The ‘naturally artistic’ fo paux

April 29, 2024
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CAN YOU BE 'NATURALLY ARTISTIC'

As someone who is studying design and art at the collegiate level, I am accustomed to receiving good-natured comments on my “natural artistic abilities.” While I appreciate how the individuals admiring my work, I would like to take the opportunity to bring awareness to the countless hours that painters, sculptors, designers, and creators take to refine their work to a professional level. 

DEBUNKING THE PICASSO PHENOMENON

While some might have been naturally blessed with a talent from a young age, my story doesn’t go quite like that. Although I gravitated towards activities such as coloring and drawing as a young kid, you could hardly tell my artwork from any other kindergartener’s. Recognizing this showed me that art is less of a God-given gift, than a skill that is refined by passion and practice. 

WHAT IS REVEALS

While this comment doesn’t offend me or make a huge difference to society as a whole, it does reveal the mindset towards art that has plagued much of society. This mindset is that only some are born with the gift of creativity. This keeps people from picking up a paint brush, as people misunderstand that it is rare for your very first drawing to be an exact representation of the object you set out to capture. It is natural for a beginner artist to feel defeated when comparing their work to Donatello’s or Raphael’s great works. The innumerable time spent practicing observation and recreation go forgotten because of the belief that there are people who are “naturally born” artists. This is not true. 

WHAT GOD SAYS

The Bible gives good insight on this. Genesis 1:26 says that  God made man in His “image” and “likeness.” Genesis 1-2 shed light on how He formed the universe and everything in it from nothing. Psalm 139:13-14 conveys how God “knitted” us together in our mother’s womb. Not to mention Isaiah 64:8 which calls God the potter and mankind the clay, even stating that “we all are the work of thy hand.” God is the ultimate Creator. If people are made in His image, this means that all individuals are creative. While this might not mean that everyone was born to be a painter or an expert in color theory, this shouldn’t deter you from finding a way to express your creativity. And not being “good” at art shouldn’t be an excuse to shun your inner artist. Creating art isn’t always about making a piece that will compete with the work of Van Gogh or Frida Kahlo, much of art’s significance comes without the artist’s prestige.

THE TAKE AWAY

So ultimately anyone who comments on an artist’s “natural ability” to create is not necessarily wrong, they just might not know that they are naturally creative in their own way as well.
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