You Are a Vehicle
“The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” — Robert Henri
That’s a quote that I heard for the first time a few days ago when I began listening to Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act (I highly recommend it by the way).
That sentence has been reverberating around my head since I heard it. I immediately resonated with it, and yet I had never thought about making art in that way, I had never thought about it as a “natural byproduct” of being in a certain state.
But I felt it to be true.
Making art isn’t just for fun or to make something that’s pretty. In fact, there are many times when it is painful, arduous, and exhausting. But there is something that keeps bringing me back and I think it’s the exploration of this state of being. A sort of connectedness to a place that is not visible to the eye and it’s not a physical place either.
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This is part of a larger idea that I am exploring right now, which is that your body is a vehicle and many of the best things in life come when you are able to use this vehicle in a way that is attuned and connected to the environment around you.
We are lightening rods to a source that is much greater than I believe any of us can comprehend rationally, or put into words. Where exactly does inspiration come from? There is an air of mystery to it (for me, at least!).
Life is not always about thinking up a plan and then executing it. I’m finding that my best work comes from being attentive, creating space for things to happen, and getting connected to myself and the world around me. Then the things I am seeking to make almost make themselves.
This is why going out in nature can have such a regenerative effect creatively.
I’m saying this so often now that I’m sounding like a broken record, but where do they teach you this? Certainly not in school. If you desire to expand your powers of artistry and creativity, you must explore your mind and body as if it were a vehicle and experiment with how this vehicle can best operate in the world.
It’s a pretty significant shift of perspective if you think about it. It’s not about doing. You are a vehicle, and this vehicle is taking you on a ride called the human experience. Every vehicle operates a little differently. Learn how to better maintain/operate/utilize yours, and the ride itself will improve as a natural consequence.
A little bit of inspiration for you :)
What a unique video, I’ve never seen anything like this on YouTube.
This felt like 8 different music videos in one. Also, mark my words, she’s going to be massive.
