A friend once said to me, “You’re too socially adjusted to be a real artist.” Friends say a lot of things to me, most of which I don’t remember, but for some reason, this stuck, and I’ve been asking myself that question, occasionally, ever since – Am I?
It’s the classic mythology – the starving artist squirrels away in their garret or studio, alone, for their whole lives, and they produce insightful observations that provide a lens through which that same society can look upon itself to learn something it never knew. It’s often the most insightful and important work an artist can do, and it often requires that solitude; an extraction from the day-to-day flow of things – a pause to ‘come up for air’ and get back in touch with how one truly feels when the influences of ‘mindless reaction’ are removed.
Perhaps that’s what she meant? I’m too ‘in the day-to-day flow of things’? Perhaps I value friendship and social connection more than a ‘real artist’ should? Maybe I don’t say ‘no’ enough to a night out with friends? Maybe it’s my relationships that are ‘getting in the way’ of producing the best work of my life?
But also – maybe that’s just bollocks.
The reality is, different things work for different people, and at different times. Some of us need more isolation than others. Some of us need more social interaction. Some of find inspiration in understanding key political events and the global interconnectedness of things, others prefer to ‘sit outside’ of that and observe the human condition as if from another planet.
So, am I too socially adjusted? Maybe. But when one looks at my work (and it’s fun to reflect on my own work in retrospect), it’s *because* of my love of friendship, community, & connection that stories like Eric The Postie emerge. It’s *because* I engage with the news and think deeply about things like migration, free trade, and the global displacement of the human population that stories like Queen Celine develop. It’s because I care deeply about First Nations’ rights, Social Equality and Inclusivity, that I’m even working in the unique platform that only children’s books provide.
I may not be the tortured artist that people imagine one must be to be an artist at all. But, as I’ve said before – an artist is just someone who asks questions. Whether you’re someone who prefers to work alone, or doesn’t particularly enjoy the company of others, or whether you’re the total opposite, what seems common is that we care – we care to observe whichever environment we find curious, and take some of our precious time on Earth to seek an answer for ourselves. And then, as a complete act of generosity, we share that with the world in the hope it may help someone as much as it helped us make sense of things.