In our time, the cultural niche for art remains unfilled, while self-expression has become an end in itself. This may not be the healthiest of situations but then again no one said we're living in the healthiest of times either.

I've always seen art as self-expression, which, for me, included the cultural background of the artist, whether the artist wants to emphasize on it or not. But, now that I think about it, it's interesting how in a more globalised world, we see the contrast of this point presented in this part of the book. How art seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. That's not always the case, but it's becoming more common. And the last quote: This may not be the healthiest of situations but then again no one said we're living in the healthiest of times either.... This book is from 2001, and it perfectly applies to the present 🤧

The lessons you are meant to learn are in your work. To see them, you need only look at the work clearly without judgement, without need or fear, without wishes or hopes. Without emotional expectations. Ask your work what it needs, not what you need. Then set aside your fears and listen, the way a good parent listens to a child.

Ugh, I love this. It's so valuable to take this approach because, it gives the power back to us. I mean, I've often read that we need to compare our work to our references to learn from them, which is completely valid and a great way to improve our skills. But by analyzing our work, we get to see our own patterns, we realize what's actually working and what isn't, what we create more of and where we want to go. It's even a great opportunity to learn more about ourselves as artists 💛

If you think good work is somehow synonymous with perfect work, you are headed for big trouble. Art is human; error is human; ergo, art is error. Inevitably, your work will be flawed. Why? Because you're a human being, and only human beings, warts and all, make art. Imperfection is not only a common ingredient in art, but very likely an essential ingredient.

And this is why, my fellow human beings, I'll never take ai "art" seriously. It lacks meaning and feels completely dead, while also eliminating the process of making art, which is the whole point! It doesn't matter with how much art is trained on, it'll never have the main component required for art: Human beings, and everything that represents us 💛

People who need certainty in their lives are less likely to make art that is risky, subversive, complicated, iffy, suggestive or spontaneous. What's really needed is nothing more than a broad sense of what you are looking for, some strategy for how to find it, and an overriding willingness to embrace mistakes and surprises along the way. Simply put, making art is chancy, it doesn't mix well with predictability. Uncertainty is the essential, inevitable and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding.

Now, hold on a minute 😭✋🏼 This is true, not only for art, but even for living life itself too. The desire to be certain about the end result, to have some resemblance of control over what we're doing, how everything will eventually unfold instead of simply focusing on enjoying the process, enjoying the ride while it lasts, exploring without fear (or at least not letting it control us), and breaking the routine every once in a while so both, life and art, don't get boring. That's the best way to proceed, to create art and create the life that we want 💛