creating to create

The farther you go along an artistic career path, the more you start to realize that it is very easy to lose sight of the origins of creativity...the impetus to create for creating's sake. There is something very pure about this form of creating, and the kind of artists who operate from this place make the kind of work that I find most interesting. There is something about adding commerce to the mix that dilutes this potent creativity (think of a giant Hollywood blockbuster that rakes in money but is basically terrible, special effects replacing plot and substance, vs. an excellent independent film that barely makes anything, but is outside the box, engaging, witty, smart, and offers something you've never seen before).

So anyway, I am drawn to artists where this purity of creativity is evident, and I wanted to share the instagram page of one I discovered recently, Gustavo Fuentes. I was drawn to many things in his art...the geometric patterns, the fact that he uses tape, which is easily removable and doesn't destroy the surfaces he creates on, his use of an old wall by the LA River as a canvas, and designs that are both simple and complex at the same time.