Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

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Not every piece of art you create will be perfect, but if you let fear stop you, then you’ll never create anything. You learn from every piece you create. — Sarah B I don't have a lot of fear about making art but many of the fears described in this book, such as pleasing others, being accepted and/or understood, being perfect and so on apply to other areas of my life and probably to everyone on the globe. It's not written by psychologists, so there are none of the familiar catch-words or prescriptive solutions for our malaise. It's penned by a pair of working artists who have also fallen into the same hole that we all end up in one time or another. In that sense, it's a survival manual, a kind of lifeline. But it's beautifully and elegantly written, too, condensing some of the hardest issues we deal with into real-world artists' questions. For that reason alone, it's a book I will keep on my shelf for as long as I write, because I know I'll come to this point again. Paul Virilio's vision of war, art and technology has informed contemporary debates about techno-capitalist modernity for some time. Often perceived as a prophet of doom and pessimism, Virlio has consistently interrogated the effects of modern technology on the human condition....John Armitage's introduction offers a concise overture to both Art and Fear and to Virlio's general trajectory of thought. Art and Fear itself, relying almost exclusively on the historical development of genres as transgenic art, does a commendable job of providing a stereoscopic view of the political contexts of such art - Auschwitz, genocide, war." -Pramod Naya, International Journal of Baudrillard Studies, January 2006

Here are just a few dozen of those answers. I’ve found reading through them particularly helpful this week, as I struggle with election anxiety as well as navigating life during the era of COVID-19. We’re all having a lot of feelings right now, and it is the act of creating that grounds us during uncertainty. As you strive to make art during this time, discovering what other artists grapple with might help you dismantle the power of your own fears and inner critic. On top of that, may this list of responses help foster a sense of collective resilience and connection, especially during such an isolating moment in history. Like I said, vulnerable conversations like this make me feel much less alone. I’m hoping it does the same for you. It’s a Struggle Founded in 2013, Artsper is an online marketplace for contemporary art. Partnering with 1,800 professional art galleries around the world, it makes discovering and acquiring art accessible to all. Q: [...If each person made their best work, wouldn't] the more gifted make better work, and the less gifted, less? I have to admit to mixed feelings about Art & Fear. I liked that it was attempting to encourage people, me, to make art despite the uncertainty involved. It recognises that creating art is different to other “jobs” in that, if you do it properly, you put yourself on display at the same time as your work. All this is good to know, but is perhaps somewhat self-evident. But the book is annoyingly full of aphorisms and a lot of them are rather banal. Take “When you act out of fear, your fears come true” as an example. Take other people out of the equation. Make for yourself first. Find what makes you happy. Because when you are happy it shows in your work. — Cheyenne GPart of the problem may have been the sheer volume of recommendations I got for this little guy and to live up to those expectations it would basically have to cure cancer, so take that for what it is. At the end of the exercise, we look at all of the pictures together, exploring how they are similar or different and discussing how the clients is feeling today. I also often ask clients which feelings were easiest or hardest to do and how they felt while they were working on it. Another example is the story of the dancer who was a great dancer, and did it because she loved to dance. She never thought of pursuing it professionally, until her teacher suggested she try out for a position (or something to that). That's when she became terrified of failing and questioned herself. She didn't enjoy dancing anymore because of the pressure to perform for others vs. just dancing for herself.

I put it on my canvas and work around it and add layers to mold it into something more confident. Otherwise, my anxiety takes over and I won’t get anywhere with the piece. — Dottie T If you’re a nerd for personality types, then you’ll appreciate what I’m about to divulge. When it comes to the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, I’m an INFJ. As far as Enneagrams are concerned, I’m a Type 4 — “The Artist,” go figure. A common attribute of these specific “types” is the deep disdain for small talk. Instead, I crave raw, real, and meaningful conversations. I feel more seen and heard when I can let it all hang out with someone who also wants to share their deepest thoughts. I also feel a lot less alone in my struggles, insecurities, and fears. This vulnerable type of expression and connection is also, in my humble opinion, the pinnacle of art itself. Just keep going and let the fear stand in a far corner. It may ONLY watch but NOT interfere! — Andrea D

Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work – and learning from their mistakes – the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay. Around the same time as Varo was producing her surrealist works, Pop Art was popular in the UK and US. Usually associated with bright colors and images appropriated from pop culture, this work by Andy Warhol represents a darker side to the movement. Stripped from any color or life, an electric chair is depicted in an execution room. Warhol produced numerous works using this image starting in 1963, the year of the two last executions in America. These works comment on the controversial use of the electric chair in the US in the 1960s, painting a stark yet poignant image of death at the hands of the state. Fear comes in many forms… I am not an artist -- I am a phony. I have nothing worth saying. I'm not sure what I'm doing. Other people are better than I am. I'm only a [student/physicist/mother/whatever]. I've never had a real exhibit. No one understands my work. No one likes my work. I'm no good. What artist has not experienced the feverish euphoria of composing the perfect thumbnail sketch, first draft, negative or melody — only to run headlong into a stone wall trying to convert that tantalizing hint into the finished mural, novel, photograph, sonata. The artist’s life is frustrating not because the passage is slow, but because he imagines it to be fast.” The only work really worth doing — the only work you can do convincingly — is the work that focuses on the things you care about. To not focus on those issues is to deny the constants in your life.”

For each of the emotions, I encourage clients to do an abstract picture and avoid words, faces, and recognizable images. I ask them to think about what colors they connect with each feeling and then what lines, shapes, and gestures could express that feeling. While social media amplifies anxieties in a public forum, giving rise to new forms of anxiety and antagonistic behaviour (FOMO, cyber-bullying, the initially fictional condition of video-physiognomic- dysphoria (VPD) or aversion to one’s online video image), and feeds new obsessions and related art forms, the concept of anxiety has been with us for centuries.First some words of introduction about why I read this book. Some people here on Goodreads know that I am using my retirement, which started several years earlier than is traditional, to concentrate on photography, a lifelong hobby that I have converted into a small business. And some of those some people know that, secretly, my passion is for abstract photography which I admire but struggle to create myself. I basically go out of my comfort zone by pushing and selling my wares. I’ve met many interesting people and will continue to try to make connections to gather exposure and sales. — Dee S