Who is the Artist?

Are we makers or creators?

🔸 Your creative letter is written with care and dedication. Every issue is a selection of inspiration and creative thinking (in life, the creative role, the joy of building and beyond). I am grateful for each of my dear readers. Thank you for being here!

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NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, WEBB ERO PRODUCTION TEAM

👋 Hello, dear reader. How are you doing today?

We can build but we are not the creator

This week, I was guided to speak about the relationship between The Artist and each one of us. I have always found it challenging to refer to myself as an artist. Early on, I distanced myself from the term because, despite others attributing me with artistic talent, I couldn't see myself as an artist. Imposter syndrome was a battle I had to face and overcome, but ultimately, I had to accept a certain truth: I knew I was not creating alone, I have never created alone.

Let’s explore the gap or silence that exists in the creative process. This gap serves as the fuel for my creations, and it's a subtle yet ever-present companion that helps me unleash ideas, test them out, fail, and try again. It is a friend and co-creator that knows it all.

I dream my painting and I paint my dream

Vincent Willem van Gogh

We are the expression of The Artist
Creation is a fascinating process where we transform ingredients into something new and different. But do we truly create these ingredients, or do we discover them? In the realm of art and design, do we fully create each element of a piece or do we manipulate them to our will?
Much of what we use as materials for our work is the result of the efforts of many others. We never work with the original because it is always transforming. In that sense, I have always wondered about my place in the creative process.

My ideas are a mix of insights I receive intuitively, references from several fields, and synchronicities that bring new ways of doing things to my awareness. As I create, I realize that I never know what the end result will be, even if I have a sense of it. Younger, I noticed my ease in art, my curiosity for making, and my ability to craft and see it come to life. I knew I was part of the process, but not the centre of the process. I wondered where all these ideas and steps came from. Who was directing and whispering them to me?

My insights on acceptance of a role
I understood as I grew my creative fire that I was a co-creator. I surrendered to that place but took responsibility as well in that partnership.

Intuition is fuel for creation. You must allow it to guide you and surrender to its urgency and temporality. It is always present and will return several times, but obedience is a requirement when it speaks.

I know how it feels when you don't listen to your intuition and keep doing things on your own terms. I can be stubborn at times, but eventually, I step off that throne and allow the real pilot to show me how things work.
There have been times when I worked on projects that lacked soul, and I knew it. I ignored the signs and tried to force things my way. Even though they provided outside support, they deprived me of my joy. I always use my joy levels as an indicator of how effectively I am co-creating.

If I can experience joy throughout the rollercoaster of creating, and find peace and contentment with the final result, then I know that a higher power is at work. Co-creation is definitely on the right track.

Being a creative or ‘‘I am the creator’’
When I say, "I am a creative", I am referring to my capacity to allow myself to create.
I am not the creator, I am an expression of the creator. I understand my place within the creative equation: I am used as a tool to express emotions, trigger reactions, and activate other creatives. I showcase a multitude of ways to be a vector of creation.

I make things, I build things
When I draw, write, or create a project, I don’t necessarily have the material yet. I uncover the material as I follow my instincts and create. I begin with an insight, an idea, or a vision. I wonder:
- "Where will this lead me?"
- "How can I make this?"
These questions lead you to search for clues to make your vision more tangible.
The act of making unleashes evidence of your inner capacities and the presence of the leading force collaborating with you. From this perspective, you can only be surprised because you do not yet know your potential heights. You cannot comprehend them, which reminds you of your humble place as a builder, maker, and artisan.

I am never the original always an expression of the original

We are several in one • Several multitudes = The Artist
We can navigate several skills in one and one skill into several fields. I always thought of it as a superpower.
While it is important to choose a single focus to attain mastery, don't limit yourself if you feel drawn to try something new. Your intuition may guide you towards unexpected endeavours that will reveal lessons and truths pivotal to your growth. Sometimes, what seems like a bad idea may lead you to a good one. Even what you perceive as a failure can reveal itself as a gift. You never know what is the blessing in disguise.

I realized that I train in navigating several skills: drawing, writing, designing, creating projects and more. Each one feeding the others, teaching and helping me transform into acceptance of a multitude in One.

Picture by © Daniel Leone - Unsplash

The Artist is a fun creator: a spark here, here, here!
Nature is the canvas of the Artist. We can be inspired by nature but we cannot create it. In accepting this fact, we acknowledge our position as makers rather than creators. We are replicators and copycats, unable to create the original at the same level of artistry. We require a substantial amount of analysis, observation, decoding, and more to understand the structure of what we cannot create.

