Why Writing helps Your Art
I was chatting with a friend the other week and she asked me a great question about 'why I bother putting time into writing when I could be making/painting?'
I rambled on about different things, but now I've had time to think about it, here are 3 reasons to write as an artist, and 3 tips if you want to write more as an artist.
3 REASONS TO WRITE AS AN ARTIST:
1. It facilitates Communication: Words aren't generally a visual artist's go-to way of processing information. For example, when I studied at The Royal College of Art, I wasn't surprised to find out that, 'At the RCA – the world's number one art and design university – 29 per cent of current students identify themselves as dyslexic, compared to 5–10 per cent of the overall population.' [Source].
But an artist's profession requires communication and writing facilities the sharing of your thoughts, ideas and techniques with a wider audience - so even if it's not the natural vehicle, it's still useful to pursue.
2. It is lifelong learning: The word essay comes from the French word essayer which means to try. Committing to writing regularly is a commitment to the pursuit of lifelong trying.
3 It delivers Lessons: Writing regularly means we continually search for meanings from interactions, objects and events throughout the day - lessons we may have missed if we weren't open to seeing them. Finding meaning from unlikely sources enhances the quality of our thinking, our work and the products we end up building.
AND 3 TIPS FOR ARTISTS WHO WANT TO WRITE:
1. Create Constraints: 'Write Anything' is too broad and overwhelming to begin. Choose 3 categories/themes to work within instead - you'll find that limits can be freeing.
2. Edit: Brain-vomit on a page with no judgement and then hone it down until it makes sense. Ask yourself, 'is this sentence, word or paragraph essential?' Be strict to honour your reader's time.
3. Rules: Create a set of rules and commit to not breaking them. For example, one of my rules is to share at least once a month with my mailing list. I've only broken this in extreme circumstances. Deadlines give you structure and magical inspiration - you'll find a way to share something as best you can, and your best is better than nothing.
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