It’s basically a given that if you want to produce art, writing, or any other skilled craft at a high level that you have to enjoy the process. Sure, natural affinities have their place but there has to be another element that keeps you pushing through the doubts, frustrations, setbacks, and the utter behemoths that are works of art.
When you look at the masters, people like Van Gogh (who inspired this exploration) produced thousands of drawings, sketches, and paintings. And these pieces weren’t just whipped up and churned out in a few days but produced over decades of sustained focus, practice, and will.
So the question I’m interested in is what keeps people going?
I suspect there are a number of ways to approach this question. There are of course practical reasons like having to make a living with whatever skillset you have (like Van Gogh), but to produce at such a high level has to require more.
From a philosophical angle, I think it’s a matter of will and could be reduced to the question of why do anything at all (beyond the basic survival related functions)? This lends itself to the idea that humans have an intrinsic desire to create.
But with Van Gogh, there’s such a sense of beauty in his works that his drive to create seems to stem from something else, something more optimistic and hopeful despite, or perhaps because of, the accompanying sadness and instability he experienced. In a letter, Van Gogh writes:
“I’m an artist —which I won’t take back, because those words naturally imply always seeking without ever fully finding. It’s the exact opposite of saying, ‘I know it already, I’ve already found it.’ To the best of my knowledge, those words mean, ‘I seek, I pursue, my heart is in it.’” (224)
I saw a book in a museum giftshop called Creative Inspiration: Van Gogh which includes a selection of excerpts from some of the 800+ surviving letters Van Gogh wrote and I was struck by their thoughtfulness and beauty.
Now, I’m sharing some of his quotes that seem to get at my question and show the sense of inspiration, appreciation, and beauty that seemed to drive Van Gogh’s works.
Nature & inspiration
“And still to feel the stars and the infinite, clearly, up there. Then life is almost magical, after all. Ah those who don’t believe in the sun down here are truly blasphemous.” (663)
“I have a terrible clarity of mind at times, when nature is so lovely these days, and then I'm no longer aware of myself and the painting comes to me as if in a dream.” (687)
“Nature here is extraordinarily beautiful. Everything and everywhere. The dome of the sky is a wonderful blue, the sun has a pale sulphur radiance, and it’s soft and charming, like the combination of celestial blues and yellows in paintings by Vermeer of Delft.” (683)
“The sight of the stars always makes me dream in as simple a way as the black spots on the map, representing towns and villages, make me dream.” (638)
“What I think is the best life, oh without even the slightest shadow of a doubt, is a life made up of long years of being in touch with nature out of doors — and with the something on high, unfathomable, 'awfully Unnameable', because one can't find a name for it — above that nature." (403)
Work & striving
“Through working hard, old chap, I hope to make something good one day. I haven’t got it yet, but I’m hunting it and fighting for it, I want something serious, something fresh – something with soul in it! Onward, onward.” (298)
“For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.” (274)
“And behold, how can one remain dedicated to such a task without allowing oneself to be lured from it or distracted, unless one reflects and organizes one’s life according to principles? And it’s the same with other things as it is with artistic matters. And the great isn’t something accidental; it must be willed.” (274)
What drives you to create and keep going? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!