What makes a Great Artist?

Photo by Anni Roenkae from Pexels

“Dependency murdered creativity.
Creativity plays with the unknown.
No strategies exist that can enclose the endless realm of the new.
Only trust in yourself can carry you past your fears and the already known.”

Velvet Buzzsaw, 2019

This is a quote from a movie that I picked up on Netflix one night. It was a satirical story about the modern art world where a very vague, fine line is drawn between the art and the commerce. People must have joined the industry with a dream of getting involved in the hot and fancy art world to climb up the ladder to reach success, to be recognized and admired by others or make a fortune in order to choose whatever the lifestyle they want.

Then, a pure thought came up in my mind – “What makes a great artist?”

Talent, passion, technique, knowledge, refinement, perseverance, or luck? Maybe a combination of some or all of these elements? Yet, the most important thing, I believe, is: authenticity – being true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character – one’s own creativity.

The form of art can be anything from painting, designing, photo-shooting, writing, acting, dancing, singing to playing music. But when the art form consists of someone else’s style or spirit, it lacks authenticity and it is no longer worthy of being offered to the precious time of others.

Whatever the art form it may be, it must deliver one’s spirit, the artist’s soul. Artists must use all the inherent resources within: their abilities, feelings, experiences, knowledge, and characters to express themselves, delivering something “new.” Just as no one has your fingerprints, your artwork must be unique, one of a kind.

Revealing your own thoughts and feelings may be challenging sometimes, especially when potential negative responses or consequences cross your mind. This can happen to any artist on earth. When this happens, your focus should be on the spirit that you are destined to deliver to the world. Unless you trust in yourself and become strong enough to shout out what you’ve got inside of you, no one will know, no one will enjoy, and no one will benefit from your existence.

Be You.