Honest Art

When thinking about art, the idea typically comes up is that we want to create something of value that stays on the cutting edge or transcends time. This thought process of if I create this one piece and do it just right, I'll finally have something of value to contribute to this world. I know that I went from making art for the sole purpose of filling my cup to the bullshit idea that if my art didn't pay my bills, didn't make me succeed, that I had no sense in creating, or my art had no value. I'm not saying we all get to this point, but it's worth evaluating where you stand.

I am fortunate to be surrounded by incredible artists daily, from photographers to writers to tattoo artists. Each of these people inherently brings value and beauty to this world. They each, in their way, make this existence better for those they come into contact with or touch with their art, but I have seen the light of creating for creation's sake leave so many of them. Their careers swallow the honest art and spit out deadlines and feelings of failure when it's not 100% there.

No-Face

I often think of No-Face in Spirited Away when I think about how I create art in this capitalistic hellscape. I am offered something of monetary value, but my acceptance of that gift feeds and removes my voice from the art I create. By providing this insatiable being, I am adding to the building of a volatile, aggressive, and self-destructive world. The only way to keep this at bay is to be confidently set in creating art in a pure and honest manner. Staying far, far away from creating for a materialistic purpose.

How’d We end up here?

So, how did we get here? I think the spiral into creating art for monetary gain started when I was a kid. I worked at a blueberry farm before I even hit middle school (fuck child labor laws, am I right?). I worked all summer, and I had one goal - buying the biggest lego set I had ever laid my eyes on, the firefighter ship. I loved, and still do, Legos. I loved creating infinite worlds with blocks and mini-figures. There was nothing besides an honest desire to create something that made me feel safe, happy, and excited - my first honest art. After I bought this lego set at the end of the summer, something was different. I built the set and reveled in how I had the coolest lego set on the block, but something was missing. Every time I had built a lego set before, I had taken the creative liberty of injecting my eye into the build, but this time it had to be perfectly built to the instructions. I had to show everyone what I had purchased and built with my own money. Let's call this "My First Capitalistic Trophy."

Back from Memory Lane (finally)

There's a chance that none of this lands with you, and you're sitting going, "what the actual fuck is going on?". I promise you that this directly connects with how I began to create the rest of my life. I've been fortunate to get to create art in various mediums. First, it was drawing and legos, then music, then coffee, then photography. Can you guess how I ended up ditching each of these creative endeavors? If you said, "realizing the chances of making money are slim," you are dead-on accurate. For example, when I was 16 and realized there was no way a kid from a college town would get signed for writing corny songs about what I thought growing up was, I decided it was time to move on. I was making honest art for the sake of making music until that moment. The second the switch flipped, I started running for the next way I could create and build a career. I didn't give a shit that my music helped me battle my inner demons and mental health issues. Fuck all to the good it brought if it doesn't net me a fat paycheck and perceived value in this world.

What Is Honest Art?

When diving into honest art, I think it's important to remember that there is no formula to create or ingest art in a set way. For each person, art means different things. It can be anything. Personally, I think even a good cup of coffee is art. The farmer, the roaster, and the barista each took their creativity from start to finish, giving me a piece of their soul. Now when thinking about all the steps, does it feel honest to you? Does it feel like passion was carried to your morning routine? I think if there was deep-seated passion behind each step, it's honest art. While there is a desire to collect a paycheck for each person, there is also a bigger desire to share their art with people. I know a coffee roaster that exemplifies this theory. He started a cafe I worked at, and he had a goal. His goal was to create plain coffee that was sweet. This completely went in the face of how we view coffee as a culture, but it was his dream. Was it easy to pursue this? No. Was it something that instantly netted a big paycheck? No. The thing is, though, in my town, his coffee shop is the busiest around. Around the states, people know his name. Can you guess the reason why? It's because his passion, his honest art, outweighed a desire to get that paycheck, to go the easiest route possible.

Now It’s On You

Now we get to you, friend. I want you to take a moment and process the honest art you consume. The moments that create those emotional connections to the world around you. Now that you have an idea in your head break down the steps from start to finish of how each one of these art forms was created. Whatever art you thought of, how does it feel honest? How does it feel emotionally attuned with creation rather than pay? How does it make you feel to view this process like through this lens?