December 2020
Creating Art, Forgetting Fear
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking is a slim volume with a big premise–that creative geniuses who make art come along very rarely, and that most art is actually created by people who simply embrace the making of art and thereby can express their innate creativity. Boiled down to the basics, much great art comes out of simply being prolific. The more you create, the more frequently you’ll hit upon some great outcomes while, inevitably, learning to let go of the not-so-great outcomes as a natural part of the creative process.
In reading “Art & Fear” I couldn’t help but equate this concept to the Louie Awards. Artists and publishers enter their best cards each year, selected from their broader output of designs. It is the volume of cards created that makes a viable business, but the quality of an individual card that makes a Louie Award winner. The more cards you create, the more great cards you’ll find in your inventory. On that note, I encourage you to fearlessly enter your favorite creations in this year’s Louie Awards competition so they will have the opportunity to be recognized and honored. In particular, there are two new categories that I think are extensions of this every-day-great-art ethos: Illustrator of the Year and Writer of the Year.
As you head into the new year, what fears are holding you back? What might you create, or achieve, if you focused on getting things done rather than getting things perfect? If you are stymied by what others might think of your output, you risk missing out on what the creative process might teach you about yourself. That fear is learned; you rarely see a 3-year–old concerned about the reception they’ll receive to their song, dance, drawing, or outfit. The fear can be unlearned. Better yet, we can never teach it in the first place by embracing creativity rather than crushing it.
Nora Weiser
GCA Executive Director