This is your time
The gap between an artwork and void is confidence and passion.
Most canvases in this world remain blank. By canvases I mean the entire range of human mediums of expression.
I have never seen any hard statistics examining this issue of creativity but from my own empirical evidence, I have come to the conclusion that that which inhibits most people from expressing themselves, is lack of confidence.
There is an eternal quest for meaning that is quieted by survival. A hungry person will first strive to secure food rather than paint on a canvas. But there have been many hungry artists (and still are) who have created amazing art, so what is this missing ingredient that lies in the chasm between a creative hungry artist, and the one who forfeited the need to create? I claim it’s the mixture of confidence and passion. If passion is so intense that it is unstoppable, the artist will eventually express that which is hidden within, no matter what. What stops most people from expressing themselves fully is a lack of confidence in their abilities in what they have to say to the world (probably nothing, they would think). In my workshops I encountered many artists who had been e offended, unrecognized, mistreated, ridiculed and dismissed by their parents, close surrounding, relatives or teachers.
One story I remember is the story of my best student in one of my workshops. She told me that when she was ten, she approached her art teacher grinning with pride, bearing her new drawing,
“That’s a scribble”, said her teacher. “Next lesson I’ll teach how to paint for real.”
This little woman never went to any art classes in school, after that, and had buried her fantastic talent deep inside. Her road back into creativity was supported by her sister, who encouraged her not to quit, rather to keep on creating, first in a small notebook then on A4 paper, then on canvases. Then, I was lucky enough to have her attend my workshop, where she shared her story with me.
There are so many hidden artists who have a desire for self-expression which is repressed by the experience of hurtful criticism from others, such as d, curators, critics, gallery owners, or art teachers. And I ask: who are they to judge?
I have traveled extensively, teaching and lecturing in many countries around the world, and sadly I have met this phenomenon of self-denial as a result of a lack of recognition or acceptance, by others. In my travels I have seen the most amazing art in unknown studios created by anonymous artists. Museums are merely old-fashioned dinosaurs, preserving what already exists. There is nothing in the workings of museums which is capable of indicating what kind of art will move human beings in the future, what kind of venue will be capable of uniting people or providing observers with an unforgettable experience.
The reason I founded the Current Art Group, is to offer those who are not on the grid of artists, the chance to express themselves, to show and exhibit their art worldwide.
My message is very clear: never give others the opportunity to suppress your creativity. That which is yours, belongs to you, and, if out of generosity you choose to share it, it is your gift to the world. The attitude of ‘who am I to say something in this world?’ has expired.
The new era is called ‘this is my time’
So believe in magic, live with passion and create with confidence
Have magic in your life
Ted Barr
