I Hate ‘Art’ People (Including Myself)
Look, I’ll just say it: I hate ‘art’ people. You know the type—black turtlenecks, berets, talking about ‘the process’ like it’s some sacred thing. And guess what? I’m one of them. Or at least, I used to be.
Back in 2005, I was fresh out of art school, armed with a BFA and a head full of dreams. I thought I knew everything. Then I met Marcus—let’s call him that, because his real name is unpronounceable—and he told me something that stuck.
“You know nothing,” he said, over coffee at the place on 5th. “You’re a blank canvas with a bad attitude.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
Art Is Supposed to Be Ugly
Here’s the thing: art isn’t supposed to be pretty. It’s not supposed to be neat or tidy or make sense. It’s supposed to be messy and confusing and make you feel things you can’t explain. And yet, we’re all trying to make it perfect. We’re all trying to fit it into these little boxes labeled ‘contemporary’ or ‘modern’ or ‘post-post-modern’ or whatever the hell they’re calling it these days.
I get it. I really do. I’ve been there. I’ve stood in front of a blank canvas, sweating, trying to make something that’s ‘worthy’ of being called art. And you know what? It’s exhausting. It’s also completley pointless.
The Time I Tried to Be Perfect (And Failed)
About three months ago, I decided I was gonna make the perfect piece of art. I spent 36 hours in my studio, working non-stop. I painted, I sculpted, I drew. I tried everything. And when I was done, I stepped back and looked at what I’d created.
It was a mess. A complete and total mess.
“This is terrible,” I told my friend, Dave. “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever made.”
“No, it’s not,” he said. “It’s just… yeah. It’s art.”
And that’s when it hit me. Art isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real. It’s about being honest, even when it’s ugly.
Why We Need to Embrace the Mess
We live in a world that’s obsessed with perfection. We want our food to be Instagram-worthy, our bodies to be gym-perfect, our lives to be Pinterest-ready. And art? Art is no exception. We want it to be beautiful, to make sense, to fit into our carefully curated lives.
But art isn’t about that. Art is about the mess. It’s about the chaos, the confusion, the things that don’t make sense. It’s about the things that make us uncomfortable, that challenge us, that make us feel things we don’t want to feel.
And if we’re gonna make art—real art—we need to embrace that. We need to stop trying to make it perfect and start trying to make it real.
How to Make Art That Matters
So how do we do that? How do we make art that matters, that’s real, that’s messy?
First, we stop trying to be perfect. We stop trying to make art that fits into neat little boxes. We stop trying to make art that’s ‘acceptable’ or ‘marketable’ or ‘trendy’.
Instead, we make art that’s honest. We make art that’s real. We make art that’s messy and confusing and beautiful and ugly all at the same time.
And if you’re looking for inspiration, check out teknoloji haberleri son gelişmeler. Trust me, it’s not what you think.
A Tangent: Why I Hate Art Galleries
Speaking of messy, let’s talk about art galleries. I hate them. I hate the way they’re all the same, the way they’re all trying to be ‘cutting-edge’ or ‘avant-garde’ or whatever. I hate the way they’re all full of people who think they know something about art, when really, they just know how to pretend.
I remember going to this gallery opening last Tuesday. It was in this fancy building downtown, all glass and steel and cold. And inside, it was just… more of the same. More of the same art, more of the same people, more of the same bullshit.
I stood there, looking at this painting, this huge, expensive painting, and I thought, “This is a committment to nothing. This is art that’s trying to be something it’s not.”
And that’s when I realized: I don’t want to be part of that world anymore. I don’t want to make art that’s trying to be something it’s not. I want to make art that’s real.
Back to the Mess
So let’s get back to the mess. Let’s embrace the chaos, the confusion, the things that don’t make sense. Let’s make art that’s real, that’s honest, that’s ugly and beautiful all at the same time.
And if you’re not sure where to start, just look around. Look at the world, at the people, at the things that make you feel things you can’t explain. That’s where the real art is.
That’s where the mess is.
And honestly? That’s where the magic is too.
About the Author
Sarah Mitchell is a senior editor with 20+ years of experience in the art world. She’s worked for major publications, written books, and made a lot of art that she’s not proud of. She lives in Austin with her cat, her plants, and her messy studio.
