Hi friend,
Well, I don’t know about you, but the last month left me both without any free time and also in desperate need of more sanity and peace.
I’ve learned over the years that one way to mend my soul in moments like these is to deliberately make some bad art.
What else is one to do when faced with their own limited abilities, insufficient time, and abundant perfectionist tendencies?
So, I spent a few early mornings drinking my coffee and sketching out a tiny story. I gave myself permission to let it be as incoherent, incomplete, amateur, rough, messy, etc., etc. as it needed to be to get something out of me and onto a page.
I was inspired by these women making bad performance art about things they’re obsessed with. (Their video brings up vivid memories of preteen summer pool theatrics with my sister. We had a whole routine about the lifecycle of a kernel of popcorn, from seed to sewer system.)
This time I kept my project simple. My tiny story is merely about one thing I love: the color yellow.
As uncomplicated as that topic may seem, making bad art about the color yellow was a tad more emotional than I expected.
Of course it was.
Creativity like this can be a magical, healing thing.
It helps us find calm and focus in times of stress and worry. It lets us express our thoughts, emotions, and experiences in ways that are difficult otherwise.
And, in a time when AI is making us dumber and drowning us in creations that are eerily clean, the experience of creating things by ourselves is laboriously, awkwardly, utterly human.
These are just a few of the many human thoughts that entered my poor brain while making my bad art: I’m not any good at this, why am I wasting my time on this, this isn’t useful or helpful, I have so many other things to do, I’m hungry, my back hurts, I can’t read my handwriting, the world’s falling apart, how the heck do you draw a car, and on and on…
But when these thoughts arose, I was able to remind myself that I was intentionally making bad art, so I could relax, it was no big deal. This gave me the psychological space I needed to move forward.
Here are some instructions for making bad art:
- Surround yourself with your chosen art supplies, whatever they may be. If you’re especially self-critical, consider supplies that are intentionally limiting. Write by hand so you can’t delete. Use only one color of paint. Create in a pool. Draw with your feet.
- Use your supplies to tell me about what you love, what you’ve been going through, and how you feel about it.
- Let your brain yell about all the reasons it’s unhappy. Tell it you’re okay. Take breaks. Keep going.
- Follow the thread of what you’re creating wherever it may go until you think you’ve found an end.
- Share what you’ve created with someone, or don’t. Then let it go.
Now go out and create some bad art for me, okay?
xo,
Sarah
PS: When I began writing this letter, I wasn’t sure I’d share my bad art with you. Honestly, I’m still not sure I want to. But, if you’ve read this far, you can take a look below.
22 Responses
Tears. I want to make bad art. Unfortunately my dear your art is not bad. It’s lovely and I want to print it. Love you 💛💛💛🌝🌟⭐️🌻🌼🐝🐥
Aw, Lexa. Thank you. You can make bad art with me any day, and we don’t even need a pool. Thank you for reading and for your sweet comment.
Sarah – your art is wonderful, keep at it!
Mark! So nice to hear from you. Thank you for reading and reaching out, I sure appreciate it. It looks like you’re still doing good and interesting work in the world. I hope all is great.
I am so glad I read to the end. I also realized how much I enjoy the artistry of your handwriting and the whimsy and wonder of your artwork.
Aw, Mackenzie, you are so kind. I’m glad you read to the end too AND left me a comment! I’m a lucky gal. Miss you tons! Hope you and yours are doing amazing.
Absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing and encouraging the act of making. 💛
….. popcorn, also yellow 😉
Courtney! So nice of you to reach out! Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. It means a lot. Hope you are doing very well!
So charming and poignant, Sarah. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Marian for reading and leaving a comment! Glad this resonated. Hope you are doing well!
Knock knock. Who’s there? Banana! Banana who? Orange…aren’t you glad I didn’t say banana? Sweet yellow Sarah, I’m with my compadres who also responded. Your art, your words, your advice…all yellow. And brilliant. And full of what makes yellow the color that it is: warm, sunny, happy. While in Morocco I learned that, “Let’s go!” Is pronounced in Arabic as “Yella.” You should go!
Naomi! Thank you my friend. You’ve made my day. Appreciate you tons and tons.
Your bad art is charming, poignant, thoughtful, skilled, and wonderful, just like you.
Wow! Thanks Aunt T! That means a lot. xo
Sarah, this is the perfect blend of insight, inspiration, and imagination. Thank you for continuing to remind us to go inward, play, and be human. I hope your dad is doing well.
Thank you Karen for reading and always being so thoughtful and supportive! I appreciate you!
Oh, Sarah – your “bad” art is way better than my best art on my best day. Hang in there – your words, your art, your feelings, and your perspectives are beautiful.
Thank you so much Amy! I appreciate your encouragement here, and your support (and patience!) with me elsewhere. xo
Sarah, your artwork is amazing, I really like it.
Thanks so much Tuyen! I’m glad you liked it. Appreciate you reading and leaving a note. Hope all is great!
Dear Sarah, isn’t it funny how we observe ourselves and what we create? I’ve always thought your artwork was quite amazing. So, in this case I’m going with bad meaning good! I love your yellow imagery! The last picture of you and your dad holding hands is very touching. Thank you for your heartfelt share and tribute to your dad. ❤️
Thank you so much Terry! I appreciate you! xoxo