“I don’t have the money to make what I want to make. I don’t have the time to make what I want to make. I don’t have the talent, or the work ethic, or the creativity. I’m inadequate.”
These are the thoughts that go through every creative person’s mind, whether they’re an artist, a filmmaker, or a writer. Simon Cade, in his profound new video Why You Shouldn’t Be an Artist, visualises this anxiety using an eye-catching combination of both film and handwritten words.
The metaphor is straightforward and yet highly effective, made using cardboard boxes, a pen, and the sky. Along with his narration, it is a perfect visual summary of how these thoughts can fill the mind, blocking out our literal and creative vision and proving that to make something meaningful, you don’t need the best set, or the best filming equipment, or the best editing; all you need is something to say.
The powerful simplicity of the video reflects the main message: “There are too many good reasons not to be an artist. So I look at myself, and ask this: Are you going to let any of them stop you? Are you going to let these thoughts block you?
“One day I’d like to be as carefree as a child painting a page with delight, cos kids don’t worry themselves with the reasons why not, they throw paint at the page just to see what the colours do, cos why not?”
And with that, the view starts to clear and once again we can see the sky, leaving us asking ourselves, why wouldn’t you be an artist?
Want more?
Read our Video Spotlight about the ever-growing discussion around overfamiliarity on YouTube, or check out our Channel Spotlight on Olly Pike’s amazing kids’ LGBTQ+ channel, Pop’n’Olly.
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