Excellence is Artistry

I used to have an image in my head of what an artist looked like and it was less than complimentary. I envisioned someone in strange clothes with provocative hair, teetering on the edge of poverty, whilst twisting metal together or flinging paint at a wall, and probably living in a friend’s basement. And I certainly never saw myself as an artist. I would remind myself I am not creative enough to ever produce “art”. I am sorry I ever told myself these lies.

So what is art? Over the last several years I have learned to expand my definition of art. I believe art is creating and bringing something into existence – an idea, a concept, a product or even a process. It involves more than just refining and shaping what is there, it is imagining what isn’t tangible or perceptible and bringing it to life. Art is seeing something on a blank canvas that no one else sees and continuing to create until you can show others what you’ve envisioned all along. And it is most certainly coloring OUTSIDE the lines.

I’ve come to realize a true artist must often choose between what’s popular and what’s purposeful, ultimately going with the latter, even if and especially when it means walking alone. It’s because of this I am seeing true excellence requires a measure of artistry. You will never be extraordinary following in the footsteps of ordinary. They aren’t different locations along a single path, they are entirely different roads.

It is an inherent human weakness that we desire to go with the flow and follow the herd, seeking safety in numbers. If we walk in the same direction everyone else is headed we end up at a place called Average. Average is a soul-starving place where dreams and passions go to die. The road is wide and you will not be lonely, but you will also not be fulfilled.

At the risk of upsetting self-proclaimed artists even more, not every artist is excellent. Furthermore, not every painter is an artist. Not every musician is an artist. A true artist is one who risks, one who dares to be different because that is what it takes to make a difference. A true artist moves forward without waiting for a blueprint or roadmap, not because they are imprudent but because the directions may not yet exist. So while you may not have to be excellent to be an artist, you cannot achieve excellence without being an artist.

I now know I must be an artist to accomplish in this life those things I feel led to do. Dare to take the path less traveled. You cannot execute average well enough to be excellent.