Hello Creatives,

As we close out the year, I encourage each of you to take a moment to celebrate your creative journey, no matter where you are along the path. Embrace the uncertainty and the joy that come with making something uniquely yours. Remember, the process itself is just as important as the finished piece—each brushstroke, sketch, or idea adds to your story as an artist. Think about your story and what it means. Think about your creative spirit and how important it is to invite people in. Reflect—ask questions that may not have answers yet—and be true to your vision; be true to yourself. Make art that resonates with you. Make art that is important to you. Think about the answer to the question, “Why am I an artist?” What does that mean?

A great artist once created a painting of a pipe and wrote beneath it (translated from French), “This is not a pipe.” The artist was René Magritte, and the meaning is surprisingly simple: it is a painting of a pipe; it is not an actual pipe. It is an illusion of a pipe created by the hand of the artist. That illusion is true for almost every painting we see that involves visual perception and narrative.

Like music, art has a framework. We can either veer away from that framework and not play by the rules, or we can see a beautiful scene in nature and want to render it. Either way, you are creating something that wasn’t there before. In the end, it is what it is, and that’s all that there is.

I think I speak for the entire board of directors in wishing you all a wonderful holiday. We wish the best for you and your journey through this crazy world we live in. Remember, art is everywhere; we just have to look.

Creatively yours,

Mikel Frank

President, Guild of Charlotte Artists