I was a child who asked ‘why?’ a lot… and I’m still doing it.

Questions that start with why, tend to fast track understanding and help when making art…Why do I like this composition? Why does that look visually pleasing? Why is this part of the painting not working?

In my twenties, before I became an artist I taught creative thinking skills to businesses.

We used a technique called 5 x Why. It is a powerful and easy way to get to the absolute heart of an issue, challenge assumptions and get to the deep, perhaps hidden answers.

You just keep asking why, multiple times to unpack each answer until you unearth the magic, truth or essence…Here’s a quick example:

Q: Why do I make art?

A: Because I enjoy it.

Q: Why do you enjoy it?

A: Because I get to explore colour and pattern.

Q: Why is colour and pattern important to you?

A: Because it makes me feel more connected to the beauty in the world.

Q Why is being more connected to the beauty in the world important?

A: Because it helps me to navigate every day with a sense of wonder and awe.

Q: Why is navigating every day with a sense of wonder and awe important to you?

A: Because it helps to remind me of the magnificence and meaning of a life well lived.

I moved fairly quickly from the reason I make art is because I enjoy it, to the fact that I make art to help remind me of the magnificence and meaning of a life well lived… It is a simple yet profound tool which can help in both art and life.

Today I want to explore a little more about why we make art and more specifically why I make art…and I used this simple technique to get to the answers. You may want to try it see what it uncovers for you.

Expressing myself without words

I believe art making is a primeval and ancient instinct. It’s part of the human experience, our ancestors made art when they lived in caves. We decorate and we adorn.

For me art is a form of self-expression. An outlet for my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. By making art we capture the intangible and make it tangible. In a way, art is a universal language that transcends words.

Making sense of the world

Creating art is a way to question the world around us and our place within it.

By creating we are analysing, interpreting, and engaging with our surroundings. I spent much of my time as a young child drawing, I think it is an innate way to try and make sense of the world and how you fit into it and I am still using drawing as a way to understand and connect with the world.

Understanding who I am

When we create art we bring what is inside us, out onto the page. Art making involves introspection and self-reflection helping us to process emotions, better understand who we are and what we’re interested in.

A journey of seeking and finding

Art making can feel like a perpetual journey of seeking and searching.

Because I make art I notice more in the world and perhaps notice more about myself. I pay more attention to details and become more fascinated by random and unexpected beauty, a striking shadow on a wall, water droplets gathering on a leaf, tiny moments of beauty, tiny moments of delight, tiny moments of connection with the world around me..

A way to manufacture joy and adventure

There is something joyful to me about making art, connecting hand, head and heart.

Creating something from nothing. Enjoying the tactile nature of art materials, inviting in a sense of possibility, of risk, of adventure with every new page. Creating my own small universe of colour and pattern. Doing something for the sheer fun of doing it, with no expectation of the outcome. Creating a place where I am myself, where I meet myself and where I understand myself.

And what about you?

“Why do I make art?” is an interesting question to reflect upon. Your motivations may vary from mine and will perhaps evolve and change in different seasons of your life… articulating to yourself why art making is important in your life can be a beautiful and illuminating exercise.

And if you’d like to be making more art and perhaps you aren’t, then you may like to ponder on why this is…sometimes understanding our barriers and hurdles can be a crucial part in overcoming them.