Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

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Now, at the start of the twenty-first century, science has finally left art behind, as genetic engineers prepare to turn themselves into the worst of expressionists, with the human being the raw material for new and monstrous forms of life. Most of the time I try not to think about it because I know I am as good as anyone else. Sometimes, though, the fear is paralyzing and stops me either from creating or communicating to an application because I anticipate a rejection of my skills. When that happens, I have to set aside the day and look through all my media presentation and just send out the info, regardless of the outcome — basically muscling through. — Iris G I was also rather perturbed by the authors' description of entertainment as mass produced, clearly meant derisively. They barely reference commercial art and then rag on how there are very few paying opportunities for artists. It seems like they're missing something there. Sometimes the emotions are expressed unexpectedly or naturally arise from a directive that is not directly about feelings. For example, in “playing” with watercolors through a sensory-based activity, the client might discover that emotions are coming up in themselves or through the art. Or a prompt for a client to create a collage about family is likely to lead to an exploration of feelings that are reflected in the chosen images. French artist Camille Claudel also explored the subjective human experience in her work, this time in the form of sculpture. Having arrived in Paris aged 17, she was denied entry to the École des Beaux Arts which was male-only at the time. Nonetheless, she went on to become an accomplished artist.

There really wasn't any excuse not to reference more women. There are so many wonderful, talented, brave artists out there who would have made for better material than "a friend of the authors". The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. Part of the problem may have been the sheer volume of recommendations I got for this little guy and to live up to those expectations it would basically have to cure cancer, so take that for what it is. After teaching art to high schoolers for 18 years, I have learned that to conquer fear you must face it head on. With that your insecurities will disappear. — Robin DBy the end of the book, you'll likely be entirely confused and realize "there's no definition of art", and it's the artists (and art community's) own fault. Tirelessly extolling "what is" and "what is not" art seems to have ruined the word in our vocabulary... if it's going to become so subjective as to not have a communicable meaning, then... well it doesn't really mean anything.

His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot – albeit a perfect one – to get an “A”. Embrace the oh-my-God-I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing feeling. And just enjoy the DOING and the surprise at the end. — Jean A Finding Perspective The Dutch Northern Renaissance artist Hieronymus Bosch has puzzled historians for decades. The true meaning of his work may never be fully understood. One aspect that is certain, however, is that the nightmarish scenes depicted in his works reflect the religious fears that pervaded society at the time. The 16th century was a period of widespread religious protest and reform in Europe, sparking the separation of the Church into Protestantism and Catholicism. Like many during this period, Bosch was deeply concerned about the end of the world and humanity’s eternal punishment for its sins. I ask for my friends’ opinions on my artwork because I know that they will tell me honestly if they think that my artwork needs something. I am 20 years old and have been doing artwork for four years. — Kelsey B If ninety-eight percent of our medical students were no longer practicing medicine five years after graduation, there would be a Senate investigation, yet that proportion of art majors are routinely consigned to an early professional death.Visual art has more to do – not simply in documenting the range and extent of our anxieties, but in constructing the means for their relief. Foster Wallace once named ‘fiction, poetry, music’ as the arts through which the loneliness of mental illness may be ‘stared down, transfigured, treated’. Such big claims are more commonly made for both literature and music, perhaps because those forms can be experienced in private worlds. Books and music are a functional distraction from insomnia and pain, a means to quell rumination. More commonly an institutional experience, visual art does not seek to compete as cultural benzodiazepine.

I often wonder, ‘Why bother?’, especially now. I do not get into every show, and my work does not sell like hot cakes. I’ve been a working artist all my life and now, in my mid-sixties (yikes!) I’m doing my best work. I wake up with purpose each day, and while working on one painting I’m thinking about the next. Maybe that’s enough. — Carmella T What Others Think But many clients have told me that this has been a helpful exercise for them to be able to get in touch with their emotions and to feel some relief through being able to express them. Sometimes I have to remind myself of the journey I embarked upon to get here today. It was a brave step to follow my heart and ambitions. I proved myself worthy every step of the way and reached my goal of a master’s degree in painting. That’s something. Every painting is better than the last, so get to work! — Kim H Share your thoughts in the comments! What’s your favorite directive to creatively explore feelings? Did you try the 6-image sequence and how did it go?

About the contributors

The seminar will be led by Dr. Sacha Golob, Dr. Emma Syea and Vanessa Brassey from the King's College London, Centre for Philosophy and the Visual Arts. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute to a research article on the relationship between philosophy and their experience of the All Too Human exhibition. I make lots of sketches and color maps before starting most of my watercolors. It increases my confidence to know I’ve worked some of the kinks out before I begin. It’s most important to just show up and create something. Everyone has a unique perspective that needs to be shared with the world. — Candice M By creating more work to enhance my artistic skills. By doing more you strengthen your artistic muscles. — Carmen S Go With the Flaw Making art now means working in the face of uncertainty; it means living with doubt and contradiction, doing something no one much cares whether you do, and for which there may be neither audience nor reward. Unlike fear, which is a biological ‘fight or flight’ response to a present threat, anxiety is ‘fear without a definite object’, as the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard established in 1844’s The Concept of Anxiety. Fear subsides when an external threat is no longer present, while anxiety festers internally but may latch on to objects in its path.