Maintaining a creative practice, whether as a musician, visual artist or writer, inevitably involves long hours spent in solitude. In many instances, this is completely necessary. Deep creative work often requires complete focus and solitude, without interruption. But for some artists, particularly ones with more extroverted personalities, long hours spent alone can be difficult. Marina Abramovic told The Huffington Post that being an artist involves ‘lots of lonely hotel rooms. You know, it’s kind of a lonely life.’
Loralee Newitt is a painter, working primarily alone. She finds solitude allows her own thoughts and ideas to develop without interruption. ‘Controlling external input when working makes for clearer thought, and it also enables patience which is key when doing anything creative. Solitude or isolation is a space that I’ve always been comfortable in.
‘Being alone offers a space of total free will, to act and react in your most natural and instinctual way, leaving little to no room for ego or anything other than honesty. There is a time when the work requires some input from others but I find my best work has been made in a space where my thoughts, feelings and ideas don’t have to compete over others to be discussed,’ said Newitt.
Finding your tribe
Silence is a breeding ground for introspection. While some artistic practices require deep introspection, without some level of social interaction throughout the day there’s a risk of becoming slightly myopic. Getting out and about can ward off the downsides of artistic aloneness. Venturing into the world can also give you a chance to connect with others and improve your skills, which in turn benefits your work.
Depending on the kind of work you do, a shared studio or co-working space can be the perfect way to work on your own practice while still being surrounded by people. Needlepoint and soft sculpture artist Clara Bradley credits working in a group studio as ‘a big help. Coming into the space and not being alone, having someone to have a quick chat with or a cup of tea, to bounce ideas off of and also see others’ practice evolving and hard work in motion is great. I hugely admire the work of my studio peers and having someone else working into the night beside you makes you want to work harder, for longer.’
Shared studio spaces are common, in part due to the cost of renting out a studio, and for the collaborative experience. You can find studio spaces through Creative Spaces or asking at local galleries or art supplies stores.
One way to find your people is through joining groups through local book shops or art schools. Joining workshops or courses is another way to meet people with similar creative practices, while expanding your education. The art world is filled with talks, conferences, festivals and fairs, so there will be plenty of events on in your area.
Community spirit
But a community is what you make it: you’ll only find like-minded people if you seek them out. Social researcher Hugh Mackay, author of The Art of Belonging, argues that “communities can be magical places, but the magic comes from us, not to us”. Going out to see the new work, performances and openings of your creative friends will in turn help build a community of support for your creative endeavours.
Working with other artists, producers and makers can build connections, broaden your horizons and strengthen your own practice. Even the most individual art practice can find benefits in collaboration and offer respite from the isolation of solo practice.
Bradley finds collaboration both helpful and daunting. ‘During collaboration, it’s brilliant and beneficial to be able to engage in one another’s ideas and perspectives. Having to negotiate your own concepts with the challenges presented can be very fruitful. Although, the co-coordinating, scheduling, fair sharing of workload, energy, effort and cost can quickly dampen a project and its orbiting passion.
‘Being solely responsible for the end result of a project can be daunting and sometimes external opinions would contribute to a better result, but having the confidence in your ability to work alone pushes a practice into new realms,’ Bradley continued.
Enjoying solitude
For many artists, being alone is a natural and comfortable state.
Minna Gilligan is a Melbourne artist who works primarily in painting, drawing and collage. She prefers working alone to working around other people. ‘In lots of ways it’s the only way I can actually work. I suppose it comes down to if the artist is an introvert or extrovert, or somewhere in between. I’m a textbook introvert. At art school I was surprised at how extroverted a lot of my peers were. They were able to work and be productive whilst engaging with people. I am completely not able to do that, so I often found making work in that environment a little challenging.
Gilligan told ArtsHub that being alone and being lonely are not the same thing. ‘I think associating being alone with loneliness is a mistake. I see the two as pretty separate. I am able to be alone rather well, and I am very productive when I am alone.’
But even for a natural ‘aloner’, solitude has it’s limits. Not to say that I don’t get lonely at all. When I have gone through a whole day in the studio realising I haven’t uttered a word to anyone except the person I bought my lunch from in the supermarket downstairs, I definitely feel a little off.’
Newitt said loneliness doesn’t occur when an artist is fully engaged in their work. ‘In my studio I always have books to flick through, and poetry, articles or interviews if I feel like I need some human connection. Mostly I find myself in a space of calm, where hours slip by without my knowing. I think if the space you’re working in, and also the work you’re doing is inspiring and important to you then loneliness shouldn’t be a thing you need to overcome.’
Keeping company
While there are definitely times when you will need to be working in silence, even just having music playing will help lessen feelings of isolation. If you crave more connection, podcasts and audiobooks are an excellent way to feel plugged into the world. Some renowned podcasts for creative inspiration include The Moth, TED Radio Hour, 99% Invisible and The Lively Show.
Read: Top Ten Podcasts
Gilligan has put strategies in place to prevent loneliness when she is working alone. ‘I totally stave off loneliness by interacting with social media, for sure. I also set goals for myself, and know what I want to have achieved in a day. Background chatter also helps – I alternate between music and documentaries. The studio does not feel intrinsically lonely for me as I put in place strategies so it feels full, friendly, and is a place of equal work and warmth. I actually probably feel lonelier if I’m navigating public spaces by myself!’
Bradley likes audiobooks to keep her mind busy while she is working on intricate embroidery projects. ‘My dog usually comes into the studio with me and it’s great to have a little mascot. My work involves between 60-80 hours of hand sewing per piece so I have consumed many audiobooks in the process. It feels like you’re being doubly productive.’
Using social media as a way to remain connected to the outside world can be both a boon and a bane. Bradley said, ‘Social media is a fantastic way for creatives to branch out, meet one another, collaborate and encourage. I find a lot of buoyancy in the support and friendships I’ve cultivated online via the art world.
‘Supporting one another’s projects, helping out where possible, volunteering and promoting is a great way to connect. There is definitely a momentum produced by receiving a kind comment from afar, or from an unknown person on the work in progress. ‘
Gilligan agrees. ‘Social media has been a complete boon for people of my introverted persuasion. I have a lot to say because I’m an artist, but I don’t necessarily want to get up on a stage in real life and say it looking out at a whole bunch of people looking back at me, if that makes sense. Social media is a safer, friendlier place where I can interact, curate, and communicate – from the shadows. The audience is there, but it’s misty and clouded.’
A large benefit of social media is being able to choose when to interact with the outside world. Newitt said, ‘I think being able to decide when to bring the outside in is an exceptionally useful within a creative practise. As I’ve said, I prefer to work alone and that’s where I’m most comfortable so to be able to extend myself and create connections with others from that comfortable space is a wonderful thing.’
