Will An Artist Ever Be Satisfied…?

Ludwig Bemelman— an Austrian-American writer and illustrator famous for his popular Madeline children's books— once remarked, “The true gourmet, like the true artist, is one of the unhappiest creatures existent. His trouble comes from so seldom finding what he constantly seeks: perfection”. Bemelman was referring to the satisfaction he feels with his own creative work. While he makes a very honest and clever comparison, I find this statement to be seemingly strange and paradoxical coming from Bemelman. He received much success and high praise in both writing and illustrating, so, why the feeling of dissatisfaction? The general public loves and cherishes his work.

I find Bemelman is not an outlier in the creative world when it comes to feeling this way. Plenty of artists and creatives feel constant dissatisfaction with their own works, regardless of the commercial success or praise they might receive. Further, In my own experience, I cannot count the number of times I have seen work by a creative peer, and they have been absolutely adamant about prefacing the work with an apologetic monologue about why it isn’t ‘perfect’ or ‘their best work’. 

This leads me to question, is there a natural dissatisfaction associated with creative endeavors? Do we as humans seek to put space between us and our creative genius because we are worried if we claim it as a whole use of our talent, people might not see our talent, but what it lacks? I have encountered this phenomenon so many times in the recent months that I feel I may actually have an explanation and some advice to any creatives out there who share this sentiment . So why do people put space between themselves and their artistic works? Let’s talk about it. 

Beat The Critics To The Punches

One of the first reasons that comes to mind when discussing this issue is that many people find the need to say everything bad about their own work before someone else can. People have become so afraid of critics that they become the worst ones of themselves. They like to get all of the terrible and mean things someone could say to avoid the element of surprise. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. No matter how many bad things one can say about their work, it does not work as an impenetrable defense to critiques as many like to think. There will always be people out there who don’t ‘like’ your creative work, and all you can do is keep creating for you and only you. The good news is that you don’t owe anyone anything in your art. Furthermore, if you stop pretending like your art is bad to please these imaginary critics, you might actually find you are very talented, and that many people actually do enjoy your work. 

I would also like to add that usually, I believe there is a certain element of mastery in any craft associated with being able to acknowledge faults. I have come to believe nothing you make will be perfect, but being able to address their flaws helps solidify your craftsmanship. However, in this case of finding and expanding on faults in your work because you are afraid to be proud of it— I find it to be an act of cowardice. I believe that this specific issue has only gotten worse in the age of social media and the wave of an unshakable need to post everything online for validation. I also find that people find it almost enjoyable to leave hateful or mean comments online, since there are little to no repercussions. Hence, I find it so helpful for those sharing their art online to take occasional social media breaks, since everything you see and hear online is 100% superficial and not worth your worry. 

The Good, The Talented, and the Ugly 

Another reason I find many people struggling with feeling satisfied with their art is that they are worried about if it is actually ‘good’ or if they are ‘talented’. First of all, very few things in life are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, and as a creative individual, it is important to take yourself off the sliding scale between ‘great’ and ‘awful’. There is art, and there is emotion. People can either feel connected to your art, or they can appreciate the work you put into it and understand that while they do not feel connected to it, your art is for you. 

However, there is a hard pill you need to swallow about talent… which is that being talented does not equal success. Many talented artists have gone centuries without being recognized, or have only become successful well after their passing. While this might seem like a tragedy to some, I think it is a very beautiful way to live. Creating art for yourself without the heavy burden of having to think up the next ‘big thing,’ being able to make art because it speaks to you, completely untainted by editors, agents, or directors. Being 100% in control of your own art and owning your art is something many big artists find themselves jealous of, so the next time someone praises your work— own it, don’t explain and degrade it. Be proud of the art you make because it is wholly your own and made by you, and that is quite amazing.   

Being Creative Is Being Inherently Intimate 

Finally, the last reason I find being proud of your creative work is difficult is because creativity is inherently intimate. What I mean is that to create something, no matter if it’s a book, a short film, a song, or anything else is to put yourself into the creative medium and express it to the world; you are implying ‘This (insert film, song art piece, etc…) is me.’ Hence, when people say they do not like said creative work, it can often feel like a personal attack. However, this train of thought would be incorrect because (as the saying goes) art is subjective. While one person may not connect to your piece, it may deeply connect with a different audience; you won’t be for everyone and that is okay. But continue to pour yourself into your work, because if you are not being 100% honest with your work and authentically you, you lose your unique creative edge. 

I also find people have a hard time claiming their work is ‘perfect’ because this would mean it was a whole use of their talent, and if it wasn’t good’ people would think they do not have talent to support this passion.  To which I ask two things: when did the creation of art become wholly about talent, and when did we start letting people who do not understand or connect with our work define how much ‘talent’ we have? First and foremost, I find ‘talent’ to be a relative term, but also irrelevant to creating art. When people take on creative endeavors, I don’t think the goal has to be perfection or even to be ‘good’. If you enjoy it, do it. In my own life, I enjoy playing the piano. I don’t have a particular talent for it but I play anyway and without expectation of ever perfecting it, only ever enjoying it. I find this is a wonderful way to create and enjoy art, and I feel many people could benefit from releasing the burden of having to be talented to do things.  

Second, the minute we give validity into the hands of those who do not like our art, we lose any and all satisfaction or pride derived from our  work. Even though it is admittedly difficult to continue to create amidst criticism, I urge you to do so anyways. Since we all have a creative urge,  why should we let those who do not understand ours control our creativity? 

My Advice

My advice for this specific qualm is: do not create art in the hopes of praise or commercial success. The way I see it, seldom do artists receive the true praise they deserve, and this is not their own fault or lack of talent, but simply the fault of any creative industry being massively oversaturated. So, you should just seek to create without tying commercial success to talent. Some of the best artists I have seen have been in small local galleries, and some of the best performances I have ever seen have been in community theaters, thousands of miles from Broadway. When I talk to any artist facing self-doubt, I urge them to continue creating anyway. I think as humans we must acknowledge that we are inherently creative, and it is unhealthy to resist these urges within us. So, instead of aiming to reach some superficial benchmark that is based solely on the opinions of others, I tell them that life is about creating and making art, even if it is ‘bad’ or unsuccessful. At the end of the day, commercial success really is irrelevant to talent, and talent is irrelevant regarding happiness and contentment in life. To me, true success is the art I love being shared with the people I love, and being very shamelessly proud of it— no matter how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ it is (because I find many times in life, the terms ‘good’ and bad’ are completely relative anyways).  

Conclusion

While most of Bemelman’s life was spent dedicated to fleshing out the Madeline series, he also took risks and pursued adult books, other children’s books, and even some physical and visual art. These other endeavors were not successful, but he always stood by them. He did not seek perfection, commercial success or even financial support from these books. Still, he liked what he was creating and believed in it. He shared it with the people he loved and later on his readers, and while these other books did not sell 13 million copies, he was doing what he was passionate about, unconfined from the expectations and judgments of other people… and himself, which ultimately made him satisfied.