Art is Made

I occasionally drop into Chuck Wendig’s blog over at www.terribleminds.com; he’s a novelist, screenwriter, and author with whose work I am completely unfamiliar, but one day Erin Morgenstern mentioned one of his posts and I clicked on the link. I don’t recall the subject at the time, but I wound up adding him to my Favourites and once in a while, I am prompted to visit.

A few weeks ago, I discovered Chuck’s take on a debate over “art happens” versus “art is made”. (see it here). I guess many people (probably critics or other “experts” on creativity who think they are but are not, in fact, themselves creative) believe that art simply happens. Once upon a time, I might have agreed with that, but Mr. Wendig argued so colourfully to the contrary that I had to ponder it before making up my mind for sure. 

 

His point is that inspiration happens and from that art is made. It’s gratifying when the flow is smooth and time ceases to exist in its throes, but making art is work. It takes thought and effort to get that inspired notion off the ground. It’s totally worth it, of course, but art does not spontaneously happen. The magic is in the idea: where it comes from, what inspires it, and how it manifests. I admit, I’m more in love with dreaming than doing. I envision scenes and hear conversations all the time. Getting around to transcribing them, however … boy, I can expend more energy avoiding the computer than it would take me to do the work. 

 

True, if you love what you’re doing, then it isn’t work – and I love to write. Most of the time. Sometimes it’s just too darned hard.