Relinquishing the Artifice in Pursuit of Sincerity (Part 1)

Relinquishing the Artifice in Pursuit of Sincerity

(Part 1)

by

Crystal Lewis

I have recently finished reading a book by Erwin Raphael McManus titled The Artisan Soul, which completely revolutionized my thoughts and feelings about art, life, religion, friendship, politics and all that is in between. I know that is a pretty bold declaration to make. After all, these are not always easy topics to discuss, even amongst good friends. My purpose in writing this blog is not to superficially plug the book, although it is a very insightful read, but rather to use this as a personal means of reflection.

In the beginning of this book, Erwin McManus describes the essence of art and states that “fear is the shadow of creativity, when we choose to create we bring light to our fears.” He continues on to eloquently point out that artists need to remain true to themselves and reject all that makes them false. From there McManus goes on to affirm that our work is authentic when it is the authentic representation of who we are, as in, your art is an extension of yourself.

This led me to muse about applying this concept to more than just my creative art, but to my personal and professional relationships as well. I began to mull over this idea of moving beyond fear and letting go of the artifice to establish real and lasting friendships. I started to reflect on how often we become personal friends or professional colleagues with those we feel will somehow bring us opportunities and good fortune without ever really revealing our true nature and authentic selves to each other. Instead, we hide from each other behind this artifice masked as sincerity. I began to ponder if we do this out of fear?  Maybe fear of not being accepted?  Perhaps fear of being shut out of the perceived successful circles? As artists we always preach about embracing your uniqueness and not being afraid to stand out. But then why do we so desperately want to be accepted by each other, even to the extreme of developing these sometimes pseudo relationships? Then it hit me like a swift kick to the gut.  How can we be authentic in our creative practices if we can’t even be authentic in our personal relationships with each other, whether it is personal or professional? Every artist, including myself, will proclaim that staying true to their art is absolutely vital. So, shouldn’t our various dealings, practices and relationships with each other also be based on remaining in truth? Shouldn’t this be just as vital? After all, if it is true that our art is an extension of ourselves, it would then stand to reason if we want our art to be true, than perhaps we must remain in truth as well, not just in our creative endeavors but also in our personal endeavors.