As artists, the art we create is dear to our hearts and many of us use art as a means of self-expression. This begs the question whether all art has to be meaningful and what actually makes art meaningful. These are the topics we are going to delve into in this blog posts. Plus, I will share with you my 3 best tips on how to make meaningful art!
Creating art provides us with a channel to express ourselves. It gives us the opportunity to convey our feelings in our very own, unique way.
We are all capable of feeling a whole range of emotions, and when we create an artwork, it reflects our emotional state.
When you are feeling sad, you express your sadness, grief, or disappointment through the piece you are creating. If you are feeling angry and irritated, your anger and irritation go into your creation. The same is true when you are happy. Then your work may reflect your joy and happiness.
I dare to say that every artwork is an expression of our emotions and our selves. Whether you make surreal art, abstract art, figurative art, you name it, it is always a reflection of your personality because you create it.
That way, we all make meaningful art. The only question is: can you verbally express the meaning of your art?
Speaking about art is something you would learn in art school. Students learn to discuss the great artworks, they learn to speak about each other’s works, and they learn to explain the meaning of their own pieces.
If you haven’t gone to art school – like myself, you might struggle to articulate the meaning of your art. I found it extremely difficult to speak about my work and I thought I would never be able to find the right words to express the meaning behind my creations.
But once I got started, I discovered that it is not as hard as I thought and by now, I even enjoy speaking about my art. I have an entire section on my website where I describe my creative process and the meaning of specific pieces.
So before we delve in and before I give you my 3 best tips on how to make meaningful art, let’s look at another question: does art actually have to be meaningful?
‘Teatime‘ from my Surreal Stories Collection. To learn more about the meaning and my creative process, check out the Making of ‘Teatime’.
Does art have to be meaningful?
First of all, art does not have to be meaningful. There are no rules or regulations that could force you to make your art meaningful.
Nevertheless, according to what I said above, your art is almost always an expression of your emotions and your identity as an artist. Even if you just create a piece with the sole intention of experimenting, the meaning behind that piece is ‘experimentation’.
However, making meaningful art takes courage. Creating a piece with the intention of expressing deep feelings and emotions isn’t easy. You have to be brave enough to look deep inside yourself and feel all the feelings that are there. Then you need to make them visible through your art.
Once you’ve put your art out there to the world, each and everyone can get a glimpse into your inner world.
Related: Why You Are Scared To Make Art & What You Can Do About It
What makes art meaningful?
In my opinion, everyone who creates what they genuinely want to create makes meaningful art. If you express yourself through your art, from the bottom of your heart, then you make meaningful art.
To my understanding, art doesn’t need to be beautiful. In fact, I myself love to combine the beautiful and the ugly, especially in my Surreal Stories and Lip Service collections. I don’t want the viewer to admire the beauty in a piece that I have created; I want them to feel something. To feel intrigued, to feel repelled, to feel chilled, to feel awed, …
But that’s just my personal purpose of creating art and it is not the only way to make meaningful art. Other artists have different objectives. But as long as you pursue a purpose with your art, your art should be meaningful.
Related: Why Being An Artist Is A Calling & How To Know Your Calling
Read more inspirational quotes: 110 Quotes About Artistic Inspiration To Keep You Going!
How do you come up with meaningful art?
Every time you express yourself – your thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. – through a piece you create, you make meaningful art.
As a matter of course, every artist can decide themselves what and how they want to express through their art (and whether they want to make ‘meaningful’ art at all). However, it is easier to come up with meaningful art, if you avoid a couple of things.
So here are my three best tips on how to make meaningful art!
3 Tips on how to make meaningful art
1. Don’t follow trends.
Chasing the trends will only deter you from making genuine art. While there is nothing wrong about taking a look at what’s trending this year, you shouldn’t try to jump on the bandwagon and adopt a particular style just to make your art more popular.
True inspiration comes from within. If you make the art that you truly want to create, you will feel more fulfilled, and in turn, it will be meaningful to you and your audience.
Have a look at the great artists in history. First off, they didn’t have social media and similar tools to compare their art to others and emulate what is getting the most ‘Likes’. They created art from their own frame of mind, rather than trying to attain validation.
Nevertheless, the pieces they created are now considered to be some of the most meaningful artworks ever made.
2. Don’t make art for others.
I know it is hard but you need to find a way to create art without worrying about what others will think of your work.
If you are worrying about whether people will like your art, whether it is good enough and will sell, you won’t be able to create the art you genuinely want to make. You won’t be able to express what you actually want to express through your work.
If you want to make meaningful art, then stopping to worry about what others might think is probably the key component. If you are struggling to create freely, you can use a little trick.
When you are creating something, realize that you don’t need to show it to anyone, if you don’t wish to. You always have the option to keep it to yourself. Once you are done, you still have all the time in the world to decide whether you want to share your creation – or not!
This is a great way to take the pressure off and make sure you create art for yourself and not for others.
3. Don’t make art for money.
By ‘don’t make art for money’, I don’t mean that you shouldn’t sell your work. Rather, I mean that making money with your art shouldn’t be your primary purpose.
When you are creating, don’t bother about whether people will buy it and how many prints you will be able to sell. Once you get these thoughts out of your mind, you will be able to create with much more ease. It makes such a big difference, and chances are people will like your art even more once you ‘put yourself into it’.
Marketing and self-promotion as an artist are important, but you will have enough time to take care of that when your artwork is finished!
Creating exposure for your art is definitely something you should do, if you want to get your art seen and connect with other artists and collectors. I have an entire section on my website with tips and advice on how to showcase & sell your art. So if you are interested in that, hop over there and check out some of the articles!
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That being said, I wish you lots of joy and happiness on your creative journey, wherever it takes you!
Please leave questions and comments below or reach out to me directly. I’d love to hear from you! Make sure to sign up for my email list below so you don’t miss out on new blog posts and other cool stuff. ♥
