“I do, I undo, I redo” is one of my favorite quotes by Louise Bourgeois, because it is so relevant to my practice lately.
The same artist also said the following in a documentary about her work:
“It’s difficult to be a woman and to be like-able. This desire to be like-able…its really a pain in the neck. How are you going to be like-able and be yourself? There are doubts. I’m full of doubts”
studio shot, work in progress
Before my son took these photos, we had a nice chat about my work. He said he kind of like it, but it is a bit strange….(mmm coming from an eleven year old boy who likes zombies etc), but he explained that flowers coming from vaginas and images where it looks like I’m ripping my rib-cage open with a skull as head, qualifies to him as ‘weird’. He also added that he hope people will “like” my work.
I realize that to him at this stage of his life it is very important to be liked and to ‘fit’ in with his peers. How do I explain to him that as an artist I’ve grown a thick skin and that to me being liked is not as important as to do what I like?
Someone also told me some time ago that they “like” my work but will not be able to live with it in their home. Which I understand and accept, but in this day and age where everyone on social media wants a bunch of likes and for a boy dreaming about a Playstation VR headset which he hopes he can get when I sell lots and lots of work…it is not so easy to comprehend.
studio shot 2
So I will leave you with this quote I saw on the internet recently:
“your art
is not about how many people
like your work
your art
is about
if your heart likes your work
if our soul likes your work
it’s about how honest
you are with yourself
and you
must never
trade honesty
for relatability
- rupi kaur
