This is a question that comes up quite frequently in life as well as in art, and particularly in the kind of intuitive, abstract expressionism I engage in.
Looking at the world as it is now, a place of wanton ecological destruction, genocide, absurd levels of inequality, in which leaders have lost any shred of morality and maybe the survival of humanity is actually at stake (could there be a more stupid idea than creating an entity more intelligent than oneself?) I think we could be forgiven for wondering what the point is in slinging some paint on canvas.
It depends what you mean by ‘point’., though. When it comes to immediate physical survival, there are obviously other priorities. But while people have recently signed up to a model of endless uncontrolled linear growth, with the few accumulating power as they go, rolling over the rest towards a disastrous end – our deeper roots tell different stories.
There’s no such thing as endless growth, no such thing as an absolute human power over our destiny. There are the cycles of nature that we’re all subject to, and there is the absolute mystery it all rests on, from which many experiences have been shared and tales told, religious and otherwise, throughout the ages, that have their own point.
There’s a point in the inexpressible. It’s maybe the primary point of existence, whether you call it God, or nothing. And the inexpressible can best be touched on, accessed, responded to in art, be it music, poetry or art. Improvisation and abstraction are ways of touching upon, accessing and actively participating in the inexpressible.
Being in touch with and expressing the inexpressible, the point, is the difference between surviving and living. My sense is that it also puts you in touch with interconnectedness and increases empathy and compassion, without which frankly nobody is going to survive.
It doesn’t matter what angle you come from, but experiencing and expressing the inexpressible may be the only point in life, what saves it from being a mere matter of survival until death inevitably comes and we lose the game.
I personally find ‘the point’ in meditation, in relationship, music, writing and maybe the most viscerally expressive way is through paint. The point for some reason – it just seems to be built in – also always helps other beings, helps increase life in all its dimensions.
How does that work? There’s an expanded perspective when you engage with ‘the point’, and also an increased warmth that comes along with the pleasure of creation. Buddhists would refer to this pairing as wisdom and compassion. The nervous system also relaxes, there’s less fear, which increases the desire to share, you don’t need to hoard your resources or indeed your insights, for yourself.
Of course it’s not a question of being someone who engages with the inexpressible, or someone who doesn’t, of there being a right way and a wrong way to live, this is just to say that in my opinion if you do make art it isn’t a waste of time – there’s an intrinsic value in it, and it also acts as a generator of energy that you can put to any kind of use that you feel is appropriate, in the world as it is.