For the artist, the most significant duality is that of discovery or invention.
Invention: creating something from the resources you have at your disposal. You've assessed the situation at hand, understand what you have and what you need and create something to meet that need. Invention is an internal switch that, when flipped, triggers an "a-ha!" that informs a particular action that the thinker hopes will lead to the desired outcome.
Discovery: happening upon something, giving in to blind faith and following that trail no matter where it leads. Discovery lies outside the bounds of understanding, its the hazy area just beyond where we comprehend all the properties and control all the variables. It's a step into the unknown.
For the artist, there is security in invention. It caters to what they know. It's creating from a safe place and, through a calculated routine, they follow a traceable trajectory to a new place they haven't been before just beyond where they last settled down. There is adrenaline and creative juice in invention. And the products that emerge by way of invention are sometimes even praiseworthy.
But the true artist seeks to engage in the creative force and follow it wherever it leads. Do try and understand the enormity of the word wherever in its present usage. This means stripping away battle-tested armor, shirking the orthodox and relinquishing their grasp on the processes that have brought them success in the past. This means deferring in their nakedness to the wellspring of their art-form, holding their palms toward the heavens and pursuing whatever happens upon them with an unparalleled curiosity and unmatched tenacity.
To leap into the abyss of unknowing and pledge oneself to a convoluted journey - that goes against all logic and rationale. It makes the conditioned "oh shit!" part of us scream out and beg for surrender. We cling to safety and security. But the uncertainty of every enterprise - that is the artist's cross to bear. And sure - many "artists" will fall by the wayside. Subscribing to universals of creation that may earn them brief notoriety but will fail to send the echos and reverberations of their soul into the world.
Discovery's unpredictable outcome means the artist can only move one step to the next, just as one places their head down amidst a furious snowstorm. And this sometimes makes for a nigh impossible journey in which nothing redeeming is within sight - just seemingly endless mirages of the one creation that will set us apart from all other creators.
Now more than ever, it is important to just create without fear of the quality of our creations. To create and discover without the crushing blow of perfection that our inner critic often mandates. Our work may not be what we feel is the best representation of who we are and what we believe. But the body of work that is put forth will slowly reveal a greater truth, an irresistible longing toward the eternal and a constant and undying passion to pursue greatness - whether for ourselves or for others.
Art is not a one-time occurrence. It is not about creating a product that is the paragon of perfection. It is about pursuing a constant and utterly insatiable hunger, dropping packages off on doorsteps along the way. And when folks pick up and unwrap these packages, all we can hope for is careful handling and at least minimal appreciation of the object before them as it is the very incarnation of our unique human beauty.
