On Art Having no Rules

My last journal entry was about artistic inspiration not being suppressed. Related to that is this continuing theme of acceptance I have been exploring. A restaurant server I spoke to recently said she wanted to be an artist but she didn’t know how. We talked for a few minutes and I ended by advising her, “In art, there are no rules. Just the limits of your imagination.”

Then I remembered a student I had many years ago who was studying art but was frustrated by everything he had to learn, such as perspective. He hated it. He wanted to be able to do his own thing: no rules, just limited by his imagination. And for the most part, about 95%, he was right. I said to him, “Yes, that’s absolutely true. However, that isn’t to say there isn’t a set of basic techniques and standards to learn and master first, no matter what we are doing, no matter the medium.”

Building on the basic standards is what is important: the imaginative expression that moves beyond the standards is thrilling for me. I love classical art as much as modern abstract art. I think both (and everything in between) have something beautiful and meaningful to offer the world because both are true.

The skill set is a very important structural honing of the talent. The imagination is the spark that gives art its life.