For many years, young people were told to get educated and then follow a linear corporate path, finding an entry level position and then climbing up a ladder in the same company until they retire and hope the company will give them some retirement benefits. But it’s not like that anymore, it doesn’t have to be. You don’t have to have your career aspirations set at 18, 20, or 22, and then go down that road for the rest of your life. You can change careers, industries, or completely ditch the whole corporate pursuit and start something of your own. They are calling this era ‘The Great Resignation’ so how about we resign from being stuck to one path – whether that be a career you have lost interest in, or an art style you desperately cling to (or have gotten too comfortable in) and experiment!
For as long as I can remember, finding and having an ‘art style’ had been the most important factor to being an established artist. For many years, I struggled with defining my personal ‘art style’. It took me until my senior showcase for my art degree to say that really, I do not want to have an ‘art style’ – whatever that is… I just don’t care!
Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the chance to visit numerous museums and Galleries in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Paris, Florence, Washington DC, Tokyo, and most of all, New York, alongside others. I’ve been inspired by many, but have also gone from being excited about seeing a Picasso, to a monotone “there’s another one”. I realize Picasso is actually an artist who’s style did develop and change throughout the years, and he had different phases – or eras I should say. But still, there was not enough variety to keep me intrigued, as much as I tried.
It’s made me question – why are we as artists so focused on creating the same kind of work over and over again for the sake of having a distinctive style, that people can point to after our death and say “that’s a Smith”. Does it really matter? I might be wrong, I might change my mind in a few years, but until now, I don’t really care about if people will be able to recognize all my works after my death. At this moment, each of my works are a piece on their own. They might be connected in some form or another, they likely are, but I’m not so concerned anymore about making them visually look the same. Especially not to conform to some idea of “style”. There are many artists who’s work I admire, but after a while, after a few years of following their work, I begin to lose interest because it’s still visually pretty much the same as when I discovered them five, six, seven years ago… It stops being exciting!
The seed for this was planted in my head during a conversation with a professor I admire one day, who praised a painting I had just finished, and suggested I make more paintings similar to it. I don’t always respond so quickly to ideas, but that moment I instantly told her that as much as I enjoyed that painting and am happy with the outcome, I don’t want to make the same painting again because I’ve already made one. I’d rather make other works that I haven’t already made.
I want people to not be able to expect what I’m making next. I go from painting to sculpting, to trying some pottery and metalsmithing, and then go back to painting, before revisiting drawing. Not necessarily because I’m trying to keep my audience on their toes, or go on some endless cycle between media, but because it’s art! What are we as artists, if we don’t follow our gut, intuition, or whatever you want to call that little feeling inside that gets you excited to make. It’s a whole journey of discovery and experimentation that those interested in my work can join me on. And I’ve decided that the best thing about it, my favorite thing at least, is that it’s constantly changing. Each piece tells a story of its own. Together, they might be a book, a compilation of stories that relate to one another, but they are not the same story, the characters aren’t the same, they might not have the same structure, they can be looked at together, or individually, and there would still be so many more stories to discover. You wouldn’t feel that you know what the whole story looks like just by looking at one singular page. Because what would be the point of seeing the rest if you did?
That being said, there can at times be great value in series. Series can be a great form of exploring a topic or interest more deeply, if further study is needed, or more words are needed to tell the story. Not always, but this can be a great way of expanding on a piece. My point is to not get stuck in one series, to not get too comfortable because a series is familiar, popular, or financially doing better – not if you feel that you’ve given everything you can to it, it’s starting to feel draining, you’re starting to lose interest in the process, you’re continuing only because it’s easy, or you’re ready for something new. You might be better known for your more popular series, but that doesn’t mean you have to get stuck to it. There’s beauty in it being ephemeral. So if we are to create similar pieces, let it be series, not an art style. And let there be many more unique series to come.
And so, this is my case to ditch the idea of an art style. At least ditch the constant thought of trying to achieve one. I find it much more of a worthy pursuit to figure out what it is you want to say, or express. And still, sometimes the best art we create is made when we stop thinking so much altogether…