I find it hard to believe that the popular, innovative & highly creative artist Henri Matisse, felt insecure at times about his art. But this quote, captured in one of his diaries, leaves no doubt that he did...
Can you imagine that someone who was so artistically brilliant could feel this way?
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that because his work was so extremely innovative (and therefore very different from the "art of the times"), that his insecurities about his work came from the enormous courage it took for him to follow his unique creative calling, and not because it was undesirable or unworthy.
But that's just it, really. Isn't it?
Courage to go outside of our comfort zone in any creative endeavor is quite risky, and one becomes filled with a bit of agony over whether their work will be understood & accepted.
Deep down in our bones, whether we'll admit it or not – all of us want to feel validated. Heard. Understood.
So therein lies the rub...
Do we risk following the unique siren call from our creative muse no matter where the road might lead? Of do we play it safe & stay in the lane that is most widely accepted by the masses?
You all know by now what lane I keep swerving into ;-) And whether you're an art collector or a creator of art, I sincerely hope you spend much of your precious time, money & wall space swerving into that lane too.
I'm a firm believer in boldly stepping outside of one's comfort zone at the risk of "failing". Intuitively following the creative path that brings us deep joy & meaning, is the very thing that our heart needs in order to bloom into a rare & gorgeous flower.
And there is no doubt that I find it extremely comforting that a famous artist as brilliant as Henri Matisse felt the same way. Yes, knowing his art was "different" filled him with doubts...
But it did not stop him – and that's where he found his magic.
Ok, now it's your turn.
Whether you're buying it, making it, or both ... have you found the courage to choose art that speaks to your heart regardless of it's "popularity"?
Have you gone out on a limb and felt like, OMG - what am I doing out here all by myself?!!!! Shouldn't I be making creative choices based on what others are doing? Isn't that safer? Won't I be liked more if I stay with the choices of the herd?
I sure as heck hope not. This is a surefire way to drown out your own beautiful, one-of-a-kind voice. Instead, the world needs more of us to show up in all our splendor!
What if Matisse had allowed himself to shrink his artistic vision to a safer place? I doubt very seriously that we would be talking about him now. His artistic voice would not have resonated so wonderfully thru the centuries.
I'd love to hear you thoughts on this in the comments below. The more we normalize talking about art & creativity, the more we can feel liberated to develop our unique, one-of-a-kind creative voice.