Artist Manifesto

Art speaks, art heals, art thrills

Consume it, share it, make it

In this manifesto, I outline my views on making art and theatre in a form of a call to action. A list of things I need to do to make sure that I am acting on all that I believe in.

I as an artist promise...

To speak on current matters, that are important to me and my loved ones. I believe in the unbreakable connection between politics and art. Art cannot live outside the political, economic and social implications of the times and I view it as an important vessel of change.

To say what you cannot say otherwise. Use art as an outlet for the thoughts and feelings you don’t want, don’t understand, or don’t know how to express. There are no thoughts unworthy of being shared through art. Be the most honest and unfiltered version of yourself, there is no “too much” or “too strange”.

To stray from the artificial, no more pristine, no more flawless. We can’t afford in the age of artificial intelligence, digital and profitable to strive for perfection. The human fight to become extraordinary has become devalued and automated. Countless hours of perfecting your craft can be replaced by a click of a button, and we forget how to tell the difference between the two. So, make flaws, with stray hairs and lint stuck onto shirts, with awkward walks and voice cracks, the scummy, the lazy, the jealous that lives only in us. So that we can connect once again, recognize in one another what we grew to hate in ourselves and feel a little more at ease, so we can start to forgive.

To use art for its strong healing power, to help people be heard in their struggles, to help them feel understood and accepted. Not to be scared to approach heavy topics but explore them with attentiveness and empathy, to let the audience feel and not close off.

To not forget that besides speaking out and making an impact, expressing your feelings and thoughts, art can be entertaining and thrilling for the consumer. Do not be afraid of wanting to entertain and amuse, and do not let that invalidate the messaging behind your art. To me, the audience is a very important person to consider during the process of theatre making, and despite me understanding that art can go beyond what an audience member desires to see or expects to see, I am still eager and excited to provide a form of entertainment to whoever is consuming the art that I create.

As we speak about the audience and their role in the creation, consumption and overall existence of art, it is important to outline a few things that I feel every person should do in their life in regard to art. Each and every person is surrounded by art, but needs to sometimes know how to engage with it.

I ask that you as a consumer of art

Do not hesitate to seek out art. Make no mistake, art is forever around you, and sometimes you need to make a conscious effort to find it. Give a chance to that small exhibition, that well-known museum you never actually visited, that comedy show that your friend told you about two weeks ago. The opportunities to consume art are forever present, and what you need to do is to say yes to those opportunities as much as you can and when you decide to come and watch…

Watch, listen, be present. Don’t just look and let it pass by, make it pass through you, and I promise that it will leave something inside you that you can then take away and have through your life's journey. Art is people’s voices, art is people’s experiences and most importantly art is there to transform You. It is there to give you perspective on things that you don’t understand, so listen and learn. It’s there to soothe your worries, so take that opportunity and let yourself be helped. Engage truly, don’t let it pass you by.

Share the art that you like, share the art that means something to you, tell people to consume that art as well, tell people why it is so important to you. That one cartoon you saw when you were a child that still hold a special place in your heart, that song from a musical that speaks to your life experience so well and makes you cry every time you listen to it, that painting your mum made that you still keep in your living room. These are things that are to be shared so they can affect others like they have affected you.

If you have children, share the art with them since a young age. Teach them how to engage with art, take them to see shows, give them books to read. Talk to them about the art that they’ve consumed. Have a conversation because they need to know and be taught about what kind of art exists in the world and how to understand it. Teach them to speak that language from a young age because when they grow up, it will help them in so many ways. Being able to consume art as an adult will help them in every single part of their life, and maybe they will even grow up to make art, which is a valid and valuable career path to have.

And finally make art. Don’t let it disappear, don’t let the ever-growing industry of slop, digitally manufactured content, the lack of funding be the downfall of what is the most human and one of the most beautiful parts of this world. Be persistent with your voice, be passionate and motivated because the impact that art makes on the world is stronger than the effort the world makes to silence artists.

As my last point, I would like to remind each one of you that art is not about perfection and precision.

It is about humanity

This is not to say perfecting your skill and mastering your art are not important and valuable, but to remind you that you should not be restricted by the desire to become flawless. Neither should the focus of your art be a demonstration of a “perfect” piece (if such even exists). Use your skills and your determination to show the flawed nature of the world in all its beauty and ugliness.

In Wes Anderson’s movie “The French Dispatch” there is a quote I think about often. It is said when an art dealer presents an abstract piece of art to two old investors with traditional views on art.

"One way to tell if a modern artist actually knows what he's doing is to get him to paint you a horse or a flower or a sinking battleship or something that's actually supposed to look like the thing that it’s actually supposed to look like. Can he do it? <...> The point is, he could paint this beautifully if he wanted. But he thinks this (an abstract painting) is better. And I think I sort of agree with him." (The French Dispatch, 2021, 24:14)

Even if an artist can portray something perfectly or as naturalistically as possible that might impress and wow the audience, his focus is instead on the intangible, on the conceptual. The things that you know but can’t put into words. It is for the soul to unravel the most hidden parts of itself and let the audience say “I feel it too” or to say “Now I understand you”. It is a way to make known and noticed that vast and unstoppable river of being alive. Not of just being conscious with thoughts and emotions and instincts, but of being truly alive in this world alongside other people who feel as alive and as uncertain as you do.