Why do I paint?
It’s not necessarily an easy question to answer. It feels a little counter-intuitive to try to put into words why I paint, as painting for me is a way to express what I could never express with words. It’s a natural form of expression for me. What comes out on the canvas is often drawn from the unconscious part of the brain, responsible for raw emotion and is very much in contrast to logic and any reason or well, language.
To very shortly answer the question above, I started painting because I wanted to re-connect with my creative side, that used to be very present when I was a child. I always painted and even won a few painting contests in school. But like almost everyone’s story…life and reasoning got in the way and I chose another “safer“ path.
Painting for me is a way to express what I could never express with words. It’s a natural form of expression. Painting gives me a sense of home, of familiarity, both outside and within myself.
Well, now I would say, I paint, because it makes me feel good, it gives me a sense of balance. It gives me a way to express myself. Whenever I am not able to paint, I feel out of sorts, irritable, bored, fidgety, unsatisfied, etc. you name it. It’s an emotional equilibrium for me to be creative.
I do feel very lucky to have something in my life that can give me emotional balance, it’s sort of like therapy. My painting space - wherever that may be (since I travel a lot, this continuously changes) - is where I feel complete and at home. Painting keeps me from falling over the edge into complete overwhelm. And especially because I live a life without a permanent home, painting has become a necessity. Living a life on the road, experiencing new countries and new cultures leaves you with a constant sense of unfamiliarity and challenge. So knowing how to find calm, how to restore myself, how to reduce the stress load, is invaluable.
But it is also the excitement, the playfulness, the curiosity, the energy, the surprises, the possibilities of self-expression, the art of visual communication etc. etc. that keep me painting. The feeling of “I don’t even know where that come from“ or “Something absolutely amazing is going to happen“. I am constantly intrigued and surprised by results or what I come up with. I never get bored with painting, it’s a constant challenge. Sometimes I get frustrated, but I never get bored. I always have new ideas, I never run out of inspiration. I don’t know what’s around the corner, what the next canvas will become. It’s such an exciting way to live.
Painting, or better said visual art in general, is also a universal language. The painting speaks my language. It also speaks the viewers language, no matter the nationality. Visual art brings people together, because it transports emotion in it’s rawest form rather than words. So again, I’m coming back to the point I made earlier. Painting gives me a sense of home, of familiarity, both outside and within myself.