I have a number of bookish posts in progress right now, but I haven’t been able to finish them yet this week. So, here are some random musings about creating art, and some of my unfinished pieces:
The short answer is, if you are an artist, your art is never finished!
I find I live in this kind of limbo most of the time. Part of the reason is that I feel like I have to be fully satisfied with a piece for it to be finished. Part of me believes I’ll wake up one day and be like, “Hey, that’s amazing!” about something I’ve created, without feeling the need to improve it.
Yet, the truth is, art can always be “improved” so to speak. And most of the time, I’m just using art as a creative outlet and I’m not being paid to paint the Sistine Chapel like Michaelangelo (the artist, not the ninja turtle, though the ninja turtle is pretty cool).
So, what’s the criteria for art to be considered “finished?”
I think this comes down to conventions and norms. Does it fit with other works in the same category that are considered good? And yet, there are some works (novels, poems, plays, paintings, statues) that defied the conventions of their day and are considered to be masterpieces.
Take Jane Eyre, for example. Bronte spat in the face of several novel conventions in the form and character arc. Yet, it became and has remained popular.
What it comes down to is, what is the piece meant to be and meant to do, and does it do that well?
We’re Created, Too
I think this criteria can be turned inward, too.
What am I meant to do and be, and am I doing that well?
This is a place I often go when I am tired, feeling drained, or had a long week. I call it my “existential crisis” moment that feels a little like that Zoolander moment when he’s staring into a puddle and saying, “who am I?”
Sometimes the cure is to figure out how to just be.
For me, this includes going to my Heavenly Father and asking Him what He thinks about me and how I’m doing, because I know He is a much better judge than I. And in His presence, I remember that I am created for a purpose, too.
I can always worship Him, no matter what, and live for Him the best I can. Even when I’m tired and worn out. Even if it’s only silently while I’m taking a moment to stretch and unwind.
I didn’t intend for this to be a challenge to you, but I want you to ask yourself, if you’re reading this, what you are meant to be, and are you doing it well? Just a little purpose check-in at the end of the week 🙂
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