Even though I have focused my efforts in one artistic field, I am a multi-artistic person. I have dabbled in several artistic areas that include dance, drawing, painting, music, writing, and graphics/web design. Out of those areas, I would say I was most skilled and talented in dance, music, and naturally, writing. Of course, not all artists cross over into different areas, but even if you’re artist working in just one field, there are common yet cool things that link all artists together.

1. You Have an Excuse to be a Perfectionist

If you’re an artist and anything like me, you seek perfection with your work. You concern yourself with the most minute details; cringe (and obsess over it) when you let a mistake slip out to the masses; and you just don’t know when to quit, even if it was “good enough” four hours or four days ago.

In your eternal quest for perfection, you also probably have a tendency to push yourself hard. It’s about the quality – no matter how long it takes and what you have to give up seeking it. Therefore, you lose sleep. You forget to eat. You miss phone calls and/or ignore them altogether. You wave off anyone who drops in on you while you’re in your creative zone. It’s all about your work during that moment, and nothing else matters until you achieve…less than perfection (even though you sure tried for perfection). Hey, not everyone can be in the Collective and connect to the hive mind.

2. Your Creative Streak Hits You at the Oddest Moments

I get creative ideas in weird places and during unexpected activities. I have sat through entire meetings with half of my concentration on what others are saying while the other half is mentally storyboarding ideas for a novel, a blog post, or anything else I’m writing. I can be standing in an elevator, reading the safety notice when an idea sparks. The same thing has occurred in countless of other places: while I’m watching a movie, while I’m grocery shopping, and while I’m in the drive thru supporting my Starbucks tea-drinking habit.

I can be sleeping in the still of the night and will wake up suddenly with ideas I have to write down. In addition, as I’m waking up and opening my eyes, I experience my most creative moments on Saturday mornings. Sometimes I just lie there and let my mind explore and put things together. I have no idea why I am most creative when I’m waking up on Saturdays, but that’s just the way it is for me.

Finally, I have actually been conversing with friends and/or family when they have said something that struck a creative spark. I literally ask them to pause in mid conversation so I can write down an idea or portions of dialogue that suddenly sprung to mind. Most of the time, they end up shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders, realizing that it’s just the “kooky artist” in me that does strange stuff like that.

3. You Empathize with Other Artists Who Experience a Creative Block

No matter what kind of artist you are, you relate to other artists who struggle with a creative block. It happens to every artist during his or her creative lifetime. As an artist with experience under your belt, you know what it’s like when you have a creative block. You’re probably moody – ranging anywhere from anger to sadness – at any moment of the day while you’re blocked. You stress about it, especially if you’re under a deadline to deliver. You worry if you’re block is temporary or permanent. As a result, you know how it feels to have a block for days or even years, so you naturally relate and empathize with other artists who are going through their creative block.

4. You Have an Excuse to be Weird

Hey, I’ve always known I was weird growing up as a kid. I didn’t look weird appearance-wise. In fact, I looked perfectly “normal,” but I knew that there was something different about me on the inside. I just instinctively felt that I wasn’t like most other people. Many artists are a bit different (like geniuses are different) and have weird personality quirks. What are my quirks? Hmmm, let me count the ways.

People can hold an entire conversation with me but I don’t “hear” anything they say if my mind is engaged in other things (mostly creative pursuits). It’s not unusual for me to ask them to repeat whatever they’ve been saying for 10-20 minutes, but oddly enough, I don’t have this problem when I’m at the job. On a typical day, I also don’t verbally communicate for hours during the day, which is mostly when I’m at work. When I do talk, I only feel the need to communicate verbally when I have something to say; otherwise, I don’t waste the (verbal) words. Finally, I’m anti-social and I like it. That doesn’t mean I’m a completely unsocial person; I am just very selective on who I open up myself with.

(Oh, and I’m weird, not crazy. There is a difference.)

5. You Can Be a Grouch to Others & Blame it On Your “Artistic Nature”

You rant and you rave. You sometimes drive others around you nutty with your Shrek-like attitude. Even though I believe artists by nature are passionate people, sometimes you have to admit to yourself that your grouchiness has nothing to do with your artistic ways.

As nice as I am, when I get grouchy and/or pushed to a certain limit, I can say (or text) some things that cut. There can be other things going on in my life that’s making me grouchy, and when I’m grouchy, I sometimes spread the “joy” because I don’t want to be alone in my misery. In my experience, I don’t think it’s a conscious thing to make others suffer with me. I’m mainly seeking empathy, and perhaps on a subconscious level, if you’re not suffering a little with me, then you can’t relate to what I’m feeling. Of course, I finally snap out of my funk, realize I was bringing the theater of pain to others, and blame it on my “artistic nature.” The funny thing is, most of the time, that’s a good enough excuse for the other person.

What a lovely thing, being an artist!

Tags: art, artists, creativity, creators, music, writing

This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 5:48 pm and is filed under Commentary, Life, Play. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.