An Artist

by C. LaRene Hall

For my blog this week I want to tell about an article a friend of mine sent to me a few months ago. Keith Bond, who is a regular contributing writer for FineArtViews, wrote the article.

I don’t want to get into any trouble so I’m just going to tell you in my words what he wrote. He begins by pointing out that many times we hear the words, “so-and-so is an important artist,” or “such-and-such piece is an important work of art.” He brings up some good questions. One of those is, “Who decides that an artist or piece is important?”

What would happen if one particular piece of work was so good that it changed that person’s entire career? Does that mean his other work is less important? It is my belief that without the prior work the artist could not have done the current work. If that is the case, then all the work is important.

Mr. Bond pointed out that there are artists who are deservedly in the limelight. Many others that are not in the public eye are equally gifted. The part I liked best was when he said, “All sincere art is important. All honest artists are important.”

To me that means, that all art is important, and has a place. It has the ability to affect people in a very special and extraordinary way. Just because it touches me doesn’t mean that you will even like it. Just because it doesn’t shout to the world doesn’t mean it isn’t good.

Next, he says that all honest artists are important. He refers to honest describing those that are true to their artistic voice. This means that you create from within, not for the market, but for the need within to express yourself.

There is no way that I can say this the way Keith Bond did. The last paragraph said, “Be true to your inner voice. Create sincere art that only you can create. As a unique individual with a unique voice, you are important. No other artist can say what you have to say in the way you can say it. You are original. Keep your art true to yourself and it will be original. If you do, your work will resonate with those who love your work. You will be important to them. By enriching their lives, you are contributing to a greater society, to a greater world. This makes you important to the world. You are an important artist creating important art. Don't give that up for anything, even for the accolades of the critics.”

Every time I read this I think - WOW!

All of us writers are important, and we are all creating something worthwhile. There is no way I'm going to give up. It doesn't matter how many rejections I receive, my writing is important.