Smallness and the artist’s struggle for immortality
Recently, I was talking with a friend about smallness, the sense that life on Earth is so absurdly ephemeral that the only rational response to its existence is to embrace the silly preciousness and relish it as fully as possible.
Not everyone jams on this way of thinking, so it was nice to compare notes with someone who gets why reading about the sun exploding in a few billion years is so gratifying. But my friend wasn’t convinced that I really understand smallness: he accused me of seeking immortality through my art.
Gwenn Seemel
After: Puberty
2007
acrylic on bird’s eye
30 x 30 inches
And he’s right, but only because the artist’s quest for immortality looks a lot like just being an artist with half a clue about how the world works.
What I mean is that, if I work at getting my paintings known, it’s because that happens to be the only way I know how to make a living with my art, which is in itself an essential ingredient to making more art. But the motivation for self-promotion doesn’t go further than that. If my art doesn’t make it into the history books, I’m still quite pleased.
For one thing, I have the satisfaction of living my life just the way I want to, doing exactly what I want all day, every day. For another, I know for a fact that the art I make and the person I am contributes meaningfully to the lives of people around me. And that’s pretty rad.
If no one cares about what I do a hundred years from now, it won’t bother me. People care right now, and that’s plenty enough for me.
detail image of After: Puberty
I would argue that all the best art is made by people who understand smallness better than just about anyone else. Art-making is about acknowledging how fleeting life is by making something equally as fleeting to celebrate it. It doesn’t get much more absurd—or delightful!—than that.
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(7) Comments / Commentaires: Smallness and the artist’s struggle for immortality
I like that: “I don’t have to make ART, I can make art.” It describes quite well how lovely the choice to be an artist and to contribute in that way really is!
What a great article, this is exactly the kind of thing we like to share with our community. Let us know if you’re interested in guest blogging for Elexu (a network to empower people!)...
@Christy: I’m confused. How do you think that this article fits in with what your company is doing?
I agree 100 thousand percent. I love getting my art out there. My goal is to make enough doing what I love so that I don’t need to work for anyone else. I’m with you on living my life how I want too, to. And if someone digs up one of my paintings a couple hundred years from now I hope they love it, because I loved painting it.
found you on Twitter.
peace n abundance,
CheyAnne
http://www.cheyannesexton.etsy.com
ps, I love your art too
Thank you, CheyAnne! And it’s so true what you say about hoping the future loves your work simply because you enjoyed making it. It makes me wonder why I don’t notice more joy when I go to a museum. Maybe I haven’t been looking, but I mean to now!
Kelly in AK...
I think I make art because I know I’m small. I don’t have to make ART, I can make art.
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