Everyone who's ever picked up a paintbrush and touched a canvas knows the thrill and release of creation. The joy of pressing the shutter on an old Leica camera and hearing that click as you immortalize the look of a stranger or a towering building or golden-hued sunlight resting on the treetops is incomparable. The nurture of knitting, the mood of the music, the praise of poetry; these are the pleasures of being an artist.
There are artists who have spent hundreds of hours, thousands of dollars and millions of moments of inspiration to become what our society labels as 'artists.' Some measure their success in canvases sold or the number of exhibitions or the word of mouth in their community. They are exuberant on finding people enjoying their art, on collecting the accolades showered upon them and rejoice in the recognition of their work. Their creativity and their confidence in their art are fueled by the acclaim it receives from those around.
However, there are many other artists who aren't, neither by society nor by their own admission, considered artists at all. They do their drawings in notebooks that never see the light of day, instead of hibernating in bedside table drawers. They write poetry that plumbs the depths of angst and despair like Sylvia Plath. They create paintings that, like Van Gogh's, never get sold in their lifetime. These are the bathroom singers, the class clowns, the person we all know to possess immense talent but who themselves think it's not good enough.
Anyone who can afford the materials can be an artist. But getting your art shown is another matter. The trick to getting your art see the light of day is two-fold: You must have the confidence to put yourself out there and try and make a deal. And you must make someone believe in your art enough to display it to the world. It's one thing being an artist, but a completely different ball game possessing the art and talent of both confidence and conviction. Most artists hire other people to do the job of taking their art to the public for them. Others, who lack the resources, end up stuffing their art into the closet or under the rug, where they lie untouched, unseen and forgotten.
This is a shout out to those unrecognized artists; to those amazing pieces of art that remain wrapped up in boxes. Let them out. Let them see the light of day. Show it to your family, your friends. Or maybe even your pets. Start small. Maybe you won't receive the kind of appreciation you are looking for; maybe people won't like it or understand it at all. Don't let that stop you. Keep learning and creating. Share your talent with others and watch what emotions it brings out in them. Perhaps your confidence in your work will boost someone else's. You'll come to find that your friend is an exceptional writer; the quiet guy in class is a gifted singer; the girl in your building can play the piano really well.
Not all of us can be a Michelangelo or a Jeffery Archer or an A.R. Rahman. But that does not mean our work isn't good enough. Perfection is over-rated. And art isn't about perfecting your skills. It's about channeling your thoughts, emotions, and feelings into this physical material that even others can see. Your piece of work firstly belongs to you, and then to those you choose to share it with.
So, let it all out. Choose any form – it can be poetry, painting, writing, singing or being a stand-up. Let your art form be the one thing that allows you to be yourself, with no concealment or pretenses. And share the joy of creation with those around you.
