… impulses for walking your own path in the rhythm of nature
… Impulses for your own path in the rhythm of nature
There are countless ideas about what art is, what it is allowed to do, what it should or even must do. Definitions, judgments, schools, trends and standards overlap, sometimes so densely that there is hardly any room left for one’s own view.
For a long time, I believed that I had to listen to all these voices, approach them or at least align myself with one of them. Some of them inspired me, others tended to unsettle or paralyze me. Especially at the beginning of my artistic work, these voices were often so loud that my own inner tone was barely audible and I could no longer really find myself in all of this. In the search for a supposedly right path, you can get surprisingly lost, even though the most important starting point is much closer than you think.
For me, art is above all perspective.
And it is perception.
Every point of view is as unique as the person who adopts it, and that is precisely where its power lies.
Your own view as the beginning
I bring my own view of the world with me, shaped by experiences, life circumstances, background, my body, relationships, desires, fears and hopes. This point of view is not a deficiency that I have to overcome, but the place from which I set out.
Not in the sense of a firm “This is who I am”, but rather as a determined “I’m starting from here”.
My perspective is not rigid. It can be questioned, expanded, shifted, sometimes even discarded and reassembled. It remains in motion, adaptive and alive, and perhaps that is precisely why it is so valuable to me – not as an end point, but as a supporting foundation.
Art makes visible
Art doesn’t just emerge on the outside, not at exhibitions or in front of an audience. For me, it is first and foremost a space in which I encounter myself, with all the facets that often remain in the background in everyday life.
It is more than just presenting a result. It is a confrontation with my experience, with the circumstances in which I move and with what wants to become visible in them – or perhaps has not yet found expression.
I often encounter myself more clearly and directly in my artistic work than in many other moments. Not because art provides me with ready-made answers, but because it makes me take a closer look. This is not always pleasant, but it is often revealing.
Something that cannot be forced gradually emerges from this looking: an inner position.
And an attitude develops from this position.
Attitude as substance
Attitude is not reflected in style, but in the depth from which something emerges. For me, art is convincing when the work and the presence speak from the same source.
It is not her outward appearance that makes Yayoi Kusama unmistakable, but the consistency with which her work and her appearance are combined. And perhaps the enduring fascination of the Mona Lisa lies less in the secret of her smile than in the calm matter-of-factness with which we encounter her.
When the view narrows
The established art world can inspire and at the same time obstruct one’s own view. Comparisons, evaluations and market logic set standards, often before an individual language has even been able to develop.
It was only with time that I realized that, especially at the beginning, my own point of view was the most sensible one I could take. Not the highest or the smartest, but the most honest.
From there, movement became possible. Development, growth, even detours and dead ends, which in retrospect often turned out to be necessary. Many things that initially seemed like a mistake later turned out to be important steps.
Art as language
I learned art like a language. Over time, new “vocabulary” was added – techniques, materials, forms and experiments that expanded and differentiated my expression.
Unlike the spoken word, in art I experience a greater freedom to develop my own forms of expression, beyond fixed rules or recurring phrases. This can be challenging, sometimes even exhausting, and at the same time it offers a special form of freedom.
The comparison with other artists remains helpful for me, not as a benchmark, but as orientation. I ask myself what touches me, what irritates me, what I miss and where I don’t want to go myself.
The effective power of art
Art does not work through volume, but through visibility. It brings things to the surface that were perhaps previously unclear or hidden.
It makes me capable of acting because it helps me to better perceive my own needs, boundaries and wishes. At the same time, it creates a connection to other people, to other perspectives and to questions that affect us all.
In this sense, art is not a luxury for me, but a fundamental part of my expression and perception.
Perhaps that is precisely why it is a right.
A path that unfolds
Art takes me out of a passive attitude and leads me back into my own actions. It invites me to take my perspective seriously and develop it further, without me having to know exactly where this path will lead.
This text marks the beginning of a longer process that will unfold over the course of the year. The individual months set different focal points, not as fixed guidelines, but as opportunities for an approach – artistic, exploratory, reflective or experimental.
It’s not about instructions or recipes, but rather a space for new and original ideas.
Trust your own creativity. Not as a challenge, but as a reminder that every path is different and that your own expression unfolds where you are right now – step by step, at your own pace.
Click here for the monthly notes:
November – Art is dead! Long live art!
The monthly notes are my long-term project that grows as the year progresses.
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