The Power of Art
Why do you make art? I’m sure that a big part of the satisfaction that you get from art is that it is a powerful communication tool. Your art can serve to communicate between you and other people (collectors and observers worldwide) and it can also facilitate communication between your subconscious mind and your conscious mind.
Your Art Communicates to the World Visually
Even if you’re an introverted person, your art can speak volumes for you to audiences across the globe, including to people who don’t speak your language. You can use your art to communicate your inner self (or your feelings at a certain point in time): serene, fiery, colorful, dark, etc. Perhaps your art is a love letter to a certain subject matter, such as florals, landscapes (perhaps the landscape of a particular region), nature or a subset of it such as trees, animals, the human figure, cityscapes, and the like. You are doing more than simply portraying that imagery—you are putting your own unique spin on it, sharing the impact it has on you.
You also communicate through your art by your marks and brushstrokes. These leave evidence of your hands at work, the way that you work, and the energy that you bring to your art.
Your Subconscious Mind Communicates through Your Art
I’m fascinated by the subconscious mind. Scientists say that most of the information in reality is processed by our subconscious mind. Our conscious minds are only aware of the tip of the iceberg! Don’t you want to tap into your subconscious mind to find out what’s going on in there and what wisdom it holds? I find that artmaking—especially collage—allows me a fascinating peek into my subconscious mind.
You may have had the experience of making art and having something simply appear without thinking too hard about it. Hello, that was a communique from your subconscious! I find that creating painted and mixed media collage papers is a fun and relaxing way to let my subconscious mind take the wheel. If I try to do this too consciously, it becomes a chore and frankly the papers come out too planned and forced. I let myself play with abandon, listening to music and acting without judgment.
When it comes time to put the collage papers to use, it’s another opportunity to let my subconscious mind communicate, but it has to share the mic with my conscious mind. I try to make them take turns: I allow the subconscious to help me more randomly select which papers to use and select the first idea of where to place them, but then my conscious mind steps in to check that I’m truly pleased with that solution and do any design problem solving.
Communication is one of the Healthiest Aspects of Artmaking
Whether you are making art that makes a political statement or simply expresses your love for the color blue, using art to communicate is one of the most satisfying benefits of being an artist. It’s why we should share our work! And we should be sure to invite our subconscious mind to communicate with us as we make art, so we can deepen our relationship with ourselves in the process.