Why Not You? 3 WAYS to discover your Creative Purpose
Profit I by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1982, Italy.
Dear Artists,
Imagine this:
You’re in a dark and ominous forest, surrounded by mysterious shadows ready to overtake you the moment you step off of your path. Their anxious hands reach out from the edges of the road. Their fingers dancing along the cracks, taunting you to fail. The path forward is cold with every step against your bare, swollen feet. Your clothes are torn because the journey thus far has been long and tiring, demanding so much of you. And yet, something whispers magic words in your ear, emboldening you to drag forward. But you still feel the weight of your doubt.
“No.” You reply. “I’m not good enough.”
You’re giving up. Losing hope in your journey. Suddenly, when things seem at their worst, you slip, straying off of the path: Another life challenge; a hard project; perfectionism; turbulent client relationship; self-doubt; imposter-syndrome. And perhaps the underlying theme tying them all together, the looming anxious and critical voice, a powerful force of nature: fear.
The claws of the shadows hastily grip on to you, dragging you into the depths of the dark forest. Fear has overtaken you. You scream and reach out into the abyss as the shadows begin to overwhelm you, clamoring at every part of you, dragging you deeper into obscurity further from your path. You’ve failed. You’ve hit rock bottom. This is your darkness hour.
“I can’t!” You cry.
“You can.” Responds the voice.
“Why me?”
Just when the weight of depression starts to bound you and the voice of fear paralyzes you, that gentle whisper asks:
“Why not you?”
Suddenly a hidden power starts to bloom. A belief in your ability to overcome grows. A spark inside of you begins to shine, illuminating the surrounding darkness and recovering your lost path, and giving you the strength to persevere.
This is your why…your North Star, guiding you on your journey toward whatever your destination. It’s the burning courage reminding you of who we are and your greater purpose.
And if you’re having a hard time finding it, still struggling though the shadows looking for your path, here’s three things you can do to help:
1. Define Your Core Values
Art is inherently human and a direct reflection of our socio-political and emotional experiences. Like the Neo-expressionist nature of Afro-Puerto Rican artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work which he references his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage in intersection with socio-political and religious issues. Through his rough, expressive and intense, colorful compositions, Basquiat expressed his story and his values, creating work that disrupted the elitist, racist, and minimalist movements of that time. Creating work that aligns with your values allows you to approach your process with clarity and a sense of moral direction. Although I don’t know Basquiat personally (anyone got a time machine?), I can possibly assume his core values from his work and coinciding interviews.
“I want to make paintings that look as if they were made by a child, ” he said in an interview with fellow artist Fred Brathwaite a.k.a. Fab Five Freddy
From this statement and other historical references of his work, I can conclude that Basquiat values the following:
Accessibility for the arts against the alienating, and elitism of the industry.
Expressionism in the emotional quality and storytelling in the colors, abstract shapes, composition and rough brush strokes.
Authenticity with his beliefs, and his creative voice — despite the harsh words of art critics of that time.
Exercise: Write down 3-5 of your core values and how that can inspire your creativity.
2. Define Your Strengths
Basquiat was a pioneer of Neo-Expressionism. Standing alongside and even collaborating with art giants such as Andy Warhol while still in his 20s. By leaning into his unique creative strengths, he was able to unlock his limitless potential. I would encourage you lean into and take note of your strengths, too. Some examples of this, like Basquiat, could include:
Open-mindedness: Basquiat was observant and open in his process and in some ways, his creative values.
Passionate: Being vehemently against the elitism and racism in the art industry, Basquiat successfully created work that stood in contrast to some of the other renowned artists of that time
Visionary: Basquiat was a creative radical that challenged and influenced a movement of art across forms of media, including film and fashion.
Exercise: Write down 3-5 of your strengths.
3. Define Your Impact
What kind of influence do you want to make on the world? What kind of change do you want to see? What kind of future do you want to create? These are the questions to ponder to help you understand your desired impact. Basquiat has an international reach. His work is revered and has been popularized for decades and will likely continue to do so for years to come. In an 1983 interview with Metropolitan curator Henry Geldzahler, Basquiat says, “ I wanted to build a name for myself.” And as a high school drop-out who experienced homelessness, economic and racial hardships for much of his youth, against all odds, doubts, fears and clamoring shadows, I’d say he certain has.
Despite his tragic end at only 27, Basquiat’s legacy continues to endure, serving as inspiration for generations of artists. Like all of artist must do from time-to-time, he traveled through his dark forest, and may at some point have stumbled along the way, being overtaken by the shadows. But in his darkest hour, he turned his pain into power, wielding the shadows set to destroy him and using them to drive his work and story. He discovered his why.
Exercise: Write down an impact statement describing who, why, why and how you wan to positively impact the world.
So next time you find yourself struggling through the firm grip of anxiety, self-doubt, perfectionism or feelings of unworthiness, navigating through the dark forest of life, questioning “why you”, reach into yourself, and the power that resides within and who remember who the hell you are.
Because why not you?
