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This question of “who am I creating my work for?” is one that arrives for me often, and for many of the artists I work with. It’s an important one, and one that guides us towards our truth, our courage, and our vision as artists. Many of us make art because it is an innate need – something we’ve always done, or know that we have to do. And for some there is a keen desire to share the work they have made; it completes the creative cycle when the work is experienced and witnessed. It has a relationship with the viewer, one that the artist is interested in connecting with and cultivating. There are also many artists who chose to make their living through art sales, which helps sustain their practice, pay the studio rent, and support themselves. This is often a challenging path for artists, and in many ways can muddy things for us if we’re not careful. The focus on generating sales can shift our consideration more towards the audience for our work, than staying true to our vision. Essentially this is when the question, “Who am I making my art for?” really comes into focus and asks us to consider the relationship we have to our audience, and to ourselves. It’s a tricky question to answer so let me expand on that a bit further. I recently came across this passage of writing by Jeff Brown from his latest book ‘Hearticulations’: “People pleasing is a self protective pattern. If we keep them happy, they won’t turn on us. But it comes at a terribly high price. Because in our fixation with keeping others happy, we undermine our own happiness. In our desire to placate others, we deny ourselves. Perhaps it is time for a new way: Please others, when it truly pleases you.” When I read this I felt the truth in these words. I’ve been a people pleaser most of my life...avoiding disappointing others, looking for ways I could be different so as not to upset people, including limiting my own light from shining. I resolved to not take or ask for too much. I tried to not be too much or to shine too much. I didn’t want others to feel challenged by that and push back at me in some way. The confusion I was caught up in caused me to make some seriously unhealthy choices and to give far too much away. In trying to be liked by everyone the result was I had no idea who I really was – what did I think, feel, believe? I derived my sense of self through how others saw me, and whether they accepted me. If they didn’t like me, that was the evidence that proved I was flawed and that I should try harder to be better, more, or different in some way. This is a form of self-abandonment and leads to a loss of connection – to ourselves and our creative work. We trade our truth for acceptance, which is based on something that isn't truthful at all but about self-preservation. It’s an illusion to think we can be liked by everyone, always accepted and never judged. It’s often impossible to avoid disappointing others by our actions or choices.
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