How To Begin To Make Bad Art?
Written by Kate Gough
Trigger Warning: suicidal thoughts
How do I begin?
To put the brush to canvas, to mould the clay, to put the pen to ink, and to create.
The question you truly are asking is:
How do I begin to trust myself?
As a writer, blockages are going to happen.
You may be wondering how to get to a place of clarity.
Simply put, to get clear water, you must turn on the tap. Now, this may sound simplistic, but in practice, the only way to master your art, or even to make art at all, is to let go of the need to produce something good. Make bad art. Make the most atrocious art you can possibly fathom.
For me, I like to put on a playlist of inspiring artists (my go-to playlist includes tunes from Regina Spektor to Keaton Henson), open a blank document, and simply write out what the artists are singing. This enables me to think like my favourite artists do, speak as they would, and feel the rhythm of their words. You don’t need to write them word for word. Just even simply the words you connect with most will suffice. Once I have written out the lyrics, I analyse them. I see how they intersect, how they form into poetry. Then, I like to pick out a word or phrase that resonates the most, and I use it as a prompt for my own work.
An example:
“My fingers claw your skin, try to tear my way in
You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl”
From the song “Howl” by Florence + the Machine
These lines inspire me, the imagery of skin breaking, and guttural howling of desperation. I then pick the words “skin” and “howl” and I make my own line out of these motifs.
From my skin, burns a howl
that breaks glass, and I sin
at the thought of ending it.
These lines are laced with my own pain, instead of desperation directed at a lover, I direct it into my need to hold on to life itself. By using my own experiences, I use inspiration to make my own art. Inspiration can be tricky to come by, but if you are mindful, it can be found in the littlest things. In the flowers in the dirt, in the clouds in the sky, in the warmth of a bed. The purpose of an artist is to notice, and capture the beauty or pain in these moments.
Now you can use this method in any art form. If you are a painter, a filmmaker, a musician, or any other kind of creative, you may pick a piece of art that resonates with you, study it, and pick a motif to inspire you. This works especially well when you are stuck, and fear you may not have any talent. Remember, talent isn’t something that you are born with. It is a skill you practice. If you are too afraid to make mistakes, you’ll never get better at your skill. Enjoy the learning process, and make bad art!
KATE GOUGH is a Canadian based poet and a member of the online poetry community. Her work modernizes romantic literary sensibilities and explores recovery from chronic illness and trauma. Her philosophy is one close to the Danish “Hygge” which is, the celebration of cosiness. Warm socks, hot tea, and candlelight are her favourite writing tools.