We all need art in our lives. Whether we create it ourselves or admire the works of other artists. As artists, we express our identity through art and art reflects our personality. But how does art shape our identity in return? In this post, we’re going to explore the importance of having an artistic identity and how we are all shaped by the artworks we create!
Since early human history, art has been a form of expression. Its purpose is to please our senses and lift our spirits. But is there actually more to art besides hanging it on our walls? How does art shape our identity?
I’m sure you’ve already noticed that every artist leaves their custom signature on each piece they create. What do I mean by that? Well, every piece of artwork expresses the artist’s identity. It cannot be otherwise.
Every time you create an artwork, you put a piece of yourself into it. Thus, your art is showing your identity.
What does identity mean in art?
This begs the question: what does identity mean in art? When asking people what an artist’s identity is, you will get lots of different answers: their name, their art style, their culture, the circumstances that grew up and live in, the media they use, …
Simply put, your artist identity is everything about you. Not only your name and art style, but also your hobbies, preferences, your political and religious viewpoints, the music you listen to, the friends you hang out with, your fashion taste, and so on.
But your artist identity is not only your personal identity but also your cultural and societal influences.
As a matter of fact, we need art in our lives. Our cultures are shaped by various forms of artistic expression, from literature and poetry, to music, to the performing and visual arts, and more.
Artists often explore cultural and social identity. The art they create reflects who we are as a society, as a culture, and as a nation. It is not uncommon that new forms of art arise with the intention to question cultural conventions and stereotypes. Just think of the surrealism, lowbrow art, and pop art movements, to just name a few.
When you stay true to your authentic artist identity, your art reflects your own life and experiences. In return, this is also how art shapes our identity as artists.
But how can you express your identity through art? Let’s see…
How to express identity through art?
Art is a great way to express your personal identity as an artist. However, that means, you need to strip off all the stereotypes, learned conventions and hackneyed ideas you’ve accumulated throughout your life. Once you’ve liberated yourself from those, the art you create reflects your personality at its very core.
Expressing your identity through art is absolutely essential in creating meaningful artwork.
Too often, we have learned to value our art based on what others think of it. If others appreciate our art, we believe it’s good. If our friends, fans, or curators disapprove of our art, we are inclined to think that it’s not good.
Related: How To Overcome The Fear of Creativity – 10 Lifehacks For Creators
That’s why you need to remind yourself that art isn’t about who likes it. Your art is all about you. When creating art, you are free to express your identity.
Every time you create a piece, you should determine its value by asking yourself, how much did I enjoy creating this piece? If you enjoy doing what you do, then everything is fine!
Let me give you an example…
I love seeing how differently people react to ‘disturbing’ artwork. These are some comments on my work ‘Piercing‘ from my Lip Service Collection on Facebook and YouPic.
Some people understand artistic expression, some people don’t…
The reaction to a particular piece of artwork is a very personal thing. Everyone’s reaction is different based on the individual’s identity.
If the artwork caused any reaction, you have fulfilled the purpose of creating art!
At the same time, art is a great way to discover yourself. By observing and speaking about your own creative process, you can learn something about yourself – something that so far might have been hidden in your subconscious…
How does art reflect your personality?
As we said above, art is born out of everyday experience. That means art is always an expression of the artist who creates it and reflects their personality.
Many artists use art to explore their own identity and incorporate themselves into their artwork. I am one of those! I always include myself into the art I make. In my Surreal Stories, for example, I always give my face to the ladies I create and sometimes other parts of my body, like arms, hands, etc.
If you’d like to know more about my surreal creations, then check out the Making of my works here.
However, art has always been a means to explore and reflect your personality. Let me give you two examples.
Surrealists, for instance, believed in the power of their unconscious and were fascinated by their ‘unconscious desires’. They used art to deep-dive into their unconscious mind and seek inspiration and creativity from there. This is how art shaped their identity in return.
Another example is lowbrow art. Lowbrow started out as a revolt against political and social norms. In its early beginnings, the lowbrow art movement didn’t have any self-consciousness. The majority of lowbrow artists were self-taught (like myself) and were nothing to do with fine art. Their art also reflected their personality in that they used it to rise out of convention.
What is the importance of having an artistic identity?
Your identity and personality as an artist are closely related with the work you create. You do not only identify with your art to a certain degree, but your art also reflects your personality, experiences, and cultural community you belong to.
So why is it important to have an artistic identity?
Because if you don’t stay true to yourself in creating art, your work will not have as much impact on the viewer. As a result, your work may also not become as popular as the works of other artists who create ‘honest’ art.
But what’s even more important, if you don’t give your artistic identity free reign, you won’t enjoy making art as much either!
As I explained above, what matters most is that you get a response from the person who views your art. Whether the response is ‘I love it!’ or ‘I hate it!’ is not important. Because as long as you get a response, you’ve done everything right as the artist!
Sometimes, I see artists distort themselves in trying to create something that ‘the audience likes’. They try to please their potential viewers rather then creating authentic art.
But the opposite might also happen. Some artists ignore their urge to create genuine art and believe that it’s a better idea to create something that shocks their audience. They assume that this will bring them more popularity and recognition. However, more often than not, this strategy is destined to fail.
The best way to create art, in my opinion, is by doing what you really love. Instead of wondering whether your viewers will like your art, you could ask yourself, ‘Do I like my art?’ or ‘How much fun did I have creating that piece?’.
If you feel discouraged because you think your art doesn’t get ‘enough likes’ on social media, then check out my posts on how to use Facebook and Instagram as an artist:
As artists, we do not only need to keep in mind that our art shapes the world around us, we also need to ask ourselves, ‘how does art shape our identity?’.
Art allows us to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and it has also been proven to have a positive effect on our lives.
Related: 12 Benefits Of Learning Digital Art (And Where To Learn It)
To enjoy all the benefits that art can bring us, it’ so important to stay true to ourselves!
In conclusion, how does art shape our identity?
You make art at its best when you create things that you are personally excited about, things that inspire you. When making art that you love, you are more likely to be happy – and to make those happy that view your art.
Since art also shapes our identity, it’s important to ask ourselves, ‘how does this artwork show my artistic identity?’. ‘Am I expressing myself through this work of art or am I trying to impress someone else?’
I understand that artists often find themselves in a difficult position. On the one hand, you want to make the art you love. On the other hand, you want to make money selling art.
For those who are not yet sure whether they want to start a business making the art they love, I can only advise you to think of the memorable artists. They had to deal with a lot of criticism, still they stayed true to themselves. In the end, their works were the most groundbreaking.
Does expressing your identity through art change over the years? Yes, of course! That’s totally normal. As you develop as a person, your art – that reflects your personality – will also develop and change over the years.
But no matter what happens, remember: anyone can make art, but only you can make art the way you do!
Check out more works from my Lip Service Collection:
-
-
Select options
- Art Prints & HR Images, Lip Service
=
- $15.00 – $192.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Select options
- Art Prints & HR Images, Lip Service
Bleeding Rose
- $15.00 – $220.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Select options
- Art Prints & HR Images, Lip Service
Carnivore
- $15.00 – $192.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Select options
- Art Prints & HR Images, Lip Service
M43
- $15.00 – $220.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
Check out more from my 'Art & ...' Series:
More about Art & Inspiration:
I hope that in this post I was able to explain how art shapes our identity. I already mentioned that I use to include myself in my creations. Now I’m curious: How do you express your identity through art? Let me know in the comments!
![Artists Feel Things Differently [Artistic Sensitivity Explained]](https://ginangiela.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Do-artists-feel-things-differently-500x400.jpg)
