There are moments when art seems to emerge as an intimate, almost silent necessity. An internal conversation, free of external expectations. But there are also times when the act of expressing oneself feels incomplete until it finds someone to listen. Between these two poles lies a field full of nuances, a space where no absolute answers exist.
A constant dialogue with what surrounds us
It’s hard to think of the act of creating art as something purely individual. Even without an explicit intention to communicate, the simple fact that we live surrounded by others affects us. The influences you absorb, the stories you carry within, the interpretations you imagine others might have—all of this seeps into the process, often without you realizing it.
On the other hand, when you think directly of the other, of the person who will receive what you create, the work changes. It becomes a kind of bridge, an attempt to reach a shared space. Yet this desire to connect with someone can also burden the work with expectations that might limit it.
A dialogue between the inner and the outer
It’s difficult to separate the gesture that comes from the inner world from the will to share it. Even when it seems like everything is created from a personal space, there’s an echo, a latent possibility that it might resonate with someone else. And when that someone is present, when the piece is out in the world, it transforms.
This dialogue has no fixed rules. Perhaps it’s about listening to what each moment demands, or even letting this balance shift on its own, without forcing it. Sometimes, art just needs space to exist, without further justification. Other times, it seeks a place to meet someone, to open a silent conversation.
Asking without needing an answer
In the end, the question of whether art is for oneself or for others may not need an answer. It only needs to remain present, like a thread connecting the decisions you make throughout the process. It’s this tension, this back-and-forth between the inner and the outer, that keeps the work alive.
Each piece, each project, will find its own answer. And most likely, that answer will be different next time.
