Why Bother Creating Art?
Is there a purpose to all of this?
Hey friend,
I hope you've been well!
Today I wanted to ponder a question I am sure that most of you have asked yourself at one point or another.
Why do we bother to create art?
With the ever escalating amount of content being released daily, it can seem pointless for us to try to contribute our art to the world. As of the latest reporting, there are more than 100,000 songs uploaded to Spotify EVERY DAY… If our goal is to break through the noise then this task is exponentially harder every single day that passes.
Many of us are trying to create an audience to share our works with, yet do we ever question the motives underneath? Are we doing it to try to get famous? Is there a calling in us that makes us create regardless of results? Are we trying to live off of our creativity so we can do it full time? There are a lot of reasons to pursue your craft, and honestly I don’t see anything wrong with any of these motives, as long as you understand the path you have chosen and the work that comes with it.
Something I learned from Ernest Becker in his book The Denial of Death, is that many of us create lasting works of art, build big businesses, and even produce children so that some part of us will live on beyond our death. The idea that we will be forgotten when we pass plays a big part in our unconscious desire to be recognized in our work. If we create a beautiful piece of art that people are still talking about 300 years from now, then a small part of us has indeed lived on.
The question then becomes, what work do we want to be remembered for? What legacy do we want to leave stamped with our name? Do you have albums in you that you have always wanted to write? Books maybe? Maybe even your own business? I think these are great things to work towards, and I am working on all 3.
What is your north star?
Your north star is the big picture goal that you are working towards. Are you trying to be a touring artist, signed to big labels, living from hotel rooms? Great! You know what your life will look like, and it is easier to see the path that gets there, you have a blueprint to follow.
Would you prefer to produce music from your studio for a living and not be on the road all the time? Great! You can work with artists, do freelance work, compose music for film and tv/produce music for sync.
Are you trying to build a business so that you have financial freedom and can spend more time with your family? Great! Now you know where your energy should be focused so that you aren’t split in several different directions.
The point is to think about what your true north star is so that you can direct your goals, actions and plans towards that direction. You want to make sure that you are always moving towards that north star with each new goal you set and achieve.
If you are working toward a direction that your heart feels isn’t the right direction anymore, you will feel a tension inside you that can lead to procrastination, resentment, envy and jealousy, or even giving up all together. It is important to know what it is that you want so that the fear of missing out doesn’t crush you when you see your peers moving in the direction that they desire, even if it is one you are no longer chasing.
For me personally, I would rather build up the ability to produce from home, doing gigs when I choose to, rather than be a full time touring artist. This means that most of my energy is put towards producing music for sync, doing freelance work for clients, and releasing music when I feel like it, with labels that I want to work with. I am less focused on DJing these days, as the nightlife scene gets kind of old when you are over 30 and married 😂
It is ok for your goals and desires to change, it is more important to listen to your gut, soul, heart, intuition, whatever you prefer to call it.
How do you feel when you are in flow, creating your best work?
To me this is the true secret, this is the place you find meaning and purpose in your work. When you have the realization that it is the process itself that brings you the most joy, and that the success and recognition is merely a shimmering mirage that tries to pull you along unconsciously forward, ever improving your craft. It is in the life-long, goal-less pursuit of the process of mastery that you will find the most meaning and produce your best work. If we focus too much on achieving goals and accolades, we lose the connection with the flow state and the present moment slips into the future goals we can’t take our minds off of.
To be in the present moment, with nothing else to focus on but the act of creating a new song, writing a new book, or painting a new canvas, this is the way. This is how we make our soul grow. Your life becomes deeper, your perception becomes wiser, you start to see the interconnectedness of all things. You realize that if you can just put yourself in your seat and produce your work, the rest will sort itself out. The purpose is to be right here, right now, producing our work, because it is the thing that makes us feel the most alive.
Book Recommendation
Why I Love This Book
This book is a pretty heavy one that will have you contemplating some darker thoughts, but it is one that gives a deep perspective on why it is we create our work in the first place. There is a part of us that is afraid we will be forgotten and it drives us to produce something that will offset that forgetting.
Is there anything wrong with this? I don’t think so, though I do find it interesting.
If you want to check this book out, you can click below and pick up a copy!
The Denial of Death - Ernest Becker
Take care my friend,
- Niko
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