When we look closer at the subjects that artists’ cover, we find that work ranges across a spectrum of feelings. There’s no denying that our human experience has a massive bearing on what we create art wise.
Why then, if we simply stripped everything away, and just saw a raw, painful feeling depicted in its truest form, do we find that difficult? We look away, especially if something is making us feel uncomfortable.
Wiring
As humans, we are wired to feel comfortable. Comfortable keeps us safe, and our instinct (the one that kept us alive in our early years as a human species) has evolved to stay within our comfort zone so that we can be physically safe. It makes sense, the more we stay ‘comfortable’, the more likely we are to survive.
However, this is also the instinct, that if not kept in check, also prohibits us from evolving further. When we start to have honest, difficult conversations we start to feel uncomfortable. Our brain is wired to dislike it, and that’s why a part of us wants to run screaming into the hills. Depending on how you were raised and how your family tackled emotions, some of us do go screaming for the hills.
Pain as art
It’s interesting that as humans, in order to try and alleviate the pain we carry, we’ve adapted to find ways to release pain. Songs, art, writing, movies, sports – and many more activities that can help us to feel better.
Sometimes, pain even fuels us. If we’re using an activity to detract from our painful lives instead of processing and opening up the pain, we can become dependent on pain as an energy source.
For example, the artist Basquiat was well ahead of his time and used art to form connections and tell his story. It was directly channelled from the pain he felt in his life. Unfortunately, as his fame grew he increasingly found his life unbearably painful. When you think about it, there are many, many well known artists who channelled pain into their art.
Pain is more acceptable if it looks bearable
There is a limit though to how much pain we’re willing to look at. Take, for instance, the subject of rape. It’s real, and it happens in this world. Yet, we find acceptance of it hard as a society. Although things are beginning to change thanks to the #metoo movement, we’re still in the very early stages of moving our society away from a victim blaming culture. We don’t want to admit that it’s real and it happens more than we think, because it makes us feel uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable makes us feel unsafe, and many people are not willing to accept that our society is not completely safe. But, in order to make our society more functional, we have to be willing to look at and accept the pain. Even if it’s not ours.
Art also shows us how we like to view pain. It’s often abstract, sometimes colourful and even relieving to look at. As art, in a creative form, it’s acceptable to us within certain limits.
Moving forward
In order to grow and develop our thinking as a society, we need to continue to improve our tolerance of uncomfortable. If we really want this world to feel more comfortable, we need to be able to look at reality the way it really is. Life is messy, and we need to start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Have some thoughts? Share them in the comments!
Until next time,
Anya
