life experience and art

[Anonymous No.3375738]

I have seen serveral videos already where skilled professionals tell to the viewer that life experience is one of the most important things to have as an artist. For example like in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=405NGYVbBno
What I dont understand is, what do they mean by life experience? Wont you get life experience when you are just alive for a long time? Am I missing something? Is there a certain kind of experience they mean?

[Anonymous No.3375805]

>>3375738
I didn't watch the video so I'll just share my thoughts on the claim.
It seems like a lot of the time when people say "you need life experience to be an artist," they mean something like, a good artist will be a globe-trotting adventurer like Ernest Hemingway and experience lots of weird and dangerous things that will later serve as artistic inspiration. I used to think there was some truth to this when I was younger, now I think it's mostly bunk. Shakespeare seems to have lived a rather "boring" life from what we can tell, for example.
You can also interpret "life experience" in terms of mental and emotional life experience though, rather than just the experience of physical events, and then perhaps there's more truth in it. I think you do need to have been alive for a certain length of time in order to know yourself better, in order to know what motivates you and what's important to you. Otherwise your art will be generic.
And there's also just general "life experience" as in maturity, as in knowing how to work hard and stay upright in the face of difficulty and not be a lazy fuck. That's definitely important no matter what you want to succeed at.

[Anonymous No.3375815]

>>3375738
They mean having an active, outgoing life, meeting loads of different people and not letting your focus on art bog you down socially. It's because all art imitates life and your art should imitate your life. Your life experiences and the things you've learned are basically like your creative ammo. So load up.

[Anonymous No.3375823]

>>3375738
I don't see what life experience has to do with a shit painting like that.

[Anonymous No.3375828]

>>3375805
What "worried' me is the experience you described with adventure one. It really isnt my kind of life, I wouldnt want that.
I can understand the mature kind of experience, the one a person gets when they just grow and live for a while.

>>3375815
>outgoing life
This is what I meant by a certain kind of experience, do they mean this?

When you read books, be it a bout real life subjects or fictional, isnt that adding to your 'ammo' too? What if my life is a boring one and I am happy with it, is that kind of experience the wrong one and doesnt count as real experience? I would have no problem with my art imiating my life, since I am alright with it.

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This life experience line just really has me confused for a while now. I would like to read what others on an anon forum think what it means or what they think about it. So thank you both for the reply.

[Anonymous No.3375864]

>>3375738
This is something i think about a lot and it actually makes a ton of sense.

What you think, how you feel, the way you live your life all have a huge impact on the art you make. Think of all of the normie preppy people you've met in your life; the people who tend to think about money, partying, being cool, following trends...Theres a reason those people dont tend to be artists.

Theres a lot of ways to look at the issue too. Mostly when talking about "fine" art, it seems to be more about what you have to say. I think like the development of photography, how accessible information is(including like all the history of art) and movements like "concept" art really changed how we perceive art. You could be a talented painter but if you're making realistic pet portraits no one is gonna give a fuck. Its more about what you have to say, how you say it, having a different perspective, coming up with new ideas....All this shit comes from how you're experiencing life.


>>3375805
>It seems like a lot of the time when people say "you need life experience to be an artist," they mean something like, a good artist will be a globe-trotting adventurer like Ernest Hemingway and experience lots of weird and dangerous things that will later serve as artistic inspiration
I think maybe you're looking at it backwards. Its more that if you're an artist you tend to live your life in a way thats different than most. Travel is just one aspect, not everyone who is an artist wants to travel or go on adventures. But most great artists think different. Wether its travel, reading, their relationship with society or whatever.>>3375828