After I heard about how Hunter S. Thompson worked, I must admit that I was little bit amazed. According to a documentary that came out shortly after his death, he did most of his writing sitting at his typewriter in the kitchen while he and his friends partied and talked. I can only imagine that the same approach would shut me down… Matter of fact, I know this, I work best in quiet solitude. Most artists I know work like this, too, but there are exceptions, the likes of which I hope to learn more about. For today, though, I’m going to talk about how the artist’s life can be a lonely one, but that’s not as woe-some as it sounds.
Being a working artist is a lonely business, mostly because you have a unique view of the world and what’s possible. This unique view, which I believe starts fairly early on, in some ways comes to define the artist, and it’s usually quite a bi-polar experience without a lot of middle-ground. Either you come to terms with your worldview, keep to yourself and accept that you’re different, letting those folks that are prone to the fringes, nearest. Or you fight this worldview, struggle to assimilate and eventually come to terms (or not) that you have this different worldview and allow yourself to live with it. This would kind of be where I fit.
So, for the artist, self-discovery is name of the game. It’s the deal. And through self-discovery you learn about yourself and what works, because we’re always trying to enhance what works. Often times, what works is getting off the trail that’s already been tread, and going your own way. Humans, mostly, are pack animals, but the artist is different. It’s not a choice they make, but they’re just on a different trajectory, I think this wholly attributed to the fact that they just see the world differently, call it vision, or whatever you want, but it’s different and the artist must go and do their own thing. In many ways, it’s kind of like what Joseph Campbell writes about the Hero’s Journey. Maybe the artist comes back around with the new thing they’ve discovered, but even while they work, they’re working, they’re in the solitude of the work — the flow. The spirt and the inspiration flows through them.
I’m putting all this down here, because artists don’t have a career path like doctors, lawyers, land surveyors, or computer programmers. Our occupational training starts very early on. There aren’t special clubs for being an artist, and mostly these would probably just be filled with wanna-bes and posers, anyway. In fact, being an artist isn’t much of a choice, being creative is just something that you’re prone to doing, while others might be prone to playing sports or collecting stamps, the artist creates.
So the artist, in their solitude works. And with a proper balance, always a challenge for the artist who, generally, thrives in extremes, the artist is able to make the successful go of things and make a life for themselves, even possibly a life where making art is part of their life and livelihood. I say take comfort in the solitude, don’t fight it, to say make friends with it sounds uber-cheesy, but shit, make friends with it. Keep focused and keep going. Keep defining your path. Keep to the self-discovery that comes with being alive and also a working artist and work to magnify the beauty.
On the other hand, there’s balance. Keep to the solitude for your work, but also enjoy people, have relationships, get outside, walk around, travel and do things that enhance your world. Creativity won’t thrive under lock-up, rather it’s the freedom of the spirit and being inspired that allows the inspiration and creativity to flow through you. Leave that room for other things and work to maintain the balance. You won’t lose your edge, as so many of us are apt to thinking. You might have honed your skills at school, but there’s no real school for the artist, just a series of steps that further sharpen you and make you able to create — therefore, it’s not a skill that can be lost. Embrace your humanity and the artist will thrive.