Imagination and a strong desire to be one. Confidence, a good work ethic, mastery of a medium, financial security and a support system of mentors and artistic peers helps, and those are fairly straight forward to obtain. Imagination and desire, a passion, that secret element of “Je ne sais quois” though, I’m not sure if that’s inborn, or a bi-product of having to test oneself creatively to overcome an obstacle. Do artists have to suffer heartbreak to make good art? I do think they have to live a little and step out of their comfort zones, get a richer, maybe a more authentic experience to draw from. You can copy a Rembrandt all damn day but it doesn’t make you a good artist, it just makes you a good copy cat. You can copy all your favourite artists and combine all your favourite bits together, but if there’s no true element of yourself in it, it won’t be very original. Maybe at its best, art is authentic human thought and connection. Let me know if you have any answers.
LISA NG ART 