Does Art Have to Have Meaning

I don’t believe art has to be some complicated thing that only a privileged few can decipher. It can mean different things to different people—or it doesn’t have to mean anything at all. Art can evoke a feeling or a mood, or it can simply be created for the joy of making something, for the fun of getting your hands dirty.

Even stylistically, though it can be critiqued on form, depth, and detail, there are aspects of creating that warrant no assessment. Sometimes art just exists. That’s enough.

I try to remember this when I come back to a piece again and again. I’m not usually someone who creates political work of any kind (though I’ve definitely considered it). I paint because I enjoy it, and after studying and evolving my style over the years, I’ve found meaning simply in the act of creating. In knowing that what I make can never be replicated—each piece will always be its own original.

Half of my process is just staring at a painting, repeating the thought that “a painting is never finished,” noticing tiny details to add that no one else would ever see. That’s the real process. And the meaning, for me, is simply knowing that I enjoyed making it.

The unexpected treat in all of this has been finding meaning in knowing that others value my work. That something I created resonates with someone else. That they enjoy staring at it the same way I did while making it.