Art is Work (March 2012)

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  • Written after my last visit to Olafsfjordur in March 2012

Art, many people believe is something that happens behind closed doors or some mental state close to a trance, in which the artist is suddenly taken over by a supernatural force and after much convulsing and mouthing of other-worldly languages, art is suddenly produced out of thin air, and with what for many seems to be little effort.

art is anything but a supernatural process, and is anything but easy, it is work. and if it is meant to be displayed or shared it is even more work. so called art, even from artistic “naturals” that does nothing but stay within the walls of their own space, does nothing to elevate the spirit, or at the very least the questions, of anyone but its creator. art is meant to be criticized, admired, questioned, derided, but most of all shared.

and sharing art requires not only work in preparation but mental preparation for everything that it entails. it is after all a piece of ourselves we are offering to the world. a hard fought piece of ourselves that took work to get here, not through some magical trance, but hard work late at night and while your eyes are tired, while your mind says ‘write. paint. photograph, create!’ and your body says ‘rest. sleep, tomorrow’.

art is work, have no doubt, for art that requires no work, is only a curiosity.

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