In the Mind of an Artist

Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don't start measuring her limbs.

Pablo Picasso

Do artists think uniquely, feel deeper, express themselves more distinctively, or even use their brains differently from others? What defines an artist? A definition of Artist from Princeton.edu is a creative person (a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination). Do all artists fit a category?

He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.

Albert Einstein

I consider myself a musician, songwriter, writer, and crafter even though I'm not able to make a livable salary as such. Ever since I was a little girl I knew I thought about things and saw things differently than others. To this day that remains true. Other artists I know say the same thing. Does the brain of an artist work differently? There are two hemispheres to our brains, the left and right. The right hemisphere is the less verbal side that controls the left side of the body, proven to control creative thinking, perception, spotting patterns, imagination and visualization. The left Hemisphere is the more verbal side that controls the right side of the body and is more analytic, language orientated liner and objective (Levvy and Sperry 1968). Artists use their right hemisphere more than their left. Based on the theory of right brain dominance and its links with intuition, a study by Science Daily suggests that artists are more inclined to solve problems this way rather than in a methodical or logical manner (Science Daily 2007). I must interject that I am guilty of problem solving in this manner. It drives everyone I'm close to crazy. Though imagination and creativity are linked with right brain dominance that is not to say the left hemisphere lies dormant. One side of the brain relies upon the other in order to function as a whole, when separated each hemisphere struggles in its own right. (Gazzaniga M .S. 1968)

Artists are often associated as having exaggerated emotional states as well as personality "quirks". Emotions are controlled by the right side of the brain and since artists are right brained it stands to reason they would be emotional.

Clearly every person is different but there are a lot of common traits that artists share. I can certainly relate to most of these.

Artists are right brained and part of using the emotional side of the brain includes the ability to effectively empathise with others, read emotion, and gauge more sentiment from experiences in life. This is what makes their work so personal not only to them but others as well. When you listen to a song that seems to have been written just for you, you are listening to the words and sounds of someone with true insight to how experiences translate to emotion.

I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.

Nikola Tesla

Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility. There is a push/pull, but there is a constant drive when it comes to their art, most work late into the night and persist when less driven individuals would not. The saying "in the zone" is an understatement when it comes to an artist and their work. It can be literally impossible to stop.

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.

Dr. Seuss

Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality. Ideas artists come up with are often labeled as fantasy but years later become reality. They are often "ahead of their time".

Artists tend to be both extroverted and introverted, and humble and proud. Artists often live comfortably with duality.

Artists tend to see the world from a different perspective and are highly dedicated to their craft. If you are an artist, whatever the field, please share your experience in the comments below.