Creativity is a breath.

An exhale is an expression with the intent of originality. A contribution that we’ve been able to externalize. An idea has been surfaced and we birth something into existence that was once ever only inside of us - a valuable practice that sustains and replenishes. In being the creatures that we are that are able to produce and function and cultivate, we feel a heavy sense of responsibility. Our exhale is a desperate attempt to contribute.

Inspiration is the yawn that consumes our surroundings in hopes that we inhale some usable content. There is no escape from the role of becoming a vacuum, and it really should not be a role to be feared. It’s a means of replenishing, and on goes the cycle of breathing. Comfortably dwelling in a consuming mindset can however be dangerous, and more often than not goes against a creator’s ultimate nature. It’s a temporary practice and is never something we should resign ourselves to. Once sufficiently satisfied with inspiration and experience, the selfish act of absorbing is able to subside. Experiences become uncomfortable to indicate that they need to be short-lived. Such as pain is an announcement to the body that something has gone wrong, when an inhale of inspiration becomes agonizing it must indicate that it’s time to exhale. An environment that is constantly inhaling is surely not one suitable for dwelling. A good, sweet breathe of fresh air will turn sour in its time and will need to be purged. In this process, toxins will be eliminated and the unfamiliar particles will be sifted out.

A creator’s filter puts in strenuous and constant work. It’s the recognition of this filter component that allows a creative person the ability to identify creative constraint, give honest critique and be brutally self motivated. When on the inhale, everything is internalized. As soon as all of this content enters a person, what is decided upon to expel is arguably more important than what is chosen to continue inhaling. The toxicity of the debris overpowers the strength of the gold that it is mixed in with. Identifying what doesn’t work directs an artist much more prominently than recognizing what does. We see this plastered all over the rules of scientific and mathematical fields. A ‘negative’ becomes the dominant gene. Two positives make a positive, but as soon as a negative is thrown into the mix, the sum becomes negative.

There is an eerie power handed to the negative. Negativity is the best friend of the critique, which is an excellent breeding ground for the competitive creative industry. Not to mention, the process of elimination has a much nearer end in sight than handing someone endless opportunity.

An obnoxious truth that artists reluctantly thank is the fact that they need creative constraints. Limitations in creative fields introduce a flirtatious relationship between the maker and the subject, because of the constant and natural challenge to overcome it. It sets boundaries to push and builds fences to jump over. Such a forbidden and playful desire for the other will drive them to creative solution. An uncontrollable obsession to create is triggered by the lust and forbidden romantic time that is repeatedly denied an artist that wants to do nothing but create.

Gathering inspiration is much different from absorbing inspiration, and that needs to be emphasized very early on in an artist’s journey. There is a delicate articulation between the two. Scrounging the earth in search for creative nourishment is a more intentional practice than making oneself porous and allowing inspiration to flow freely through.

Functioning as a respiratory system, we see the making of art as repurposing and recycling, toxins being eliminated in the process. It’s a preservation of life. Drawing inspiration from the field of physics, we can understand that energy is never destroyed but converted or transferred. As important as it seems that it is to exhale, it is to inhale. Every person’s ratio is skewed in their own way and one exchanged is favored over the other. In the way that the sigh released is a product of the air inhaled, an artist’s work is only as strong as their reference. In moderation we find a balance.

An artist identifies as being a very ‘different’ kind of person, which is arguably something most people claim to be. While the statement that contends that we are all unique is not necessarily wrong, it can have a bit of a plumping arrogance to it. We can entitle ourselves to a life of resting comfortably in the idea that who we are, separate from our contributions, is sufficient enough to claim ourselves as an special. Or even worse- exceptional. Individuality is not a birthright, and the idea that it is is fed to us by a deceivingly nurturing hand. It’s comforting to hear. It is.

At some point in our personal development encouragement and indulging will be necessary, but should never be spooned to us in the form of deception. Support and reassurance does allow for a sane life, but should be consumed as a medicine - small doses are healing, but large quantities can result in a toxic state. A sheltered belief in the idea that we are a separate, exceptional and original organisms capable of producing entirely new content is unreasonable and honestly a bit degrading. And you will inevitably encounter moments in life that say otherwise. We will be forced to confront our breath. Self awareness can be painful, awkward and often concealed in unfamiliar places. Consciousness is a stimulant that demands a response, which may be a desperate inhale or a violent exhale, leading to dissatisfaction and exhaustion.

There is no way that the breath leaving the body has not undergone a transformation on its journey through the body. It’s transcended the filter. We would be kidding ourselves if we ever even attempted to claim a breath leaving our body to be someone else’s. The physical evidence speaks for itself. Resemblances are inevitable, but perhaps have caught our attention for a reason.

We can aggressively deny the idea, but we are programmed with an instinct that craves a sense of belonging. And when we draw inspiration of something, perhaps its a subconscious attempt to relate - to expand ourselves. Creativity is just another step into the void of infinity. And what better way to enter that continuum than to use the world as a mirror and see what reflects back?

This ended up being written as advice for myself. I exhale (create artwork) until I’m pathetically exhausted, and I don’t inhale nearly enough to sustain my creativity.

Some might say "the well has run dry." It’s unbalanced, and as an artist I can see the repercussions of that. Some artistic media require longer breaths, and some function just fine off of hyperventilation. Ex: film making vs. drawing. An exchange must take place to maintain balance.

There are no respiratory shortcuts. The elimination of one side will just result in an unrealistic and conflicted art piece.