The artist's way of life

From time to time I like to open up discussions like this and see what others think or feel about it.

The question is where does the knack for creativity come from ?

I've been reading some articles about artists' ( known or unknown ones ) shared characteristics. The one interesting thing that caught my eyes was : "The dissatisfaction with reality" . Now I don't want to generalize this stuff as each person is unique and sees the world through a different lens. But on a deeper level do you think this dissatisfaction is one of the main contributors to wanting to be a creator?

If I wanted to elaborate more on this I'd say creative people are usually highly imaginative people and they're perfectionists to some degree. So they tend to get lost in or inhabit their dream world to some extent and when they encounter reality they're filled with a sense of dissatisfaction. Therefore they try to create something that creates a bridge between the reality and the dream world.

So what do you think about this? Do you agree with my description of the artists' job? Are artists perfectionists? Do you think this dissatisfaction with reality is necessary in order to create or not?
 
I did 2 years of Art school in Tilburg and finished it after 3 more years in Maastricht. For me it's not a dissatisfaction with reality. It's giving a different perspective on reality. I think there is some resemblance between David Linch and Alejandro Jodorowsky. What drove both man to create was not a dissatisfaction with reality. I think the act of creation itself... At least that's the conclusion I take from= the art life and Poesía Sin Fin. Every Time I create something, I make a decision.The more decisions I make the better I become at it... The closer I come to my divine self.
 
I am absolutely dissatisfied with reality lol...I don't mean my life, or my fellow human beings, but I mean I don't get ideas about reality...crime stories, love stories, gritty stories about drug addiction or gangs or coming of age stories...absolutely ZERO ideas lol. All very boring in terms of my creative process and my outlook on my personal films.

I LOVE many films like the ones above by other filmmakers, like Scorsese for example, his films are usually grounded in reality, and he's great at it. He really has something to say about things that exist in reality, a unique perspective on it.

Me personally, all my ideas, whether I'm actively seeking them or not, are sci-fi, horror, fantasy. All I'm interested in depicting. If I try to write anything else, it's like I'm writing the fucking local news lol...

Regarding artists being perfectionists, I duno about that. I just think artists are dreamers, who are desperate to create the ideas they are inspired to have.
 
Regarding artists being perfectionists, I duno about that. I just think artists are dreamers, who are desperate to create the ideas they are inspired to have.

I think if you're a dreamer, you're bound to be a perfectionist to some extent. Also where do you think the knack for creativity comes from ? as not all people are eager to become content creators.
 
Meh, I don't think dreamer=perfectionist. Perfectionism can come and go with people, like they may be a perfectionist with color, but not with performance...some people demand perfection from the camera move, and allow collaboration with other things. I think an artists' talents, skills and most of all their personality dictate these things, and a person's personality is way to complicated to equate dreamer to perfectionists. Artists, and/or dreamers come in all shapes/sizes/varieties. There do exist complete perfectionists, like Stanley Kubrick, but they are rare, so clearly an artist doesn't need to be a perfectionist. Some love to splatter paint on a canvas by throwing sponges at it lol....those guys are dreamers/artists, but DEFINITELY not perfectionists.

As to where does the creative knack come from? Again, like a person's personality, their psyche, the social and personality psychology of a person, derives from genetics, environment and certainly chance/luck. You obviously inherit things from your family, certain traits, and then you have your environment which is HUGE, and then you have the roll of the dice of nature and where in line you are with your siblings (how much of certain genes you get). What I mean by chance of nature is just the random chance that a combination of elements in your brain will lead to some mega talent. And really, that's what it is man, it's a MASSIVE, COMPLICATED combination of things. The mind is too complex to nail down exactly why someone is driven to do things...any minimal variety or difference in brain physiology can result in wildly different results with a person's psyche...I mean, we are all the same species with the same basic physiology, and yet some people end up psychotic killers who think their dog is talking to them, while others delve into mastering particle physics lol....

Certainly is just the right combo of genes, nature and environment. I believe that a big part of why I want to make movies, is because from an early age, like 6, I had a TV with cable/HBO in my playroom and I was left to my own devices for ours on end. I remember seeing some wild fucking movies at that age lol...

