New on the blog today: Don't think about making art, just get it done.
The great Andy Warhol once said, “Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
I love this quote, it speaks to me. Often times I find myself worrying if a piece of art is worthy, from a value sense, a brand sense, a social sense, and especially from an authentic sense. But Andy’s quote states very bluntly, “Don’t think about making art, just get it done.”
When I shift my mindset from “producing” art to simply “making art,” it helps me loosen up. Making art sounds fun and light-hearted, it doesn’t sound serious or overwhelming. All I have to do is show up and get it done.
Jenna Rainey, one of my favorite watercolor artists, has her own version of Andy’s quote, “Create something new every day, even if it sucks.” Her motto helps remove the pressure of creating something great. Just create something, doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, just create something new every day.
After all, the act of creating, the process of actually doing the work is what we are truly after. The process of creating is what makes our hearts sing and souls come alive. By showing up and creating something every day, even if only for 5 minutes, we begin to build a huge volume of work. Within that volume of work, that is where the magic lies. That is where we start to see patterns and ideas connecting and growing into something more. The patterns and ideas that lie in the work help us uncover our unique voice, brand, and self. This is how we create our story, one worthy of sharing with the world.
Without the volume of work, we can not properly evaluate ourselves. We can not hear our voices or see the patterns. We can not develop our stories or our brands. In order to uncover ourselves as makers, artists, and creators, we must show up and create something every day. Don’t think, just get it done.