I’ve known a great many creatives over the years, of varying levels of expertise and talent, some more well-known than others, either locally or abroad, yet to me, each and every one are equally representative of that infinite creative essence I refer to as Source*.
When using the term ‘creatives’, I include all manner of artists, designers and musicians; artisans, authors and poets; inventors, originators and innovators — in fact anyone who follows a thought, plants a seed and nurtures it through to its fruition, seeking to watch it grow, bud, blossom and bear fruit, revelling in every step of the process. For the context of this article, however, I’ll speak to those such as myself, who engage in the visual arts of painting, drawing, and 3D art.
I don’t believe that ‘good art’ or ‘bad art’ exists, as great art is created the moment a mark is made on a piece of paper, with a dollop of paint squeezed to a palette, or a lump of clay thrown on a potter’s wheel; it is in this moment that Creation exists. Whatever the end result, exquisite perfection lies in this first step. Now I could wax lyrical about being “at one” with Creation or with Nature, as the clichéd term often refers, yet it is precisely that — in the very same instant we make a mark, our vibrational frequency is raised and we become more and more aligned with that creative essence.
We all know the feeling of wonder that overcomes us — whenever I pick up a charcoal stick or a pastel, I immediately feel that inexorable attraction towards a place of bliss, where all the worries and concerns of my day-to-day life are forgotten, or at least, for the moment, put aside.
Our sense of Wonder is an interesting concept and describes the very foundation of our formative years. It holds a profound relevance in our everyday goings-on, yet somehow, along the way, we’ve forgotten what it really feels like and therefore what it represents to us as a powerhouse capable of transforming our lives entirely. As an artist, however, we are constantly engaged in the practice of Wonder and, for the most part, without even realising it.
Remember how you were as a child at play, completely absorbed in whatever it was that you were doing, to the exclusion of all else? Whether it was playing with dolls or practising your culinary skills in a Wendy-house, defending the realm from up in your treehouse fortress or building engineering wonders with your Meccano set — or as a tiny-tot artist scribbling with your wax crayons or splattering poster paint over a sheet of paper, it was a wondrous world which in each moment of practice constituted your reality; a reality no less tangible than the one you exist in right now.
When we make a mark as an artist, we open a door to Wonder in the same way a child goes outside to play, releasing ourselves to Source and shifting into a parallel reality. We are perfectly capable of swapping realities on a whim when it’s time for a tea break or to wrap up for the day.
If you really think about it, Wonder is our god-given superpower, yet the true gift lies in harnessing it as a daily practice, wielding it as we would in creating a work of art. Therein resides our blueprint as an artist and as a creator — a mark that signifies our identity, our essence, and our uniqueness. For this reason, I believe every mark is exceptional and is perfect in every way.
Guy McGowan
WASA representative in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal & Chairperson of North Coast Artists, KwaZulu-Natal.
* We all have our own interpretations of the same.