Art is a fundamental right
There are endless opinions about what art is, what it may do, what it should do, what it must do.
Definitions. Judgments. Schools. Currents. Standards.
They can inspire – and they can paralyze.
Especially at the beginning of your own artistic work, these voices often seem so loud and so powerful that your own inner tone is barely audible. It is easy to get lost in the search for the right path. Yet the most important starting point is much closer than we think.
Art is perspective.
Art is perception.
And this perspective is as unique as the person who adopts it.
Your own perspective as a starting point
Every artist has their own view of the world:
shaped by their experiences, life circumstances, background, body, relationships, wishes, fears and hopes. This perspective is not a deficiency that needs to be overcome – it is the starting point.
Not in the sense of: “This is who I am.“
But in the sense of: “I’m going from here.”
One’s own perspective is something that can be explored, questioned, compared, understood and expanded. It is flexible, adaptive and alive.
And it should be sacred to every artist – not as an end point, but as a foundation.
Art makes visible
Not only on stage in front of a large audience – it is the mirror in which we encounter ourselves in all our facets.
Art is more than that: Look what I’ve made beautiful.
It is a confrontation.
With our own experiences and living conditions.
With circumstances in which we find ourselves – or from which we want to escape.
With all our inner conflicts, longings, resistance and questions.
Artistic work can be a space in which we encounter ourselves – often more clearly and honestly than in everyday life. Not because art provides answers, but because it asks good questions.
When the art world obscures the view
The established art world can be inspiring – and at the same time completely obstruct our own view.
Comparisons, evaluations, hierarchies, market logics:
They set standards before we have even learned to hear our own language.
Especially at the beginning, your own point of view is the best one you can take.
Not the “highest”, “smartest” or only “right” one.
But the most honest one.
From there, movement is possible. Development and growth.
Art as language
Art can be learned like a language.
New “vocabulary” is added over time: Techniques, materials, experiments, forms. The expression becomes more differentiated, more precise, more complex. It acquires a profile.
Unlike the spoken word, in art I am completely free to find my own, new forms of expression – beyond the usual clichés and fixed rules.
Comparison with other artists can be valuable here.
Not in order to align yourself, but for reflection:
What touches me? What repels me? What am I missing? Where do I want to go – and where not?
The power of art
Art has power.
Not because it is loud – but because it makes things visible.
It can make us capable of acting by creating clarity:
about our needs, our limits, our wishes.
It can create connection – to other people, to other perspectives and common questions.
In this sense, art is not a luxury.
It is a fundamental right.
A right to expression.
A right to perception.
A right to take your own perspective seriously and develop it further.
A year’s journey in impulses
This text marks the start of a series of monthly impulses throughout the year. Each month will have its own focus – as an invitation to artistic exploration, self-questioning and experimentation.
Not as instructions or a recipe.
But as an offer.
Because:
Your path is your path.
And your art is right where you are right now.
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