Is Good Art Universal?

Nothing could be further from the truth.

If this were true, then the artist who could most closely replicate a photograph would be the best. By this measure, abstract art would be the worst. And this simply isn’t the case. Abstract art has sold for some of the highest price tags in the world.

So what makes art good? I have no clue. Neither does anyone else. People just like what they like. Good art is in the eye of the beholder. It must simply stir up emotion in the viewer to be considered good. Their upbringing and past life experiences have a lot to do with it. And everyone’s experience of life is different. In the same way people are drawn to different styles of interior design (like traditional or mid-century), people like different styles of art. Picasso’s work couldn’t be further from that of Monet’s, yet they’ve both made a huge dent in art history.

As someone who isn’t a realist painter, I sometimes feel intimidated by artists who are. Is their work ‘better’ than mine? I have remind myself that no, it’s just different. While I can appreciate the technique that goes into making realistic art, I’m not drawn to displaying or making this type of work. I’ve always preferred rougher, 2D takes on a subject matters. I think it’s more playful and interesting. I love interpreting what I see into flat patterns and line work. I wouldn’t have fun painting something realistic.

We inherently know that everyone’s idea of good is different. However, we still love to tell ourselves our work isn’t good enough. In fact, that phrase is often on a repeating loop in our minds. While we may not like the work we’re making, it’s not that it isn’t good. Because good is impossible to define. For every ‘bad’ piece of art we make, there are thousands of people in the world who’ll think it’s good. Some of my oldest prints are still bestsellers in my shop. I don’t like them anymore, but my fans do. And some of the newer pieces I make, that feel groundbreaking to me, go unnoticed by my fans. That’s how I know good art is not universal.

So what do we really mean when we say our art isn’t good? We mean there’s is a discrepancy between what we’ve made and the kind of work we want to be making. This is discrepancy is usually due to one of three things:

1. We lack the skillset it takes to execute our vision.

   This is pretty common in the beginning. When starting out, we can have a perfect painting in our heads, yet we aren’t practiced enough to execute it. When we work on our skillset, whether it be brush technique or color theory, we close the gap between what we want to be making and what we’re actually making. The great news is that, in this case, we just need more practice. We need to make a lot of work before it gets easier to make work we like. Give yourself the grace and time to become more skilled, without being too hard on yourself.

2. We aren’t taking enough risks.

   Even the best artists fall into a rut from time to time. We get too comfortable. We stop making work that feels interesting or groundbreaking. Unfortunately, taking risks is the only way to make work we like. My favorite pieces strike a balance between feeling like me, but slightly outside my comfort zone. This can be scary, because more failures come with risks than successes. However, those successes are worth it. They often become the first images shown in your portfolio. If you’re a more experienced artist, this is probably the issue you’re running into.

3. We need to gather more inspiration.

   Sometimes we have a half-baked idea in our minds and paint it too soon, only to realize it looks nothing like we envisioned. Whether it’s gathering more inspirational images or planning our illustrations with sketches, we need to spend more time getting ready before executing. The more time I spend in the planning phase of a piece, the more I usually like the end result. This can plague newer and experienced artists alike. For newer artists, sometimes we just haven’t figured out our process yet. Experienced artists know they should spend more time planning, yet impatience can take over. We live in a world of instant gratification. All we want to do is finish the final art. Any time I skip the planning phase, the end result humbles me into spending more time planning for my next piece.

In conclusion, instead of asking ourselves whether our work is good, we should be asking whether we like what we’re making. Because there’s a big difference. We can’t control how the world receives our work, good or bad. We can control how we feel about a piece though, and that’s all that matters.

I like to judge if my work is good by asking if it makes me feel something. Usually that something is joy. Because that’s what we really mean by good. If it does, it’s likely other people will feel something as well when they see my work.