Weird Art For Art’s Sake or Is It Time For A CAT Scan?
About four years ago I went through what I can only describe as an experimental phase of drawing. I can’t explain what I was trying to accomplish only that I was hell–bent on doing so. People were understandably confused as was I. Sometimes the reactions were fun and I considered that maybe I was just being irreverent for the sake of trying something new. Other times people actually showed concerns and I wondered if I was pushing the boundaries of “unique” beyond artistic merit and just working through things in a new way.
As I’ve stated before, I don’t consider myself an artist but rather an illustrator. That’s not a self–deprecating dig or lack of self esteem, but rather an issue of semantics on my part and it’s possible I was exploring that idea further to test its boundaries. It may have even been a new way to express myself through the issues and problems we all face from day to day or an attempt to get more attention from something other than just drawing Muppets. In all honesty, I don’t have a definitive answer.
I have a couple theories and answers though, so let me start off by refuting what more than a few people (again, justifiably) assumed. I’ve never drawn under the influence of any substance. For starters, I’m not that prolific. Secondly, anyone who has taken any (depressant) substances that are alcoholic, narcotic, or otherwise can tell you that you don’t feel like doing much of anything other than relaxing. That’s not to say people don’t create when they’re intoxicated, I can only vouch for myself that I have not.
For a while I was actively invested in studying Lucid Dreaming and was fascinated by Salvador Dali’s painting Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate One Minute Before Awakening. More to the point, I was fascinated by his approach which had him place a bowl on his lap with a spoon either loosely held in his hands over his chest or resting under his neck (I've read versions of both). As he would fall asleep, the spoon would fall into the bowl and wake him up. He would keep repeating this until he was essentially half asleep and then paint the odd imagery he was just on the cusp of dreaming about. Again, I'm not this prolific but the point being that Dahli was plumbing his subconscious with unique methods as he did not do drugs or drink anything other than champagne. Do creative people see the world that differently or are they just really weird? A very quick aside, I don’t think I’m anywhere even close of an artist to Dhali lest anyone think I’m comparing myself to him!
The other thing to consider is that a lot of illustrators don't just draw for financial gain; a lot of us also really enjoy putting pencil to paper, so separating our work from our hobby can cause push back. At least that's the case for me. So why is it that some of these absurd things insist I put them down on paper? It seems they do for that very reason! Just because.
Maybe it's a desire to create something you're (relatively) certain has never been done before. Maybe it's boredom. Perhaps it's a desire to push back on what's expected. Sometimes it's fun to create something just to make someone a little uncomfortable. As a creative person, we're used to dealing with clients who have a hard time seeing (or not being able to see) the final goal. Sharing your vision needs something more refined beyond a first draft or initial concept. It's this desire to fully realize something that no one asked to realize that can become attractive, but if I'm being really honest, sometimes it's just fun to draw absurd stuff.
I think I was really working through some stuff.
The reality is I honestly don't have a concrete answer. What I can tell you is that I started to retreat from this ideology because it ultimately just didn't satisfy any creative itch. Sometimes you just need to draw bizarre ideas. However, I think it's important for every artist to be able to differentiate between truly inspiring and unique endeavors or concepts verses what basically amounts to an inside joke that only you get. In other words, weird for the sake of weird isn't deep, it's often akin to shopping at the dollar store in hopes of discovering something cathartic.
Do you know what’s a serious struggle for me? Like, keeps-me-up-at-night struggle? I am greatly influenced and in awe of artists like Edgar Degas, Charles Dana Gibson, Gustave Doré, Francesco Guardi, Léon Augustin Lhermitte... and then I go and draw dumb shit like this. smh pic.twitter.com/0vFY2sz8Ks
— Illustrator not artist (@davehulteen) October 12, 2018