Why Should You Create?

The reason behind whatever I do...

Hey friends,

Greetings from Bangalore, India!

Why do people make things? Why do people write? Draw? Paint?

What’s the reasoning behind it?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the creative process, about what actually gets people to create objects of no tangible value. This question has haunted me for several years. It’s whispered in my ear with every project that I’ve made.

To this day, I’ve not been able to come up with a satisfactory answer.

Recently though, I realised that I’ve been starting from a wrong premise. You see, we live in a time that’s obsessed with “functionality”. We focus on things that are practical; that can be used. In this regard, art cannot be used, and thus it is relegated an inferior status. One might say that it is senseless to create art.

But I have a different proposition: Maybe there is value in making something purely for the sake of “creation”. Of putting a pen to paper, paintbrush to canvas, fingers to keyboard.

In creating something—an illustration, painting, article—you push yourself through the creative process, banging your head against the wall until inspiration strikes and your creative muse comes alive. By writing/painting/drawing, you bring something into being out of nothing. You “will” something into existence. Artwork, pieces of writing—they only exist in your head until you sit down and “create” them.

We grow when we push ourselves through the creative process. We learn to see the world differently. Whether it be writing, painting, or drawing, we refine our perspective on the world by making new things. Doesn’t that make it a worthwhile pursuit?

This type of growth isn’t tangible. But I assure you, it’s very real. This has been one of the guiding principles of my life. It’s the reason I’ve published more than 140 weeks of this newsletter, made countless art pieces, finished the 7th draft of my upcoming book (coming soon), and more.

So, even though I haven’t been able to come up with an explanation for why people create, I’ve hopefully shown you WHY this is a vital part of the human condition. How else can you explain the vast variety of arts (however you define the word) across the globe? That’s something to think about.

Here, I’m posing with a recent art piece I made.

Or maybe everything I’ve just said is gobbledygook. I’ll let you decide that for yourself.

(Here’s one video that captures the “artist’s purpose” well. If you don’t have that much patience, then start from 2:12.)

Postcard

The forests of the Himalayas seem like a great setting for a novel. If I ever write fiction, I’ll definitely draw inspiration from these highlands.

This picture was taken in interior Himachal Pradesh. These “pine-exclusive” mountains are distinctive of this state. While I still prefer the oak forests of Uttarakhand, I must say that these mountains have their own charm. Keen to explore this region more.

Favourite Quote

Storytelling isn’t as elevated as rocket building, or auto-making. But it is the oldest, most venerable, valuable way we have of passing on values…whether it is around the first campfire ever built, or Homer in the Odyssey, or in the Bible with the great opening, “In the beginning”. telling us these stories…there’s a role in society for storytellers that try to make us better.  - Walter Isaacson

Have a creative, wild and inspiring week!

If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.

Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.

I would greatly appreciate it if you shared my newsletter and work with your friends. It really helps me out :)