It’s a stretch to accept, I know. But that’s the nature of a ‘what if’. If it had already been widely adopted, it’d be a ‘what is’, not a ‘what if’.

Defining Art

Part of the problem is that we all have this stereotypical idea about what art is and, therefore, what an artist must be. I’m finding it more and more necessary as I get older to unlearn what I’ve been taught. To question the motivation and the bias behind not just what I’ve learned, but behind my teachers. In school. At work. In life. We live in a system that clearly rewards homogeneity, compliance and predictability. Art isn’t particularly congruent with these values, and so in addition to this image we all have of art/artists, there’s an underlying prejudice against identifying oneself as such.

But what if we allowed a new definition in? What if we decided to expand art’s meaning? Allow me to borrow Seth Godin’s definition:

“Art is an original gift, a connection that changes the recipient, a human ability to make a difference.
Art isn’t a painting or even a poem, it’s something that any of us can do. If you interact with others, you have the platform to create something new – something that changes everything…Art doesn’t follow instructions or a manual or a boss’s orders. Instead, art is the very human act of creating the uncreated, of connecting with another person at a human level. “

That’s a little different than the stereotype, wouldn’t you say?

But why bother?

Why is it important to change the way we think about art, and artists? What does it have to do with me, anyway?

I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of being an artist. Stereotypes and prejudices aside, there’s a certain lure to the life of an artist. Stripped to it’s core, art is about ‘creating the uncreated’. Part of the problem, for me, anyway, is believing that I have anything worth creating. Or that I’m capable of creating in the first place. And I think that has to do with identity. If I can’t identify myself as an artist, it’s difficult to imagine ‘creating the uncreated’.

But this new definition leaves little doubt. I’m an artist. If I can ‘connect with another person at a human level’, I am an artist. And if I’m an artist, I can believe in my other gifts. I can consider my writing a form of art. My photography…art. The relationship I have with my boys…art. The love I have for my wife and this life we have together…art. Running up mountains…art. Skateboarding…Art. It’s even possible that my tendency to look inward, to reflect, to assess, to strive to be better, is art.

And that’s just the beginning

Because a shift in identity is like a hole in the dam. At first, just the obvious comes to mind, just a small leak finding it’s way through. But soon the energy of it erodes more of the barrier, and a steady flow is unleashed. Now it’s not just about what I’m already doing, it’s about what I’ve never before dared to try. It becomes less about redefining what is, and more about imagining what could be. About manifesting potential.

And when the dam crumbles completely? I don’t know, but I’m anxious to find out.

The system is a dam, and it’s broken

Failing governments, churches, economies, schools. On and on. I hear a lot of people talk about rebuilding the dam. Like this minor setback is merely something to overcome, to rebuild, to set back on track.

What if building the dam in the first place was the real problem? What if we were never meant to be confined? What if the solution is to let our energy flow precisely where it needs to, that we may tap into our potential, create our uncreated, and become the artists the world deserves?