Producing something in the world of art, whether painting, sculpture, literature, music, etc, takes an combination of skills, creativity being foremost, but also a lot of hard work. For decades I read books with no concept of the effort behind them. Writing my own books opened my eyes to some of the things that an artist has to go through, from coming up with the initial idea, to setting it down on paper, refining the work and eventually getting it into a form ready to publish. But that’s not the end of it. At this point it takes something else. The artist either has to have an immense ego and believe that their work is the best thing since sliced bread or they have to summon up their courage and put their work on offer to the public. Lacking the former, I had to take a deep breath and gather up the latter. For anyone who hasn’t done something like this, I can say that it’s a defining moment. The piece that you’ve worked on for perhaps years, will now be open to scrutiny by everyone and you have to prepare yourself for the feedback. Maybe you’ve already shown it to friends or family and they’ve said nice things about it, but there’s always a doubt in your mind. Maybe they were just being kind, not wanting to hurt your feelings? Perhaps what you’ve written isn’t actually very good? I’m sure artists, musicians, etc, all feel the same way and still they take the step and go public. Now you have to listen to people who have no interest in sparing your feelings and are only going to comment on the work itself because they don’t know you. Getting reviews can be a roller-coaster ride. First you’re excited to get a review and then you read it to see what it says. Even good reviews can contain criticism, but these can help you improve. One of the reviews for my first book described it as “Uncomplicated”, which disheartened me at first, but went on to say that “There is something appealing about a book/series that doesn’t drag the characters through hell and back, suffering all the way.” And so, a good review, but still thought provoking. My wife is an avid fan of Game Of Thrones – the TV series, and the trauma she suffers from watching it due to what happens to the characters she likes is surprising. The fact that the series can evoke such emotion speaks volumes for the depth of the work, but it’s not to everyone’s taste. And here we get down to what art is all about, entertaining people and providing enjoyment. Back when I was a kid I used to think that some art was good and some bad. That opinion was based purely on whether I liked it or not. I’m happy to report that I’ve matured since then, a little anyway, and now I try and limit myself to stating that I either like something or not without condemning it as good or bad. Of course, that doesn’t mean that some things aren’t technically poor and deserve criticism for that, but art in all its forms is vastly more complex. A good example is Cirque du Soleil. I’ve been to a couple of the shows with my wife, who loves them. Me, I can see how technically excellent they are, but mostly it leaves me cold. Another item that has me scratching my head is some modern art; a cow cut in half and stuck in a tank of formaldehyde is art? Hmmm, now maybe I’m just blind to the nuances here, but I don’t see anything artistic about it. However, there are people who hail it as genius. I do wonder if its a case of the emperor’s new clothes, that experts hail something as great and the flock follow along, not daring to contradict them. All I can find myself saying is that it baffles me. Even so, Damien Hirst, like the rest of us artists, still had to take the step and put his works on display. And so regardless of what you may think of what someone has produced, remember that they had the courage to offer it up before you. It’s harder than you might think.