Embracing the Usual | By Emoata Oghenetega Ejodame
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| Illustration by Xin Yi, Mughdo, Nikol and Jomin. |
International artist day—the day to celebrate all lovers of acrylic, writing, music, dance and every form of self expression there is. A day to remind us of the many people who take the time and emotional energy to create something wonderful. Artists have been the lifeblood of many societies and cultures for centuries, and their influence cannot be overstated.
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| The pianist and the photographer - one creates beautiful melodies, the other, beautiful nostalgia. Photograph by Andrea Perng Xin Yie. |
But with this influence comes a struggle. A struggle known to almost every artist out there—the struggle of being ‘original’.
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| A young, talented singer-songwriter singing an original song. Photograph by Andrea Perng Xin Yie. |
The word itself is hard to define sometimes. To some, originality is simply about creating something that no one has ever seen before. To others, it’s about telling old stories with a fresh and unique voice. Still others see it as being authentic and standing out from the rest. Among all of the different definitions out there, there is a common theme: the idea of doing something ‘new’.
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| Synchronised wave - a cliché? Photograph by Andrea Perng Xin Yie. |
Why Artists Want to Be ‘Original’
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| Am I 'original' enough? Photograph by Andrea Perng Xin Yie. |
Many artists have a complicated relationship with the idea of creating ‘new’ things. On the one hand, it can be a fun challenge to try to think of something that no one has ever seen. Lots of creative ideas have come from artists who have done their best to push the limits of their imagination. Being new and original has also led to us to hear stories from many different perspectives that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen.
But sometimes, artists strive for originality for other reasons—reasons rooted in self-doubt and uncertainty. Art has a lot to do with self-expression, which means that artists have to spend a lot of time with themselves when they create. This can sometimes create a kind of bubble within the artist’s head, where all their greatest dreams and fears feel so much louder. It’s easy to lose perspective in this headspace, and it leads a lot of artists to constantly second guess their work, often wondering if it’s really worthwhile. The search for originality plays heavily into this. It is one more thing to fear in the artist bubble.
Competitiveness in the world of art is something that can be slightly uncomfortable to talk about, but does still exist. When it comes to art that is shared with other people, there is a game of numbers involved. In a sea of millions of different artists who are trying to appeal to consumers, the urge to be original is that much stronger. One needs to stand out to get noticed. The opinion of the consumer plays a massive role in what originality really means.
The Role of Clichés
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| Sometimes, the execution is easier. The brainstorming and second-guessing may prevent a piece from materializing at all. Photograph by Andrea Perng Xin Yie. |
Clichés are the biggest source of strife in any artist’s life. No art form is completely free from clichés, which is why it’s such a universal struggle. Clichés are ideas that have been repeated over and over to the point of exhaustion. Initially, clichés referred to commonly used phrases like ‘as beautiful as a rose’ or ‘a diamond in the rough’. Nowadays, we also see clichés in movies and other forms of media, with the usual ‘damsel in distress’ or the shy, awkward guy who gets the girl in the end.
Clichés are the biggest obstacle in the fight for originality. Artists work overtime analysing their work just to make sure that there are no clichés. There are countless articles and videos that talk about the most common clichés in certain art forms and how to avoid them.
This information can be quite useful to artists, especially those who want to appeal to certain audiences. It makes sense to try to avoid ideas that many people are tired of seeing in order to increase your chances of pleasing the audience. Subverting clichés is also something that the artist might find fun.
However, the fight against clichés can sometimes be quite limiting. When artists are so worried about having clichés in their work, especially in the early stage of creation, it can often cause a huge block in the mind. The artist could feel stuck because every idea that they have sounds overdone.
The audience often has mixed reactions with clichés. Sometimes, they can find clichés annoying. But other times, they could potentially find them comforting. Clichés can be comforting because of how predictable and reliable they are. So, because of these mixed reactions, it leads one to wonder whether the audience really want ‘original’ work.
Does the Audience Want ‘Original’?
The audience is a very complex group of people. People with varying personalities, emotions and wants. These different people consume art for many different reasons. Sometimes it’s to learn a lesson; others, for escapism. Oftentimes, our reasons for consuming art stems from an emotional place. We want to see something that we can relate to or understand.
Art that appeals to human emotions usually contains something that is common to the lives of many humans. It covers things like love, friendship, loss and anger—repeated themes we’ve seen across human history.
Because these themes are so common across many people and cultures, it makes sense that a lot of art could wind up capturing these ideas in very similar ways. It is difficult to truly be ‘original’ when it comes to making art that resonates with other people.
But sometimes, originality isn’t the most important thing. While it’s great to try to think outside of the box and do things creatively, when it comes to a lot of audiences, how well the art resonates with them emotionally is the most important thing. Art that inspires doesn’t have to be new.
What Should Artists Strive For?
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| Art, the lifeblood of society's soul. Photograph by Andrea Perng Xin Yie. |
Just like how art does different things for different audiences, it also does different things for different artists. Some artists create to understand themselves better. Others do it to make people smile. Whatever the reason may be, it is important for the artist to know and understand why they create. At the end of the day, that is what shines through.
So here’s a message to all the artists out there: Find your reason for creating and hold on to it. It is okay to be overwhelmed by the wants and desires of others, but in the end, the most important thing is to stay true to your reason. Give yourself the grace to fumble and make mistakes in figuring out what that is. And last but not least, have fun, because art is a joyful thing.
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