“Art is dead, dude.” This is a statement that we’ve been hearing a lot recently. So, is there really no reason anymore why you should make art? Definitely not. The benefits of creating art are immense: art helps with emotions, art benefits the human brain, … and there is much more to making art. So let’s talk about it!
“Art is dead, dude.”
This has become a widely quoted statement since the end of 2022. In fact, it brought a lot of uproar to the art world, with many artists worrying about the future of art.
But where does this thought come from? And is it actually true? Can art die? Will there be soon no artists anymore? Then, why should you make art at all?
To understand where this assumption comes from and why it was said in the first place, we need to take a look at artificial intelligence. Huh? What has artificial intelligence to do with whether or not you should make art?
Well, the statement that “art is dead, dude” was actually made by computer engineer Jason Allen after he had won a fine arts competition with an AI-generated image. To be precise, Allen didn’t create the image using Photoshop or similar digital art software.
Instead, he used a so-called text-to-image generator. Allen entered a specific set of word prompts, and the generator returned a visual output based on the text he entered. In his case, it was the image generator Midjourney.
Obviously, this is not the usual way to create art, and in consequence many artists got upset. First of all, they believe that AI art cannot be considered real art and therefore shouldn’t be allowed for a fine arts competition.
Second of all, they got outraged by Allen’s bold statement who apparently considered his piece artsy enough to submit it to a traditional digital arts competition on the one hand, but sneers at manmade artwork on the other hand.
I’ve already discussed what artists think of AI art in a previous post, so I don’t want to touch upon all the different opinions in this post again.
In today’s post, I want to talk about why it is still worth it becoming an artist in times of AI art and why it will always be worth it creating art yourself – even if you don’t do it on a professional level. So let’s dive in!
Are you worried about your creative future with all the machine-made imagery swallowing up the market?
What are the benefits of creating art?
Art is something intrinsically human. We humans have been creating art for thousands of years. Actually since the beginning of time. Just think of the early cave drawings that can be considered the first form of visual art.
Through the ages, many other forms of art have evolved, including painting, sculpting, architecture, pottery, poetry, photography, digital art, and a lot more.
The good news is that creating art will always remain an essential part of our human experience and no artificial intelligence will be able to take it away from us.
Artificial image generators might be used to help us create art, but they will never replace real artists.
In other words, art is not dead, dude. It's more alive than ever.
So, why is art-making so important for humankind? Well, there are various reasons, the most important perhaps being that we can tell stories through our artwork. We are able to express our feelings and emotions and share our experiences.
But the benefits of creating art go far beyond pure self-expression and cultural identity. Scientific research has shown that our minds seem designed to deeply enjoy making and contemplating art.
It doesn’t matter your skill level, you need to make art. We all need to make art. I’m not saying you need to make it into a career. You don’t even need to show it to anyone. But you should most definitely make art and here’s why:
8 Reasons why you should make art
1. You should make art because it lets you connect with others across borders.
Everyone can understand art. It’s like a universal language. When you see the work by an artist whose native language you don’t speak, you can still understand the artwork.
You don’t need to know Italian to understand Michelangelo’s sculptures, and you don’t need to speak French in order to be able to relate to one of Monet’s impressionist landscape paintings.
In other words, there are no barriers between you and art. Art is the most effective way to communicate across language and cultural barriers.
You can share your story with people around the world without having to speak their language. Nevertheless, your creations will be able to send out a message that everyone understands. Hence, if you want to make a positive impact on the world, make art!
What story do you have to tell through your art?
2. You should make art because it allows people to see the world through different eyes.
By contemplating a piece of art, you can see the world through the eyes of the artist. That means when you create art, you can let people see the world through your eyes. It’s for a reason that art may have a huge impact on cultural and political thinking and the power to bring about societal changes.
Just think, for example, of the early lowbrow artists. They used their art to revolt against the political establishment of the 1960s. Even though lowbrow art wasn’t highly regarded at the time, it made a great contribution to eventually abolish the much-loathed academic conceptualism. Nowadays, lowbrow art is a legitimate art movement with worldwide recognition.