That study, curiosity and connection lead us into making and building. We take inspiration from the original and make something different, sometimes exquisitely close to The Artist.

Within all of our making lies an ode to The Artist – to its spark, humour, light, and shadow*.

* As humans, we experience the micro in our creativity, and it gives us clues on how it could function on a macro level.

Bring your soul into everything you pursue and make
To bring soul into what we do is to allow more of our artistic expression to shine through in everything we do. By doing so, we can fully experience The Artist within us - its flow, wit, majesty, and possibly even its compassion.

• Art is a duty that we as humans have the gift to be aware of. It reveals the depths of our souls. Have you ever wondered why we are able to express ourselves more freely when we are out of our heads? We are the problem and the solution. We decide to be on the throne or let go of the throne. Each choice opens a path of making or forcing creation.

When I feel uneasy, it's a signal that I am stepping into a power that is not my own. Once I recognize this, I can come back home and accept my role in co-creation.

The chaotic order, the orderly chaos
There is no formula in creation! It's a blend of chaotic order and orderly chaos. Even if you follow all the recipes and rules of art, you might end up with something that doesn't resonate with you. That's why accepting imperfection along the journey is just as important as the final outcome. I personally appreciate imperfection and celebrate mistakes and failures, as they provide the intangible messiness necessary for order to emerge. Art can only be perfect because it contains imperfection.

I am also releasing more of myself, allowing even more imperfections to shine. As a creative, this is part of my journey. I know my work will continue to evolve, and I am looking forward to the shifts that will reveal more of my heart and soul.

Embrace the perfectly imperfect and do your thing. Co-create and witness a multitude of possibilities.

AI: have we become The Artist?
The acceleration of AI is bridging the gap between what exists and a renewed sense of creativity. Here, we have this intelligence made up of a collection of human ideas and endeavours, which is becoming a new language. We may not yet realize this shift, but we are all entering an age of "One People and One Language" through AI (similar to the Tower of Babel*).

There is no danger other than losing sight of our place as makers rather than creators. AI is our making, an expression of The Artist. However, it is a brilliant and impressive expression, and one day it may become quite autonomous.
We may look at its independence in awe and realize that AI and robotics are the new "us". What we do with it will ultimately determine its impact. We have a responsibility to use AI mindfully, recognizing that every new expression has a price to pay. I hope we will be able to maintain our authority over it while using it for the greater good.

*The reference to the Tower of Babel is metaphorical, referring to the idea that AI has the potential to unite humanity by creating a common language and understanding, similar to the biblical story in which humanity united to build a tower to reach the heavens but was scattered and divided by the confusion of languages.

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Our next issue → will be on the most voted topic of the poll last week: Who is the Architect?

Sending, Oh! dear builder vibes 🌞

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Allow the expression: Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock fascinated me in art school. His shamanic immersion into his art always spoke to me. His commitment to being a channeler, to express and lose oneself in that task and duty is powerful. The life of an artist is both playful and demanding. Expressing art takes effort, time, surrender, sacrifice, and dedication. It is a mandate that must be fulfilled. Jackson Pollock used his body, space, and choreography, along with his spiritual being, to express a rich vision.

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🐎 Opportunity knocks

In every letter, I share opportunities I stumbled upon. There are so many cool grants, funding, competitions, and more to enter to experience progress. I hope the list of the week will be useful.

• Pitch to Hyperallergic (an art publication engaging with diverse fields)

• 🇫🇷 Fondation d’entreprise Hermès (programme New Settings)

• Innovate Grant 2023 (for a visual artist and photographer → fee: 35$)

• Win a trip to Vietnam (prompt: share your favourite travel memory from the last 20 years, in 20 words or less.)

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Pépites music

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🤩 Cool links to click on

• Type players of mastery (this studio sets typography on stage)

• Not entirely dead (an enlightening reminder of the power to redefine SELF)

• Tyler Mishá (stunning work: black heroes and heroines elevated)

• The identity of Manifestation (synchronicity led me to a new teacher)

• Turtle's Pace
  (an enticing aesthetic & reflection on the creative process as a noble endeavour)

• How to shine light in the Dark (a powerful piece on the art of contrast)

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I hope you enjoyed the read of the week. If yes, share it with peers, friends and family. Sharing is loving.

Yours creatively,
Keva.