Taking Risks

Artists are a courageous lot. Some people will poo-poo that statement. After all, they will say, do artists put their lives on the line like soldiers, police officers, firefighters (and now medical workers)? Perhaps not. But there is another kind of courage, a courage to conquer a fear that anyone who has ever gone to school knows all too well. That is the fear of criticism, of rejection, of being looked down upon, of being emotionally abused, of being hated.

I am using the word “artists” in the broadest possible form. Artists, in this context includes anyone who produces a creative output. This includes painters, sculptors, composers, writers, chefs, architects, and also performance artists like actors, musicians, and dancers. I am even including people who do not make a living from their art, because they all have to overcome that same fear.  You see, being an artist means you have to be willing to put a piece of yourself out there for the world to see. It could be something that you have worked for months or years on, only to have someone take a dump on it as soon as it becomes public.

Art is by its nature subjective, that is, the art that you like is not necessarily going to be the art that I like. If 90% of the population hate a piece of fiction, that does not mean it is a bad story. You only need one person to like it for it to be a worthwhile achievement. But if you are the artist, that is small consolation. Getting even one bad review or comment can be devastating for a creator. Getting flooded with them is enough to make one give up. It’s like getting up in front of the class to give your book report and having everyone laugh at you, feeling the blush coming to your cheeks and just wanting to find a corner in which to hide. Do you remember what that was like? If you don’t, you either have a thicker skin than most people, or you have blocked that memory.

An actor going on stage sometimes has to dig down deep and find vulnerable parts of himself, then expose that vulnerability to an audience. The worst thing an actor can do is to be a phony, to pretend at being sad instead of finding that sadness and bringing it out. The actor knows he is taking a risk. The audience may not buy it. The audience may not care (that might actually be worse than the audience hating it).

We live in a digital world now where it is oh so easy to post a snide remark about a performance or a piece of art or a meal at a restaurant. If you are an artist, it comes with the territory. This is the risk you take every time you produce something. This is on top of the fact that most artists find it difficult to make a living in their desired field.

Artists are different than non-artist. They think differently, they may act differently. Some are just plain weird. You know this. But instinctively you also know that without that difference, we wouldn’t have the Mona Lisa, The Pieta, Ghostbusters, Hamlet, the 1812 Overture, The Andromeda Strain, the Eiffel Tower, Swan Lake, or Death of a Salesman.

Everyone has artistic tendencies to a greater or lesser degree, but artists are the ones who take the risk to put it out there (warts and all) for all the world to see.

(My novel Star Liner, is now available in paperback or as an e-book through Amazon and other online sources).

Link to Star Liner