When we love something, we want to surround ourselves with it, indulge in it, savour every moment we get in contact with it. We want to celebrate it, praise it and show it off to the world. We all have something we love; might it be people, activities, adventures, sports, jobs, dreams or the arts. To keep this feeling and emotion present in our lives, we are willing to sacrifice parts of ourselves to prioritize another’s well-being or happiness above your own.
For the love of… is a controversial statement especially in the arts and culture world. It is so often said that professional creators, designers, writers, ignitors, artists, technicians, chefs, architects, brewers, sculpturers and activists do what they do for the pleasure of it and not for the money. Let me tell you that this is not always the case. While you need passion and tenacity to continue to be relevant, new, creative, imaginative, authentic and dramatic, I can assure you that these forms of careers do not go without their share of
sleepless nights and nasty health issues. Instigators are making a living through hard work to feed their souls, their mouths and their families and for that you need money, space and support.
Blood, sweat and tears are some of the most relevant and descriptive emotions that this colourful world of arts go though on a monthly, weekly, daily and hourly basis. In the creative world we see reality through so many different lenses, shades, mediums and perspectives. We see the good, the bad and the ugly, the truth, the lies and the raw.
To allow for these raw emotions to be put on display for all the world to see and critisised, takes grit, determination and a thick skin on your back. Artists spend infinite hours to bring their vision to life so that others can see what they see through their point of view. Yet is is expected that we wash off the paint from our foreheads, take out the pencils from our hair, remove the clay from under our finger nails and stand tall while our ‘LOVE’ is being censured and attacked.
So, next time when you talk to an artist do not ask them about their love for their masterpieces, but ask them about the work, the hours, the process, the vision, fears, the emotions and their mental and heart space.
Because it is about so much more than just love…