As artists when we put our work into the world we are often curating it – intentional, methodical, trying to find ways it can exist in the form we imagined. I find more times than most I feel constricted by the options before me. Limited in how to show my art in the ways where I feel they’re being seen to their full potential.
This website is one of the restrictions. It feels like fitting my art into a box it’s not meant to be confined within so that I can qualify for applications. The notion that an artist cannot be deemed an artist if they don’t have an online portfolio to showcase to the world, as if art doesn’t matter unless it’s seen, is antithetical to creativity. I want to challenge this notion. Art matters even if it’s never seen, experienced, and so forth by anyone other than ourselves.
Art matters because it’s a divine form of self expression. For some, they say the source of their creativity comes from something beyond them and they are only the conduit. For others, they honour the seed they plant of creation and all the various stages of life they breathe into it to bring it forth into the world. Our experiences of our own creativity are as diverse and unique as each artist themselves. For me, the process of creation has always been more important than the “end” result others often see.
Our art is significant; a life we have created that often takes on a life of its own as we release it to be witnessed by another. Other times our art can be a playful process of release, where we get to channel our creativity, emotions, and energy into something different. Artists are more than artists, we are alchemists. Changing things from one form to another.
All of us are artists. Some of us were told so many times we weren’t good, discouraged based on toxic gender roles or other factors such as money, as well as many other barriers that over time built up to tell us not to be creative, we stopped tapping into this essential part of our being connected to child-like (not childish) joy and play. But creativity is essential to life and every person has their own unique way of creating and experiencing the world.
When we cultivate our creativity, when we honour our unique way of expression, we heal. When we create just because it makes us happy instead of trying to fit others expectations we liberate ourselves. If you’ve lost your creativity, I gently invite you to engage in some form of creativity this week that you’ve always thought “I’d love to do that but I can’t”. And instead of judging yourself or your abilities, I invite you to bring in curiosity, play, and surrender – allow yourself to be free to do what feels good to you. If negative self criticism comes in, I challenge you to meet that criticism with inquiry, asking, “Where have I heard this before? Who’s belief am I upholding and forcing onto myself right now? Do I want to continue to carry this belief?” And when you realize it’s not yours and you don’t want to carry it anymore, release it. Free yourself.
You see, art is so much more than a final piece in a portfolio. It is therapy. It is about the process and what it gifts us with. It challenges us, it brings us joy, it can make us laugh, it can make us scream, it can shock us, it can be the embodiment of all the pain we are carrying, it can be grief, it can be love (and I argue that grief is just love without a place to go). It asks us to meet ourselves. It can heal us. Art becomes the sacred haven that holds us and allows us to be exactly as we are in that moment, if we let it.
The capitalistic oppressive systems we live under tell us that our art is only a final product, and that product must be perfect to gain money from. It says our art is only worthy if it’s seen and beloved by huge numbers of people. It says it’s only real if it’s revered within institutionalized art spaces such as galleries. It forces scarcity so that so many no longer create for the love of creation and authentic expression but for survival – creating for the masses and what is likeable. We dismiss our authenticity to meet the status quo, the myth of “success” (success in who’s eyes?). I’ve fallen into this trap most of my life and I wasn’t proud of the art I created. If we allow systems and others to determine our worthiness or success we will never be “good enough”.
I’ve come to learn that as soon as we introduce perfection, money, and other peoples perceptions of our art, we lose the heart of it, the authenticity, the ‘why’ behind why we create in the first place. I truly believe the best art comes when we are creating from a place of authenticity, cultivating what makes us feel fulfilled, to bring our dreams to the physical dimension. Scarcity, comparison, and conforming to oppressive systems / viewpoints are the thief of creativity, joy, and authenticity. They only further our own oppression and limitations. I am amidst a renaissance in my own art practice, coming home to myself and the authenticity of my practice as I heal trauma and reject all the ways I was told to be, to surrender to who I am.
Not all masterpieces of human emotion are shared, not all art that lives within us comes to life, some of the art that exists may not be authentic to our being anymore but it all still holds significance and scared magic to the person who held the dream in their spirit and helped give it life when they can / could. Art is so much more than a final piece, a product to be sold, or a single thing. Art is transcendent. Art is language that all humans can understand. Art is love.
So I challenge you, when looking at this website, when looking at one piece of my art or the “final” result (if there ever is a final result), to question within yourself: “What might it have taken for this art to exist? What was the process? Why do I crave to see art in a collection and in formality in this way? What significance might this hold to the artist?”
I challenge you to remove instant gratification and consumption and get to know me, connect with me as a human being, get to know my process, and what the art holds for me, and find what it means for you. Because you see dear viewer, you become part of the art as the observer and experiencer. These “final” pieces are released beyond me and you allow it to experience a different life, in your mind and your heart. Sharing art is an intimate experience and I bring to it care, intention, and love.
I hope that you choose to connect with me in ways that are more aligned to how I’d like my art to be seen beyond this website: through zines or my blog, in intimate shows, performances, and to know me, not just my art. Because who I am and the different identities I carry with me have shaped and formed not only the stories being told and the emotions being expressed but also what spaces have allowed me to enter, to give me privilege to show my art (if at all). Like the tenacity I’ve had to hold my whole life to bring me through challenges, I continue to search for and challenge oppressive systems and restrictive constructs so that my art can be shown in the way I would like. So I can exist safely in this world, as who I am.
My art is ever flowing and fluid, like myself. I know that who I am, as I exist today, will evolve into who I am tomorrow and in years my art will change and look different, just like I will. My art moves and changes with me. I am always learning ways to honour it and myself, exactly as we are in each moment.
Thank you for wanting to take time with me, to witness the art I create, in the here and now. I hope it invited reflection of your own being and emotions. I hope you stay awhile. And if something resonates with your soul, reach out and tell me! My art is about human experience and what is more beautiful in human experience than community and connection?
I hope you find joy and whimsy in your day,
Lots of love,
Laken
LXC
(they / them)
🍄✨🌲📸🧚🏻
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ArtByLXC 