Whether creating for ourselves, a company, a freelance client, an event, or otherwise, we as artists have a single task: to transmute our influences into something tactile that others can experience.
The tactile and transmutation aspects can take many forms, and these are the elements which we choose ourselves. They are the media we implement and the audience we speak to.
Are you drawn to painting and expressing your vision through subtle variations of color? Do you then prefer to paint on wood or canvas? Glass or concrete? And who are you speaking to? In which ways are you trying to open their minds?
Or perhaps your thoughts are better articulated through free-form rapping? In which case, do you work better over synthetic beats or old-school hi-fi loops? Do you prefer to mesmerize with rapid vocal styling, or let your message come across through slow, clear rhymes?
These are the questions we are each asking of ourselves, as artists, and asking questions is a form of exploring. We explore until we find our groove, what feels right, and then we run with that groove, continually exploring and evolving along the way.
The other part of that sentence in bold is influences. This is the second way we explore.
The first way we explore is by asking questions of ourselves. The second way we explore is asking questions of the outside world. These kinds of questions could be "What do I find beautiful in the world and how can I show others?" or maybe "What injustice do I see in the world and how can I bring this to light?". Or maybe even just "What kind of robots do I want to draw?".
These questions relate us to our influences, those things in the world we have been surrounded by since birth that make us who we are. When we ask questions about these influences, we start the creative process. The answer to these questions will lead us into new personal territories, new design aesthetics, and new ways of expressing concepts to people, people who are waiting to see what you see.
For freelancers or even corporate artists, the idea is the same, although we may find ourselves asking questions about someone else's influences instead. We may even find ourselves asking questions about others' questions. As a tattoo artist, I am in a constant state of asking "Why does that person like butterflies, and how can I design something that suits their personal interest?" This is the same thing artists around the world are paid for, and as long as we are true to our personal aesthetics, there is no harm in commissioned or commercial artwork. It's when we begin to bend against our own nature that we venture into "selling out", and that's a whole different article
Questions themselves imply an element of "unknown". We ask questions to uncover the answers. We open ourselves to a new reality each time we become curious, and curiosity is an essential part of exploration.
Exploration is the foundation of art. We cannot create anything compelling by copying what has already been done, or by rehashing our own material forever. Be true to yourself and what feels right, and you will never have to doubt your ability to create.
