Art is like therapy; what comes up is what comes up. It may be dark, but that's what comes up. You may want to keep some of it in a drawer... but never judge it.
~Nick Bantock

When an aritst sits down to create, he must let go of any expectations he has about the outcome of the piece he is creating. Entering into the creative process is the same as saying, "I want to produce something, but I am willing to not have any control over what it is I produce."

If we allow our hands to be guided by the muse, each and everything we create is exactly what it is supposed to be.  We may judge the final product as not being as "good" as we expected, but it is important to accept it anyway.

A paradox in the creative world is that so many people want to judge our art, and yet it cannot and should never be judged.  If we put our art out for others to see, they sometimes assume that we want them to tell us if they like it or not. 

If I enter my art in a show or contest, I'm not asking anyone to critique my work.  I just want to share it and possibly let it be seen by people that might be touched by it.    If I put it in a gallery for sale, again I am not asking for feedback, I am offering it to you for a price.

This is the fragile part of being an artist.  What we create is so very personal that we are being vulnerable every time we show a piece to someone.  Even if an artist attempts to copy another's work exactly it can't be done. Something of yourself is going to go into the work.  Your own style or attitude is going to show in your work.

Art is very personal and precious.  Just as Nick Bantock says in the quotation above, what comes up is what come up, and I don't believe we can stop that.  Every piece is full of direct or indirect messages about who we are and what we stand for and what we struggle with.

Treasure every creation you make.  Know that it holds a very deep part of you, regardless of whether it is pleasing to your eye or not.  Share it only with people with whom you are willing to share a piece of yourself.

When I was first doing collage I was inspired by an image of a family.  It was a photo of a father, mother and two daughters.  My conscious mind only saw a nice looking family, nothing deeper.  I spent some time looking at the image and came up with the idea to do something with "mixed messages".

I began to gather words like truth, lies, love, hate. When I started gluing the images to the canvas I hate a very strong urge to rip the family photo in half. It didn't feel emotional, but rather like it would look better if I did it that way.  So, I ripped it in half, glued it down and began gluing the words on the canvas.

Suddenly, I saw my childhood family! One daughter with the father, a big chasm, then the mother with the other daughter.  That was how my family functioned. Two separate camps, warring against each other.  Yet trying to maintain an appearance of unity to the outside world.

When I sat down to create that collage I had no idea it had anything to do with me, my family or my issues.  And yet, it happened anyway.  The process itself took over and guided me to do something that would validate my experience and help me heal from it.

Being willing to let the process happen is what makes creating a beautiful thing to do.  Being willing to participate, listen and respond is what makes us feel like we are part of the art. And, I believe, it is also what makes us love every piece we create, no matter what it looks like.