The Art of Letting Go

Just when you’ve thought that you’ve mastered every aspect of being an artist, something new shows up in the process and surprises you again with being a beginner at it. It’s the Sisyphean task of always having to add new tools and tricks to your arsenal that every artist faces. Today, we’re talking about the art of letting go.

The art of letting go manifests in many ways throughout an artistic career. Many artists spend days, weeks, or even years toiling after a piece, putting their blood, sweat, and tears into it, only for it to culminate into a final product that they cannot bear to part with. Some artists price the pieces they’re attached to at an unpurchasable rate; others simply leave the pieces to sit in their basement or mom’s attic. It’s important to come to the understanding that at some point, you’ve got to let go of your art, even if it is your baby. Parents are familiar with this feeling: having lovingly cultivated something for years only to let it go, but to let it go is to let it reach its true potential. Good artists and good parents know this and have come to grips with it.

Another place where artists have to learn to let go is in the case of commissions. Commissions are a place where your own personal biases cannot come to play. You are entrusted with crafting a piece for the client and all the boundaries and limitations it includes. As an artist, you can’t count on a commissioned piece being the piece that you’re understood for. It exists as a marker of someone else’s will, someone else’s intent, and you, just the medium for it. In the case of commissions, it’s best to let go and not let your personal hangups and opinions affect the final product.

Finally, artists need to let go of the need to strive for perfectionism. I’m reminded of an indie noise band that would constantly get emails that willing good Samaritans were jumping at the bit to redo this band’s, admittedly rough, vocals. The lead singer responded, saying, “The point is that the vocals aren’t perfect.” She was entirely right. The imperfection is what brings the human element to the forefront. Especially now, in this age of AI, imperfection is seen as a virtue rather than a shortcoming. Perfection is overrated; strive to get the project done. Focus on fulfilling your idea to completion rather than whether or not it’s perfect. And that’s the art of letting go.