Seeing Your Path – Nicholas Wilton – Ep 137

As an artist, the thought of not knowing what comes next is bothersome. But “not knowing” is often necessary. Sometimes we have to spend time pondering what’s next.

We need to give ourselves space and time to sit with the discomfort of uncertainty. We have to get comfortable with the phenomenon of doing and not knowing.

I’m painting right now. I’m doing one thing at a time, uncertain what I will do next. I’m simply being present with what I’m making.

In this episode of the Art2Life Podcast, I explore finding clarity by sitting in a place of not knowing. Grab some Art supplies and join me on the journey of not knowing.

Listen if you are interested in…

• The idea that clarity comes from not knowing [1:33]
• Knowing everything will eventually come together [11:35]
• Understanding the fundamentals as your foundation [14:11]
• Embracing vulnerability in your art [15:57]
• Sharing your ideas to bring them to life [21:20]

Clarity comes from not knowing

Uncertainty is an invocation to be more present. You don’t have to have an answer. Art teaches us to be present. It’s setting every distraction aside and responding to the present moment. What we are doing leads to the next step. Why not lose yourself in the wonder of it?

Pay attention to the colors that you love, the things that you enjoy. Commit yourself to the feelings you’re feeling. The window of time where you don’t know your path is full of possibilities.

I just finished an entire body of work—17 pieces—and I don’t know what’s next. But I’m ready for the not knowing. I’m ready to not have to create something that fits with something else. I am excited by what is coming. I love that I get to pay attention and let something bubble up.

Everything will eventually come together

Adam Wolpert creates beautiful tree paintings. His work has evolved from fruit paintings to still lifes to abstract art. Now, he’s creating immense oak tree paintings. When I look back at his body of work, trees were always there. They gradually became more prominent in his work.

Everything will eventually make sense. You don’t have to figure it out now, you just have to be present. When you look back, it will be obvious. When you understand the fundamentals of art, you can let it flow from you.

We have to overcome the fear of the unknown and do something anyway. It opens up a deeper conversation within ourselves. All we have is a hunch. We must take that hunch and play with it until the path becomes clear.

Share your ideas to bring them to life

Talk about the feeling of the outcome that you’re after. Four months ago, I didn’t know what my show was going to be. I didn’t know I was going to switch to large acrylic paintings. But I knew how I wanted to feel. The closest work I could find to describe that feeling was “flourishing.”

The time I spent in my studio painting and iterating clarified the direction—but the feeling of the work was decided early in the process.

We know, intuitively, what we want to feel in our work. If we can hold what is emotionally true for us and dwell on it, that’s where we must start. Does what you’re making embody that feeling?

When you’re not under a contract, you have space to explore your feelings. I truly believe that the work you make from a place of not knowing will be your best work.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Adam Wolpert’s Art
• Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us

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