Why People Make Art
Megan Bainbridge
Why People Make Art
From the perspective of an artist, educator, and life-long learner.
Introduction
I’ll begin with a disclaimer that this is an opinion piece written based on my own experiences. I am in no way the ultimate expert on this topic (nor do I believe that one singular “ultimate expert” exists.)
I felt an intrinsic need to create from an early age. When I was seven, I had my very own designated child-size “art table,” which eventually became covered in washable marker lines and excess paint.
Today, I am a young adult who went to college and studied fine art (with a concentration in photography) as well as liberal arts (with a concentration in sociology). I have taught photography to ages 7-17, as well as to adults.
I draw from my experiences of studying how people interact in society, attending art school, teaching art to children and adults alike, and spending many, many years making art all the time.
Here’s what I think. First of all, people make art for varying personal reasons and the ultimate expert of why an artist makes art is the artist themself. So, they might disagree with what I say here, which is fine! Let’s have some healthy discourse!
I will also note that this article focuses on art making in the secular United States. Some art making practices are deeply connected to cultural and religious practices. These, too, are reasons for art making. However, I do not have extensive experience with these practices, so I will be focusing on what I know for the purposes of this article. But you should know that it exists! I encourage you to seek experts elsewhere who can speak more deeply on this topic.
Aboriginal painting in the Papunya Tula Style, c. 2014. Unknown medium; likely acrylic or oil on canvas
An example: Australian Aboriginal Dot Art, which I learned about during my Indigenous Arts in Convergence college course during undergrad.
The Two Main Reasons Why People Create Art
The First Category: Technical Skill & "Safe" Aesthetics
Ultimately, I believe that art making can be put into two categories. First, there are those who care about skill and objective success. They operate within the existing constraints of what art is considered in their culture and do their best to meet or exceed those standards. Often, what is considered successful in this category is beautiful and socially "safe". There aren't many risks. Effort is concentrated on recreating what has been created before (for example, copying historical master painters) and creating work that doesn't have much to say, if anything. In fact, if it says anything at all, the statement is "safe" and free from controversy.
In other words... boring.
I would argue that a large portion of art making in the K-12 education system fits into this category. Some university art programs and classes do, too. The unfortunate aspect of this form of art making is that it is restrictive and demoralizing for some. I was lucky enough to advance quickly in my technical art making abilities from a young age because I practiced all the time.
Image: An Ink Self-Portrait I Made in College for my Figure Drawing Final
I mean, to be fair, challenging myself in terms of technical skill when creating art was fun for me. However, it's not for everyone!
Unfortunately, once you hit late elementary school, you might experience judgement or high expectations regarding technical ability. Something that I heard repeatedly from my classmates as a 12-year-old was “I could never do that!” I always responded, well, if you practice, you eventually could.
So naturally, some children don’t like making art because they associate it with failure or something that they are not good at.
This is why I believe that it is important for arts educators to emphasize that art can be good in different ways and it can be made in different ways. For example, think abstract art, collage, and photography. You don’t need to be good at realistic drawings to make art!
For me, there were times that this method of creating felt so backwards. It's true that honing your technical art making abilities gives you more tools to communicate your ideas. However, at times it felt so odd to be given an assignment that was restricted by material and subject matter, and then be expected to prescribe meaning to it as an afterthought. Sometimes, my classmates would just make something up that "fit." I mean, can you blame them? It's pretty much what they were being asked to do. So much teaching time was focused on "technical skill." What if there were more specific exercises and prompts involved to encourage students to learn how to share their message? Or, even better, to figure out what their message is in the first place?
The Second Category: Creating a Shared Experience
The second category of art making is my personal favorite. In this view, the purpose of art is to have a shared experience with others that communicates ideas, memories, and/or emotions using your method of choice to communicate in a deliberate physical way. This transcends beyond what a non-physical experience could offer.
If you have ever cried while listening to a song, changed your opinion on an issue after reading a book, or gained a new perspective/sense of emotional fulfillment from viewing a painting or film, you have participated in this act of art making as a recipient of the message.
I mean, personally, I can think of works immediately. "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Everything Everywhere All at Once by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
I think what many people today don't realize is that many works of visual art offer the very same thing. I know it's easy to let your eyes glaze over and ignore the artist statements in an art gallery. But trust me–taking the time to read them is worth it.
Here's an example. Look at this image by photographer Gregory Halpern. I saw this on display at the International Center for Photography's "Immersion" exhibition in New York in 2023.
It's visually interesting. You can notice decay, the power of nature, and texture in this image.
However, I only had an emotional response to this work once I read the title:
"In the town of Petit-Canal, a "strangler fig" slowly destroys a former prison of enslaved people."
Words, meaning, and context are powerful. Stories are powerful. You should listen. You should write yours.
"Holding Up the Leaning Tower with a Painted Negative" by Megan Bainbridge
As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that my process when traveling and creating fine art narratives is similar to Halpern's. Read the interview with him and, if you're interested, check out my photography series, "Touring Tourism," that critiques common tourist practices.
Everyone is welcome when this method is used; it prioritizes shared experience over technical expertise. If you have an experience to share, you can make art that shares that experience without worrying about the execution being perfect.
Message over method!
When children view art making as a method of sharing emotions and ideas, art making becomes an act of problem solving. Instead of over emphasizing method, children have the freedom to become excited about sharing their message. This isn’t limited to children–adults become excited and gain a sense of creative “freedom” when this method is emphasized. Plus, there’s even more life experience that an adult has to draw from and express!
What About the Loners?
"But I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo." -Radiohead
You might be wondering: what about people who make art privately or do not wish to share? My answer to this is that they can fall under either category.
In the case of the second, the art creator and the message recipient are simply the same person. In other words, the creator is using art to express something within, whether it be (again) ideas, memory, and/or emotional release.
Art as a method of self-exploration
They may even gain an understanding of themselves that would be impossible to reach without art making. (This, I suspect, is why art therapy exists as a profession.)
I have personal experience with making art for only myself. The primary reason that I became so intensely committed to making art from a young age in the first place (I became really serious around seven years old) was that it served as a visual outlet to release any negative emotions I was experiencing at the time.
Conclusion
As someone who has tried both methods of art making, I believe that the second is more enriching, motivating, and intellectually stimulating. Overemphasizing technical skills stifles creativity, while creating with purpose allows innovation to bloom.
If you give message-driven art a chance, you could have a transformative experience–as the creator, as the viewer, or as both.
It's worth noting–a piece can live within both categories; those that are both meaningful and skillfully executed. This, in itself, is an incredible feat. Next time you go to an art museum, I encourage you to ask yourself: does this piece follow the values of method one, method two, or both?
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Upcoming Articles
An upcoming journal entry that builds upon the ideas in this article will discuss my thoughts regarding why many artists hate AI-generated art so much–and I think that the reason extends far beyond breach of copyright.
I will also explore more deeply why I, personally, make art in an upcoming journal article, which will be linked here.
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If you welcome self-reflection and intellectual discourse into your life, you should check out my artist statements in the Artwork Archive.
Curious about my background? Learn more here!
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Engage in the Discussion
Please leave any questions, comments, or ideas below as a comment to this article. I especially encourage book/film/text/podcast recommendations related to this topic that you think myself and/or other readers may appreciate.
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Megan Bainbridge is an experimental fine-art photographer from Southern Maine. She makes work inspired by ethical tourism, consumer safety advocacy, intuitive art making, and more.