I need to find out why I have these recurring thoughts of blurred images. Check myself for falsity. Here's the thing: truth and honesty in art. Some art is dishonest as art and maybe that's one distinction – at least in my mind – between art and craft. What do I mean? Oh, boy. Here goes. Art is about the need to do the right thing in the right way for the right reason; craft means the ability to do a thing that looks right for any of a number of reasons.
I need to be clear as to my motivations as I progress in my practice and keep checking my work for honesty of thought and feeling. Prohibit myself from doing something simply because it looks impressive or clever, but make sure my work is always good enough for me.
I need to scrutinize everything I do, track my thoughts, so I can communicate my experience properly. Otherwise I may have the experience but miss the meaning, as TS Eliot put it!
To what extent can I realise my – what shall I call it? – my communication? Who knows? Because if I can't identify what's going on in myself, how can I put clear focus in my art? I'd like to clear out all the garbage! See things for what they are, through my eyes. I must see the scene as it is to me.
This is what it's about, surely, bringing me to the table, to what I'm doing. I mean, in the most honest and direct way possible. I can't get to something that feels like art by trying to be clever, because that means being something I'm not. I can't get there by trying to do what other people have done, because that isn't me, either – and the people who have done it already will have done it better.
So. It's all about me! It seems pretty straightforward. I know there is lots to learn, but if I forget this, how can I ever hope to achieve something original? Like a personal vision, a personal statement. Like, perhaps, art?
