The Week of Inward Looking: Day 7 – On being an artist

January 1, 2012

Question: Has my art been brave enough?

Art is a uniquely human endeavor, and act of genius. Art is what we do when we do something for the first time, do it uniquely, and do it to touch someone else. The generosity is built into the act. Painting might be art, pottery might be art, customer service might be art–but none of them are art if all you're doing is commerce, or phoning it in, or following a manual or a map.

Art is where we expose ourselves, because in addition to being human, we really have no choice but to accept failure. And it's failure (or the potential for failure) that creates art. When we talk about emulating the bodhisattva, we accept the risk that maybe we won't touch anyone, won't shed any light, won't make a difference.

The only way to do art, real art, is to embrace that risk. To do less is to hide.

___________________

Background: Author Susan Piver and I are hosting "The Week of Inward Looking" during this week between Christmas and the New Year. It occured to us that this inbetween week is a time for examination, a time to build a bridge to a peaceful, joyful, creative, and wildly successful 2012–whatever success means to you.

So we invited five extraordinary thinkers to join us in creating a 7-day journey, starting today.

You are welcome to join our Facebook group to connect with others participating in The Week of Inward Looking, or not.

You are welcome to post your answers on that Facebook page, or not.

You are welcome to journal in your private journal, on your blog, anywhere you'd like–the questions are simply put into the universe for you to consider as we move in this week toward 2012. Share as you would like.

Each day will have a different questioner, and a different theme:

Dec 26: Patti Digh – On Bendiness
Dec 27: Ken Robert – On Shadows
Dec 28: Andrew Mellen – On Becoming Organized
Dec 29: Jennifer Louden – On Serving
Dec 30: Jonathan Fields – On Creativity
Dec 31: Susan Piver – On Spirituality
Jan 1: Seth Godin – On Being an Artist

I hope you'll join us in this exploration. No matter what time of year you stumble upon it. It has been an honor to open space for these important conversations. Perhaps we'll see you next year for another Week of Inward Looking.

[image from here]

http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com Maureen

Great short series! Thank you for The Week of Inward Looking.
http://www.tammyvitale.com tammy vitale

So many artists …. and we get Seth Godin on being on artist? Seth’s mostly wonderful on business and writing and entrepreneurship. But he isn’t exactly who comes to mind when I think “artist” and combine it with “great thinkers.”
http://www.37days.com patti digh

Interesting perspective. If someone you perceive to be an artist had posed that same question, would it have changed your interaction with the question?
http://gwynlmichael.com Gwyn Michael

Aha! Seth is not my idea of an artist either, but what Seth has taught me is we are all artists in some form.
Whatever gifts we bring to this world are our art.

I happen to be a visual artist and I love most of what Seth has to say about artists.

Mine on art
http://www.arthopetruth.com/2012/01/02/week-of-inward-looking-spirituality-art/

Love and Happy New Year Patti Digh!
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