AN OPEN LETTER TO MY STRUGGLING ARTISTS

Happy Monday everyone - and what a beautiful Monday it is. A beautiful day to be alive, to create, to prosper and set your intentions and vibes for the rest of your week. In today’s #HeyEmmaJayeMonday Motivational Message I am speaking to the souls of my artists. Now before you go back to doing something else, because you don’t believe that YOU are an artist - just hear me out for a minute. First of all, YOU my dear - are a masterpiece. You are a creator of your own life. And everything that you are passionate about IS art. When most people think of the word “art” they often immediately think of paintings, music, literature, sculpting…etc. But what most people fail to realize is that art is around you in every aspect of your life. Because art has been known for centuries as “the process of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the emotions, or to the senses”. So why do the masses limit art to these classic works? Art is more than just what we have read about in text books. And when you start putting that into perspective you will be shocked at what it will bring into your life. There is art in gardening, in cooking, in woodworking, in styling, in photography, in physical fitness, in love and in therapy. Your passion fuels your art form. Think about it for a moment. Life with no passion makes you feel like you’re not living your best life, just like sex with no passion makes you feel like you’re having bad sex. Am I right? Okay, now that I have your attention… let’s focus on the true meaning of today’s message.

I truly believe that in order to create something incredible, we must go back to the basics. Look at our ancestors. They used what they knew, or learned and grew from it. As humans, we have the ability to imagine, even if it is not right in front of us. We have the ability and opportunity to consider things and concepts that don’t exist. We also have the ability to create something new, because we can imagine that something that already exists could exist differently. Think back for a moment about when you were a child. Think of all the times that you used your imagination to get through the day. As an only child I had to use mine a lot more often. I remember laying in the grass for hours and making figures out of the clouds. Or finger-painting, with no direction other than how my fingers wanted to move in the paint. If artists went back to that childlike mentality and used their imagination, I truly believe that we would live and create much differently. But instead, we are so focused on creating what will “trend” on social media and we put so much emphasis on creating “the next best thing”. When someone is critiquing or teaching art, they often use the term “originality”. I can tell you first hand that originality no longer exists. Why? Because, we are all results of who inspires us, where we come from, who we’ve learned from, what makes us feel, what spikes our interests, what fuels our passions and from our own unique and very personal life experiences. If we created off of these things, instead of what everyone else in the world was creating - maybe art would make us FEEL again. Maybe art would touch us again, make us think again and have substance again. I studied my art formally in college. And where do you think we started our curriculum? Back to the basics. We learned the fundamentals of art - down to light study, color analysis and figures. We studied art history, where we learned from the classic art pieces and artists. Every class was built on the traditional forms of art, until we were able to create for ourselves. But even when we did that, we were basing our new creations off of things that inspired us in our studies and the concepts that we learned from studying them. So, as artists we need to stop putting so much weight on the term originality, and start creating from whatever it is inside of us that wants to be created. Your art should be a representation of what is going on inside of your brain, your body, your heart and your soul.

I can tell you this, because I’ve experienced it first hand. When I planned on moving to Arizona, I saw so much opportunity in creating as an artist. But when I finally moved and got settled in, I found that being an artist in a big city made it much harder to stand out. And I focused on that, instead of letting it push me to work harder. I kept saying “everyone is an artist out here” like it was a bad thing. Instead of appreciating that I was surrounded by so many people who could inspire me, I was intimidated so much that I wanted to conform. Not only because I wanted that recognition, but because I wanted the money that went with conforming to the trends. We have all heard the term “starving” artist and that is no joke. The industry is not as lucrative as it once was. When I was working in the music industry in Cleveland I was getting paid, my credentials were getting me access to all the best shows and I felt like I was thriving. When I started working in Arizona I realized that there were far more people creating for free, and for the wrong reasons. The media pits at shows were crowded, because people wanted to see the bands up close and not because they found art in photographing them. It was hard to thrive and I took the easy way out. I left myself vulnerable to the oversaturated instagram world that we live in. I did everything that I could to conform, instead of looking at the artist that I have always been. I went to the workshops, the photography meet ups and everything in the creative community that I thought would help me thrive here. I spent more time doing that, than what actually fulfilled my creative heart. And in doing so, it made me so empty that after a few months I stopped creating all together. When someone asked, I made every excuse in the book as to why I wasn’t working as an artist. And I can honestly say that not creating took a MAJOR toll on my mental health. Because I was living a life, working a career, and creating without my biggest passion.

