Creators as Wizards.

Moral perfectionism does not compensate for your badness (or help your goodness) as an artist...you must be a good wizard, good at making your magic - creating illusions that can convince people of their truth...

-Margaret Atwood

Art. Since the dawn of time, artists have been saying so much. Beginning with cave paintings, artists used the tools they had to create, to express stories, to share.

We do it today - social media is filled with countless examples of creation - perfectly curated sets where we put ourselves or things on display for others.

We love to share, it makes our voices seem a lot less quiet.

And thank goodness, we DO have things to say, don't we?

There is a lot out there of late that speaks. Movement, sounds, visuals. We are constantly creating and making, yet is it valid or is it noise?

Even in this writing, I think, what audacity or voice to do I have to put this here - does it serve a purpose, does it elevate? Is it just another form of noise?

So then, where does the creator begin, the creation emerges, and the thing that is created serve?

Enter the quote above by the queen herself, Margaret Atwood.

Is our goal to be good wizards so we can create and then shuffle ourselves out of the way and let the art do the work?

Yes.

In the book, Creative Quest, Questlove notes that our brains have altered due to the fact that we as humans are not containers of information any longer, but retrievers. We retrieve information (thanks a lot Google) instead of hold onto information.

But, this cannot all be bad. Because, if our brains do not have to hold copious amounts of information, does that mean instead that our brains can be useful for other lofty goals - such as creation?

What comes together with this thought is this: the world needs art, you are reading this, so one would suspect you are an artist.

Please create.

Your idea of yourself does not matter - where you are along the journey does not matter, what matters is that we need your voice, our art, in this world. We need you to get out there and make the things that propel us forward. That give us pause, that speak.

We need your art.

And if it has been a moment since you have felt like a wizard, pause, take a deep breath, and step into the next realm, as you are indeed a wizard, and for heaven and earth's sake, we need you.

Adjust your wizard's hat, find your wand, and let's get to the business of creation.