However, something weird...I remember seeing the movie Alien honestly when I was probably 6, by myself lol...fucking scared the shit out of me, but THRILLED me to no end...I was hooked. BUT, I remember sitting back, at that age, imagining myself, visualizing myself, as an adult, accepting the offer to make Alien 2 (I didn't know about the sequel, Aliens) and imaging myself accepting the offer like a badass...at age 6...lol....I didn't know about directors, I didn't know that people made movies for a living...I knew nothing about it or the business or anything...yet there I was, with that specific image and sequence in my head lol...where the hell did that thought come from, at that age? Who knows man :)
 
there was a standup comedian who said something.. like...

we aren't meant to be happy all the time
if everyone was happy all the time we'd just be sitting in our rooms alone going "wEEEEEEEEE"
 
Meh, I don't think dreamer=perfectionist. Perfectionism can come and go with people, like they may be a perfectionist with color, but not with performance...some people demand perfection from the camera move, and allow collaboration with other things. I think an artists' talents, skills and most of all their personality dictate these things, and a person's personality is way to complicated to equate dreamer to perfectionists. Artists, and/or dreamers come in all shapes/sizes/varieties. There do exist complete perfectionists, like Stanley Kubrick, but they are rare, so clearly an artist doesn't need to be a perfectionist. Some love to splatter paint on a canvas by throwing sponges at it lol....those guys are dreamers/artists, but DEFINITELY not perfectionists.

As to where does the creative knack come from? Again, like a person's personality, their psyche, the social and personality psychology of a person, derives from genetics, environment and certainly chance/luck. You obviously inherit things from your family, certain traits, and then you have your environment which is HUGE, and then you have the roll of the dice of nature and where in line you are with your siblings (how much of certain genes you get). What I mean by chance of nature is just the random chance that a combination of elements in your brain will lead to some mega talent. And really, that's what it is man, it's a MASSIVE, COMPLICATED combination of things. The mind is too complex to nail down exactly why someone is driven to do things...any minimal variety or difference in brain physiology can result in wildly different results with a person's psyche...I mean, we are all the same species with the same basic physiology, and yet some people end up psychotic killers who think their dog is talking to them, while others delve into mastering particle physics lol....

Certainly is just the right combo of genes, nature and environment. I believe that a big part of why I want to make movies, is because from an early age, like 6, I had a TV with cable/HBO in my playroom and I was left to my own devices for ours on end. I remember seeing some wild fucking movies at that age lol...

However, something weird...I remember seeing the movie Alien honestly when I was probably 6, by myself lol...fucking scared the shit out of me, but THRILLED me to no end...I was hooked. BUT, I remember sitting back, at that age, imagining myself, visualizing myself, as an adult, accepting the offer to make Alien 2 (I didn't know about the sequel, Aliens) and imaging myself accepting the offer like a badass...at age 6...lol....I didn't know about directors, I didn't know that people made movies for a living...I knew nothing about it or the business or anything...yet there I was, with that specific image and sequence in my head lol...where the hell did that thought come from, at that age? Who knows man :)

Can't argue with any of that . I have a tendency ( a flawed one ) to come up with a formula for everything. but you're right, there're just so many variables that need to be taken into account.
 
If you take a tour through any science museum and look at the aparatus that was used 2- 3- 5-hundred years ago (or more), most of it was really artistic. Not just nicely designed (like an iPhone) but genuinely artistic. And most of the time, these instruments were made by the scientists that used them. In terms of personality, most people would argue that scientists are almost the polar opposite of artists, but it's not as straighforward as that. These days, I think too many young people are told that both science and art are subjects that can be taught if only you pay enough money to the right school ...
 
Can't argue with any of that . I have a tendency ( a flawed one ) to come up with a formula for everything. but you're right, there're just so many variables that need to be taken into account.

One thing I can gather from reading about countless filmmakers/painters/musicians, and the journey/struggles that they faced, they were all chasing an idea or some sort of specific inspiration, and they didn't waiver from it, regardless of the consequences. Even if they failed that first, second, third time, eventually the best artists succeed in executing their ideas with their specific craft (filmmaking, painting, etc). They just stick to what their gut tells them, they just follow their interest...even if it means failing at first.

I always like to look at David Lynch's career with this. He had been chasing the abstract, surreal, heavily subconscious ideas that made no sense to anyone...but with his art and his cinema, and suffering over his first feature for half a decade, he was eventually able to execute these bizarre ideas in such a way that they reached an audience...made them feel a certain way, and he was FINALLY able to connect with them, to share with them, these ideas and feelings he was chasing for so long.

Formulas are good and I think trusting your gut is the formula my friend!
 
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