So, why is art so powerful? We all know that art is inspiring, but researchers also found that art has a stimulating effect on the human brain. Of course, we all have a different taste in art. Still, when we see a work of art, it may stir our feelings and thoughts, making us realize that it may be time for a change of the status quo…
3. You should make art because it soothes your mind.
This is a quote by the famous Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. While Picasso might have just spoken from his own experience, science has indeed proven that art has positive effects on our mental health.
Scientists found that 45 minutes of art-making are enough to decrease cortisol levels, which is also known as the stress hormone. Another study found that making art for 30 minutes, especially free-form painting, can reduce anxiety.
And this all happens regardless of your skill level!
So, even if your work never gets displayed in a gallery, this should be a very good reason for you to create art. ʕᴖᴥᴖʔ
4. You should make art because it makes you happy.
Apart from reducing stress and helping you relax, making art can also elevate your perceived level of happiness. So, whenever you are feeling sad or depressed, try making art!
And believe it or not, even this is backed by science. A study published in the journal of Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity & the Arts found that distracting yourself from sadness by making art is much more effective than venting about your problems.
In the study, the researchers divided the participants into three groups. All of the groups were shown a melancholic movie that elicited the feeling of sadness. Then, the first group was asked to create art relevant to the film. The second group made art that was not related to the movie, and the third group was just to sit quietly and do nothing.
Interestingly, the best results in terms of happiness were found in the second group who simply created the kind of art they wanted!
But we don’t need any study to know that art makes us happy, right? I’m sure you’ve noticed yourself that it feels better to produce something yourself, instead of just sitting in front of the TV and consuming stuff. It’s a genuinely fulfilling experience when you create something that is dear to your heart!
5. You should make art because it helps you tackle your problems.
We all live with quite some pressure in our everyday lives. We all encounter challenges and problems that can throw us off track at times. Artists have their struggles, too, but making art can truly help you tackle your problems.
When we are feeling stressed and exhausted, our mind tends to run amok. We tend to overthink things and easily get stuck in an endless loop of repetitive thoughts that don’t lead to any solution.
Organizing our thoughts as a narrative can bring some order to the chaos in our head. We can do so by writing about our problems, for example, in a diary. But we can also put our problems into a visual story in order to make them more manageable. This is basically how art therapy works.
Creating art is not only helpful to soothe our mind, it can also help us heal from past trauma and hardship. We are able to express our emotions without words and explore our identity.
By taking a step back and looking at our issues from a distance, we get back a sense of control and our problems immediately become much easier to cope with!
6. You should make art because it helps you get into the flow state.
Art is one of the classic flow experiences where the artist is totally immersed in the task at hand, forgetting everything around them, including space and time. Sounds weird? Believe me, it’s one of the best experiences you can have as an artist!
Any activity that you love doing can put you ‘in the zone’. However, art-making seems to be one of those activities that make it easier for people to get into the flow state. In that sense, creating art can be like meditation – but I’d argue it’s more fun (even though meditation helps artists boost their creativity, too).
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi was one of the first psychologists to study the flow state and he concluded that a high frequency of flow state experiences equals having ‘a good life’.
All I can say is, whatever kind of art puts you in the zone, for heaven’s sake go for it. Create art for the sake of self-care! ♥‿♥
7. You should make art because you can make money with it.
Making money with our art should never be the main reason why we do it. But we all need money to live, so it’s definitely nice to have some extra pennies in your pocket, right?
While selling art is a lucrative side hustle for many artists, you don’t need to make it your full-time job. But you can make money with art skills, even if you only sell a piece here and there. After all, your artwork is worth something, and people who like your art will appreciate the opportunity to acquire a work of yours.
The easiest way to sell your art is to put it up on sites like RedBubble, Society6 or Minted. Those websites do everything for you: they print your work, package it and send it to the customer. However, they also keep a big portion of the sales price.
If you want a better margin, you can try Etsy. But there you are responsible for packaging and shipping your art yourself. More tips on selling your art here.
To have your own online shop (and the best margins), you can make a website for your art. If you want to go down that route, then I have all the information you need in my Build Your Artist Website section!
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These were only seven out of the many reasons why you should make art. You see, art is everything but dead, dude.
It is something inherent to us humans, and we will be making it till the end of time – if time should ever end! So, what is your motivation to create art? Please leave comments and questions below. 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. ♥
