I'm old (and have my own art studio?). 

On the way to church I heard a woman on the radio talking about "celebrating the spirit of Christmas year-round." I'll admit, I scoffed a little bit; it's such a cliche thing to say, I thought. What does that even mean? And how can you remember the "Christmas spirit" when it is not at the forefront of your mind. In the states, one cannot ignore Christmas. It surrounds you with commercialized Santas, snow, increased traffic, and carols blaring at the mall. But one phrase I hear a lot around this time of year is: "It is better to give than to receive." Today, I am applying it to a new context--art, and realizing that maybe that lady on the radio was right: the "Christmas spirit" of giving is something that can be embraced every month of the year, not just December. What does that look like? For me, it means making a whole lot more art and giving it away--to family, friends, loved ones, strangers, anyone. What does it look like for you?