The Paradox of Vulnerability

When we think of vulnerability we think of being exposed. A state of being in danger of being harmed or attacked. There is another definition of vulnerability that I want us to consider.

It’s being in an openness mindset. A humble, learning mindset that quickly leads to courage to show and exhibit one’s true self, despite any results. Being vulnerable is trusting a force you can’t explain to perform for you; it is the ultimate form of empowerment. It’s this vulnerable mindset that opens the door for truth in creating art, that captures this truth about you and the scene you are making. 

Creativity is birthed in Vulnerability. Being vulnerable is the attitude of being open to what’s before you, as an opportunity to change, to be affected by what’s before you.

Thinking “I have the answer” leads to pride and stagnation. Seeking out questions leads to vulnerability and growth.

Those with a growth mind-set, however, believe that their true potential is unknown because it is impossible to foresee what might happen as a result of passion, effort, and practice. They appreciate challenges because they see them as opportunities for personal growth.

How can we cultivate it?

What does vulnerability look like in art?

Fruitful art:

As plein air artists, if we compete in events, we often find ourselves attending art shows at the end of a week of painting. We also find ourselves often exhausted, and overstimulated. 

These shows provide tremendous opportunities for artists to meet other artists as well as potential clients. They also offer a chance to see all the other art that was made that week by many other artists. It’s always a pleasure to roam the walls and see and be moved by these paintings.

When we look at art, a lot of art, like in a gallery, museum, or a plein art show, we most likely gravitate toward the paintings that capture our attention.

These paintings are successful in making us aware they now exist in the world. Look for the fruitful paintings; a fruitful painting may or may not be one of these “successful” paintings, but it may have something infinitely more valuable. As with all fruit at its genesis, a seed must die. There is hidden pain, a deep backstory. There is vulnerability, brokenness, intimacy in a fruitful painting. You know it when your awareness turns from the artist who made it, to you the viewer who is captivated by it. 

Allow it to move you, to transport you. When you’re mindful of this movement, you know it’s fruitful art. 

The viewer is simply not seeing the painting, they themselves are experiencing it. They are connecting to it.

A fruitful painting reaches into and touches the very wound of the viewer, bringing the viewer a step closer to the real, much more than reality can ever bring us. It’s this significant connection we strive for in our art. 

As artists, painting good art is a good goal to have, but painting fruitful art is knowing why you are an artist in the first place.