If you read last Monday’s message, then you know I spent a lot of time this past month reminiscing on why I started my journey. You also know, that in doing so - I returned to not only myself as an artist, but to my TRUE SELF again. During that transformative time I took a screenshot of a quote that I found on social media. It said “real growth starts when you’re tired of your own shit”. And let me tell you, I felt that to my core. I was tired of the person that I was becoming. I was tired of being tired and unmotivated. And the only person that could change that was ME. When I am shooting a concert I am stuck with one stage, whatever lights I am given and I have no control over how the musicians move or interact with me. So, I change my lenses, change my manual settings and change my angles to compose and capture the best scene that I can. I can do this so easily, that I don’t even have to think about it anymore. So, why should it be different with the situations in life that I am dealt. If I can’t change the situation in my life, I need to change the perspective, the mindset and the actions taken to capture the best of the situation. The moment that I recognized this was solid gold. Because I started creating again, for ME. I forgot what everyone else had to say about it, I forgot about the money and recognition and I started creating because it made me happy. And since I have done that, I have gotten far more opportunities in my own field. Because I was ME. And to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

So, if you haven’t created in a while, if you have found yourself in a creative rut, or if you have been focusing on other aspects in your life - it is time to return to yourself and your work again. Let the fear of failure leave your body and breathe in the curiosity to create. And in doing so, please remember that it is far easier to be a critic than a creator. People can tell you that they don’t like your work, that they think that your work is wrong, or that they believe that your art isn’t good enough. But guess what…not everything in your life makes sense, does it? Not everything in the world makes sense, does it? No. So, why does your art have to make sense to anyone but YOU. And even then it doesn’t have to make sense. Some people will only like you, accept you and support you if you fit into their little box. The same thing goes for what you create. So paint their boxes with the spirit of who you are, explode their boxes with love and when you outgrow them don’t weep for their ignorance of who you are and what you create. Instead, you keep creating. You create without validation from the rest of the world. Because your work is beautiful - whatever medium it may be. Your thoughts are powerful, your voice speaks volumes, your choices are yours to choose - and no one needs to approve of who you are, who you want to be and what you want to create. Stop adapting to the energy of those around you. Because YOU are the only energy that matters. Radiate your vibes so high that they influence the people around you instead.

And I know that being a starving artist isn’t fun, and it isn’t as glamorous as they make it seem in the movies. But don’t use your energy and time focusing on what you don’t have. If you have food in your fridge, a place to sleep - better yet, if you have a home to call your own (whatever kind of home that may be) - do you realize that you are richer than 75 percent of the entire world? You are reading this right now, you are comprehending this right now - which makes you better off than millions of people. And most importantly if you are reading this than you are ALIVE. Thousands of people will not survive the rest of this day, let alone the rest of this week - but you are. Why are you going to waste it being miserable, living without passion, or worrying about your financial status. Your life needs to stop being about comparisons and complaints. And it needs to start looking like you waking up every morning grateful for what you and the Universe has provided. You may not be living your ideal life, you may be struggling financially in this moment, but you are alive. And the moment that you realize this, you will realize that you have thousands of reasons to be happy. You will start to realize that you are rich in gratitude, you are rich in happiness, you are rich in relationships and you are rich, because you have the ability to create. My parents taught me from a young age that is far more important to be rich in life, than full of life’s riches.

So, start getting up in the morning and giving your brain more to work with. Surround yourself with new things, different environments and start combining things that you know with new things to be learned. Say yes to new experiences, and no to things that you truly do not want to do. Be open to new knowledge, stay humble and stay teachable. Otherwise you will stay at the same level forever. But don’t force anything - and by anything I mean creations, relationships, friendships, conversations…etc. Everything that you do, will effect your art and your soul. Let your world and creativity flow calmly as it desires. Because calmness is a state of trusting in the Universe, or your higher power (whatever that power may be). Instead of overthinking, overreacting and trying to force your life and your art to go the way that you think it should - surrender yourself to those singular moments, feelings and situations. Allow yourself to receive a higher guidance. Trust that your body will tell you what to do. You will feel the intuition inside of you. And creativity will flow out of your body like it is meant to. Remember that when you live with passion, you will start to see the world differently. You will start to romanticize your life, just as you do your art.

And most importantly, remember that you have a fan right here. I see YOU. I am thrilled that you are willing to see your life as art, and to commit to yourself as being the creator of it. I am proud that you are strong and brave enough to call yourself an artist. I support you. I can’t wait to see your next project - whenever you are ready to take it on and share it with the rest of the world. YOU are enough. Your art is enough. Better yet, it is everything!

-EJ

Movement Study from my sophomore year