What Are The Rules of the Art Game You’re Playing?
I believe that art is an infinite game. The single purpose of an infinite game is to keep it going, even if we have to change the rules about how the game is played. How can you keep making art in the face of uncertainty?
How physical distancing and the pandemic have effected our creative output
My friend Suzanne and I were talking about how much more time we had because of physical distancing, and what we expected to be doing with all of it.
She said, “I have all these art projects! I’m not doing them!”
If this is you, first, cut yourself some slack. Your natural empathy is likely fully preoccupied with the pain and uncertainty and yes, the death that’s happening all around us.
Of course you’re struggling to do your projects. I am too.
If you accept the theory that art is an infinite game, there is hope
But if art is an infinite game, maybe there’s a way to revise the rules. Revise our definition of “art.” So we can keep the play going even if it doesn’t look the way we thought it should.
Suzanne’s idea was to somehow move the idea of doing art away from the list of projects, toward art as joy. Just writing that sentence opens up a huge field, a place to play and run instead of a place where I’m checking things off a list (not that I don’t love a good list…).
Check out Suzanne's photos of surgical gloves gracing the streets of Seattle here.
What are the rules for your Art Infinite Game? Have they changed?
In my weekly emails, I share practical advice about money and marketing for creatives. And good news, when you sign up for those juicy emails, I'm now offering a new cheat sheet called Keep Calm & Sell Something to help you sell more of your art. Sign up here and receive the cheat sheet.
Your work matters. How will you keep making art, but make it in a way that works for you right now?
Two programs to help you define the rules of your infinite art game
I am doing two individual coaching programs. Create Your Day Job and Sell Your Art Peacefully. If you’d like to talk about whether either of these programs would help you revise the rules of the infinite game of your art, please book a chat with me. Or--just book a chat with me to brainstorm what your new rules look like.