The Art of Trusting Your Work

For me, I can’t separate art from life, because my art is my life. And I always find it interesting when my inner monologue has a discussion about something I’m doing. One side is conservative and says, “You might not want to go that far, because people won’t get it, or understand it.” The other side says, “Go for it! This is who you really are.” And so it goes.

I sometimes get the feeling that outsiders think I’m not doing anything, because they don’t see any outward action going on. But what they fail to realize is that so much is happening inside, in my head. A lot of times when I’m working on something, I plant the seed and then step back a bit to let it germinate and start to grow. Then I care and nurture it. And this may take hours/days/weeks/months, even years—sometimes things need space more than anything else. But I’m always working, because my brain rarely stops. 


The result of this is that when something happens and comes together, it really comes together, often in larger and unexpected ways. This is no accident, but is the result of trust and caring, and letting things find each other until they explode forth like ripe fruit on a tree, ready for me to pick.  And the things I hesitate over, the things I question, are always the deepest and most authentic things I do. And when I release them into the world, they make the biggest connection with others. They get the most visible response, and they often take on a life of their own.

So what does this all mean? It means that more than anything an artist needs to develop a sense of personal trust. Over the years, it’s important to nurture this, to think about it, to work on it. If you don’t trust yourself and your own art, then you start to self-censor, to second guess, and to ultimately settle for something less than your best.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t look at what you do with a critical eye and ear. On the contrary, it’s important to know when something isn’t working and needs to be changed or abandoned all together. Or even when it’s time to set something aside because the time is not right for it, for you, or both. And this is real trust, trust in letting something go, or in letting something sit in the corner until its time comes. 

 Trust yourself everyday.

 ~ MB

Deconstruct Yourself™



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