Art is a mixture of skill and risk. My contention is that both of these are required in order for it to be considered art. You have to have enough skill to create something compelling, and take the risk of attempting a connection.
Why? Let’s look at both sides of the coin:
- Suppose you have created something of stunning beauty, but you never share it with anyone. Is it still art? You do it purely for your own enjoyment. It’s intended for an audience of one—you. Great. That’s a wonderful thing. To me, that makes it a hobby or a craft. It may be incredibly artistic, but it’s not art in the way I’m defining it here. It’s shows great skill, but art is more than just skill.
- Conversely, suppose you share everything you create, without a filter. That’s not art, either. That’s more about you, not your audience. There’s little chance of connection. If every idea you have is realized, then you haven’t applied the skill required that it takes to form a connection. Risk without refinement is not really a risk, because you don’t really have a good chance of making a connection.
Of course, there are exceptions to each of these scenarios, but they are the outliers. For the rest of us, we have to be disciplined about what we create, and keep practicing. We have to know what is good enough to share, and more importantly—what is not. The line between sharing and not sharing is different for every artist, but each takes courage, in its own way.
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