Why are artists depicted as individuals who are always alone/lonely?

Usually because creativity doesn%26#039;t often come without discontent or some other need that has to be expressed.





%26quot;Discover your own discontent, and be grateful, for without divine discontent there would be no creative force.%26quot;


Deepak Chopra
Why are artists depicted as individuals who are always alone/lonely?
If I wasn%26#039;t alone, I couldn%26#039;t create the art that gives me strength and individuality in life. If I find contentment through socialization I would lose part of my authenticity. My art requires in sacrifice of part of my social life.
Why are artists depicted as individuals who are always alone/lonely?
It%26#039;s just a stereotype. The truth is very often laughably the opposite. Take for example Andy Warhol: tons of friends, lovers and hangers-on. Ditto for Picasso, who never got away from people and was always nailing hot, young French and Spanish babes. They were both really rich too.





Posers are usually the ones who dress up and take on all kinds of stereotypical affectations. Successful artists have to be outgoing, social, affable and assertive in order to market themselves. There may be some true artists who actually fit the stereotype, but you probably never heard of them because they are neither social enough nor confident enough to break into the market.





Hope that helps.
Reply:In my opinion, most of the artists are doomed to be more lonely than ordinary men for they would set aside more time and energy on thinking, then on creation. So, a more quiet and isolated space or atmosphere is indispensable %26amp; it become one of the preconditions to be an artist. It%26#039;s just because so few time they spend on social activity that make them seemingly lonely. But virtually, they are richer inwardly than anyone of us.
Reply:Common stereotypes.


I remember back in 78 when I was attending the Ontario College of Art for Fine Arts a bunch of us were heading to the cafe and a couple of teachers were with us and the subject of the myths surrounding us came up. By the time we got through to the tables with our lunches the conversation on what the public thinks of us was in full swing and we had a hoot over some of the notions people write or think about us. I came out of O.C.A. in the early eighties with a good and solid basic training and I%26#039;ve often remembered that lunch in the cafeteria, because I%26#039;m constantly reminded of what is thought of me by those whom I come in contact with!


It%26#039;s laughable and it is insulting some times.


It%26#039;s the %26quot;wannabes%26quot; who promote that stereotype, I see them all the time on Queen west during the nineties and lately they%26#039;ve been moving into Parkdale having been pushed out of the Queen West district.


Although I am sick and diagnosed with %26#039;Bipolar%26#039; disorder I%26#039;m certainly not a loner, nor a morose, and maudlin fake.


I am an artist, I like my own company as do a lot of my peers but we are not necessarily %26quot; alone/lonely.
Reply:Andy Warhol was an outcast to begin with. He was a loner and had difficulty adjusting to social life of others his age because of his sexual preference to men.





Edward Hopper is an excellent example. He was one who protrayed solitude as an important theme in his paintings. He was also very private.





Creative people don%26#039;t need a great social life, some try to avoid it. To paint and draw, or do pottery, takes a lot of concentration. I am an artist and prefer a quiet environment. But it varies from person to person.





As you start to paint more, it becomes an addiction and you may become more reserved. But being depicted as lonely isn%26#039;t necessarily a bad thing, it%26#039;s just their choice in living that way.
Reply:Take this from an artist who has actually been painting for almost thirty years:





Forget the stereotypes.





And forget the replies about artists like Warhol and Picasso. Both were pretty much loners in their early years before they became famous. Money and fame bought them extra time and all the shortcuts that come with that extra time.





Most serious artists are alone a lot because they HAVE to be alone in order to paint. Painting on canvas is not a collective creativity. It is a very singular experience. Most serious artists usually also have to work at some job at help pay their bills. So the time they have to paint in becomes very precious to them. Interruptions and distractions take away from this time.





You simply can%26#039;t paint and socialize at the same time. And by being a serious, committed artist means you sacrifice things that seem important to others, like getting hooked on American Idol or watching a lot of DVDs. You can%26#039;t paint and watch television at the same time. Nor can you go clubbing or hang out at bars and paint at the same time. It%26#039;s not that you%26#039;re anti-social. It%26#039;s that you would rather create than worry about Paris or Brittney or spending evenings in meaningless chit chat at some party.





It%26#039;s really that simple.





And it%26#039;s not that serious artists committed to their craft don%26#039;t need people, don%26#039;t have relationships or friends. We do. It%26#039;s just that we%26#039;re very protective of the time we have to create in.
Reply:The act of making art is by its nature a solo act.





It is rare for a successful artist to work with other artists.