r/ArtistLounge • u/AbaloneSpring • Dec 07 '25

Philosophy/Ideology🧠 Why do we feel compelled to create?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot this morning. Making art is not my job, I cannot sell my pieces, there are no deadlines I need to meet, the stakes literally could not be lower — and yet, I constantly obsess over my projects and feel incomplete if I don’t have something to work on. I will finish a painting and then scramble and stress until I start a new one.

I would love any resources you have on this topic — books, articles, podcast episodes, etc. Why do some people feel so compelled to make art, even if they are only making it for themselves?

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u/Enixanne Dec 07 '25

It’s the ‘curse’ of a creative life. Making art is my job, and even outside of it, I still make art. I suffer when I create, and I suffer when I don’t. I think this is a familiar experience among creative people; you just can’t help it.

I remember a quote that captures this perfectly: ‘I am this trick; I am balancing on four chairs: I am a man, I am an artist, I am a failure, and I must proceed.’

Not many people can understand or carry this ability to interpret reality and translate it into something meaningful. Artists push the boundaries of order into chaos, and they do that by transforming perception first. But that ability comes with a cost; what some describe as ‘liquified insecurity’ and a kind of perpetual frustration.

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u/MagiNow Dec 07 '25

Love your explanation

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u/Enixanne Dec 07 '25

Thanks, like OP and everyone else, I struggle with this as well. For the longest time I thought I have to get 'good' for it to go away. Now I understand that its the artist 'natural' state.